August 12, 1944
Introduction to the content
In a press article, the co-founder of the Dutch Nazi party NSB, Cornelis van Geelkerken (1901–1979), recalls the words of Adolf Hitler. He would “personally lead the last battalions” if the situation of the war required it. Curt Bloch sarcastically comments on this news: When Adolf leads, then Germany can’t go wrong, because with Hitler at the forefront, “success is guaranteed.” But the time for it has not yet come, first “millions still need to fall, only then will Adolf enter the fray.” Bloch asks the Wehrmacht soldiers how long they want to sacrifice their lives for “Adolf’s deception of the people”: “there is still time to rise up.”
An article in the newspaper “Volk en Vaderland” counters the confusion among NSB members about the difficult situation and their increasing hostilities. Here, a demand is made: the Dutch Nazis should act more confidently as the “only bearers of the political will of our people.” With such sentences, they wanted to sow doubt about the superiority of the National Socialist idea despite the impending defeat. Curt Bloch formulates his poem Modesty?? from the perspective of the beleaguered NSB members – their appearance should indeed be prouder, they must hold their heads high, “We are the masters.” Ultimately, however, he cites the reason for the unusual modesty of the Dutch National Socialist: “he is afraid”.
… And outdoors ruleth – an adapted line from Friedrich Schiller’s “Song of the Bell” – is the title of the third poem in this OWC edition. Curt Bloch reminds us that in the newspapers of the National Socialists, they used to mock female soldiers in Spain, Russia, and Yugoslavia as “shotgun women.” Such a thing was inconceivable in the Reich. The German woman – blond haired and blue-eyed – belonged at home, where she engaged in the “loveliest handicrafts” and took care of the “beloved home.” But that’s over now because due to the great shortage of men, German girls and women have also been put in uniforms. “The latest under Adolf’s sun: The Swastika-cannon Woman.”
The Nationale Dagblad was an extreme right-wing, pro-German newspaper and, alongside the weekly “Volk en Vaderland,” the party organ of the NSB. The headline “Don’t grope in the dark …” from an advertisement recruiting new readers is used by Curt Bloch for his own text. He continues the praise of the “Nationale Dagblad” in his text: The newspaper is fantastic, informs about everything, and portrays the leading NSB personnel in a positive light. Exemplary figures mentioned include Cornelis van Geelkerken, Anton Mussert (1894–1946), Willem van der Vegte (1895–1982), and Rost van Tonningen (1894–1945). Unlike many other newspapers, the Nationale Dagblad did not suffer from paper shortage. Bloch urges people to become subscribers. Because the Nationale Dagblad – he whispers to his readers at the end of the poem – is well-suited for the toilet …
