The army behind the armyPowell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)
History
The army behind the army
Powell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)
United States. Army; World War, 1914-1918 -- United States
The speed with which events moved during the last few weeks of the
war prevented the trial of a distinctively American idea, known as
_The International Bulletin_. This was to be issued in the form of a
newspaper, printed in parallel columns of English and German, and
distributed on both sides of the line. The intention was for the American
forces to honestly share a newspaper with the Germans! It was believed
that the very frankness of such a proceeding would serve to diminish the
suspicions of the enemy that all leaflets which fell into their hands
were “doctored.” The bulletin, as planned, was to contain news items,
chiefly concerning the A. E. F., maps, pictures, and cartoons, the
intention being to distribute it in large numbers among our own troops as
well as behind the enemy lines; then to collect the old copies from the
Americans, together with any comments which the fun-loving Yanks may have
written on the margins, and send them over to the Boche by balloon.
What were the results of this propaganda offensive? Making an estimate
of how it affected the enemy is like reporting on the effects of
artillery-fire or bombing raids, for they happened on the other side
of the line, “where visibility was poor.” Any one who has listened to
the interrogation of German prisoners can hardly fail to have been
struck by the wide variance in the replies given by soldiers from the
same unit. Questioned about the effect of a barrage, for example, one
man would state that it destroyed the German wire, demolished their
trenches, and cut their communications, and that he and his companions
were demoralized and panic-stricken; while another prisoner, from the
same company, perhaps, would defiantly insist that the Yankee shell did
no great damage, that casualties were light, and that he never missed a
meal or a night’s sleep. Or, when interrogated in regard to the damage
caused by our bombing squadrons, one prisoner would insist that, beyond
killing a cow and breaking a few windows, absolutely no harm was done,
while another, visibly shaken by his experiences, would assert that all
that remained of the town in which he was billeted was a hydrant and
two paving-stones. German officers, when questioned about the effect of
our propaganda, invariably made the stock reply, “The men laughed at
the leaflets,” but the enemy privates generally admitted that they read
and believed the _flug blätter_. On the other hand, captured officers
frequently complained about the depressing effect which the leaflets had
on the morale of their men, while many privates stoutly denied having
been influenced by propaganda, even when the much-thumbed leaflets were
found on their persons. It must be remembered, however, that no soldier
likes to attribute his defeat to pieces of paper; he prefers to blame it
on lack of food, the enemy’s overwhelming superiority of numbers, and
to his preponderance of artillery and machine-guns. If a historian ever
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account