allied psyop of ww1.pdf

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SGM Herbert A. Friedman (Ret.)

Wartime psychological operations (PSYOP) are documented as early as The Old Testament.

Gideon used light-bearers to fool the Midianites into believing his forces were many time

larger than they actually were. Such tactics were also used by Alexander the Great, the

tactician Sun Tsu who wrote The Art of War, Genghis Khan, and other military leaders to

aid in their conquests.

Both the British and American Colonists used such tactics in the Revolutionary War. The

Americans offered land to British and Hessian soldiers who deserted. Five thousand

Hessians, one-sixth of their total force did defect. Thomas Paine's Common Sense has been

called "the book that won the war." Meanwhile, the British counterfeited Colonialcurrency in an attempt to destroy the American economy and end the war quickly.

WWI Printing Press

Still, most authorities consider World War 1 as the start of modern psychological

operations as we know them. This was due in large part to the availability of masscommunication media like radio, modern printing presses, and the innovative and

expedient means to deliver the message to the target audience. Some of the means of mediatransmission were the new airplanes, special artillery rounds, leaflet mortars, handgrenades, and even specially modified leaflet balloons.

ED PSYOP of WWI http://www.psywarrior.com/WWIA

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A brief word about references. I have looked through over 150 publications in my bookcase

to put this short article together. Four stand out. One is Flugbltter aus England 1914-1918

(Leaflets out of England 1914-1918) by Klaus Kirchner. The second is Flugbltter aus

Frankreich (Leaflets out of France) 1914-1918, also by Klaus Kirchner. The Third is thecombined publications of the Psywar Society, an international association of psychological

warfare historians and collectors of aerial propaganda leaflets. The Fourth is the Sandlerbook mentioned further along in this article. Stanley Sandler's general history of U.S.

psychological operations is a wonderful book that needs to be in every psywarrior's library.

I have used a great deal of his data in this article.

For readers who want to study WW1 PSYOP in detail I recommendSecrets of Crewe

House, Sir Campbell Stuart, Hodder and Stoughton, 1920 andAllied Propaganda and the

Collapse of the German Empire in 1918, George Bruntz, Hoover War Library, Publication

No-13, Stanford University Press California, 1938.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

World War I started with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the

Austria- Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 by a member of the Black Hand, aSerbian nationalist secret society.

Austria-Hungary's reaction to the death of their heir was three weeks in coming. It issued

an ultimatum to Serbia, which demanded that the assassins be brought to justice. Serbiahad Slavic ties with Russia. In order to protect itself, the Austria-Hungarian government

sought assurances that Germany would come to her aid should Russia declare war onAustria-Hungary. Germany, itching to use its military muscle, readily agreed.

Things moved quickly thereafter. Austria-Hungary, unsatisfied with Serbia's response toher ultimatum declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Russia, bound by treaty to Serbia,mobilized its vast army. Germany, allied to Austria-Hungary by treaty, viewed the Russian

mobilization as an act of war against Austria-Hungary, and declared war on Russia on 1August. France, bound by treaty to Russia, responded by announcing war against Germany

and Austria-Hungary on 3 August. Germany promptly responded on 4 August by invadingneutral Belgium to open a quick path to Paris. Britain, allied to Belgium declared war

against Germany on 4 August. In just a little over a month all of Europe was at war. Japan,honoring a treaty with Britain, declared war on Germany on 23 August 1914. Italy was

allied to both Germany and Austria-Hungary. She was first neutral, but in May 1915, shejoined the British and French against her two former allies. The United States declared a


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policy of absolute neutrality on the same day Britain declared war, 4 August. The U.S.would remain neutral until 1917 when Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare

and the British interception of the Zimmermann telegram to Mexico forced PresidentWilson to declare war on 6 April 1917. The war went on for four bitter years and ended

with the signing of an armistice on 11 November 1918. It is amazing to note that a singleterrorist assassination set all these defensive treaties, meant to protect nations and keep

them from going to war, into motion. Ironically, nations that had signed treaties to keepthem out of war suddenly found themselves drawn into a 4-year bloodbath.

