GERMANY BASIC HANDBOOK
SECRET
COPY No. 591, APRIL 1944
MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC WARFARE, London, 1944
An extremely rare WW2 British Ministry of Economic Warfare secret intelligence handbook, produced in April 1944. It is a huge volume, weighing almost 3kg and running to over 640 pages. This was a secret document with a restricted circulation, each copy being individually numbered. This is copy number 591. It includes a wealth of contemporary intelligence material on Germany and the Nazi State in 1944.
The list of subjects covered is wide ranging and detailed, and is illustrated with maps, fold-outs and charts. There are chapters on: Central Government and Administration, Regional Government, Local Government, German Fiscal System, German Legal System, Police and Security (Including the SS), Concentration Camps, Nazi Party and Organisations, Civil Defence, Labour Organisations, Public Health, Social Insurance and Winter Help, Press and Propaganda, Education, Youth, Civil Service, and Religions. There is also a glossary, and five Annexes covering Legal issues, Political Affiliations of German Industry, the Jewish Community, Occupation of the Rhineland, and Adminsitrative Controls. There is a map section at the rear which should include 7 maps, but only one is present - No. 4 ‘Major Administrative Districts of Greater Germany, 1943’.
There is also an additional ‘Restricted’ document inserted at the rear, the Zone Handbook No. 7 South West Germany. A supplement to the main section of the Basic Handbook, this had a limited circulation and each copy was individually numbered. This is copy No. 1644. The Zone Handbook came with its own map section, consisting of 12 maps, of which 8 are present. The text of the Zone Handbook is incomplete, running to 68 pages, with several sections missing.
The sheer amount of information included in the Germany Basic Handbook is extraordinary, considering the war was still in progress when it was produced. It is also very interesting to note exactly how much the Allies knew about the internal workings of the Nazi state at this time. The information on the SS, Gestapo, Concentration Camps, etc shows that a great deal was known about exactly what was going on. This unique handbook is a fascinating primary source and detailed insight into the internal workings of Third Reich and the German war machine in the last year of the war.
Ministry of Economic Warfare Basic Handbooks: This series of handbooks covered enemy and occupied countries and was compiled from April 1943 onwards, at the request of the Joint Intelligence Committee. Classified as secret, this comprehensive collection of numerous highly detailed volumes was intended to reflect official British understanding and thinking, rather than being an exercise in propaganda. This included an indication of the state of contemporary knowledge of the persecution of Jewish people, concentration camps, the extent of collaboration and resistance in occupied countries, and other aspects of Nazi programmes and methods. Countries and regions were also provided with historical and political introductions, often covering the period from antiquity to recent 20th century politics. Discussions of recent events such as the Anschluss were more sophisticated than anything which would have been publicly permissible during the war. MEW’s links with SOE are also highlighted in the anecdotal nature of some of the information, which would have been based on agents’ reports, intercepts, and captured documents. The Basic Handbooks were being continuously amended and updated until the end of the war.
Condition:
In very good condition. The hardback binder boards are in good condition, with general signs of wear and use, and some marks. The laced binding is good and secure. The text, illustrations, and maps are in very good condition, with a few marks, some occasional underlining in red ink, some minor wear and a some small archival paper tape repairs. All but one map (No. 4 ‘Major Administrative Districts of Greater Germany, 1943') of the seven maps listed in the contents of the separate map section at the rear are missing.
Published: 1944
Grey loose leaf binder boards, with laced binding
Illustrated with maps, charts, and fold-outs
Dimensions: 215mm x 335mm
Pages: 642 (plus 68pp text and 8 maps in Zone Handbook No. 7)
plus fold outs, charts, and maps
