Deutschlands Schicksal in einem zukünftigen Kriege, wenn Belgien die Basis englischer Luftangriffe ist! [Germany's fate in a future war, if Belgium becomes a base for English air attacks!]
Deutschlands Schicksal in einem zukünftigen Kriege, wenn Belgien die Basis englischer Luftangriffe ist! [Germany's fate in a future war, if Belgium becomes a base for English air attacks!]
34 x 43 on sheet 80 x 61 (centimeters, height x width)
Notes:
This large poster was published by the German government to defend its much-criticized attack and continued occupation of Belgium in World War I. If Belgium were "a base for English air attacks" in a "future war," then "German industry would be exposed to immediate annihilation." At the top of the poster are biplanes bearing British markings dropping bombs on industrial facilities ablaze below. The map in the center shows a large, crescent-shaped "zone of annihilation" in dark red and, further afield, a "zone of devastation" in a lighter shade. The areas in green - mostly within these two threatened zones - are the "main German industrial regions."
The map is undated, but at least one known copy bears a postal label and stamp dated August 1918. This accords with other factors suggesting that it was published near the end of the war. First, at the outset of the war, aircraft were used primarily for reconnaissance and were not capable of carrying meaningful bomb loads; the threat of aerial bombing developed as the war progressed. Second, the poster text is in German. Although the invasion in 1914 and continued occupation were heavily criticized internationally, discontent among German civilians and the military itself was likely at its peak in the summer and fall of 1918 when the army in Belgium was retreating and even facing some rebellion among the troops. Third, the title refers to "A Future War" (einem zukünftigen Kriege), not the current one, suggesting the hope that Germany might retain some of the Belgian territory in the peace negotiations to follow an imminent armistice.
For another defensive domestic German government poster from the same period, see ID #2231, "Die brennende Wunde Frankreichs [The Burning Wound of France]" (1918). Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University.
