Soldier in the West / Soldier on the Atlantic
The Soldier in the West and his head sheet Soldat on the Atlantic were German field newspapers that appeared during the Second World War .
history
The newspapers had a forerunner, the Westwall messenger . This was published since September 1, 1939 by the Propaganda Company 612 for the 1st Army . In the course of the western campaign , the newspaper was taken over by the PK 696 and last had a circulation of around 100,000 copies. The title, made obsolete by the rapid victory over France, was changed to Soldier in the West on December 19, 1940 . From that day on there was an edition in Nancy and one in Paris , which differed only in the local section. The circulation rose to 210,000 copies by early 1941 (Paris: 135,000, Nancy: 75,000). During this period, the newspaper also received an illustrated monthly supplement with a circulation of 50,000 copies for the first time with soldiers-comrades .
Due to the relocation of troops (→ Balkan campaign , German-Soviet war ), the Nancy edition in April 1941 only had a circulation of 42,000 copies. It was discontinued on May 15, 1941; the circulation for the Paris edition was increased to 150,000 copies. The following month, the circulation was reduced to 70,000 copies because some divisions were moved to other locations. Since hardly anything was done militarily during this period, the front newspapers reminded of previous missions, if at all; Articles on art history now often filled the pages. The newspaper went not only to members of the Wehrmacht, but also to Paris hotels. The war against the Soviet Union caused a shortage of paper; the circulation was reduced to 39,000 copies and hotels were no longer supplied. Since March 31, 1942, the newspaper has only appeared four times a week; this was withdrawn in May of that year after an application had been approved to ensure daily delivery again by reducing the format.
The upcoming relocations of the 1st and 7th Army ( occupation of the southern zone of France ) led to the establishment of a header with the provisional name Front in the West , which was later changed to Soldier am Atlantic . This edition was printed in Paris and from September 1942 in Bordeaux in order to be able to provide more up-to-date content. The Felber Army Group was now responsible for the pressure on the soldier in the west . The soldier on the Atlantic had a circulation of 37,500 copies in October 1942. A planned switch to weekly publication was not carried out after protests; the Office Group for Wehrmacht Propaganda (WPr) in the High Command of the Wehrmacht promised to examine the question.
Due to a change in the mailing list , the print run of Soldat am Atlantik was reduced to 28,500 copies in February 1944. After the Allied invasion , it was renamed Front-Kurier in October 1944 . In the same month there was also a newspaper ( The Latest from Front-Kurier ) and a weekly edition.
The date of the last issue is not saved. There are no precise details for the news and weekly edition of the Front-Kurier ; the front newspaper appeared in January 1945, and most likely afterwards as well. Soldier in the West appeared at least until August 1944.
literature
- Heinz-Werner Eckhardt: The Front Newspapers of the German Army 1939-1945 , Wilhelm Braumüller University Publishing House, Vienna / Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-7003-0080-8 .