Paul M. Linebarger discusses WWI British PSYOP inPsychological Warfare, InfantryJournal Press, Washington, 1948. He says:

If psychological warfare is considered in the broad sense, it seems plain that it

was among the decisive weapons of 1914-1918. The political decency of the Allies,

the appeal of President Wilson's Fourteen Points, the patent obsolescence of the

Kaiser and what he stood for, the resurgence of Polish, Baltic, Finnish,

Czechoslovak and South Slav nationalismall these played a real part in making

Germany surrender in 1918.

He adds:

The British had, in 1914, one of the world's finest news systems, a highly

sophisticated press, and extensive experience in international communication for

technical and commercial purposes, notably the undersea cable system, and they

turned these to war use with considerable smoothness...The British, furthermore,

had a diplomatic and consular service of superb quality; comparable German

services included a much higher proportion of bunglers and enthusiasts.

In October 1946, The Propaganda Branch, Intelligence Division, based in the Pentagon,

Washington D.C., published a report entitledA Syllabus of Psychological Warfare. It was

prepared to give quick answers about Psywar to the press that wanted to know what the

United States had done during WWII. In the report there is a brief mention of Britishpsychological warfare in WWI, but it stresses political operations rather than leaflettechniques:

Against Turkey they rallied the Arab States, while rallying world-wide Jewish

Zionist help to their side by promising the Jews a national home in Palestine.

India was quieted in the face of German, Turkish and revolutionary propaganda

by the Montagu Statement and the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms.

Garth S. Jowett and Victoria ODonnell discuss the British techniques inPropaganda and

Persuasion, Sage Publications, London, 1986. They say in part:


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The British took the lead in propaganda activities because they were forced to

think seriously about it earlier than any of the other belligerent powersThere

was a widespread pressure to remain neutralThe Germans unwittingly settled

this internal dissension when they decided to invade BelgiumThe Germans

miscalculated that the British would not go to war over a mere scrap of paper,

but when Belgium actually resisted the dreaded Huns, the British became

united in their resolve to defend brave little Belgium. The circulation of

atrocity stories coming out of Belgium signaled the first major propaganda salvo,

and had an immediate impact on British public sympathies.

The first official propaganda organization in Britain was the War Propaganda

Bureau, which concerned itself initially with the distribution of printed material

inside neutral countries, and eventually inside Germany itself, which it did

through sympathizers using the mails from Holland and Switzerland. When Lloyd

George became Prime Minister in 1916he reorganized the War Propaganda

Bureau and created the Department of Information. This agency concentrated on

enemy civilian psychological warfare outside of Britain.

The British took an immediate lead in the shaping of opinion. They convinced the world

that they were broadcasting and publishing truthful news, while the German informationwas painted as lies and propaganda.

Viscount Northcliffe

The British Foreign Office created a War Propaganda Bureau in 1914. It concerned itselfwith the distribution of leaflets, pamphlets, and other material in Allied and neutral

countries. A number of patriotic groups and some military units started producing theirown propaganda, so to centralize the effort the British government created the Department

of War Information. By the end of the war, they had a number of distinct propagandaagencies. For instance, the Ministry of Information under Lord Beaverbrook was in charge

of civilian PSYOP outside Britain while the National War Aims Committee was responsiblefor patriotic civilian PSYOP within Britain and was independent of the Ministry of

information. Both military and civilian agencies produced wartime propaganda against

enemy military forces. In February 1918, Viscount Northcliffe was appointed Director ofPropaganda in Enemy Countries. The department consisted of two Branches. Mr. WickhamSteed and Mr. Seton-Watson were in charge of the Austria-Hungary section, and Mr. H.G.

Wells supervised the German section. Austria-Hungary was by far the psychologicallyweaker of the two and the leaflets against them met with success. Prime Minister LloydGeorge wrote to Lord Northcliffe (director of the Division) in May 1918, "It seems to me

you have organized admirable work in your Austrian propaganda...I trust you will soonturn your attention towards German propaganda along the British and French fronts."

Northcliffe was first headquartered at Adastral House. In July he moved his headquartersto Crewe House, the town mansion of the Marquis of Crewe, and brought Slav, Croatian,

Polish and Czech patriots to assist in the production of hundreds of thousands of leaflets


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calling upon the various minorities in the enemy armies to desert and become free.

