Camouflaged publications, 1933-1945
Camouflaged publications (in German: Tarnschriften) were texts against the National Socialist regime in the form of clandestine brochures in a cover that hid the true content.
The brochures were produced in the period 1933-1945 and were small in size so that they could easily be sent in an envelope or kept in an inside pocket. It was typical of such camouflaged publications that they had innocent titles on the cover that gave no indication that the content was aimed against National Socialism.
Many camouflaged publications were written by supporters of the German Communist Party, the KPD. This is why it was chiefly bibliographers of the former German Democratic Republic who focused on this type of literature. The best-known and most complete bibliography is by Heinz Gittig, Illegale antifaschistische Tarnschriften 1933-1945 (Illegal Anti-Fascist Camouflaged Publications 1933-1945). Most such books have been lost because of the nature of the material: flyers distributed on a small scale. Collections are thus extremely rare. (No more than c. 750 of the original 900 (?) are bibliographically documented.)
More about Tarnschriften.