 |
Halfsheet World War II propaganda poster, created in 1944, is a Dutch anti-communist and anti-Allied print issued by the Waffen-SS, Landstorm Nederland. The Dutch text at the bottom, "Nu gaat het er om niet het hoofd te verliezen" translates to "Now the point is not to lose your head".
Poster Analysis
Issuing Body: Waffen-SS, Landstorm Nederland (a Dutch collaborationist paramilitary organization).
Date: 1944.
Message: The poster is a piece of anti-Soviet and anti-Allied propaganda designed to incite fear of a "Total Soviet Victory" and a subsequent communist takeover in the Netherlands during the German occupation (1940-1945). It aimed to encourage Dutch citizens to support the collaborationist forces.
Imagery and Symbolism:
The Man: A man, possibly representing the average Dutchman or a Western leader, has his head under a scale. His "winning smile" suggests a naive confidence.
The Balance: A large weight labeled "Totale Sovjet Overwinning" (Total Soviet Victory), passed by a bloody hand, threatens to drop onto the man's head. On the other side, much smaller weights are labeled with Allied-controlled or desired territories/events such as "Invasie Nederland" (Invasion Netherlands) and various placenames (e.g., CHARBON, COTENTIN, WITEBS).
The Woman: A woman attempts to bar the large Soviet weight, suggesting an effort to stop the imminent threat.
Bottom Text: The call to action "LEEST STORM-44" (Read Storm-44) refers to a National Socialist publication, urging people to follow their ideological guidance to avoid the depicted fate.
Thinking
Searching
The artist of the "That Winning Smile" (Leest Storm SS) propaganda poster is
Harald Damsleth.
Harald Damsleth (1906-1971) was a Norwegian cartoonist and illustrator known for creating nearly 200 World War II propaganda posters for the Nazis. The poster was produced in 1944 in the occupied Netherlands. While some auction listings occasionally label the artist as "Anonymous," other specialized sources confirm Damsleth's authorship. |
|
|
