NS-Frauen-Warte
The NS-Frauen-Warte (earlier also NS Frauen Warte and N.S. Frauen-Warte) was the most important of several magazines of the National Socialist Women's League from July 1932 to Issue 4 of the 13th year in December 1944. The magazine serves as an important contemporary historical source for science, research and teaching, particularly in the areas of “Ideas of women and gender relations during the time of the Second World War”.
History
During the National Socialist era, German women were important bearers of popular solidarity in their role as housewives and mothers. The women were organized in the NS-Frauenschaft, which was directly subordinate to the NSDAP. Described as the “only party-official women’s magazine”. The illustrated magazine appeared every two weeks, later monthly. It had a circulation of around one to 1.5 million copies in 1938.
Like the other publications, the “NS-Frauenwarte” served primarily for reasons of public relations and self-portrayal. The main topics were the use of women in social and cultural areas and in the family. Being a housewife and mother was presented as the main criterion for being a woman.
In the early years, among others, Elsbeth Unverricht and Käte Auerhahn were responsible as editors; from 1933, Ellen Semmelroth and Renate von Stieda, as their deputies, took over the coordination of press work for the magazine. In their position as “Reich Representative for Women’s Issues” of the “Reichsleitung”, Elsbeth Zander and after her Lydia Gottschewski not only headed the NSF, they also acted as editors of the “Frauenwarte”. From the 1930s onwards, the “NSDAP.-Reichsleitung”, under the Reich women's leader (Reichsfrauenführerin) Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, was listed as the publisher in the imprint. From 1936 onwards, the “NS.Frauen-Warte” was published as one of the “Reich Women’s Leadership Magazines”.
Contents (excerpt)
In order to reach a broad, female audience, literary contributions such as serial novels and poems were printed, as this was intended to particularly appeal to women. Furthermore, the “NS-Frauen-Warte” always included household tips and recipes in order to underline the role of women – primarily as mother and housewife, but always also as the bearer of a German culture. On the other hand, there were also articles exclusively dedicated to current politics. In some cases, supplements such as craft and pattern sheets were included in the regular magazines.
Gallery
Hermann Göring with his beloved daughter Edda
Winter Solstice / Christmas 1943
