Anti-Fascist cards, 1943

The satirical sketches for this pack were originally designed in 1943 by war artist Ivan Ivanovich Kharkevich (1913-2007) but they were never printed as a pack as events on the Front moved too quickly for the cards to be published. This pack of 36 cards and 1 joker was finally published in 2003, on the 60th anniversary of the original designs, by the Museum Reserve, the Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad. These propaganda cards were to be thrown from planes amidst the German troops, with each intended to serve as a pass for any soldiers who chose to surrender and be taken prisoner. The actual designs contrast the triumph of the German army in 1941 with the catastrophe of 1943, and the objects of the satire were the leaders of Nazi Germany, the generals and, on the aces, the banks and industrial corporations which financed Hitler. Cards contain text in both German and Russian. The reverse of the cards exhorts soldiers to “Overthrow Hitler and there will be peace” and “Hand yourself into captivity and you will be spared”. Also included in this pack is a card showing a diorama of the breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad.

The Court Cards - shown each way: the triumph of the German army in 1941 vs the catastrophe of 1943

The 4 Aces - the banks and industrial corporations which financed Hitler

The numeral cards

Above: Anti-Fascist cards designed by Ivan Ivanovich Kharkevich, Russia, 1943.

Note: there are three known Anti-Fascist packs. Perhaps the best known is the one published in 1942 and shown here►