NOSTRADAMUS, ASTROLOGY AND THE BIBLE
SUBSTUDY "WORLD WAR II"
The German source text of a.o. 
Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941?, Sta nam donosi 1940? and What will happen in the near future?  
(H.-W. Herwarth von Bittenfeld, prof. dr. K. Bömer and L. Gutterer, Berlin, 1940 [1939])
- T.W.M. van Berkel -

• Information on dr. P.J. Goebbels
• Information on dr. phil. h.c. Hans-Wolfgang Herwarth von Bittenfeld

Frequently, the words "Nostradamus-writing" and "Nostradamus-brochure" occur in the diaries of dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi-minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945, and the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conferences in the Ministry of Propaganda. In this article, these words are interpreted as references to a brochure, of which the German source text was written in November - December 1939 by order of Goebbels. After Goebbels' approval in December 1939, this source text was translated into eight languages. From the end of March 1940, these translations were published in the form of brochures and were spread in about four months time in a number of countries outside Germany, "neutral countries", as Goebbels called them. His diaries and the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conferences show that he was highly involved in the achieving and the spread of these brochures and was very happy with their impact, also because of the authorization dispute between his ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the spread of propaganda.
In this article, the origin of the "Nostradamus-brochure" is discussed, its translation and its publishing, the propaganda message, the desired and the achieved impact, the source material and its assimilation. 

The origin of the German source text of a.o. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?
On November 23, 1939, one day after a conversation with Hitler about the astonishing meaning of the Centuries in connection with the actual circumstances in Europe, Goebbels had a conversation with one of his employees, a retired officer who, according to his diaries, had the name "Von Herwarth". This name can also be found in the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conferences in the Ministry of Propaganda. In 1961, dr. Hans-Hermann Kritzinger mentioned this name in a conversation with the British researcher Ellic Howe.[1] The name "Von Herwarth" is a reference to Hans-Wolfgang Herwarth von Bittenfeld Oberst a.D. (1871-1942), a retired lieutenant-colonel, who since the beginning in September 1939 of World War II was extraordinary head of the Auslandspresse section of the Ministry of Propaganda and executed special orders.[2]
Goebbels wrote in his diary that Herwarth von Bittenfeld was well-informed about the leaders of the adversaries and that he hated England like no other. About his conversation with Herwarth von Bittenfeld, Goebbels noted that he made him look at Nostradamus. In this article, it is assumed that Goebbels showed Herwarth von Bittenfeld anti-British Century-comments in connection with the actual situation in 1939. Goebbels also wrote that the world is full of superstition, of which advantage should be taken in order to trip the adversaries.
In connection with December 4, 1939, Goebbels noted that Herwarth von Bittenfeld newly translated Nostradamus (...hat den Nostradamus neu übersetzt) and that this piece of writing was extremely suited for propaganda abroad. He would take measures right away[3] In this article, it is supposed that Goebbels did not mean that Herwarth von Bittenfeld made a new translation of the Centuries, but had written a text, meant for a brochure, which means that on November 23, 1939, Herwarth von Bittenfeld was ordered to do so.
On December 5, 1939, Herwarth von Bittenfeld's manuscript was discussed in the secret daily propaganda conference. In this conference, prof. dr. Karl Bömer, head in the Ministry of Propaganda of the Auslandspresse section, was ordered to run through this manuscript with Herwarth von Bittenfeld once again. In cooperation with Leopold Gutterer, head in the Ministry of Propaganda of the Propaganda section, a final version should be conceived, which had to be presented to Goebbels after his return of a journey to the Westwall, also known as the Siegfried line, the German defence line at the borders with Belgium and France. In the minutes of this propaganda conference, it was also written that the nature of the brochure should be propagandistic instead of scientific.[4]  
The next note regarding the Nostradamus-brochure is in the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conference on December 13, 1939. There, it is written that the Nostradamus-manuscript was composed very well.[5] In other words: on most late December 12, 1939, Goebbels approved the final version, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.; this approval was communicated in the propaganda conference of December 13, 1939.

Eight translations
After December 13, 1939, the next note regarding the Nostradamus-brochure can be found in Goebbels' diaries. In connection with February 22, 1940, he wrote that Nostradamus was achieved and that it was a splendid brochure, meant for the neutrals, entirely double-faced and virtuous.[6] This remark might deal with a printing probe, it might also deal with the achievement of a number of translations of this brochure, which was not meant to be spread in Germany, but in "neutral countries". A report about the activities of the Ausland section of the Ministry of Propaganda in the period January 1 - August 31, 1940, compiled by dr. Ernst Brauweiler, head of this section, contains the words "Nostradamus-writing" in the context of a series of translations.[7] In this article, it is assumed that these are the translations of the Nostradamus-brochure which Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. had finished in December 1939. Brauweiler, who was responsible for the spread of these translations, mentioned eight languages in which they were published: Croatian, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Rumanian, Serbian and Swedish.
Below, some facts and features are given about six of these translations.

The Dutch brochure ("Pasteur")
The Dutch brochure is entitled Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? een belangwekkende en actueele beschouwing op grond der voorspellingen van Michel Nostradamus gegeven in "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties"; samengesteld uit de nagelaten geschriften van Jean François Pasteur. 
Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? consists of 46 pages. According to the Goebbels diaries, this brochure was brought into circulation around April 24, 1940, about two weeks prior to the German invasion in the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. In Switzerland, at the same time, the French version was brought into circulation. Both versions were quite sensational.[8]
The printing and publishing of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was done by W.J. Ort, a printer/publisher in The Hague (NL). One hundred copies were numbered 1-100. The copy which is in the possession of the author of this article, is not numbered.
Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? contains three pictures: a portrait of Nostradamus, painted by his son Cesar; a picture of the frontispiece of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition and a cut-out of the title of this edition. On the cover of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? the weapon of Paris is depicted, "because", as it reads on the back of the title page, "it was the capital of France where master Michel Nostradamus had his greatest triumphs".
Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is divided in a preface, written by the (anonymous) translator, two chapter and an appendix with French texts of the quatrains which are discussed and French texts of the quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus - Expliquées et commentées (Sarlat, 1939 [1938], fifth edtion). 
According to note 1 on page 41, the French quatrain texts originate from Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties de maistre Michel Nostradamus - Texte intégral, reproduction agrandie en phototypie de l'édition d'Amsterdam, 1668 (Paris). This is a Xerox-copy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition of the Centuries, which was entitled Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus. The title of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition is part of the complete title of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. 
The title page contains the remark Naar een authentieke uitgave uit het jaar 1688 door Jean François Pasteur (+) voorzien van een actueele verklaring mede op grond van een studie van den Franschen Nostradamus-kenner Dr. de Fontbrune. Such a remark is not present in the English, French and Swedish version. The name Jean François Pasteur, also mentioned in the preface, is a fictitious name. We also notice a printer's error: 1688 instead of 1668. 
The two chapters in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? contain 27 footnotes which refer to French texts in the appendix, and two text notes. This gives to Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? a scientific look, which does not fit with the instruction, given in the secret daily propaganda conference on December 5, 1939, that the brochure should be propagandistic and not scientific. Perhaps that instruction dealt with the way in which the readers had to be informed about the fulfilment in the past of the Centuries, and that their feelings should be touched. In Wollt Ihr den totalen Krieg - Die geheimen Goebbels-Konferenzen 1939-1943, Willi A. Boelcke mentioned six features of Goebbels' propaganda. One of these features was the ability to address the instinctive, the emotional, the feeling and the passion among the people instead of trying to convince intellectuals by means of rational arguments, which was doomed to fail.[9] This corresponds with Goebbels' remark to trip the adversaries by taking advantage of the omnipresent superstition.

