Title: Invisible Eagle
Author/Artist: Alan Baker
Publisher: Virgin Publishing
Media: Book
Reviewer: Pan
Writers on the subject of Nazism and the occult have tended to either go for sensationalism at all costs, or else, at the other extreme, have taken a scholarly approach divorced from the mainstream of writing about fascism and the history of Nazi Germany. It’s easy to see why this should be the case. Given the irrationalism, fanaticism and secrecy of the German pre-war occult groups, and the links between them and various members of the Nazi hierarchy, it is easy to see why the subject should be so open to speculation and conjecture. For those more interested in fascism than in the occult the subject would appear to be of little interest. Why should anyone care whether certain high-ranking Nazis worshipped at the altar of Odin or pranced around in silly costumes acting out laughable pagan rites?
The answer is that these links to the occult are examples of the underlying ‘revolt of the irrational’ which were, and which remain, part of the appeal of fascism. This is not just of historical interest. In the US the two leading strands of far-Right ideology – Christian Identity and the World Church of the Creator – are both driven by what are clearly occult views of the world. In Norway the otherwise risible ‘black metal’ movement combines paganism, Satanism and fascism. Occult beliefs are a recurrent theme throughout the history of fascism.
Alan Baker’s ‘Invisible Eagle’ looks at the background to the German volkish nationalist groups, steeped in neo-paganism, anti-Semitism and an anti-materialism that finds strange echoes in some Green end ecological groups today. Volkish nationalism was an essential component of a semi-fascist sub-culture that gravitated naturally toward National Socialism. It is clear, however, that Baker is not a historian, neither is he an expert in the study of fascism. The historical content is sketchy and largely bolstered by extensive quotes from more scholarly works.
The writing tends to be dry, despite the inherent interest of the subject matter. At times the books adopts the sensationalist tone common to much writing on the subject. While some of the more outré areas are covered, such as the belief in the hollow Earth theory or the idea that Hitler escaped the flames of the bunker in a flying saucer, contemporary fascist occultism is not really covered at all.
Nazi occult beliefs are examples of a very strong mystical streak common to all forms of fascism. A belief in race and nation, a distrust of reason and intellect and the glorification of blind obedience and prejudice naturally lead to the kind of unquestioning acceptance of bizarre ideas such as belief in a Jewish world conspiracy, the existence of Satanic forces or the idea that Hitler escaped to a hidden Antarctic wonderland in a flying saucer.
One day somebody will write a book on this mystical/occult side of fascism that is free of sensationalism and which tackles an essential component of fascist ideology. Alan Baker’s book, although interesting at times, is clearly aimed at the Forteana/New Age/Supernatural market rather than those interested in Nazism or the history of fascism.