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BERLIN ILLUSTRATED NAZI NEWSPAPER 5 MAY - 15 JUNE 1938, 7 ISSUES WITH 282 PAGES

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The Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung (Berlin Illustrated Newspaper) was Germany’s largest weekly photo newspaper published in Reichshauptstadt Berlin by Ullstein AG, and was read by just about everybody in the capital of and throughout Nazi Germany. Each 10 x 14 inch issue contained the very latest news, photographs and information gathered from around the world including the most important features from the United States and England.  The excellent weekly was sold for only 20 Reichspfennigs, the equivalent of 8 US cents.

Above and below, some of the coverage of the famous German boxer Max Schmeling in these 1938 issues of BIZ.

BIZ's Willi Ruge reported about a Bückner Student airplane trip over Africa and mentioned the disbelief of natives (“Schwarze Gentlemen”) at seeing an airplane for the first time. Another interesting multi-issue article is about correspondent Wolfgang Weber’s car trip through Africa. He visited many places where people had never seen an automobile. His Mercedes-Benz hood ornament even became “ear decoration”!

Above, a rare picture of Reichsführer-SS Himmler and Nazi Foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop accompanying Adolf Hitler aboard his special train to Rome at the start of the 6-day state visit to Mussolini's Fascist Italy.

Naturally, Nazi Party Führer and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler is prominently featured in every issue, heard from and seen in his role as leader of the government. These issues have heavy photo and text coverage of his state visit to Benito Mussolini’s Rome. From Hitler’s travel to Rome on the Sonderzug (Special Train) with Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, Pressechef Dietrich and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, to meetings with King Victor Emmanuel III and Il Duce, the welcome fireworks, military reviews, naval and aviation demonstrations, etc. Dozens of photos include Hitler, Mussolini, Goering, Goebbels, Hess, Count Ciano, Il Duce’s important foreign policy speech, Hitler in Florence, even 80 meter tall statues ready to be transported to the Foro Mussolini.

These seven 1938 issues of the Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung also contain articles about the construction of the new KdF or Volkswagen factory at Fallersleben, the new AEG power station at Kaprun where Hermann Göring was present for the groundbreaking ceremony, the first day of the new Nazi Amt für Gnadensachen (the Nazi Office for Clemency Cases) attended by Dr. Freisler and Reichsminister Philipp Bouhler, Japanese battles in China, the Spanish Civil War, riots involving members of the Sudetendeutsche Partei at the border town Eger, independence demonstrations in Slovakia, a guerilla school for girls in China, whale hunting, seaside sunbathing in and around Rome (includes a photo of Count Ciano and his wife Edda Mussolini on the beach), plans for new one-man bomber airplanes, military air maneuvers in the USA (featuring a new P-36 and camouflaged B-17s - shown below), construction of the new subway station under Potsdamerplatz in Berlin, German boxer Max Schmeling, and much, much more.

Offered on this USMBOOKS web page are the consecutive issues of Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung published between 5 May and 15 June of the year 1938. The seven issues are complete and in nice condition and have a total of 282 heavily illustrated photo pages!

These issues of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung also contain short stories, crossword puzzles, timely jokes and cartoons as well as cultural news and pictures of German European royalty, foreign politicians, and German and foreign movie stars including Lida Baarova, Zarah Leander and Sonja Henie (shown right).

These fine 1938 news tabloids also contain multi-issue articles about a 100-day car trip through the USA. It is fascinating to read and see what the correspondent reported and photographed. Things that clearly did not exist in Germany in 1938 such as parking meters, drive-in restaurants, well-equipped gas stations, motorcycle cops, horse trailers, wooden school crossing guards, two-story car haulers or transports, cattle police in Texas, the Pacific Coast Highway in California, and even the Riverside Church in New York which also included a kindergarten, a bowling alley and a club for non-church activities.

Above and below some pictures of experiences that were new to the German reporter who made the 100-day car trip through the USA. Parcometers (right), drive-in restaurants, horse trailers behind regular cars, and "Millionaire's Island" outside Miami that could only be reached by car!

This lot of seven fine 86 year old issues of Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung is in very nice condition and were clearly stored in a binder after World War II. The newspapers have no writing, no odor and contain an irreplaceable treasure trove of news and pictures early in the year 1938 in Nazi Germany! Many interesting issues are often offered at prices up to $25.00 each.

More lots of 1938 issues of BIZ will follow!

There is advertising for all sorts of German consumer products from cigarettes to toothpaste binoculars to ladies underwear, and hair dye to razor blades: Nivea, Miele, Siemens, Dr. Oetker, Palmolive, Wybert, Reetsma, Rolleiflex, Bevo, Shell, Zeiss-Ikon, Esso, Zündapp, Felina, Vaseline, Underberg, 4711, even newly designed streamlined Adler cars.

It is hard to do justice to the superb photo content in these 1938 issues of BIZ! Police in Akron OH shooting a Gas Pistole at demonstrators (left), Spanish gold on its way to the USA (above) or a violin made from plexiglass (below). We only show a few images from Hitler's state visit to Italy, but there are dozens in these seven issues!

These newspapers also contain many photos and their captions which updated less important but timely news such as 1 May Labor Day celebrations in Germany, preparations for the 1940 Olympics in Japan, gold mining in South Africa, a barrage balloon demonstration outside London, preparations for the San Francisco World Expo, Rudolf Hess at the NSDAP Gau rally in Stettin, auto racer Hermann Lang after winning the Tripolis Grand Prix, the harbor master of Lakehurst NJ, German Luftwaffe dignitaries in Yugoslavia, US Cavalry exercises in Texas, Dr. Robert Ley at the opening of the 1938 Handicraft Exhibition in Berlin, the Otto Lilienthal monument in Berlin, the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson on vacation in Cap d’Antibes, and even the Wild West Karl May Festival with its “Winnetou Weekend”!

Above, Emmy Göring around the time of the birth of daughter Edda.