The French brochure ("Rossier"-1940b) 
[PA AA R 66658; © Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, Berlin]
The French brochure is entitled Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? La réponse est donnée par: Les vrayes centuries et prophéties de Maître Michel Nostradamus. According to the Goebbels diaries regarding April 24, 1940, this brochure was brought into circulation in Switzerland the same time the Dutch brochure was brought into circulation; and was quite sensational.[10] 
Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? consists of three large sheets of paper, printed on both sides, credited to prof. Ant. Rossier, astrologer and graphologist, settled in Geneva. This brochure was part of the series Edition "ANT". The headline PREDICTIONS is a reference to a monthly magazine about applied psychology and predictions, run by Rossier from February 1940. 
Que passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? also contains advertisements in which the possibility is offered to order year-horoscopes and in which Swiss, Belgian and French readers are instructed about the way to subscribe to forthcoming issues of the series Edition "ANT". This implies that this brochure was meant to be spread not only in Switzerland, but also in France and among the French-speaking Belgians, perhaps also in Luxemburg. 
On this website, it is supposed that the Germans placed the French translation of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., at Rossier's. Whether or not Rossier translated the German text into French, is not clear. It is clear, that Rossier had this text printed by A. Mayor in Geneva, who also printed his monthly Prédictions, and published it in the form of a new interpretation of the Centuries, while referring to predictions in his magazine.
Like the complete title of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the complete title of Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? refers to Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus.
The text of Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? is divided in eleven chapters. A part of the text of the chapter Un coup d'oeil vers l'avenir, in which it is discussed by what means people want to get hold of the future, does not occur in the Dutch or the Serbian version. The titles of the first six chapters correspond with the titles of the first six chapters in Sta nam donosi 1940?, the Serbian version.
Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? does not contain pictures, a preface or an appendix. It does contain an untitled epilogue, in which Swiss, Belgian and French readers are invited to subscribe to new issues in the series Edition "ANT".
According to one of the paragraph titles, France would not be harmed by the war. This explicit statement is not present in any of the other available translations and show that some parts of the contents of Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? were adjusted because of its circulation in France. 

The Serbian brochure ("Belgrade") 
[PA AA R 66658; © Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, Berlin]
The Serbian brochure is entitled Sta nam donosi 1940? Odgovara nam cuveni fransuski astrolog Nostradamus u svome delu "Les vrayes Centuries et Propheties" and is published in Belgrade. This brochure consists of 16 pages. The Cyrillic alphabet has been used.
The text of Sta nam donosi 1940? is divided in seven chapters and an untitled epilogue. The titles of the first six chapters correspond with the titles of the first six paragraphs in Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941?, the French version.[11] 
Sta nam donosi 1940? is published anonymously and does not contain a preface, an appendix or pictures. A number of quatrain texts have been given in Serbian as well as in French. The French quatrain texts are given in Latin script instead of in Cyrillic script.
Like the complete title of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the complete title of Sta nam donosi refers to Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus.

The Swedish brochure ("Norab"-1940a)
The Swedish brochure is entitled Nostradamus spådomar om kriget. Most likely, this brochure, which consists of 52 pages, was published in 1940 by Neutrala Institutes Förlag, Stockholm, and printed by Stockholms bokindustri AB. The author of this article is in possession of a copy of this brochure. On the title page, the name Norab is given. According to the Svensk Bok-Katalog 1936-1940, the name "Norab", a common Swedish family name, is a pseudonym of the Swedish baron Lage Fabian Wilhelm Staël von Holstein (1886-1946).[12] From 1911, Staël von Holstein wrote many publications about Swedish and international military, political and social matters. He also wrote national-socialist propaganda and was the owner of Neutrala Institutets Förlag.[13]  
Nostradamus spådomar om kriget contains three pictures: a portrait of Nostradamus, painted by his son Cesar, a part of the first page of the first Century and the lower half of the frontispiece of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition. On the cover, a burning globe is depicted with stars in the sky, which point to Nostradamus being an astrologer. 
On p.50, the Altmark-affair is discussed, the liberation by the crew of the British destroyer Cossack in the night between February 16 and February 17, 1940, of British prisoners of war from the German navy ship Altmark in the harbour of Jössingfjord (Norway). In connection with March 11, 1940, Goebbels wrote in his diary that it would be tried to bring "Nostradamus" to Sweden.[14] This means that the Swedish translations was completed between February 17, 1940 and March 11, 1940.
Nostradamus spådomar om kriget is divided in eighteen chapters. The text of the chapters I, XVII and XVIII does not occur in the Dutch, the English and the French version. In the chapters XVII and XVIII, two Danish Century-comments are discussed; in chapter XVII, two quatrains are discussed which are not discussed in the Dutch, the English and the French version.
Nostradamus spådomar om kriget has no appendix with French texts of quatrains or French texts of the quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties ... Only four quatrains are given in French. Of most of the other quatrains, some lines are given in Swedish.
Neither the title, nor the text of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget contains a reference to Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus.

The English brochure ("Norab"-1940b)
The English brochure is entitled What will happen in the near future? For an answer, we must turn to "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus" - The prophecies of the ancient French astrologer Michel Nostradamus and the present war - by Norab. This brochure, which consisted of 63 pages, was printed in 1940 by Stockholms bokindustri AB. The author of this article has the cover of this brochure in possession, its table of contents, the pages 5-17 and the pages 36-63. What will happen in the near future? carries the name of Norab, the pseudonym of Staël von Holstein. On the cover and the back, the title Nostradamus Prophecies about the War is printed, which is the English translation of the title Nostradamus spådomar om kriget.
What will happen in the near future? is divided in fourteen chapters. Chapter I is an introduction, which contains the lines which Goethe in Faust, act I, scene I, devoted to Nostradamus and astrology. Such an introduction is not included in the other brochures, neither the text of chapter XIII is included, in which Italy's participation in the war is discussed. The text of this inserted chapter leads to the supposition that the text of What will happen in the near future? was finished after June 10, 1940, the date on which Italy declared war to England and France.
Page 10 contains a picture of the first page of the first Century. This picture is also included in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget. On page 36 in What will happen in the near future?, horoscopes are depicted which belong to the comments upon the quatrains 01-51, 02-05, 03-01 and 04-67. On page 38, a horoscope is depicted, calculated for November 14, 1999. None of these horoscopes are included in other versions of the German source text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., also not in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, where speculations in What will happen in the near future? about what might happen around 1995, are presented briefly. 
On some pages in What will happen in the near future?, nostradamic material is given which is not present in the Dutch, the French, the Serbian and the Swedish brochure.
In What will happen in the near future, a number of quatrain texts is given in English and French. Contrary to the Dutch version, there is no appendix with French quatrain texts or the French text of the quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties...
Like the complete title of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the complete title of What will happen in the near future? refers to Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus.

The Italian brochure ("Genoa")
The Italian brochure is entitled Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558. This brochure, which counted 24 pages, was published in 1940 by Goffi, Via Gradisca 6, Genoa, tel. 56.631.
Le profezie del Maestro Michel Nostradamus is divided into eleven chapters. In most cases, the titles of these chapters correspond with the titles of the chapters in Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? and with a part of the titles in Sta nam donosi 1940?
Page 3 of Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558 contains a picture of the frontispiece of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition. Page 4 contains a picture of the complete first page of of the first Century of this edition.
In the chapter Dalla guerra mondiala alle S.d.N. all'impresa etiopica, the situation in Ethiopia around 1936 is discussed, as well as quatrain 02-64. In the other versions, there is no discussion about this, and quatrain 02-64 is not included. This means that the German source text has been edited in order to have more impact on the Italian readers. In Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, nothing is written about Italy's participation in the war, in contrast with What will happen in the near future?
In Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, a number of French quatrain texts are given in the text. Often, the Italian phrasing of these texts is preceded by the remark libra traduzione (tr.: free translation). There is no appendix in which French quatrain texts are given or quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties... 
The title Les vrayes Centuries et Propheties is not included in the title of Le profezie del Maestro Michel Nostradamus. Instead, the year 1558 is included. This year points to the year at the end of the Epistle to Henry II, which letter is part of the 1938-Piobb-copy, from which during the compiling of the German text material has been copied. A footnote on p.17 contains the title, the editor and the year of issue of De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties... 

