Akbaba 1945 Humor Magazine Turkish Turkey Germany Goebbels Himmler Göring WW2 era Stalin
Akbaba Humor Magazine – “Oder Prisoners: We Have Become Prisoners of the Volga!” – Issue No. 48 – February 22, 1945 – Turkish Edition
Description:
Akbaba was one of the longest-running political humor magazines in Turkish press history, founded by Yusuf Ziya Ortaç and Orhan Seyfi Orhon, prominent figures associated with the Beş Hececiler literary movement. Published from 1922 to 1977, with interruptions, the magazine addressed social problems, bureaucratic shortcomings, political rivalries, economic difficulties, and everyday life through caricatures, satirical poetry, and humorous writing. It became an influential platform for Turkish satire, featuring contributions from important literary and artistic figures such as Aziz Nesin, Rıfat Ilgaz, and Turhan Selçuk.
This issue, number 48, is dated February 22, 1945. Its colourful cover, titled “Oder Prisoners: We Have Become Prisoners of the Volga!”, depicts a Nazi figure being swept along a river, accompanied by the year 1945. Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, and Hermann Göring are shown connected together, pulling the figure along. Through this striking river metaphor, the cover satirizes Nazi Germany's worsening military position and the consequences of its wartime campaigns as the Second World War approaches its final stages.
The interior pages contain several political cartoons reflecting the rapidly changing situation in Germany. One illustration, titled “On the Banks of the Oder: The Final Number of the Cossack Dance!”, humorously depicts the astonishment of someone leafing through the magazine. Another cartoon, accompanying an open letter to the Minister of Commerce, portrays Hitler relinquishing his leadership role and handing control to Franz von Papen, declaring, “I've lost my compass; you take charge now!” A further illustration, titled “The Decision of the Big Three on Germany: The Gallows!”, satirizes the fate awaiting Germany and the decisions of the Allied leaders. Together, these cartoons offer a vivid example of Turkish political satire during the final months of the Second World War.
Key Features:
• Publication: Akbaba
• Issue Number: 48
• Publication Date: February 22, 1945
• Language: Turkish
• Publication Type: Political humor and satire magazine
• Founders: Yusuf Ziya Ortaç and Orhan Seyfi Orhon
• Cover Feature: “Oder Prisoners: We Have Become Prisoners of the Volga!”, depicting a Nazi figure being swept along a river, pulled by Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, and Göring
• Cover Theme: Nazi Germany's declining military position and the consequences of the war in 1945
• Interior Cartoon: “On the Banks of the Oder: The Final Number of the Cossack Dance!”
• Political Cartoon: Hitler relinquishing leadership and telling Franz von Papen, “I've lost my compass; you take charge now!”
• Additional Cartoon: “The Decision of the Big Three on Germany: The Gallows!”, addressing the fate of Germany and Allied decisions
• Additional Content: Political satire, an open letter to the Minister of Commerce, and cartoons about contemporary wartime developments
• Historical Interest: Turkish political caricature and commentary on the final phase of the Second World War in February 1945