The Battle for Business Was Fierce
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| Mercedes-Benz engines were important to the German war effort. |
The romance of flight was strong in the 1930s and 1940s, and major manufacturers in all of the major powers used that in their advertising. While selling their products, they went to great lengths to make their ads pleasing to the eye. Fascist airplane ads were no exception.
Many airplane manufacturers during World War II had their roots as car companies. Thus, many of the ads combine the romance of flight with stylized motor vehicles.
The above Mercedes - Benz advertising/propaganda ad is from the magazine "Böhmen und Mähren" in 1942.
The above Third Reich Mercedes Benz propaganda poster was in the magazine "The Four Year Plan," 20 February 1940.
Need an engine for your fighter? Mercedes-Benz can help you out.
A Junkers Flugzeug ad which is quite wordy for the genre.
Ju-87B Stuka with the Jumo 211 engine.
Luftwaffe - Stukas greifen an! (Stukas are attacking!).
Above, "Summer flight Plan" for Deutsche Lufthansa. "Im Flugzeug von Halle-Leipzig nach ..." (Travel from Halle-Leipzig to ....).
The Focke-Wulf FW 190 was perhaps the Reich's best fighter overall of the war.
Mercedes-Benz advertising poster for engines of the Luftwaffe's Messerschmidt planes before World War II.
An ad touting the Junkers Sturzkampfflugzeuge (Stuka) dive bomber.
Ad for Deutsche Luft Hansa, the proper usage of the name before the war for Germany's civil airliner. One can easily see the fascist imagery in this one even though ostensibly it has nothing to do with war.
Above, a poster promoting production of the Ju-87 "Stuka" (an abbreviation for Sturzkampfflugzeug, or "dive bomber") by Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke A.G. in Dessau, Germany.
The Junkers Ju 88 was not as notorious as the Stuka, but it was a capable dive-bomber. In fact, all German bombers of any size were designed to be dive-bombers. This caused problems when the need for strategic bombing began to dawn on the Luftwaffe - a little too late as it turned out - because the modifications required for dive-bombing detract from bomb loads. However, Luftwaffe dive-bombers were the best in the world for their time and accomplished great results when used properly with adequate fighter cover.
Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke AG was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced planes in Dessau, Germany. It was founded in 1895 by Hugo Junkers, who happened to be a pacifist Socialist. Hermann Goering, who rumor had it had applied to be a test pilot with Junkers during the 1920s but been turned down, got even after Hitler seized power. Goering first demanded all of Junkers' patents for use by the state, then eventually had him arrested in 1934 (Hugo Junkers passed away in 1935). During World War II the company produced some of the most successful Luftwaffe planes and aircraft engines, including the Ju-87 “Stuka.” Junkers merged into Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm in 1967.
Focke-wulf Fw 190 avec moteur a étoiles BMW 801 1943 (Focke-wulf Fw 190 with a star engine BMW 801). This ad is from 1943.
Junkers aircraft (Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG) ad, 1937. This shows the civil variant of the Junkers Ju 86, which became a little-used bomber.
Publicity for the Dornier Do-17, one of Reich's most-used bombers which also saw service in a variety of other major powers (including the RAF).
Arado made mostly trainers and seaplanes, but its Ar 234 was the first true jet-powered bomber.
Ju-87 B Stuka with the Jumo 211 engine.
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka ad.
An advertisement for Lufthansa and KLM Nederland in 1940.
Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero ((Italian for sparrowhawk) ) was the workhorse of the Regia Aeronautica. The Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero was a beautiful and effective plane, particularly as a torpedo launcher. However, it was slow and had no effective means of defense, a deadly combination during wartime.
The Breda Ba.88 Lince (Italian: Lynx) was a ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. It also was a spectacular failure, with flight instability that was never fixed. Mussolini kept the production lines going to keep people employed, but after a few initial attempts, Italian pilots refused to fly the Lynx. Many were placed on unused runways to draw enemy bombs (often successfully), while many others were taken directly from the factory line to the scrap yard.
An ad for airplane carburetors.
Italian WW2 "Breda, an aircraft manufacturer."
Il Giorno dell’Ala (The Day of the Wing), Esercitazioni dell’Armata del Cielo (Air Show), 1930.