Neither the Goebbels diaries, nor the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conferences show that a translation of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., was produced and spread in Great-Britain. Item 4 in the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conference on July 22, 1940, shows that in England, a Nostradamus-campaign would take place by means of the secret radio transmitter. This campaign would consist of two parts. In the first part, it would be explained what Nostradamus correctly predicted for the past. In the second part, predictions would be discussed, related to a destruction of London. In the secret daily propaganda conference of September 10, 1940, Lord Haw-Haw (nickname of William Joyce, England-commentator of the German radio) was instructed to point to the apparent accomplishing of the prophecies of Nostradamus regarding attacks on London, as part of a larger propaganda-campaign (Boelcke-1966, p.410 and 498). The text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. can also be divided in two parts. The first part deals with quatrains which already are fulfilled; the second part deals with the actual situation and the future.

The arrangement of the text in the various versions
In the various versions, the text have been arranged in chapters in quite diverging ways. There are many correspondences between the titles of the chapters in the French and the Italian version. In many cases, he titles of the first six chapters of the Serbian version correspond with the titles of the first six chapters in the French and the Italian version. This points to the possibility that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. divided their text into chapters. A number of versions contain different chapter titles and the text is not divided into the same parts. Perhaps, this was done in order to create a certain propagandistic impact of perhaps the translator wanted to appeal to the "national character". 
In the Dutch version, the titles of the chapters are very neutral. The title of the first chapter contains a reference to fulfilled predictions. According to the title of the second chapter, the question is how this war will end, without saying that Germany will be victorious, something which also does not become clear in the titles of the French version. According to the titles in that version, France would get off without a scratch and the question was asked what would happen to Germany. In the English and Swedish version, both compiled by Staël von Holstein, the chapter titles made it clear that Germany would win the war. The titles in the English version - not in the Swedish one - made clear that Italy would participate in the war, whereas the titles in the Swedish version - not in the English one - made it clear that Germany and the Soviet-Union made a treaty (the Molotov - von Ribbentrop pact). We note that in the English version, France was characterized as a mortal enemy of Germany and, like England, would lose the war in a dramatic way.[15] In the Italian version, nothing was written about the possibility that Italy might participate in the war.
The Serbian version is divided in seven chapters. The titles of the first six chapters in this version are also present in the French version. The seventh chapter in the Serbian version is entitled "The present and the future". It looks as if the titles in the Serbian version emphasize the phenomenon of predictions, in order to raise the interest of the readers.

The source material
In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? and Sta nam donosi 1940? is written that material has been used from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties, a comment by the German Loog on quatrain 03-57 and The political prophecy in England (New York, 1911) by dr. Rupert Taylor, an Englishman. The Nostradamus-brochures raise the impression that comments, in which there is no reference to published Century-comments, were written by its authors. The literature study upon which this article is based, showed that almost none of the comments in the German source text of the Nostradamus-brochures were written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. They copied paragraphs from a number of Century-comments, sometimes including German quatrain texts, sometimes page size, and connected these paragraphs to each other with texts.
The books, used by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., are:

• Fontbrune, dr. De: Les Prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus - Expliquées et commentées (Sarlat, 1939 [1938], fifth edition).

• Kritzinger, dr. H.-H.: Mysterium von Sonne und Seele  - psychische Studien zur Klärung der okkulten Problemen (Berlin, 1922 [1921]).

• Loog, C.: Die Weissagungen des Nostradamus: erstmalige Auffindung des Chiffreschlüssels und Enthüllung der Prophezeiungen über Europas Zukunft und Frankreichs Glück und Niedergang, 1555-2200 (Pfullingen in Württemberg, 1921 [1920], in this study, the sixth edition has been used).

• Noah, B.: Nostradamus - prophetische Weltgeschichte von 1547 bis gegen 3000 (Berlin, 1928; in this study, a re-edition is used [Cologne, 2005]).

• Piobb, P.V.: Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties - Texte intégral, reproduction agrandie en phototypie de l'édition d'Amsterdam, 1668: Lettre à Henri II, centuries, présages et sixains; précédée de la réimpression de la Lettre à César, son fils, d'après l'édition de Lyon, 1558, avec une préface de P.V. Piobb (Paris, 1927).
  According to Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, this edition of the Centuries served as a French source text.

• Winkler, dr. B.: Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen für das zwanzigste Jahrhundert (Görlitz, 1939 [1938). 

In their discussion of quatrain 03-57, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. also referred to the Frenchmen Amiaux and Rochetaillée. Their known publications:

• Amiaux, M.: Nostradamus - L'homme qui au XVI siècle avait prévu Napoléon (Paris,1939);

• Rochetaillée, P.: Prophéties de Nostradamus - clef des Centuries - son application à l'histoire de la 3e République (Paris, 1939).

Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. also mentioned the title of dr. Rupert Taylors The political prophecy in England (New York, 1911), but it is unlikely that they consulted this book. In fact, they copied the paragraph in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? in which this book was discussed, from Kritzinger's Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. Kritzinger quoted from the pages 104-105 in The political prophecy in England, on which Taylor described the laws, prohibiting the circulation of prophecies, which Henry IV, Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elisabeth I passed. According to Kritzinger, the announcement in the Centuries that the downfall of England was imminent, would result in new laws, prohibiting the circulation of prophecies.

The next table contains a list of the quatrains in the order in which they were discussed in the available brochures. Following the arrangement of the text in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the quatrains are divided into two groups: one group which contains quatrains which, according to the brochures, are fulfilled already, and another group of quatrains which, according to the brochures, deal with the actual situation and the future. Most quatrains are discussed in all brochures, only a few ones are discussed in one brochure.
This table contains a list of the links between the discussed quatrains and either the course of history, the actual circumstances or future events. In all versions, these links are identical, with the exception of the comment on quatrain 08-37 in the English version.
Regarding the quatrains which in all versions are discussed, four German sources are at stake and one French source. This points to the fact that these versions are translations of a German source text, i.e. the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. They did not translate the quatrains from French into German. From Loog-1921, Kritzinger-1922a, Noah-1928 and Winkler-1939, they copied German quatrain texts and linked them to French quatrain texts, copied from the 1938-Piobb-copy. The quotation of French quatrains from the 1938-Piobb-copy unjustly raises the impression that this copy was used as a study-source, from which the comments resulted. From De Fontbrune-1939, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. copied French quatrain texts and his comments; they presented this material in the context of their message that England would fall.
Quatrain 08-60, linked to the end of World War I, is a good example of the way in which Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. worked. The "free translation" of quatrain 08-60 on p.4 of Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? ("Rossier"-1940b) corresponds with e.g. the Dutch translation on p.22 of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? ("Pasteur") and the Swedish translation in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget ("Norab"-1940a). Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. copied the German source text of this "free translation" from Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen für das zwanzigste Jahrhundert (dr. B. Winkler, Görlitz, 1939 [1938]) and edited this text slightly. Winkler's translation in the first line of the word Romanie in Italien and his translation in the fourth line of the word NORLARIS in lothringer Land also occurs in the Dutch, French and Swedish translation. In these translations, the word Paris, copied by Winkler from the original text, was translated in the sense of the French people. Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? does not contain the original text of quatrain 08-60. This text is given in the appendix in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the Dutch translation.

