Fancy a Second World War German board game night?
On a recent tour of the WW2 bunker in Hagen, I got to see an exhibition showcasing how the Nazis used board games to instil their militaristic ideology into children.
Popular board games such as “Bomber über England” and “Wir fahren gegen England” were not-so-subtle tools that aimed to entertain children whilst also teaching them how best to attack the British and win the war.
I’m not sure how successfully bombing the industrial powerhouse and naval base of Plymouth only scores you 80 points, whilst bombing the sleepy Shetland Islands bags you an incredible 90 points, but who am I to criticise the Reich’s finest game makers?
Nazi-era board games are highly sought-after by collectors, and I found one in the gift shop downstairs being sold for almost 400 Euros!
These board games are a rarity in Germany but can be found elsewhere in the world, as Allied soldiers had a habit of taking these games as souvenirs when they were occupying German towns at the end of the war…
(This is a repost from Instagram from May 22nd, 2024)