2020
Many airplane manufacturers during World War II had their roots as car companies. Thus, many of the ads combine the romance of flight with stylized motor vehicles.
The above Mercedes - Benz advertising/propaganda ad is from the magazine "Böhmen und Mähren" in 1942.
The above Third Reich Mercedes Benz propaganda poster was in the magazine "The Four Year Plan," 20 February 1940.
Need an engine for your fighter? Mercedes-Benz can help you out.
A Junkers Flugzeug ad which is quite wordy for the genre.
Ju-87B Stuka with the Jumo 211 engine.
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| BMW made solid airplane engines. |
Luftwaffe - Stukas greifen an! (Stukas are attacking!).
Above, "Summer flight Plan" for Deutsche Lufthansa. "Im Flugzeug von Halle-Leipzig nach ..." (Travel from Halle-Leipzig to ....).
The Focke-Wulf FW 190 was perhaps the Reich's best fighter overall of the war.
Mercedes-Benz advertising poster for engines of the Luftwaffe's Messerschmidt planes before World War II.
An ad touting the Junkers Sturzkampfflugzeuge (Stuka) dive bomber.
Ad for Deutsche Luft Hansa, the proper usage of the name before the war for Germany's civil airliner. One can easily see the fascist imagery in this one even though ostensibly it has nothing to do with war.
Above, a poster promoting production of the Ju-87 "Stuka" (an abbreviation for Sturzkampfflugzeug, or "dive bomber") by Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke A.G. in Dessau, Germany.
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| Junkers Ju 88 ad. |
Junkers Flugzeug und Motorenwerke AG was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced planes in Dessau, Germany. It was founded in 1895 by Hugo Junkers, who happened to be a pacifist Socialist. Hermann Goering, who rumor had it had applied to be a test pilot with Junkers during the 1920s but been turned down, got even after Hitler seized power. Goering first demanded all of Junkers' patents for use by the state, then eventually had him arrested in 1934 (Hugo Junkers passed away in 1935). During World War II the company produced some of the most successful Luftwaffe planes and aircraft engines, including the Ju-87 “Stuka.” Junkers merged into Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm in 1967.
Focke-wulf Fw 190 avec moteur a étoiles BMW 801 1943 (Focke-wulf Fw 190 with a star engine BMW 801). This ad is from 1943.
Junkers aircraft (Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG) ad, 1937. This shows the civil variant of the Junkers Ju 86, which became a little-used bomber.
Publicity for the Dornier Do-17, one of Reich's most-used bombers which also saw service in a variety of other major powers (including the RAF).
Arado made mostly trainers and seaplanes, but its Ar 234 was the first true jet-powered bomber.
Ju-87 B Stuka with the Jumo 211 engine.
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka ad.
An advertisement for Lufthansa and KLM Nederland in 1940.
Italian Ads
Everyone knows all about the Luftwaffe, which had the flashy planes and all the sexy battles. The Regia Aeronautica, however, also had a large fleet of airplanes. Unfortunately for the Italians, though, they began the war with obsolete models, and by the time they came out with new designs, Italy was on the verge of switching sides.
Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero ((Italian for sparrowhawk) ) was the workhorse of the Regia Aeronautica. The Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero was a beautiful and effective plane, particularly as a torpedo launcher. However, it was slow and had no effective means of defense, a deadly combination during wartime.
The Breda Ba.88 Lince (Italian: Lynx) was a ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. It also was a spectacular failure, with flight instability that was never fixed. Mussolini kept the production lines going to keep people employed, but after a few initial attempts, Italian pilots refused to fly the Lynx. Many were placed on unused runways to draw enemy bombs (often successfully), while many others were taken directly from the factory line to the scrap yard.
An ad for airplane carburetors.
Italian WW2 "Breda, an aircraft manufacturer."
Il Giorno dell’Ala (The Day of the Wing), Esercitazioni dell’Armata del Cielo (Air Show), 1930.
2020
A fascinating compilation! BTW, you write about the sixth picture fom above: "A Junkers ad which is quite wordy for the genre." Well, that's because it isn't an ad for a product, but a competetive call for specialists (engineers, master workmen etc.) for several branches (development, construction, production). Qualified people are encouraged to send their applications to Junkers, complete with portrait photos, resume etc. Needless to say that listing all these requirements needed a lot of words! ;-)
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