In most cases, the source of the link and/or the German quatrain text has been found. The source of the comment on quatrain 01-36 has not been found. This comment matches to some extent with the comment by Noah and Winkler. Quatrain 02-64, which is linked to the problems between Italy and Ethiopia in 1936, only occurs in the Italian version. Quatrain 02-92, which is linked to the Franco-Prussian war (1870/71) and Napoleon III, only occurs in the English version.
Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. did not content themselves with the first comment they found. This can be seen in the case of the quatrains 09-18, 09-34 and 05-57. In Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, Kritzinger discussed these quatrains in exactly this order. However, only the comment on quatrain 09-18 was copied from Kritzinger's book; the comments on the quatrains 09-34 and 05-57 were copied from Loog's book. Therefore, in the case of the quatrains 09-34 and 05-57, Kritzinger's name is between brackets. The comment on quatrain 05-28 contains elements, originating from the books by Loog and Winkler; the comments on the quatrains 01-47 and 06-20 contain elements, originating from the books by Noah and Winkler.

Regarding the links, the next table shows for which purpose a source has been used (past, actual situation, future) and which of the sources has been used most frequently throughout the brochure, except for the quatrains which were only discussed in the English and Swedish version.
In the case of the quatrains which were fulfilled in the past, 20 links could be traced back. Most of the times, these links were copied from Winkler's Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen für das zwanzigste Jahrhundert. In the case of the quatrains which were discussed in connection with the actual situation and/or the future, 11 links could be traced back. The majority of them were copied from De Fontbrunes Les Prophéties... With a total of 12 links for both themes, Winkler's Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen... turns out to be the source that has been used most frequently, followed by Loog's Die Weissagungen des Nostradamus. De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties... only has been used for the actual situation and/or the future; the books of Kritzinger and Noah were only used for the past.

The next table, entitled Comparison of the discussed versions in the available translations, shows which quatrains are discussed in the brochures and whether or not the comments are unanimous. Again, the quatrains are divided in a group with quatrains, which are considered to be fulfilled already, and a group with quatrains which are considered to deal with the actual situation and the future.
In the case of  "Norab"-1940b, a number of pages are missing, with the result that a significant number of quatrains could not be categorized.
The comments on the quatrains which were considered to be fulfilled already, are quite unanimous, except for quatrain 01-01, which in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget ("Norab"-1940a) was not discussed, quatrain 01-36, which in What will happen in the near future? ("Norab"-1940b) was not discussed, probably because Staël von Holstein simply left it out, and quatrain 02-64 in Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558 ("Genoa"), which was added because of the problems between Italy and Ethiopia in 1936.
In the group of quatrains which according to the brochure dealt with the actual situation and the future, the number of differences is significant, especially in the case of What will happen in the near future?. There, the comment on quatrain 08-37 differs from the comment on this quatrain in the other brochures, five quatrains were added and six were left out. Partly, this is caused by the propaganda message, e.g. the "prediction" of the participation of Italy in the war. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget ("Norab"-1940a), two quatrains were added, in connection of the circulation of this brochure in Sweden.
From this table, it might be concluded that the brochures had diverging war propaganda, in a number of cases connected to the country in which a particular brochure was spread. This raises the question about the source of these differences, a question which for the moment can not be answered. There is a possibility that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. wrote margin notes or the like regarding which parts of the text in a certain brochure should be added and which ones should be omitted. It is also possible that translators translated in a summarizing way, included new material or omitted certain parts of the text.  

Pictures
In Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? and Sta nam donosi, there are no pictures. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? and Nostradamus spådomar om kriget contain pictures of a.o. a portrait of Nostradamus, painted by his son Cesar. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? also contains a picture of the engraving on the cover of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition and a cut-out of the title; Nostradamus spådomar om kriget contains a cut-out of the lower part of the engraving. Nostradamus spådomar om kriget and What will happen in the near future? contain a cut-out of the first page of Century 01. Le profezie de Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558 contains pictures of the engraving on the cover of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition and the complete first page of Century 01. This points to the possibility that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. had a series of pictures at their disposal, which the printers could include the way they wanted. The pictures of the engraving of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition, the portrait of Nostradamus and the first page of the first Century were copied from the 1938-Piobb-copy. The picture of the cut-out of the title of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition is a copy of the cover of the 1938-Piobb-copy.
In his note, written October 17, 1940, Krafft discussed a.o. the picture in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? of the engraving on the cover of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition. He thought that this was a copy of the picture in Kritzinger's Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. This can be contested. In Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, the picture of the engraving can be found in Tafel VII. The size of the engraving is 87 by 150 mm. At the bottom of the page, it is printed that the dimensions of the original were 65 by 115 mm, which means that its reproduction in Mysterien von Sonne und Seele is the result of an enlargement. The lines in the upper left corner are quite vague. The reproduction of the engraving on the cover of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is also the result of an enlargement. Its size: 110 by 194 mm, bigger than the size of the reproduction in Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. The quality of the reproduction in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is good, also in the upper left corner. Its size, 110 by 194 mm, corresponds with the size in the 1938-Piobb-copy. For these reasons, I suppose that the engraving in the 1938-Piobb-copy has been reproduced in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? while maintaining its dimensions (110 by 194 mm). Piobb also included this reproduction in Le Secret de Nostradamus et de ses célèbres prophéties du xvie siècle (Paris, 1927). There, the size was the same as in his copy: 110 by 194 mm.

Portrait of Nostradamus ("Norab"-1940a, p.3; "Pasteur", p.7)

Engraving  1668-Amsterdam-edition ("Pasteur", p.3)

Cut-out title 1668-Amsterdam-edition ("Pasteur", p.1)

Cut-out engraving 1668-Amsterdam-edition ("Norab"-1940a, p.24)

Cut-out p.1 of Century 01 ("Norab"-1940a, p.10; "Norab"-1940b, p.10)

The elements of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.
Six of the eight translations of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. are at our disposal: the Dutch, the French, the Serbian, the Swedish, the English and the Italian translation. The titles of these translations, the quatrains which are discussed, the pictures and the contents of the chapters enable us to determine the elements of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.
The titles of four translations (the Dutch, French, Serbian and English translation) contain a question about the future and a reference to Les vrayes centuries et propheties. This might mean that the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. had a similar title.
Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. copied pictures from the 1938-Piobb-copy, which freely could be included or which including was dependent of the technical facilities of the printer. The French and the Serbian brochure contain no pictures.
The quatrains 01-35, 01-01, 01-02, 09-18, 09-34, 05-57, 03-35, 01-60, 01-88, 07-13, 04-82, 10-24, 06-22, 05-28, 03-13, 02-68, 08-60, 01-47, 06-20, 10-100, 03-57, 02-75, 02-83, 08-37, 03-58 and 10-31 are discussed in all translations. This means that these quatrains were part of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. The order in which these quatrains were discussed, was the same in all translations. Quatrain 01-36 was also part of this text, it is discussed in five translations. This also goes for the quatrains 02-100, 02-78, 03-32, 03-71, 08-97 and 01-99. In my opinion, quatrain 02-75 also was part of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.; this quatrain is discussed in three translations, it is neither discussed in the Swedish and the English translation, both by Staël von Holstein, nor in the Italian translation. The quatrains 02-94, 02-99, 04-26, 03-23 and 02-86 are only discussed in the English translation; quatrain 05-51 and the "Altmark"-quatrain are only discussed in the Swedish translation. In my opinion, these seven quatrains were not part of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. Quatrain 02-64 was only discussed in the Italian translation. In my opinion, this quatrain was not part of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.
The "appendix" in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was, as far as I can see, compiled by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. It is not plausible that this appendix was compiled by a translator.
Of all the translations, the contents of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? most easily can be traced back to German source material (Kritzinger-1922a, Loog-1921, Noah-1928 and Winkler-1939). In other words: Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is an almost word-by-word translation from German into Dutch. This might mean that Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? is the best reflection of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., except for the preface, which was added by the translator. 

