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I have known about this publication since the 1970s but had never seen a copy. Indeed, after nearly half a century of searching I was beginning to wonder whether its existence was a myth.... Then, out of the blue, an example turns up on eBay.

This copy was placed in the library of Oflag [Offizier Lager] V-A, the small German POW camp in Weinsberg, which was set aside for captured officers.







Many of the illustrations were lifted from Jean Veber's 1901 publication "Les Camps de Reconcentration au Transvaal".



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Neville, a very interesting piece of propaganda, great find! Although it was written in English, with such plainly anti-British contents I can’t imagine it was printed for distribution in the UK. More likely it was targeted at the English speaking populations of South Africa and some other Commonwealth countries. It reminds me a bit of the copies of the Reader’s Digest which lay around our house in the 1960’s. This CIA-sponsored publication consisted of some innocuous book abbreviations and ,without fail, one staunchly anti-communist feature imploring us to check under our bed for Russian spies and teaching us how to survive a nuclear blast by sitting under the school desk.

Everhard,

Oflag V-A was a small camp, holding roughly 1,000 officers at any one time. As far as I can gather it was a "model" camp, which the German's showed off to the Red Cross Committee, etc., to prove that they were looking after their prisoners impeccably.

You may well be right regarding the English speaking populations of South Africa, as this piece appeared in The South African Military History Society Journal in 2008. It relates the story of a South African artilleryman's sojourn at Oflag V-A.

The memoirs of an artilleryman.... Prisoner of War, 1942-5. Part Two: Oflag V-A





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That's very interesting.
Are forummers aware of this too?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm_Kr%C3%BCger
and

Here are a few pages from the programme that was issued for Hans Steinhoff's 1941 film "OHM KRÜGER", which could be purchased for 10 Pfennig. Emil Jannings played the part of Paul Kruger.









From Wikipedia

Ohm Krüger (English: Uncle Krüger) is a 1941 German biographical film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Emil Jannings, Lucie Höflich, and Werner Hinz. It was one of a series of major propaganda films produced in Nazi Germany attacking the United Kingdom. The film depicts the life of the South African politician Paul Kruger and his eventual defeat by the British during the Boer War.

It was the first film to be awarded the 'Film of the Nation' award. It was re-released in 1944.


Plot

The film opens with a dying Paul Kruger (Emil Jannings) speaking about his life to his nurse in a Geneva hotel. The rest of the film is told in flashback.

Cecil Rhodes (Ferdinand Marian) has a great desire to acquire land in the Transvaal region of the Boers for its gold deposits. He sends Dr Jameson (Karl Haubenreißer) there to provoke border disturbances and secures support from Joseph Chamberlain (Gustaf Gründgens). When Chamberlain seeks the support of Queen Victoria (Hedwig Wangel) and her son Edward, Prince of Wales (Alfred Bernau), she initially refuses but changes her mind when she is informed of the gold in the region. She invites Kruger to London and believes that she is tricking him into signing a treaty.

Kruger, being suspicious of the British, has his own plans. Kruger signs the treaty, which gives the British access to the gold, but he imposes high taxes and establishes a monopoly over the sale of TNT, which forces the British to buy explosives at high prices. Hence, ultimately, Kruger tricks the British by signing the treaty. That impresses some of the British, as they find Krüger is their equal in matters of cunning, which is supposed to be the defining characteristic of the British. Having been outmaneuvered, Rhodes tries to buy Kruger's allegiance. Kruger and his wife Sanna, (Lucie Höflich), however, are incorruptible. After being rejected, Rhodes shows Kruger a long list of members of the Boer council who work for the British. Kruger then becomes convinced that the Boers must fight if they are to keep their land, and he declares war against Britain and starts the Second Boer War.

Initially, the Boers are on the ascendancy, with the Boers defeating the British at the Battle of Ladysmith and Magersfontein. Britain subsequently replaces Redvers Buller and Lord Roberts, appointing Lord Kitchener (Franz Schafheitlin) as Supreme Commander of the armed forces. Kitchener launches an attack on the civilian population by destroying its homes, using human shields and placing the women and children in concentration camps in an attempt to damage the morale of the Boer Army.

Kruger's son Jan (Werner Hinz), who has pro-British sentiments because of his Oxford education, visits a concentration camp to find his wife, Petra (Gisela Uhlen), and is caught and hanged with his wife watching. When the women respond in anger, they are massacred.

The flashback concludes in the Geneva hotel room. Kruger prophesies the destruction of Britain by major powers of the world.


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In case anyone is interested, a copy of Veber's Les Camps de Reconcentration au Transvaal is currently available on eBay.

Item No: 364926598523

Auction ends 16 June 2024



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