Date(s): 2007. Photos by as indicated. 1 - 11 of 11 Total. 1478 Visits.
1 Civil Defense Poster, Germany, late 30ties Precursor model. The language is still rather euphemistic: Protect your 'health'. It is obviously advisable to wear some kind of protective mask while spray painting but that is hardly the issue.
Conjectural but why not put two and two together: Gas masks were probably the most useless piece of equipment ever issued to the population at large. Their magic properties were certainly overrated during the gas mask craze at the eve of WWII. Incontestable fact: gas masks are singularly useless in an atmosphere depleted of oxygen. Asphyxiation was by the most common cause of death of civilians in saturation bombed towns. Scuba gear might have helped but that would have been prohibitively expensive. In somewhat more detail, most war ravaged towns did look the same. Extensive surface damage caused by explosives (air mines). There were still enormous differences in the actual death toll. 5 digit figures were only reached if enough inflammable material (in situ) could be set aflam...
2 Civil defense poster, Germany, late 30ties Marketing style: Better than any torch. - The broad opening reduced the speed of the air flow (which made the filter more effective.) A blowpipe shape would have been inadvisable. One way to distinguish gas masks from somewhat similar devices worn in Bubonic Plague times.
3 Civilian gas mask, British, 1939 How was snorkel diving in the Red Sea. - Some medical overtones (operation theater). Practically all Continental gas masks had separate eye pieces. > 150 Years of Photo Journalism. Publisher: Könemann. (Hulton Getty picture collection.)
4 Finnish civil defense poster, 1939 The standard Finnish gas mask was a dead ringer of the Wehrmacht's model. This one shows a narrowing intake funnel (without flare and end disk). Possibly artistic license.
5 Defense Passive, early 40ties We are all in this together line. Within reason. Clairmont-Ferrand (Michelin tires) was bombed, Paris was spared. Also an important difference in attitude: 'The sack we beat, the donkey we mean'. First class hostage status that is.
6 gas masks and matching air raid helmets Off hand: 3rd dungeon level. The nose protrusion was for exhaling (most likely a flap valve). > MMEngen
7 gas mask brochure I would have second thoughts if my boss would walk through the office wearing that. - Particular highlights of the description: The fashionable lady could order blueprints for making a handbag suitable for a carry on gas mask. (Basically top secret papers with dotted stencil lines for cutting out suitable pieces from discarded clothes. Code name SK 600) Minor do it yourself challenge. The container of the military version was drum shaped with slightly fluted surfaces. - [Peripheral: Some parts of the demonstration torso are much more rotated than others. Particularly noticeable for the eyes.] - The VM acronym stands for Volksgas-Maske.
8 gas masks for everyone In situ exhibit. Sütterlin (the captions), pickaxe, crowbar mix. > MMSchorndorf
9 Fire fighting gear, anno 1922 The shown breathing apparatus was sold to the fire brigade of Engen in 1922 (apparently minus a face mask). The 20.000 Mark price tag is nearly meaningless. Post war inflation did start long before the actual Ruhr occupation. - Vodka trivia: It would take a totalitarian regime to standardize the paper format for official correspondence. DIN4 (roughly foolscap). The shown letter will be roughly DIN5 size, landscape orientation. The formatting is poor (or at least rigid). Some text overflow to the back side. Different line spacing would have permitted a single page presentation.