The printing and the publishing of the translations
In connection with March 11, 1940, Goebbels wrote in his diary that Brauweiler not yet brought Nostradamus into the neutrals and that now it would be tried in Sweden [16] With "bringing", most probably the looking is meant for printers and publishers in the countries in which the translations had to be published. In his report about the activities of the Ausland section of the Ministry of Propaganda in the period January 1 - August 31, 1940, Brauweiler had written that in the case of propaganda, meant for the countries outside Germany, the policy was to have this propaganda printed, published and spread in those countries.[17] It looks as if Goebbels' remark means that until then, Brauweiler did not do anything to bring those translations which already were finished, to neutral countries in order to have them printed.
In connection with March 25, 1940, Goebbels wrote in his diary that the Nostradamus-brochure now was brought into several neutral countries and also in France.[18] This might mean that printers and publishers in those countries were willing to print these brochures and to publish them.
In #5 of the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conference of March 27, 1940, it was noted that the Nostradamus-brochure could be brought into circulation the way it was now. This might mean that from this date, the order could be given to print these brochures and to publish them. In connection with March 29, 1940, Goebbels wrote in his diary that in a conversation with Hitler, he talked about the Nostradamus-brochure. Hitler considered this very interesting and said that he would crush England in whatever way. This remark might have been made in connection with the anti-British nature of the Nostradamus-brochure.[19]
In the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conference of April 24, 1940, it is noted in #4 that the Nostradamus-brochure had been published in two countries and that there should be taken care of  further publishing, a.o. in Denmark.[20] The Goebbels diaries show that the Netherlands and Switzerland were the two countries, meant in the minutes of the propaganda conference.[21] 
In the secret daily propaganda conference of May 24, 1940, Goebbels ordered that from now, the Nostradamus-brochure should be used in the psychological warfare in France.[22] 
In connection with July 11, 1940, Goebbels wrote in his diary that in all countries in which the Nostradamus-brochure had been published, its impact was as strong as possible.[23] This remark might mean that this brochure was published in all countries in which publishing was planned. In combination with the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conference of March 27, 1940, it is assumed in this article that the translations were brought into circulation between March 27, 1940, and July 11, 1940, a period of about 3 1/2 months.
The note in the Goebbels diaries regarding July 11, 1940, is the last note with information about these brochures. In this article, this note is interpreted as a final comment on this "propaganda project".

Copy figures and unknown sales figures
In his report about the activities of the Ausland section of the Ministry of Propaganda in the period January 1 - August 31, 1940, Brauweiler listed the copy figures of brochures which in this article are considered to be the translations of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. In this period, the total number of copies of translated brochures was 83.000. The Croatian brochure had the highest number of copies: 25.000. The copy figure of the French brochure was 20.000. The copy figure of both the Italian and the Serbian brochure was 10.000. The copy figure of the Rumanian and the Swedish brochure was 5.000. The copy figure of the English brochure, which was meant to be spread in the USA, was 3.000. The copy figure of the Dutch brochure was 5.000. After the capitulation of the Netherlands on May 15, 1940, the Ausland section of the Ministry of Propaganda ordered the production and spread of a second edition, its copy figure being 3.000. In his report, Brauweiler did not mention this second edition.
The notes in the Goebbels diaries regarding the Nostradamus-campaign and the minutes of the secret daily propaganda conferences raise the impression that the Nostradamus-campaign was the most intense in France. Brauweiler's copy figures show that the largest number of brochures was spread in South-East Europe (Yugoslavia, Rumania): 40.000, almost 50%. 5.000 brochures were spread in North-Europe (Sweden). 25.000 brochures were spread in West- and Central-Europe (the Netherlands and Switzerland, with the possibility to be spread in Belgium, France and Luxemburg). 10.000 brochures were spread among the Italian-speaking people and 3.000 brochures were spread in the United States.
I do not know if copy figures were registered for the period after August 31, 1940.
A couple of times in his diary, Goebbels expressed his satisfaction with the sensational impact of the Nostradamus-brochures. In connection with July 11, 1940, he wrote that everywhere where they were brought into circulation, their impact was as strong as possible. Perhaps he meant that they raised commotion, had a demoralizing impact or initiated rumours, one of the aims of his whispering campaigns.[24] In connection with this, the question rises how many of the printed brochures really went into circulation, at which moment there was a peak in selling / spreading, who bought them, read them and what these people did with these brochures. Unfortunately, I do not have documents which contain information about this.

The propaganda message
Propaganda against England has been an important part of national-socialist propaganda activities[25] The propaganda which was based upon the Centuries and/or Century-comments in 1939-1942 was also anti-British. It should become clear that, according to Nostradamus, England could not withstand Germany. The propaganda message which was compiled by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. was that Britain's leading role in the world would come to an end, that England would fall and would lose the support she had in the world. Germany would become the world's leading power. Since Herwarth von Bittenfeld hated England like no-one else, as Goebbels wrote, he was the most suited person to compile such a message.
Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. wrapped their anti-British message in a series of nostradamic elements. By means of more than ten quatrains, fulfilled predictions regarding monarchs like Henry II, Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon III and Umberto I were described. They also wrote that Nostradamus predicted events and developments in World War I, the failure of the League of Nations, the birth and rise of Hitler and the rise of Mussolini. The hidden message was that future events, predicted by Nostradamus, actually would happen since it could be proved that in the past, his predictions about world events etc. always were fulfilled.
In the announcement of England's fall, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. extensively quoted from De Fontbrunes Les Prophéties... In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the use of this book was mentioned on the title page. The appendix contained the French text of the quotes. The ideas of De Fontbrune were enforced by the comment on quatrain 03-57, which was brought to the attention as one of the best predictions by Nostradamus. According to this quatrain, there would be seven great changes in England in about 290 years. The first one occurred in 1649, when Charles I was beheaded by order of Cromwell. The seventh and last change should occur in 1939. In 1939, the war began, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. wrote; 1939 was the fatal year for England! Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. noted that this explanation was not a present-day finding, but that in the past decades seven Century-scholars in three countries (England, France, Germany) independently came to the conclusion that according to Nostradamus, 1939 would be a fatal year for England. Moreover, they quoted from De Fontbrune's Les Propheties... and quoted Loogs remark in 1921 that according to Nostradamus, in 1939 there would also be a crisis in Poland.
By means of other quatrains, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. described the way in which England would leave the world theatre and that, according to Nostradamus, the "Holy Empire" would come to Germany: Germany would become the omnipotent superpower.

