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Deutschland erwacht

Germany awakens

Issued by: Reemtsma
Date of issue: 1934
No. in set: 225
Size:
Changed Cards: 28, 47, 58, 81, 119, 183, 184, 186, 212 and 222

This set documents the rise to power of the NSDAP in the 1920s and early 1930s. The set contains 225 cards in two different sizes (???). The cards and albums contain many variations. There are two principal backs to these cards, the "Album" backs and the "Sammelwerk" backs. The first cards referred to "Album Nr. 8" on the back. This was subsequently changed to "Sammelwerk Nr. 8", a more germanic word meaning the same thing.

First edition.

The first issue was the so-called Röhm edition. Ernst Röhm was the head of the SA and the set contained several pictures in which he was present, the most notable being the portrait of him on page 52 of the album. Many of the cards in the set were coloured. This edition had "Album" backs.

Second edition.

Ernst Röhm and some other leaders were becoming a thorn in Hitler's side and so on the "night of the long knives" (from 30 June to 2 July 1934) he had them all murdered. Pictures of Röhm had to be removed from the set. A total of 10 cards were changed, Nos. 28, 47, 58, 81, 119, 183, 184, 186, 212 and 222. The portrait of Röhm on page 52 was replaced by one of Viktor Lutze, his successor. The changes were made at short notice and until the albums could be reprinted paper strips were also produced to be stuck over the coresponding text in the albums. This edition had "Album" backs.

Although I have not seen it, there is supposedly a version of this printing with "Sammelwerk" backs.

Third edition.

This printing had "Sammelwerk" backs". The coloured cards were replaced with black and white ones and other cards were changed, apparently for aesthetic reasons. Although most of the coloured cards were replaced with the same pictures, in many of them the view had been changed slightly.

These two images show a representative example of an edition 1/2 card and the corresponding edition 3 card. Although the picture is the same one, it is obvious, particularly at the bottom right, that the view has been changed slightly. The numbers of the original coloured cards are listed below. If no other change was made than shown above, no specific illustration is given. If the picture was replaced by a different one, this is illustrated in the section showing the changed cards.