Lusitania medals (front and back)

During the war years, the Germans struck a number of commemorative medallions to

advertise their victories and attack and humiliate their enemies. An example of a terriblepropaganda blunder that backfired was the medallion commemorating the sinking of the

Lusitania. The British were able to use that medal to show the world the bestiality and lackof consciousness of the German nation. Germany also produced a medallion attacking the

hated British propagandist Lord Northcliffe. One side shows Northcliffe sharpening hisforked quill pen with a nearby ink pot labeled "Propaganda ink." The other side shows

Satan feeding a blazing globe with the Times,Daily Mail, and other organs of Northcliffe's

press empire.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Sir George Cockerrill directed the War Offices Directorateof Military Intelligence (M.I.7.b). The official History of M.I.7b (March 1916 - December

1918) lists their productions:

Reproductions of German prisoner of war letters and postcards...showing the goodtreatment of prisoners in England. Reproductions of photo postcards of prisoners

of war...Prisoner of war photo books...Leaflets of an inflammatory and socialist

nature, produced by MI7b urging German troops to surrender and stop the war.

Leaflets designed to give the German troops information that had been withheld

from them by their own authorities. The weekly Courrier de l'Air (Mail of the Air)

designed to encourage the inhabitants in occupied territory.

The distributions for 1917 were as follows: 594,000 reproductions of 88 prisoner

of war letters and 7 postcards; 90,000 reproductions of 17 photo postcards; 85,000

large edition and 25,000 miniature edition and 20,000 photo sheets of prisoner of

war photo books; 888,200 leaflets and surrender notices; and 250,000 copies of 50weekly numbers of Le Courrier de l'Air. The total number of leaflets, prisoner of

war letters, cartoons, etc., handled by M.I.7b from the start is 25,986,180. The

total number of balloons supplied by M.I.7b is 32,694


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Preparing balloons to drop leaflets on the Germans

Early in the war when the Germans threatened to put leaflet-dropping pilots before a firingsquad, the British mastered the art of dropping the leaflets and newspapers from unmannedballoons. The leaflet balloon was invented by Mr. A. Fleming who stated that 48,000 were

produced. He treated the paper in such a way that the balloons could stay afloat for threedays when filled with hydrogen.

Captain L. C. Pittmann tells more about the balloons in an article entitled "Propaganda by

Balloon" published in The Royal Engineers Journal, April 1919. Some if his comments are:

"In March 1918, the Royal Engineers took up the supervision and manufacture of

these balloons and releasesthe balloons dispatched to France two to three times

a week (a staff of nearly 100 girls was specially employed on this work). Duringthe period of Match, 1918, to the signing of the Armistice, over 35,000 balloons

and 20 million leaflets attached to releases were dispatched from France. As many

as 400 balloons, each carrying 500 to 1,500 leaflets, have been sent over the lines

in a single day.

The Germans did their utmost to prevent the circulation of the leaflets, and as

much as five marks was offered for each leaflet brought to headquarters, but

many Germans were captured with leaflets in their possession"

The leaflets were printed on single or double sheets of various sizes, and were all punched

with a 1/4-inch hole in one corner to enable them to be threaded upon the tags, and wereleft unfolded.

Captain P. Chalmers Mitchell discussed WWI propaganda balloons in a 23 February 1918

report entitled The Aerial Distribution of Propaganda to the Enemy. He says in part:

In October 1917, the Air Inventions Board was consulted with regard to the use of

paper balloons and other modes of aerial distribution. It was ascertained that the

Munitions Inventions had the matter under consideration and the request was

made that the Munitions Inventions should communicate with the War Office as

soon as their experiments had led to some practical issue. In early February 1918


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the Munitions Inventions informed the War Office that they now had some paper

balloons and a new form of release ready for trial at the Front.

At the present time the Munitions Inventions have carried beyond the

experimental stage two types of balloons made of doped paper, respectively of 16

and 20 feet diameter and carrying loads of one and two pounds. They can be

inflated with hydrogen or with gas, the former giving a lifting capacity of more

than one and a half times that given by the latter, but not being so suitable for

long distances as it diffuses through the doped paper more rapidly than does coal

gas.

Experiments are in progress with larger types of paper balloons carrying heavier

loads, four and eight pounds being-aimed at. It is expected that these types will

have passed the experimental stage in a few weeks.