A neutral, home-made brochure, "entirely double-faced and virtuous" 
The Nostradamus- brochures were written in the language of the countries in which they were planned to be published. They were not printed in Germany or spread from Germany, but printed and published in those countries in which they were planned to be published. Perhaps it was the intention to make the readers think that these brochures were home-made and written by one of their compatriots, a serious Century-scholar who had not joined one of the fighting parties, but who wanted to communicate a message, written down many centuries ago. Not once, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. promoted the national-socialist doctrine. They presented the conflict which started in September 1939 with the "crisis" in Poland as the final countdown between England and Germany, with the neutral countries as spectators. Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. made no allusion to a German invasion in e.g. Belgium, France or the Netherlands; they did not discuss quatrain 05-94, which talks about an annexation by Germany of Flanders and the north of France. In my opinion, Goebbels' note regarding February 22, 1940, that the Nostradamus-brochure was entirely double-faced and virtuous, deals with these things. 
Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the Swedish brochure, carried the name Norab, a quite common Swedish name, and there were a couple of allusions to Scandinavian seers and prophets. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was published without an author's name. A preface was added to the German source text, written by the (anonymous) translator. This preface showed that Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was based upon a Century-comment, written by a certain Jean François Pasteur, a French friend of the translator, who died recently. This French element perfectly fitted the fact that material was included, which originated from a book by the Frenchman De Fontbrune. Therefore, the translator certainly was a Dutchman. This camouflage, however, was not perfect. W.J. Ort, the printer and publisher of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, published nothing but books which contained the German vision on the war, such as De waarheid marcheert (Werner Picht, 1939), Tsjecho-Slowakije - slachtoffer der westersche mogendheden (Emanuel Moravec, 1940) and Kan Engeland den oorlog winnen? De zee-oorlog en de neutralen (Lage Fabian Wilhelm Stäel von Holstein, 1940). After the occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940, Ort published more national-socialist propaganda, e.g. De ondergang van een imperium, written by the Frenchman Robert Briffault.[26] 
Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. seem to have tried to mask the German origin of the message that England should make way for Germany, by quoting extensively from the book by De Fontbrune, which would make it more difficult to associate these quotes with German propaganda, and with the names of seven Century-scholars from three countries (England: Taylor; France: Amiaux, De Fontbrune, Piobb and Rochetaillée; Germany: Taylor) who, independently from each other, concluded that quatrain 03-57 indicated that 1939 would be a fatal year for England. A quote from the book by De Fontbrune enforced this: The war will be fatal for England. She will lose both her fleet and her empire.[27] 
Some descriptive paragraphs were also copied from German Century-comments. The episode about the tournament in Paris in June 1559 for example, in which the French king Henry II got his eye injured which would result in his decease, has correspondences with the episode in Winkler's Nostradamus und seine Prophezeiungen... [28] The description of Nostradamus' study room in Salon was almost literally copied from that book.[29]
Without any scruple, the comment on quatrain 09-18 was copied from Kritzingers Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, as can be seen in the next table. Kritzinger's comment on quatrain 09-18 looks similar with Loog's comment in Die Weissagungen des Nostradamus; his phrasing is entirely different. Like the text of quatrain 08-60, the paragraph in which quatrain 09-18 is discussed, shows that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. did not translate French quatrains into German, but used German translations which already were published, and linked this translation to the corresponding French quatrain in the 1938-Piobb-copy. In the case of quatrain 09-18, they replaced the sentence Die Uebersetzung bringe ich nach dr. Kemmerich, dessen Buch "Prophezeiungen" bereits bekannt ist by "In vrije vertaling betekent dit: (tr.: Translated freely, this means:"), raising the impression that they themselves had translated this quatrain. On p.130, Kritzinger had given a "metric" translation of quatrain 09-18. This translation was not included in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?.

Incorrect reproductions
The literature study upon which this article is based, shows that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. described Nostradamus' prophetic abilities in a dramatic way, with emphasis on the miraculous nature of the predictions in the quatrains. They did not change essential elements in the comments they copied from the books by Kritzinger, Loog, Noah en Winkler, as far as these comments dealt with "the past". 
A comparison between the phrasings by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. of the comments of De Fontbrune and Loog with the original texts shows that they raised a wrong impression about the meaning of these phrasings and that they presented De Fontbrune's comment out of its context. They wanted to enforce the remark that quatrain 03-57 points to a fatal year for England, by referring to seven Century-scholars (Amiaux, De Fontbrune, Piobb, Rochetaillée, Loog, Kritzinger and Taylor) from three countries (England, France and Germany), who independent of each other reached to this conclusion. This reference, however, is entirely unjust. In Les Prophéties..., De Fontbrune wrote nothing in this sense about 1939; he wrote that the time span of quatrain 03-57 would begin in 1657 and would end in 1947.[30] As for quatrain 10-100, he maintained a time span of more than 300 years, which would begin in 1603, without mentioning 1939.[31] Amiaux, Piobb and Rochetaillée also wrote nothing about 1939. In Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, Kritzinger referred to Loog's comment on quatrain 03-57, which he emphasized at the end of his comments and which he in 1961 explained to Ellic Howe, the author of Uranias Children - the strange world of the astrologers (London, 1967).[32] In the case of Taylor, about whose book it has been supposed that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. probably not read it, one should notice that he is not a Century-scholar, that The political prophecy in England contains some remarks about Nostradamus but not one comment upon a quatrains, and that he did not discuss predictions which referred to events which would take place in 1939.
Regarding the quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties..., a comparison shows that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. quoted literally, but took these quotes out of their context. This is shown by one of the remarks of De Fontbrune, preceding his remark that the war would be fatal for England and that she would loose both her fleet and her empire. Basing himself upon quatrain 03-57, he wrote that in the next conflict, which according to his calculations would begin around 1947, England would join the adversaries of France. In that conflict, Germany would invade France from Switzerland, one year after Italy.[33] Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. left out the remark that England would join the adversaries of France. By doing so, they changed the meaning of the comments by De Fontbrune.
Taking a quote out of its context can also be seen in the presentation by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. of quatrain 03-57 as one of the most clever predictions by Nostradamus. They raised the impression as if Loog had written that 1939 would be the fatal year for England and that at the same time a crisis would occur in Poland. As a matter of fact, Loog did expect that the fall of England would begin in 1939, but he had no idea about the kind of crisis from which England would suffer. Moreover, he had not derived from the Centuries that in 1939 a large-scale conflict in Europe would begin in the form of a German invasion in Poland. On the contrary, France would live in peace for many years and Germany would change into a kingdom or an empire.[34] 

