Original Item. Only One Available. This is a complete German WWII stereoscopic photographic book titled Der Kampf im Westen ("The Struggle in the West"), published in Munich in 1940 by Raumbild-Verlag Otto Schönstein K.-G. as the second volume of Die Soldaten des Führers im Felde. The book documents the German Western Campaign of 1940 through text, mounted color photographs, and a complete numbered series of 100 stereoscopic photographic cards, accompanied by the original folding metal Raumbildbetrachter stereo viewer.

The heavy tan cloth-covered boards have recessed storage compartments incorporated into the inside covers for the stereoscopic cards and viewer. The black folding viewer is marked Raumbild-Verlag and uses two circular lenses to combine the paired photographs into a single image with an apparent three-dimensional depth effect. Also present is the original illustrated Gebrauchsanweisung instruction sheet explaining removal, assembly, and use of the 6 x 13 cm viewer. The inside cover retains additional printed viewing instructions and a period inspection label reading "Auf Bilder und Betrachter geprüft", indicating that the photographs and viewer had been checked.

The complete set of 100 numbered Raumbilder is present. The stereo photographs cover the 1940 fighting in western Europe and include German infantry and machine-gun teams, artillery, armored vehicles, aircraft, river crossings, field positions, troop movements, captured equipment, damaged towns and infrastructure, and scenes from occupied cities. Each card consists of two slightly offset photographs intended to be viewed simultaneously through the supplied stereoscope.

The title page reads:

Der Kampf im Westen
Die Soldaten des Führers im Felde
II. Band

Herausgegeben von
Oberst des Generalstabes
Hasso von Wedel
Abteilungschef im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
und
Reichsamtsleiter
Henrich Hansen
Reichspressestelle der NSDAP

Raumbild-Verlag Otto Schönstein K.-G. München 23

The separate instruction sheet is headed:

Bitte zuerst zu lesen!
"Please read first!"

Gebrauchsanweisung für die Benützung des Raumbildbetrachters 6 : 13 cm · DRGM
"Instructions for the use of the 6 x 13 cm stereoscopic viewer · DRGM."

It explains that each Raumbild work was supplied with a collapsible viewer consisting of two sections, the Brille (Vorderteil), or lens/front section, and the Bildhalter (Hinterteil), or photograph holder/rear section. Illustrated instructions show how to remove the viewer from its storage compartment and unfold it without pulling or forcing the mechanism.

The volume is in very good overall condition for its age and specialized construction. The cloth binding shows light handling wear, minor discoloration, and wear at the corners and extremities. The interior has general age toning with scattered spotting and staining, particularly to the endpapers and instructional material. The loose instruction sheet has noticeable toning and foxing but remains complete and readily legible. The viewer retains its lenses, folding support structure, and black finish with normal age and handling wear. Most importantly, the numbered stereoscopic photograph series remains complete with all 100 cards present, and the images retain strong photographic detail.

Historical Context

The German invasion of Western Europe began on May 10, 1940, with simultaneous offensives against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, followed by the main advance into France. The campaign was based on a German operational plan that concentrated armored forces through the Ardennes, where Allied commanders had underestimated the danger of a major mechanized assault. After crossing the Meuse near Sedan, German formations advanced rapidly toward the English Channel, cutting off substantial Allied forces in Belgium and northern France. The resulting encirclement led to the evacuation of British and Allied troops from Dunkirk, while German forces continued their advance southward. Paris fell on June 14, and France signed an armistice with Germany on June 22, bringing the principal fighting of the six-week campaign to an end.

The speed of the German victory became a major subject of official wartime propaganda. The Wehrmacht's military reporting apparatus distributed photographs, written accounts, newsreels, and radio reports presenting the campaign to audiences within Germany and abroad. These materials emphasized the effectiveness of German armored formations, air support, and infantry, while photographs of captured equipment, devastated defensive positions, and occupied cities illustrated the extent of the Allied defeat. Publications issued immediately after the campaign helped establish the official German narrative of the fighting and promoted the achievements of the armed forces.

An important figure in this effort was Hasso von Wedel, a German General Staff officer who headed the Wehrmacht's propaganda organization. His responsibilities included overseeing the Propagandakompanien, or Propaganda Companies, which operated alongside German military formations. Their personnel included photographers, journalists, cameramen, and radio reporters who documented military operations under the supervision of the armed forces. The material they produced was processed through the Wehrmacht's propaganda administration and distributed for use in newspapers, illustrated magazines, newsreels, and other publications. Military censorship and political oversight determined which aspects of the fighting reached the public.

Otto Schönstein's Raumbild-Verlag, based in Munich, specialized in stereoscopic publications that allowed readers to experience a three-dimensional impression of photographic subjects. Schönstein developed a publishing format combining illustrated historical or contemporary accounts with removable stereo cards and a compact optical viewer. During the Third Reich, this method was used for publications devoted to political events, military subjects, and major German campaigns. The stereoscopic technique gave readers an unusually detailed impression of battlefield terrain, military equipment, and personnel by reproducing the depth and spatial relationships recorded by the paired camera lenses.

The use of stereoscopic photography for military subjects had a considerably longer history. Developed during the nineteenth century, stereoscopy became popular for documenting distant places, important public events, and military campaigns. By presenting two slightly different views of the same scene, it allowed observers to perceive depth through binocular vision. This made the process particularly effective for subjects involving complex terrain, fortifications, military vehicles, and large groups of personnel. During the Second World War, the technique remained useful for both photographic documentation and illustrated publications, even as motion pictures and conventional photography dominated contemporary news reporting.

The development of German military propaganda during the 1930s gave photographic publishing an increasingly important political role. Following the establishment of specialized Wehrmacht propaganda units in 1938, the German armed forces integrated reporters and photographers more directly into military operations. By the outbreak of war in September 1939, these personnel were organized to provide material for domestic and international distribution. Their work formed part of a coordinated information system intended to publicize military victories, maintain civilian morale, and promote favorable perceptions of German military operations.

The Western Campaign offered particularly extensive material for this purpose. German forces operated across heavily populated regions containing major industrial centers, extensive railway networks, fortified positions, and important waterways. The fighting involved rapid armored advances, river crossings, infantry assaults, artillery engagements, and substantial aerial operations. In addition to documenting military activity, German photographers recorded the destruction left by the fighting, including abandoned weapons, damaged infrastructure, wrecked vehicles, and the condition of occupied towns. These subjects provided a broad visual record of the campaign, although their selection and presentation reflected the propaganda objectives of the period.

Published in the immediate aftermath of the 1940 campaign, Der Kampf im Westen belongs to the period when German military victories were being incorporated into a coordinated official account of the war. Its combination of military reporting and stereoscopic imagery illustrates how photographic publishing was used to bring battlefield scenes to the civilian public and reinforce the regime's interpretation of events.