What did the British have to say about their own balloon leaflet program? Researcher Lee

Richards found an official 1918 report on British Balloon Propaganda. One of the first factsit discloses is that German soldiers turned in less than one of every seven Allied leaflets

dropped, even though they were promised cash rewards and there was punishment for

keeping the propaganda leaflets. That indicates that they were believed and treasured bythe enemy.

Hindenburg admitted that the balloon propaganda reached the people in Germany throughletters from the front. He said, Unsuspectingly, many thousands consume the poison.

German prisoners admitted to being moved by propaganda leaflets which mentioned: theFailure of the U-boats; the Failure of the Zeppelins; the miserable conditions existing in

Germany; the use of German troops as mere cannon fodder; ill treatment of Germanenlisted soldiers by their officers and N.C.O's and negative extracts from the German Press.

The following leaflets were especially powerful: the map of the British advance on the

Somme (there are dozens of map leaflets so it is impossible to say exactly which one theymention); A.P. 71 Loss or Gain? a leaflet on German casualties, (I dont show it becauseit is all text); Needs A leaflet on the bombarding of Paris on Corpus Christi day when

Cologne was spared; A.P. 70 (depicted in this article) and A.P. 36 (depicted in this article).


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A.P. 70 British Morale Leaflet

This leaflet shows an injured German soldier watching well-dressed rich civilians at aparty. The title is "Thanklessness." This leaflet numbered A.P.70 was disseminated in

August 1918. There is no record of the number of leaflets printed.

Some totals of British leaflet production are known. For instance, 1,689,457 were dropped

in June of 1918, 2,172,794 were dropped in July, 3,958,116 in August, 3,715,000 inSeptember, 5,360,000 in October, and 1,400,000 in the first 10 days of November, just before

the signing of the armistice. It appears that there were two basic types of British leaflet. Thefirst was coded "A.P." The highest number known for the A.P. leaflets is 95. They have

themes such as Germanys responsibility for the war, the failure of the submarine blockade,the coming of the Americans with their manpower and materiel, Wilsons 14 points and the

hopelessness of the German military situation. P. H. Robbs lists the known British leaflets in

Falling Leafnumber 4, winter 1958. He says:

The most effective leaflets were those of the A.P. series. As they were all

dispatched by small free balloons, delivery depended upon favorable winds and in

some cases appears to have been spread out over a period, so that the leaflets were

not necessarily dropped in numerical order. The earliest seem to be from the end

of 1917 and the latest just before the Armistice. R. G. Auckland compiled The

Catalogue of British Leaflets Ballooned to German Troops 1917-1918 for the

Psywar Society. He says, "The A.P series were the most effective of leaflets. The

meaning of A.P. is not yet clear. Suggestions such as "Aerial Post,","Aerial


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propaganda," "Air Post" and similar have been made.

Leaflet A.P.17

Leaflet A.P.17 depicts a German mother sending her young son off to war. Pictures on thewall draped in black tell us that his father and brothers have already been lost at the front.

They are labeled "Fritz," "father," "Hans," and "Wilhelm." The leaflet has "BYBALLOON Durch Luftballon" at the top and the title in the body of the leaflet, "The

Last." Text at the bottom is:

You rob me of my children, Joseph is not here anymore, Simeon is gone, now you

want to take Benjamin. This is too much for me.

Ironically, considering the anti-Semitism of the German propaganda in WWII, the text is a

quote from the Old Testament, 1 Moses: 42, 43. The British disseminated the leaflets in June1918. The number produced is unknown. Official descriptions of the A.P. leaflets 1 through

43 are archived in the Public Records Office in London. They are found on a documentdated 11 May 1918 with copies to "D21951/1" and "No. 10" (Downing Street, I presume).

The comment on A.P.17 is:

A cartoon sent by G.H.Q. France. A German mother says good-bye to her last boy,

now called up, all his brothers having been taken from her and killed.


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A.P.18

Leaflet A.P.18 depicts the Kaiser walking on parade with his six sons, in full dress uniform,

with feathered caps, leather boots, and medal-bedecked topcoats; They smartly traverse apathway flanked by thousands of black figures of death. This ghastly horde is stretching

arms towards the proud family. The leaflet has "BY BALLOON - Durch Luftballon" at thetop and at the bottom the text:

One family which has not lost a single member.

The British printed 100,000 of the leaflets and they were disseminated in June 1918. PublicRecords Office comment about A.P.18:

Cartoon from 'Life' magazine, caricature of the Kaiser and his sons.