The aimed and the achieved impact of the Nostradamus-brochures
The question which rises in the case of these Nostradamus-brochures, is which impact Goebbels hoped for in the psychological warfare. From his diaries, it becomes clear that he did not expect this impact to be decisive, but supporting. In connection with January 15, 1940, he wrote that the edited Nostradamus-material, in cooperation with the Secret Service, would be brought to the neutral countries and to France. It might help a little bit, he closed his entry.[35] 
In the secret daily propaganda conference of March 27, 1940, permission was given to spread the Nostradamus-brochures. On April 9, 1940, the Germans invaded Denmark and Norway. On May 10, 1940, they invaded Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It was around April 12, 1940, that in the Netherlands Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was brought into circulation, about four weeks prior to the German invasion. At the same time, the French version (Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941?), which was also meant for France and Belgium, was published in Switzerland. Perhaps, this brochure was supposed to raise commotion and to cause demoralization prior to the invasion. In his diary, Goebbels wrote that the impact of these brochures was quite sensational. The precise impact is not known to me. According to the entry in the Goebbels diaries in connection with April 24, 1940, the brochure should also be spread in Denmark. In his report, however, Brauweiler did not mention a Danish translation.
In the secret daily propaganda conference of May 24, 1940, when the battles in France were in full swing, Goebbels ordered to use the Nostradamus-brochure in psychological warfare. In France, there was a clear demoralizing impact of national-socialist propaganda, based upon the Centuries and/or Century-comments; Paul Reynaud, France's Prime Minister, started to persecute those who because of the "predictions of Nostradamus" criticized his politics regarding the war.[36] 
These brochures seem to have been meant to raise commotion and to cause demoralization prior to invasions. This raises the question which impact these brochures were supposed to have in the Italian-speaking regions and among the Croatians, the Rumanians and the Serbs. The Westfeldzug was directed against Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, not against Italy, Yugoslavia and Rumania. Perhaps, the spread of the Nostradamus-brochures among the Italian-speaking regions, Croatians, Rumanians and Serbs must be connected to the problems of Germans, living in Italy, South-Slavia and Rumania; after World War I, it was very hard for them to live in these countries. Another question is if the national-socialists still used these brochures after their invasions and if they were kept in print after August 31, 1940, the closing date in Brauweiler's report about the activities of his section.
In connection with July 11, 1940, Goebbels wrote in his diary that everywhere where the Nostradamus-brochures were brought into circulation, their impact was as strong as possible. Next, he noted that almost no-one, not even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, knew that this brochure originated from his Ministry of Propaganda. This remark has a connection with a long competence conflict between the Ministry of Propaganda and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the authorization to carry on propaganda. On September 8, 1940, Hitler issued an order to coordinate propaganda. This meant that the Ministry of Propaganda no longer had the initiative to carry on propaganda. Her position became inferior to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, the Ministry of Propaganda was inferior to the Wehrmachtspropaganda of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.[37] The entry in the Goebbels diaries in connection with July 11, 1940, points to a revenge of the Ministry of Propaganda in the competence conflict with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where people were completely uncertain about the origins of the Nostradamus-brochures. The fact that in 1940 the origin of the Nostradamus-brochure was unknown, is shown by some remarks by dr. Werner Wilmanns, head of the Inf IV section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a note which he wrote by the end of June 1940. In connection with the Nostradamus-brochures which shortly before were brought into circulation in Switzerland and Yugoslavia, Wilmanns wrote that there was reason to assume that they were produced by order of the Ministry of Propaganda, which if doing so trespassed its competence boundaries regarding propaganda in the countries abroad. In October 1940, the Kulturaustausch office of the Reichskommissariat für die besetzte niederländische Gebiete refused to produce and distribute a Dutch translation of Krafft's brochure Nostradamus sieht die Zukunft Europas. The Kulturaustausch office argued that a similar brochure, Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was already circulating and therefore, Krafft's brochure would be superfluous. In his note, dating from October 17, 1940, Krafft supposed that Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? and the French and Serbian versions most probably originated from the Ministry of Propaganda. He not only based this upon correspondences he observed between the picture in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? of the engraving on the cover of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition and the picture in Kritzingers Mysterien von Sonne und Seele, but also upon texts, copied from Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. The literature study upon which this article is based, confirms Krafft's conclusion that these brochures contains texts, copied from Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. The table The links and their sources shows that texts were copied from the pages 129-133 of Mysterien von Sonne und Seele. From p.137, the text of Kritzinger's description of British monarchs who prohibited publications of the Centuries was copied. Krafft wrote nothing about the texts in these brochures which were copied from publications of the German Century-scholars Loog, Noah and Winkler. Eventually, in December 1940 it became clear to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was produced by order of the Propaganda Ministry.
In the Netherlands, in correlation with the second edition of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, a press campaign was organized in July 1940, in which in numerous in newspapers reviews and faked letters, the propagandistic, anti-British message of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was spread. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? provoked a reaction of mr. dr. H. Houwens Post, who in December 1940, after finishing his study of legislation, became a teacher of French at the municipal grammar school in Breda, NL. Using the pseudonym "mr. dr. W.L. Vreede" (in Dutch, Vreede means peace), Houwens Post wrote De Profetieën van Nostradamus, a non-political translation of the Centuries with between the lines a reply to the contents of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. The remark on page 11 that many people had a photocopy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition which, since it contained both the authentic and the non-authentic texts of the Centuries, easily could lead to misunderstandings, is, as is assumed on this website, an indirect reference to Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, in which was written that the French Century-texts originated from the photocopy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition, made in 1927 by the Frenchman P.V. Piobb.

The origin of national-socialist propaganda, based upon the Centuries and/or Century-comments
During the compiling of the Nostradamus-brochure, Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. used books, written by De Fontbrune, Kritzinger, Loog, Noah, Piobb and Winkler; they also mentioned the names of Amiaux, Rochetaillée and Taylor. In these series of names, the name of Karl Ernst Krafft is missing; Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? does not contain links, translations of quatrains or paragraphs which can be traced back to his publications. 
In the course of December 1939, according to Kritzinger, Krafft was asked to produce national-socialist propaganda, based upon the Centuries. Krafft began this work in January 1940, after his arrival in Berlin.[38] The literature study upon which this article is based, lead to the supposition that Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. wrote the Nostradamus-brochure between November 23 and December 13, 1939. This excludes any involvement of Krafft.
After the war, Von Borresholm and Niehoff described how Krafft, after his release in 1939 by intervention of Goebbels, explained to Goebbels quatrain 05-94 as an allusion to Hitler. For Goebbels, this explanation was a reason to produce pamphlets with quatrain texts.[39] In contrast with this, the German Century-scholar dr. N. Centurio (pseudonym of dr. phil. Alexander Max Centgraf) wrote that Krafft, basing himself upon quatrain 05-94, actually warned Goebbels for an attack by Stalin. Goebbels however meant that this quatrain pointed towards Hitler, an explanation which Krafft accepted and took over.[40] 
In the episode which Kritzinger in 1961 told to Howe about the way Krafft got involved in the production of national-socialist propaganda, based upon the Centuries, quatrain 03-57 plays a central part. It was Loog's explanation of this quatrain which was reason for Goebbels to use nostradamic material for psychological warfare.[41] In the Nostradamus-brochure, quatrain 03-57 also plays a central role. There is not the slightest reference to quatrain 05-94. This might mean that the episode which Kritzinger told to Howe, is true in the sense that Loog's explanation of quatrain 03-57 was reason for Goebbels to use the Centuries and/or Century-comments for psychological warfare. The episodes, according to which quatrain 05-94 was reason for Goebbels to use the Centuries and/or Century-comments for psychological warfare, cannot be combined with the episode, told by Kritzinger. As far as I can see, they are not based upon facts.
If the supposition that Herwarth von Bittenfeld is one of the authors of the Nostradamus-brochure is correct, it is in a certain way logical that he was the one who in November 1939 was ordered by Goebbels to contact Kritzinger and to tell him Goebbels wanted to see him. It then also becomes understandable that Goebbels was looking for a "Nostradamus-expert" who would study the Centuries for psychological warfare. After all, Herwarth von Bittenfeld, Bömer and Gutterer were employees at the Ministry of Propaganda, they were not Nostradamus-experts". The brochure they compiled, was the result of cut-and-paste activities. On the long run, this might not be such a fruitful way to produce propaganda.

The fortune of the translations of the text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.

Die Prophezeiungen des Nostradamus (Informations-Schriften #18, Berlin, 1940)
Die Prophezeiungen des Nostradamus, volume 18 in the series Informations-Schriften, and its translations, contains the remark that about a dozen of quatrains deal with Napoleon Bonaparte. This remark only occurs in the translations of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. This leads to the conclusion that the compilers of Die Prophezeiungen des Nostradamus consulted one of the translations of this text.[42] 

Nostradamus, Seer and Prophet: Quatrains That Apply to Today (Indianapolis, 1941)
In 1941, the Fellowship Press in Indianapolis published the brochure Nostradamus, Seer and Prophet: Quatrains that Apply to Today. In this 48 page brochure, according to Edgar Leoni based upon What will happen in the near future?, the Jews and the British were equally heavily insulted. This brochure also carried the title Nostradamus, his life and prophecies.

Voorspellingen die uitgekomen zijn... (Arnhem, 1941)
In Voorspellingen die uitgekomen zijn... (De Tombre, Arnhem, 1941), the Dutch translation of a national-socialist text, written by the German dr. phil. Alexander Max Centgraf, the introduction contains a remark on page 8 that already in 1940, in a small brochure, entitled Hoe zal de oorlog eindigen?, the deceased Nostradamus-scholar Jean François Pasteur occupied himself with the predictions of Nostradamus about the present situation. Since Centgraf's source text is lacking, it can not be verified if this remark also occurred in this source text or if the translator added it to the Dutch version.

