Title: Wij Zijn Bereid! Title Translation: We are Prepared! Title Vads Collection: Imperial War Museum: Posters of Conflict - The Visual Culture of Public Information and Counter Information

Concept: cartography, propaganda, POW, military personnel, military vehicles, military suffering, death, shipping, aircraft, artillery, weapons, uniform, trench / defences, dazzle / marine camouflage Description: whole: 13 images occupy the majority. The title is partially integrated and positioned...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Artist: Unknown
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:unknown
Published: 1942
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=26297
Description
Summary:Concept: cartography, propaganda, POW, military personnel, military vehicles, military suffering, death, shipping, aircraft, artillery, weapons, uniform, trench / defences, dazzle / marine camouflage Description: whole: 13 images occupy the majority. The title is partially integrated and positioned in the upper centre, in black. The text is separate and located in the centre left and right third, in black. Further text is integrated and placed in the left half, in black. All set against a white background and held within a dark grey border. image: the main image is a map of Europe, illustrating the locations of German defences along the western coast of the continent. Nine smaller images depict various German aircraft, boats, soldiers, artillery and defences, used against the threat of British invasion. The three lower right images depict an unsuccessful attempt at coastal attack by Canadian troops and British tanks, and British troops being taken prisoner. text: Wij zijn bereid! In den zomer van 1940, onmiddellijk nadat de laatste Britsche soldaat van het Continent was verjaagd, begon Duitschland de westelijke flank van Europa van den Noordkaap tot aan Biskaye uit te bouwen tot den grootsten samenhangenden bevestigingsgordel ter wereld. Talrijke reeds bestaande steunpunten werden gemoderniseerd. Honderden vliegvelden kregen betonnen startplaatsen, onderaardsche kazematten werden in de rotsen uitgehouwen, millioener kubieke meters bewapend beton verwerkt voor den bouw van kazematten, batterijstellingen en uitgebreide verdedigingsinstallaties; strategisch belangrijke wegen e. d. werden aangelegd voor de snelle verplaatsing van groote troepencontingenten, tank- en prikkeldraadversperringen op belangrijke punten aangebracht. Voor de vaartuigen der Duitsche Kriegsmarine, die geregeld langs de Europeesche kusten patrouilleeren, ontstonden nieuwe, zoowel van de zee als van de lucht uit volkomen onaantastbare steunpunten. Zoo groeide in den loop van twee jaren onder de handen van een leger van arbeiders een met alle soorten strijd- en afweermiddelen uitgeruste, diep gelede verdedigingszone, welke elke invasiepoging op het Continent reeds van te voren tot een volkomen uitzichtslooze waanzinsonderneming stempelt, die den aanvaller stroomen van bloed kost. Dit bewees de Britsche invasiepoging bij Dieppe, en elke nieuwe poging zal dit bevestigen. [map has various place names] Van den Noordkaap tot aan de Pyreneeën strekt zich een onafgebroken ketting van vliegvelden uit. Vliegtuigen van alle grootten kunnen van hier bij elke weersgesteldheid en op elk uur starten. Door voortdurende alarmoefeningen worden de troepen, die in de verdedigingswerken gestationeerd zijn, dag en nacht paraat gehouden. Het mislukken van de Britsche invasiepoging bij Dieppe legt getuigenis af van de onoverwinnelijke strijdkracht van den Duitschen soldaat en zijn wapens. Dieppe - een nieuwe mijlpaal op den weg der Britsche nederlagen! BATTERIE TODT Canadeezen, die in het vuur van de Duitsche wapens hun leven moesten laten, nog voordat zij de eigenlijke verdedigingswerken bereikten. Britsche tanks van het allernieuwst model liggen stuk geschoten op het strand. Na vijf uren invasie. Britsche gevangenen worden naar de verzamelplaatsen afgevoerd. WPr/IV - NL - N .23 - IX/1942 (Beva) [We are prepared! In the summer of 1940, right after the last British soldier had been chased from the continent, Germany began to expand the western flank of Europe from Nordkapp to Biscay to the greatest connected fortification belt in the world. Numerous already existing positions were modernized. Hundreds of airfields were fitted with concrete runways; underground casemates were carved out of rocks; millions of cubic meters reinforced concrete were incorporated in building the bunkers, gun positions and expanded defence installations; strategically important roads and the like were constructed for fast movement of large troop contingents; tank and barbed wire barriers were installed at important locations. For the vessels of the German navy that regularly patrol the European coasts, new positions were created that are completely impregnable by air and by sea. This is how, in the course of two years, through the efforts of an army of labourers, a deeply articulated defence zone, equipped with all kinds of combat and defence equipment came about which marks any invasion attempt of the Continent ahead of time as a totally hopeless, insane undertaking that will cost the attacker rivers of blood. This was demonstrated by the British invasion attempt at Dieppe, and every new attempt will confirm it. [map has various place names] An unbroken chain of airfields stretches from Nordkapp to the Pyrenees. Airplanes of all sizes can take off in all weather and at any time. By constant alertness exercises the troops that are stationed in the defences are kept at the ready day and night. The failure of the British invasion attempt at Dieppe testifies to the invincible power of the German soldier and his weapons. Dieppe – a new milestone on the road to British defeats! BATTERIE TODT Canadians who laid down their lives in the fire of German weapons, even before they reached the real defences works. The newest models of British tanks lie shot to pieces on the beach after a five-hour invasion. British prisoners are transported to assembly points.] Object: tank, rifle, helmet, aircraft, artillery piece, machine gun, boat, barbed wire, map