A.P.31

Leaflet A.P.31 has "BY BALLOON - Durch Luftballon" at the top and depicts a stylized


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skull drinking from a glass labeled "Deutschland." The title of the leaflet is "The Dregs."The British printed 100,000 of the leaflets and they were disseminated in June 1918. The

Public Records Office comment about A.P.31:

Cartoon. From a drawing sent by G.H.Q. France. Shows Death drinking a health.

Leaflet A.P.35

Leaflet A.P.35 depicts the sun rising over a skull casting a shadow on a field of graves. Thewords "BY BALLOON - Durch Luftballon" are at the top along with the title, a quote from

Kaiser Wilhelm II, "A place in the sun." Text at the bottom is:

Your rulers demand a place in the sun; but where will you find your place?

The British disseminated the leaflets in June 1918. The number produced is unknown. The

Public Records Office comment about A.P.35 is:

Cartoon. A place in the sun. From a drawing sent by G.H.Q. Shows a German

graveyard as the 'place in the sun, which the German soldiers will attain.

Leaflet A.P.47 depicts the Kaiser riding his horse through a ruined landscape while spirits

and skeletons point at him and one holds a hangmans noose. The text is, "The King ofPrussia goes to meet his death." 50,000 of the leaflets were printed and distributed in July

1918.


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Leaflet A.P. 36

50,000 copies of leaflet A.P. 36 were disseminated in July 1918. It depicts the difference inGermany between 1914 and 1918. In the upper picture the Kaiser and his general ride in a

fine chariot piloted by Germania, their steed (the German people) tempted forward by afat carrot labeled Victory. In the 1918 picture Germania is all skin and bones from the

British boycott of the German ports, the steeds ribs show through his coat, and nowcivilians sit in the chariot with the carrot described as false victory. I dont recognize the

civilians but they may be profiteers who have become rich from the spoils of war. The leafletwas delivered by balloon.


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A.P.49

Leaflet A.P.49 has no text at the top and depicts Hindenburg and the Kaiser surrounded by

munitions being carried on the shoulders of wounded and injured German soldiers andemaciated women. Hindenburg says to his leader. "Your Majesty, the people are depressed

and are murmuring constantly." to which the Kaiser replies "Why do they murmur? Wefeel no burden." The British printed 50,000 of the leaflets and they were disseminated in

June 1918.


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Leaflet A.P. 50

Leaflet A.P.50 has no text at the top and depicts a small dog with an enormous bone in itsmouth marked "German profits" trying to get into a small doghouse labeled "peace." The

British printed 50,000 of the leaflets and they were disseminated in July 1918.


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Leaflet A.P. 59 - Kain

250,000 copies of leaflet A.P. 59 were disseminated in August 1918. This leaflet depicts aSocialist thug holding a club and standing over a dead body identified as Russian

freedom. It uses the Biblical theme of Cain and Abel. The meaning is unclear, but perhapsthe British are implying that German socialists financed the rise of Russian Communism to

take Russia out of the war. The leaflet was delivered by balloon. Text on the leaflet is:

Kain (Cain)

A.P. 62

Leaflet A.P. 62 depicts the road to Paris strewn with dead German soldiers. The text at the

top of this leaflet is, "To Paris!"


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A.P.74

My favorite British leaflet of WWI is A.P.74. The words "BY BALLOON - Durch

Luftballon" are at the top. The leaflet depicts a long line of American "doughboys"stretching from the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor to France. The title at the

bottom is "The first million." This symbolism of this leaflet must have given the Germansoldier second thoughts about his ability to win the war as limitless hordes of fresh

American soldiers entered the battlefield. The British disseminated the leaflets in August1918. The number produced is unknown. The British regularly updated these "Americans

are coming" leaflets. For instance, A.P.84 produced in September 1918 gives the latestnumbers. "American troops arriving in Europe: 117,212 in April, 224,345 in May, 276,372

in June." Leaflet 1016 printed in October 1918 gives the total number of American troopsin Europe; 100,000 in 1917, 1,750,000 in 1918, and a prospective 3,500,000 in 1919. Later in

the same month leaflet 1025 raised the 1919 number to 5,000,000 American troops. It is no

wonder that the German soldier became disheartened.


