August 9, 1944
Introduction to the content
In his poem Thanks for Illustrated Magazines, Bloch acknowledges his readers’ contributions to his “supply of material.” In a parallel to the shortages, Bloch wryly acknowledges that due to a dearth of news, the luster of the OWC had faded temporarily. But now, with the influx of German newspapers that are like “fertilizer” (bullshit) for his brain, his inspiration is renewed and his work will continue and improve.
The cover of this issue of OWC features actor Hans Albers who starred in the 1943 film “Münchhausen,” one of the best known films of the Nazi era. In Little Münchhausen ballad, Bloch lavishes extravagant praise on the storytelling skills of the legendary Baron known for his preposterous falsehoods. However, someone has since broken his record for lies: Joseph Goebbels.
A press photo of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels serves as inspiration for the poem They both look very sour. Bloch interprets the facial expressions of the Nazi leaders as frightened. They both know that their time is running out and are peeing in their pants.
Bloch pastes headlines from numerous newspapers confirming the wide reaching German Wehrmacht retreat from numerous occupied eastern territories. The rapid advance of the Russian army leads Curt Bloch to the conclusion: “It will be over soon!”
The poem How will we get rid of them later? refers to a radio talk in which Max Blokzijl, the chief Nazi press officer (1884–1946) addresses the urgency of conquering the advancing British. Bloch reassures him acerbically that he needn’t worry about what will happen in the future “they’ll hang him from the first tree.” In fact, Max Blokzijl was shot by firing squad on March 16, 1946, in The Hague for treason.
Bloch is inspired by a news report in which Goebbels marvels at the miracle of Hitler’s survivial of a July 20,1944 attempt by a mutinous group of Wehrmacht officers to assassinate him. The bomb only wounded him superficially, which Goebbels exaggerates into a wondrous event: Hitler survived. In Bloch’s poem The Gospel according to Goebbels, he mocks the Reich Propaganda Leader as an evangelist of the Third Reich, spreading Hitler’s miraculous “salvation message.”
