Life — July 11, 1918 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Prussian Version" This satirical illustration depicts a bombed town with burning buildings, rubble, and casualties below, while airships and aircraft attack from above. The caption quotes Psalm 19:1—"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork"—but applies it mockingly to German aerial bombardment. The satire works by contrasting religious language celebrating divine creation with the destruction of human civilization by modern warfare. This appears to reference German bombing campaigns during World War I, suggesting that Germans cynically invoke God's will to justify civilian casualties and destruction. The "Prussian Version" title implies this represents Prussian/German militarism's perverted interpretation of religious faith.