Wille und Macht 1940–1941 – Four Baldur von Schirach Issues & 1935 Stuttgart Rectorial Address

Description

This lot brings together four wartime issues of the Wille und Macht magazine, the Führerorgan der nationalsozialistischen Jugend edited by Baldur von Schirach, dated between October 1940 and January 1941, together with a 1935 rectorial address from the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart. Each magazine is a Halbmonatsschrift (fortnightly) issue published in Berlin and priced 30 Pf. Their covers list the leading articles, which makes it easy to follow how the Hitler Youth leadership interpreted Europe at war for its readers.

Which Wille und Macht Magazine Issues Are Included?

1. Heft 19 – Berlin, 1 October 1940. Cover articles include Werner A. Fischer, “Spielregeln der Weltwirtschaft”; Herbert A. Frenzel, “Zwischenbilanz des heutigen Dramas”; and Josef März, “Bereinigung im Südosten”.
2. Heft 22 – Berlin, 15 November 1940. A special focus on Romania, led by General Ion Antonescu, “Das national-legionäre Rumänien”, and Horia Sima, “Die Dynamik der nationalen Bewegung”, with contributions by Mihail Manoilescu, Georg Bratianu and others on Romanian foreign policy, economy, art and poetry.
3. Heft 1 – Berlin, 1 January 1941. Bruno Brehm, “Die große Aufgabe”; Heinrich Ritter von Srbik, “Der Herzog von Reichstadt”; and W. A. Fischer, “Neue Formen für Europas Wirtschaft”.
4. Heft 2 – Berlin, 15 January 1941. Bruno Brehm, “Deutsches Wirken im Südosten”, and Josef Nadler, “Erscheinung und Wesen”, with further literary and political pieces. The opening page, with Brehm’s article on the German presence in south-eastern Europe, is photographed.
5. Wilhelm Stortz, Technische Hochschulbildung im alten und neuen Reich – address given at the handover of the rectorship of the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart on 5 June 1935, published in Stuttgart by A. Bonz’ Erben.

What Was Wille und Macht?

Library catalogues record Wille und Macht – Führerorgan der nationalsozialistischen Jugend as a periodical published from 1933 to 1944, first in Munich and then in Berlin by the Party publisher Eher. As the cover states, it was issued under Baldur von Schirach. As the word Führerorgan in its subtitle indicates, it was intended for the leaders of the youth movement rather than for ordinary members, and it covered politics, history, economics, literature and foreign affairs.

Why Is the Romanian Issue Interesting?

Heft 22 appeared in November 1940, during the brief “National Legionary State” in Romania. This regime was formed in September 1940, with General Antonescu at its head and Horia Sima leading the Iron Guard (Legionary) movement. The partnership collapsed in January 1941, when the Legionaries’ rebellion in Bucharest, which included a pogrom against the Jewish population, was suppressed by the army. An issue giving both men a platform only two months before that break is a striking primary source for the history of Axis Romania.

What Does the Stuttgart Booklet Add?

The Stortz address belongs to a different world: German higher education in the mid-1930s. Its cover bears the swastika and the name of the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart, and its title, “Technical university education in the old and the new Reich”, shows how academic institutions presented themselves after 1933. It provides a useful contrast with the youth periodicals.

Collector’s Note

Wille und Macht magazine issues are interesting because they show the regime speaking to its own young leaders about the wider world: Romania, south-eastern Europe and the European economy. The covers are clean typographic designs with the Party eagle. If you are building a group of youth publications, see also our Third Reich publications lot and Jugend um Hitler, and my guide to WW2 German documents.

Condition

• Toning, light spotting and edge wear to the magazines.
• Small creases, rubbing and handling marks.
• The Stuttgart booklet shows toning and surface wear to the cover.
• Not collated page by page.

Please study all the photographs of these Wille und Macht magazine issues, which form an essential part of this condition description. All five items are sold together, exactly as shown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who edited Wille und Macht?

The cover names Baldur von Schirach as Herausgeber.

How many items are in the lot?

Five: four Wille und Macht issues (1940–1941) and the 1935 Stuttgart booklet.

Are they sold separately?

No. All five are sold as one lot.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This Wille und Macht magazine lot is offered as a historical artefact for collecting, preservation, education and research. The publications contain National Socialist symbols and ideology, as well as texts by leaders of the Romanian Legionary movement, which are retained because they are an original part of the documents. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify National Socialist or fascist ideology. For our approach to this material, see collecting Third Reich material responsibly.

References & Further Reading

• Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gedenkstättenbibliotheken (AGGB) catalogue, Wille und Macht: Führerorgan der nationalsozialistischen Jugend.
• Yad Vashem, The Holocaust in Romania (report chapter on the National Legionary State, PDF).
• Autographs & Militaria, WW2 German documents.