Recruitment posters
1940-1945
During the period 1940–1945, a large number of propaganda and recruitment posters were used. In line with the spirit of the time, the DNSAP party was gaining ground and, as a political party, sought to draw attention to itself as well as to its support for Germany’s fight against communism. The posters therefore exist partly as party-political material and partly as pro-military material. A selection of the military recruitment and propaganda posters used during the period is presented here. The posters are linguistically and visually constructed in a time when symbols and national identity were attributed great importance. It should be kept in mind that this was a form of Danish National Socialism primarily under DNSAP, as well as recruitment for Danish military units. Recruitment posters could only be displayed at approved locations or by agreement at the time. There is no evidence that they were widely posted, and only limited use is known, mainly in rural areas.
Entrance gate to the recruitment office on Rosenørns Allé in Copenhagen. For security and political propaganda reasons, the Danish DNSAP periodically stationed guards at the gate.
Early recruitment poster (1940/41) primarily recruiting for Regiment Nordland and only mentioning the newly formed Frikorps as a secondary point.
Recruitment under Danish national symbols was used extensively.
Recruitment using associations with the brave soldier and Danish agriculture as the fundamental basis of society at the time.
An appeal is made to the Danish-minded population, as at that time there was a division between the Danish and German political parties.
The Viking Age was often used symbolically. Danish cultural heritage and Danish independence.
There was a reaction in Europe against the threatening communist dictatorship that had developed throughout the 1920s and 1930s in Russia. This was used politically to recruit Danish volunteers.
Some of the recruitment posters were printed in the format of small stickers.