Martin Kappler has scanned and uploaded a German poster from 1941 which shows Third Reich images of the paleo-future. The poster was in a book called Durch die weite Welt vol. XIX, one in a series of books for boys.Many thanks to Flickrfy for the tip, and of course, Martin Kappler for scanning and translating this poster.
The headline and main text read:
What new things will the technology of tomorrow bring?
Today still a venturous plan - tomorrow maybe reality
Technology and economy in the Greater German Reich have gone into an unexpected upswing. The largest network of Autobahn highways has been constructed in just a few years, whole new industries were created and great architectural and urbanistic tasks are about to be realised. Although the war, that was forced upon us, makes it necessary to concentrate our economy on the war efforts, the great plans for the buildup are drawn with the certitude of our victory in mind. Many keen inventions and many thoughts that still seem fantastic today will then be realised. The pictures in this poster show on which branches the engineers are working today and what the technology of tomorrow will bring.
Underground Train called "Driving Torpedo"
Stratospheric Airplane
Ocean Liner
Water Airplane
Double Decker Bus
Motel
Submarine With Rotating Outer Hull
See also:
Commuter Helicopter (1947)
Postcards Show the Year 2000 (circa 1900)
Disney's Magic Highway, U.S.A. (1958)
So you mean if the Nazi's won I would actually have my flying car?
ReplyDeleteDamnit.
That's awesome! More nazi futurism please!
ReplyDeleteI think the one image isn't a Motel, it's an elevator-based parking garage. Which is a great idea, only just now being implemented in Europe and Japan.
ReplyDeleteLove the 5-crew member cockpit in the seaplane. Guess those German labor unions were strong even then... Of course the seaplane as a whole would have been noisy as f**k, given the disbursed location of the 3 engines
Ironically the Nazi movement attracted people with conflicting agendas. On the one hand it drew in technological visionaries who wanted to build futuristic cities connected by autobahns and air travel; and on the other hand it also drew in romantic neo-Luddites who wanted to return the German people to a life of simple and healthy organic farming, resettling them in the newly acquired Lebensraum to the East.
ReplyDeleteThat seaplane, I think, is actually an unbuilt design called the Seversky Super Clipper. (See http://www.up-ship.com/eAPR/ev1n1.htm) Although the German propaganda would be loath to admit it, it was designed by a Russian living in America.
ReplyDeleteAren't those Dymaxion cars and buses at ground level in the Heliport Train Station picture?
ReplyDeleteThe sub -- save for the rotating outer hull -- is a remarkably contemporary design.
come to think of it, spinning those two large hull sections to screw through the water will result in some pretty massive counter-torque on the core of the sub. Hang on boys, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm the guy who scanned this poster. It's hanging on my wall..
ReplyDelete@ wutzke: The poster states that the submarine has a gyroskope to counter the counter-torque. It's the round thing with numer 2 on the drawing. It's for mail delivery by the way.
The elevator-based garage is a motel. The text reads: (Nazi-Voice) "The next years of peace will bring an enourmous rise of automobile traffic. Great car-hotels will be created in wich cars and their driver will be comforted."
Oh, yeah, wink-wink, nudge-nudge "mail delivery"...
ReplyDeleteI just love these aeroplans. None of them have jet-engines. All are propell driven.
ReplyDeleteAll futuristic images from the era between 1930-1960 are so fun to watch.
The elevator-hotel text is just hilarious. The next year of peace. Just like the war was about to end.
I been scanning my eyes with these poster and something is not right. Where all the Swastikas? That guy have an amazing vision a futuristic Germany without the Nazis!
ReplyDeleteCaptain Future meets the Nazis... cool
ReplyDeleteкакая жесть
ReplyDeleteкакая жесть
ReplyDeleteBrings to mind the flashy Nazi technologies in Philip K. Dick's alt-history 'The Man in the High Castle'. Cool book. Very apropos of this site.
ReplyDeleteFrom the ad's unitedstatesofobama
ReplyDeleteis somewhat simular to the sickening personality cult build around hitler.
Is it any different because the the furer is now black?
On June 29 "Annonymous" said:
ReplyDelete"From the ad's unitedstatesofobama
is somewhat simular to the sickening personality cult build around hitler. Is it any different because the the furer is now black?"
It is not different because he is black.
It is different because, should he become President, he will have been ELECTED by the citizens and be the chief executive of a nation where people are actually allowed to say what you did, or publish it in a book or newspaper and actually use their own name when they do so, without fear of being arrested or disappearing. And when his allotted time as leader is up, he will peacefully allow the transfer of power to whomever the people elect to replace him. People in such nations often take that for granted these days, but it is a hugely significant difference to the society headed by Heir Hitler.
But I still want my flying car!
For whatever wrongs Adolf Hitler comitted, he was elected by the German people. Also, you were allowed to express your opinions, as long as they conformed to the political correctness of the times. Just as it is today.
ReplyDelete