Erst im Westen / Jetzt im Osten – Roosevelt and Churchill on Germany’s Future – Allied German-Language Propaganda Leaflet, WG.32, February 1945 – Provenance: Robert Hastings; The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes.

Original German-language Allied propaganda leaflet, issued in the final months of the Second World War and identified by the printed code WG.32. The leaflet was directed at German readers as Allied forces advanced from the west and the Red Army drove into eastern Germany.

The front uses stark red and black typography to present the military situation as irreversible:

“Erst im Westen: Rundstedts Verzweiflungsoffensive zerschlagen!”
“Jetzt im Osten: Ostpreussen abgeschnitten!”
“Die Rote Armee tief in Schlesien!”
“Evakuierung der Staats- und Parteibehörden aus Berlin im Gange!”

The message is clear: Germany is collapsing on both fronts and the Nazi regime is already preparing for its own survival while ordinary Germans face destruction.

The reverse is especially significant, carrying crossed American and British flags above parallel statements headed “Roosevelt” and “Churchill”. Both statements address Germany’s future, rejecting negotiation with Nazi conspirators while distinguishing between the Nazi leadership and the German population. Churchill’s statement explains that the Allies demand unconditional surrender, but do not intend to exterminate nations or deny ordinary Germans the possibility of peace, bread, freedom and a reconstructed life after Nazism.

This is a powerful example of late-war Allied psychological warfare. It combines immediate military reporting with political reassurance, seeking to convince German readers that continued resistance was futile and that Germany’s future depended upon rejecting Hitler’s regime.

The leaflet is institutionally and bibliographically recorded. The standard wartime leaflet collector list records WG.32, dated February 1945, under the title beginning “Erst im Westen: Rundstedts Verzweiflungsoffensive zerschlagen…” and gives the format as 21 x 13 cm. Agitka also records a closely related WG-series version of the same text, confirming the title and content.

This copy has notable provenance. It was formerly in the collection of Robert Hastings, Churchill scholar and collector, before entering The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine. The provenance is especially relevant here because Churchill is one of the two principal named figures on the leaflet, and his statement on Germany’s future forms a central part of the propaganda message.

Condition: Good to very good. Fold creases, light age toning, handling wear and small marginal losses, including small losses at the left edge and lower margin. Complete and clearly legible.

Date: February 1945
Code: WG.32
Language: German
Format: Two-sided propaganda leaflet
Size: 21.4 x 13.4 cm
Subject: Allied propaganda, Roosevelt, Churchill, Germany 1945, Eastern Front, Western Front, psychological warfare
Provenance: Robert Hastings, Churchill scholar and collector; subsequently The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine.

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