A German WW1 postcard shows a child in military garb smoking, with the caption ‘He is verily not a brave man, if he cannot stand tobacco.’ At this time, soldiers were actively encouraged to smoke, and it was not uncommon for the armed forces to receive free or discounted tobacco.<sup>1</sup> In stark contrast to these attitudes, the American historian Robert Proctor has revealed how Nazi Germany used science to promote a very different message.<sup>2</sup><br><br>By 1930, German scientists had linked tobacco consumption to a myriad of health problems, including cancer, infertility, and heart disease. This knowledge fuelled Nazi anti-tobacco campaigns and propaganda in the build-up to WW2. In 1938, smoke-free public spaces were created, including tobacco-free sanitoria and restaurants funded by the German Antitobacco League. In the early war years, military tobacco rations were reduced and soldiers were encouraged to consume alternatives such as chocolate. By 1943, it became illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to smoke in public.<br><br>The campaign was rooted in the ideology of preserving and propagating the German race. Posters regularly reminded Germans <em>‘Dein Körper gehört dem Führer!’</em> — their bodies belonged to Hitler and should not be poisoned by addictive substances. Pregnant women and all women under 25 were denied tobacco rationing coupons during the war; women were also barred from buying cigarettes in restaurants and cafes.<br><br>To reinforce this message, advertisements depicting a tobacco snake — a winding creature with a satanic appearance — asphyxiating smokers were published in magazines.<br><br>These actions would have appeared radical and authoritarian at the time. However, the warnings found on modern-day cigarette packets broadly mirror this message.<br>