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HEAVILY ILLUSTRATED ORIGINAL 1940 GERMAN LABOR FRONT CALENDAR ~ COMPLETE

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This is a fine original example of the 1940 Kalender der Deutschen Arbeit, a calendar produced by the publishing department of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF or German Labor Front). The DAF was the principal responsibility of Nazi organizational genius Dr. Robert Ley.

The birthdate of Dr. Robert Ley, 16 February (1890) is printed in a larger size than the rest of the entries and the birthday of Adolf Hitler is printed in bold type, see image above.

Interspersed in the text are photos, many of them not found in other Third Reich German publications. SS formations at the Berlin Lustgarten, happy tourists aboard a KdF cruise, the new KdF Wagen or Volkswagen, organized DAF sport events, the new KdF cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff (above), elaborate costumes with swastikas during a KdF festival in Hamburg, modern German factories, the impressive Wehrmacht review in Berlin on Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday (left), Hitler with Dr. Porsche and Dr. Ley during a visit to the KdF factory, Hitler and Dr. Ley during a visit to KdF cruise ship Robert Ley, the International Pavilion of the exhibition Social Progress in Lille (below), and more.

The calendar portion of each month has important historical information for each day! The founding of the Nazi Party, the Treaty of Versailles, the birth and death of Frederick the Great, the first Reichsparteitag, the death of Hugo Junkers, the birth of Der Stürmer publisher Julius Streicher, the Hitler trials in Munich, the first KdF cruise, the birth of Admiral Tirpitz, the first Zeppelin bomb attack on Paris (1915), Potsdam Day, the death of Albrecht Dürer, the birth of Dietrich Eckart, the death of Manfred von Richthofen, the murder of Albert Leo Schlageter, the birth date of Dante, the dedication of the Navy Memorial at Kiel-Laboe, the death of Richard Wagner, the end of the excommunication of Martin Luther, the second abdication of Napoleon, the founding of the Nazi Reichsrundfunkkammer, the publication of volume I of Mein Kampf, the death of President von Hindenburg, the battle at Tannenberg, the birth date of Reichsleiter Philipp Bouhler, the state visit of Mussolini to Germany, the foundation stone ceremony of Walhalla at Regensburg, Dr. Goebbels assumes leadership of NSDAP Gau Berlin, Hitler’s march to the Feldherrnhalle in 1923, Germany and Italy recognize the Franco government in Spain, the completion of the construction of the first 3000 kilometers of the Reichsautobahn, etc., etc.

The heavily illustrated 176-page softcover book starts with a full-page Heinrich Hoffmann picture of Adolf Hitler and Reichorganisationsleiter Dr. Robert Ley, followed by a patriotic foreword by Ley. In it he stresses the importance of labor for the German nation and the important role the Deutsche Arbeitsfront plays in the future of Germany.

The calendar gives an overview of the activities and functions of the DAF in many different parts of German society, and their role in bringing German citizens closer together in their love for the Führer.

Chapters on various subjects are written by different authors. Gauleiter Bürckel writes about community leadership, Reichsleiter Alfred Rosenberg about the destiny of the German Nation, Gauleiter Konrad Henlein about the economy of the Sudetenland, Theodor Stiefenhofer about Bohemia and Moravia, and Dr. Kufsauer about the achievement of German businesses. Other chapters cover social progress, Austria after its reunification with Nazi Germany, the economy and labor movement in Memelland, etc. Anyone who read the commentary in the “Kalender” was particularly well informed.

In the back there is advertising for Reemtsma cigarettes, Hess musical instruments, Osram light bulbs, AEG, Mercedes typewriters, Mauser rifles, Dr. Oetker baking products, Hohner harmonicas, Rolleiflex cameras, Walther small caliber sport weapons, and even the new book Strassen und Bauten Adolf Hitlers.

This 6-7/8 x 9-3/4 inch softcover standard example of the 1940 Kalender der Deutschen Arbeit is in fine condition. It is complete and has no writing in it. The striking cover art by German illustrator Helmar Becker-Borcke is not faded and the spine of the book is tight. It has no odor.