The fate of the nations (New York, 1982)
The pages 112 to 114 of this book (the second edition, written by Arthur Prieditis; the first American edition dates from 1975, the first English edition dates from 1974) contain an introduction to quatrain 10-100 which, as well as the comment upon this quatrain, can be traced back to the Dutch, French or Italian version of the German source text by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. A part of the comment in this book upon quatrain 03-57 can also be traced back to one of these versions.[43]

Nostradamus and the final age (http://www.newprophecy.net/thirdkey.htm, 1998)
In Nostradamus and the final age one can read that the Nazi-astrologer Norab linked quatrain 01-51 (Chef d'Aries, Juppiter et Saturne...) to the year 1994. Norab is the pseudonym which Staël von Holstein used for the translation of the German source text of Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. into English and Swedish. Neither in the English version, nor in the Swedish version, quatrain 01-51 is discussed. In Den gula faran, chapter XVIII of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the Swedish version, the year 1995 is mentioned. That chapter is a revision by Staël von Holstein of a part of the paragraph Vad bär framtiden i sitt sköte? in Nostradamus Profetior (Stockholm, 1940, page 56-61), in which in the original line the year 1999 was mentioned.
The website Nostradamus and the final age does not contain a bibliography. The remark about Norab's linking of quatrain 01-51 to 1994 might be copied from Nostradamus and his prophecies (Edgar Leoni, New York, 1961, p.579), where it is mentioned that in 1941, the Nazi Norab wrote that the astrological configuration to which was referred in quatrain 01-51, would occur again on September 12, 1994.

Nostradamus De grootste ziener aller tijden (Amsterdam, 1998)
In the chapter Wonderbaarlijke interpretaties en 'uitgekomen' voorspellingen in Nostradamus De grootste ziener aller tijden (Jan Vandervoort, Amsterdam, 1998, a linguistic revised edition of the 1941-Vreede-translation of the Centuries) many texts are present, copied from the chapter VERLEDEN, HEDEN en TOEKOMST Op wonderbaarlijke wijze voorspeld door den Franschman MICHEL NOSTRADAMUS in zijn "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties" in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?.[44] 

Herwarth von Bittenfeld on war propaganda
In 1941, Hans Triltsch printers/publishers in Berlin published a booklet, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld, entitled Die deutsche Kriegspropaganda 1914-18 und heute im Spiegel eigenen Erlebens.  This 48-page booklet, which has no illustrations, contains the text (21 pages) of a lecture which had the same title and which was held on May 23, 1941 at the Westphalian Wilhelm University in Münster at the occasion of his h.c. doctor's degree in philosophy, as well as the text of two notes, dating from the time that Herwarth von Bittenfeld was a military attaché in Washington. It was meant for use in the section only. 
There are no allusions in Die deutsche Kriegspropaganda 1914-18 und heute... to the Nostradamusbrochure about which on this website is supposed that Herwarth von Bittenfeld was its author. Nevertheless, it is an interesting booklet, since it gives insight in the role which Herwarth von Bittenfeld played in propaganda in the First and Second World War as well as in his attitude towards England.
In his lecture on the German war propaganda, Herwarth von Bittenfeld described himself as an army officer who during World War I pioneered in the field of press and propaganda, a field which at that time was alien to the army. He concluded that the foreign press was practically unknown to the Germans at the time of World War I, which he considered as a great lack. Back in those days, the German war propaganda had to restrain the neutral countries - especially the U.S.A. - from participation in the war. Herwarth von Bittenfeld took it as a cardinal mistake that not all energy was focused on this. In his eyes, Germany was the victim of efficacious aggressive propaganda, in which the German army was presented as bloodthirsty soldiers.
On page 17, Herwarth von Bittenfeld told about a brochure he had to produce in spring 1915 by order of Count Schulenburg, chief-staf of the Heeresgruppe Kronprinz. Based upon the poem Jeanne d'Arc 1915 by Rudolph Herzog, an illustrated brochure had to be produced, which had to be spread in churches. Herwarth von Bittenfeld himself took care of the French translation; illustrations were made by a Munich artist. Herwarth von Bittenfeld questioned the impact of this brochure since the editing as well as the paper clearly showed its German origin. He had the same questions about the papers Gazette des Ardennes and Gazette de Lorraine, both edited by Germans.
At the end of his lecture, Herwarth von Bittenfeld discussed the coherence as he saw it between the Jews, freemasonry, the British Secret Service, the world press and propaganda. According to Herwarth von Bittenfeld, the British Empire could rise thanks to the British Secret Service, whose agents by corruption, espionage, intrigue and murder unchained war and made them end in favour of England. Each of these wars was an expression of the supposed British right to maintain her own interests at the cost of non-British nations. They could only make these wars thanks to their absolute supremacy at sea and to the total absence of threat from the continent. In this context, Germany is the only country which is feared by England, from 1648, the relations between the two countries became worse and worse. In order to keep Germany outside, England laid hands on the world press by its Jews, freemasonry's and secret agents as a means of a world-wide conspiracy against Germany. 
The German Ministry of Propaganda, founded in 1933, was an institution which Herwarth von Bittenfeld in 1913 had in mind already. He emphasized that the Ministry of Propaganda was not a building, consisting of stone and steel, but of thoughts and ideas which were highly genial, a building that was not build in one or two days. He was very content and happy that he was part of this institute. In 1940-41, press and radio are the means of propaganda. The radio connects the people with the front. Every day, each hostile nation is approached in its own language. And even if not everyone is reached, the number of people which are reached is enough to put an end to lies of the enemy or to question them at least. As an example, Herwarth von Bittenfeld mentioned the propaganda concerning the Athenia, a British passenger's ship with 400 passengers which in September 1939 was torpedoed by a German submarine. In the German contra-propaganda, Churchill was accused of having ordered the sinking of the Athenia.  By means of correspondents abroad, lies are debunked such as the lie that in Chestochowa the Germans destroyed the "Black Madonna". 
Against British bluff, hypocrisy, lies and hidings, which characterize British mentality, politics and propaganda, Germany puts character traits like chivalry, justice, precision, and truth.
In contrast to World War I, the German war propaganda in 1940-41 was not marching behind the fighting German troops, but ahead of them, in order to prepare their way; the troops would give the final blow.[45] 
The documents which are part of the literary legacy of Herwarth von Bittenfeld and which are preserved at the Berlin Bundesarchiv do not show if he was familiar with the Centuries. In the light of the German source text of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, his remark in Gedanken über Propaganda (Berlin, 1929, completed in 1932) that e.g. Delphic oracle sayings - the predictions in the Centuries look like oracle sayings - are an archetype of rumours, is interesting. Perhaps that given this remark, Herwarth von Bittenfeld thought that the Centuries were fit to provoke rumours about a German victory and a British defeat.

Expression of thanks
I would like to thank Robert Benazra for his information about the contents of Amiaux' Nostradamus - L'homme qui au XVI siècle avait prévu Napoléon and Rochetaillée's Prophéties de Nostradamus - clef des Centuries - son application à l'histoire de la 3e République and the size of the reproduction of the engraving on the cover of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition in the 1938-Piobb-copy.
  

De Meern, the Netherlands, November 12, 2006
T.W.M. van Berkel
updated on July 9, 2011

© Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, Berlin
In connection with this article, photocopies have been studied of the brochures Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? (Geneva, 1940, on this website indicated with "Rossier"-1940b) and its Serbian pendant (Sta nam donosi 1940?, Belgrade, 1940, on this website indicated with "Belgrade"). 
The original documents are owned by the Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt (ref: PA AA R 66658). 
Every copy, print, multiplification or other use of parts of the contents of these brochures, published on www.nostradamusresearch.org, requires a written permission of the Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, D-11013 Berlin.