The Battle Against the Dolchstoßlegende: Counterpropaganda and Cultural Memory in the German Jewish Veterans’ Newspaper Der Schild, 1922–1938

During and after World War I, the Prussian military, right-wing nationalists, and Nazi propagandists stirred up hate against Jewish soldiers and veterans by withholding information, creating conspiracy theories, and reinforcing negative stereotypes. This article explores how German Jewish frontline veterans fought back, via publicity, to refute the anti-Semitic stab-in-the-back myth (Dolchstoßlegende) by regularly publishing facts and statistics, framing their collective identity around honor, and diversifying news content. Through a systematic content analysis of the 1922–1938 issues of the German-language periodical Der Schild (published by the Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten), this study reveals how Jewish veterans engaged in early forms of counterpropaganda by publishing facts, archival documents, statistics, photographs, verified testimonies, and eyewitness accounts. Historical records show that the “big lie” of “German Jewish cowardice” during World War I was simultaneously disproven but also incited earlier than the hate-politicking and race-baiting of Adolf Hitler and the nascent National Socialists. We argue that German Jewish Frontkämpfer countering destructive propaganda in the pages of Der Schild can be understood as fulfilling patriotism for their fatherland as much as their military service did.