Simply bizarre

“Der Untermensch” is a bizarre propaganda pamphlet, published in 1942 by the Head Office of the SS, the elite military corps of the Nazi German regime. This is apparently the only correct English translation, and the only one readily available.

The pamphlet contains very little analysis (even of the Nazi kind), and surprisingly little text overall. It's dominated by photos. Europe in general and Germany in particular are pictured as safe, homely, tidy, tradition-minded, prosperous and peaceful (sic). Some photos of men and women are surprisingly erotic in nature. Against Europe stands the world Jewish conspiracy and Soviet Communism. As usual, the Jews look stereotypically grisly, while conditions in the Soviet Union are said to be characterized by mass starvation, terror and huge slums. The Jews are said to be the real masters behind Soviet power. Weirdly, both Churchill and Roosevelt are said to be Jewish!

The Underman is said to be literally sub-human or non-human in nature. Jews, Blacks and some Asian peoples are designated as Undermen. Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Stalin were prominent leaders of the Underman. Somewhat surprisingly, Slavs are not said to be Undermen. The Russians are depicted as relatively primitive and in need to be civilized by Germanic peoples, but they are apparently not Untermenschen sensu stricto. Other Slavs are painted in a positive light, specifically Bulgarians, Croats and Slovaks, who were seen as Nazi German allies. Poles and Czechs, who were not, aren't mentioned at all. Nor does the pamphlet say anything about Muslims.

The pamphlet gives a weird “multi-ethnic” impression, since it depicts both Germanic and non-Germanic European nations in a positive light. This was in keeping with Waffen-SS recruitment policy. Collaborators from, say, France or Bulgaria were allowed to join the Nazi terror units. This may also explain why “The Underman” avoids insulting Islam. The Nazis attempted to recruit Muslim collaborators in areas conquered from the Soviet Union.

Overall, however, I don't think this publication is all that interesting (if you can ever call Nazi propaganda “interesting”, that is), so I only give it two stars. And yes, it has been translated and reissued by a right-wing extremist press, Ostara Publications.