12-04-1943, 1st volume, no. 16, Page 10
12-04-1943, 1st volume, no. 16, Page 11
12-04-1943, 1st volume, no. 16, Page 12

cover / introduction table of contents

Banners

Can you still remember today,
How they once promised and presented
You in the previous war
The German victory to be bomb-proof?

Every day it was read that we would triumph,
But in the end, the thing got stuck,
And Germany lost the war,
It‘s a pity that you forget so quickly!

Because if you wouldn‘t forget so quickly,
Then you would see the comparisons,
And you wouldn‘t doubt anymore
That it will go awry this time too.

Then you wouldn‘t believe the deception anymore,
Which they present to you daily now,
Then you would think: Just like back then,
Exactly the same, once and now.

Certainly, there are still differences,
One wasn’t as silenced as now,
No, back then, one could still speak,
But whoever dares to do that now,

Will fall victim to the Gestapo,
Will fall victim to Himmler‘s rage,
And that‘s why everyone keeps their mouth shut,
And that‘s why the mood is good too.

The mood is great today,
As far as one can see from the outside,
The prevailing mood is: we will triumph,
Exactly the same old song.

Today they force you to demonstrate,
And if you don‘t, you‘ll fare badly,
Very boldly and defiantly a core slogan
Is displayed on banners: “Nun erst recht!” [Now more than ever!]

You have to carry the banners,
Even if your courage is so small,
You‘re not allowed to complain to the outside,
Oh no, “The victory will be ours.”

Yes, yes, “Our loyalty to the Führer,
Even if the times are so difficult,”
But if one could, as one wanted,
Then one wouldn‘t carry such things anymore.

But so, one must patiently carry
The banners and bear the misery,
One supports the Führer without complaints,
And – waits for a better time.

Post-Editing: Sylvia Stawski, Ernst Sittig