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Truppen Nachrichtenblatt leaflet 1013,100,000 disseminated in October 1918

Auckland also mentions a news leaflet.


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The Truppen Nachrichtenblatt ("Troops Message Sheet") leaflets were

disseminated in the closing months of the war and were printed about three times

a week with a 'pull' of 100,000 copies. They were termed priority leaflets as they

gave up-to-minute news and were dispatched by balloon to German troops

promptly as against the stock A.P. leaflets, which could be allowed delay before

ballooning. They were given the code number of 1000 and about thirty different

types are known used over a period of ten weeks. The size of the leaflet is about 21

x 13 centimeters, both sides of the paper were printed on and on the obverse of

some are maps showing Allied military gains.

The Truppen Nachrichtenblatt was a small leaflet that contained such pointed

headlines as, Foch Leading New Attack, Entente Armies Press Forward on

another Wide Front, or Turkish Army in Palestine Destroyed.

In regard to the Truppen-Nachrichtenblatt, The London Times History of the War, 30

December 1919 adds:

In the beginning of August 1918 it became important to increase the speed of

distribution, particularly because early news of the military successes of the

Allies, concealed by the Germans from their own troops, became valuable

propaganda. It was therefore arranged that the leaflets should be divided into two

categories; 'stock' leaflets, with the contents of which would not lose their value

by a little delay and 'priority' leaflets containing matter of urgent importance. It

was agreed that the latter should be printed three times a week, each leaflet being

of uniform length and printed in an edition of 100,000 copies. The issue and rapid

dispatch of these leaflets continued from August until the signing of the

Armistice.


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Map Leaflet

One such map leaflet is entitled "The victories of the Allies." It shows the front lines from 8August to 16 August 1918 and shows the number of Germans captured rising from 7000 to

34,000. This was the first of 7 uncoded leaflets with the same title but changed maps as theAllies continued to advance. The leaflets were disseminated near the end of August 1918.

There is no record of the number printed. This leaflet is particularly interesting becausethere is an error. The word "Alliierten" is spelled "Allierten." The later versions spelled

the word correctly.

R. G. Auckland compiled The Catalogue of Airdropped Facsimile Postal Stationery World

War I 1916-1918 for the Psywar Society. He mentions the background of the postal

propaganda:

A British soldier of the time recalls that "also dropped into Germany were copies

of uncensored letters written by prisoners of war in England. They were designed

to impress upon the German people what a fine time prisoners had in England.

The letters and addressed envelopes would be written by the prisoners, and then

duplicated and the duplicated letters, enclosed in the duplicated envelopes were


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dropped for the pickers-up to forward to the addresses on the envelope".

Colonel W. Nicolai, chief of the Service, states in his book The German Secret

Service that 'forged letters from German war prisoners in France and England,

and illustrations of the alleged enviable treatment of German prisoners in both

countries, were designed to persuade German soldiers to desert or to depress their

spirits.

British Picture Postcard H/6

The card depicts 20 uniformed German soccerplayers in a British prisoner of War camp in France.

George Bruntz says inAllied Propaganda and the Collapse of the German Empire in 1918,

Hoover War Library, Publication No-13, Stanford University Press California, 1938:

The British also made use of the German prisoners by encouraging them to write

home describing conditions in the English Prison Camps. Toward the end of 1916,

German prisoners upon arriving at British Camps were handed letter sheets, with

instructions on them for their use. These German prisoners were especially well

fed. The Germans, grateful for their fine food and good treatment, would write

home describing in glowing terms their life in the British camps. These letters

were reproduced and sent over the German trenches.


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British letter sheet

There were four distinct types of stationery. Plain postcards first appeared in 1916. They

are inscribed "Feldpostkarte" and are uncoded. Letters enclosed in addressed envelopes

first appeared in 1916 and continued through 1918. Some envelopes are inscribed "Prisonerof war. No stamp required." After December 1917, they have the inscription "By Balloon.Durch Luftbaloon." Picture postcards were first used about December 1917. Some are

inscribed "Post Card" or "Carte Postale" and some "By balloon. Durch Luftballon."Letter sheets were usually inscribed "PRISONERS OF WAR. No stamp required" on the

front and "Nicht hier schreiben!" ("Do not write here!") on the back. They were first usedearly in 1917.


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British Letter sheet


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Uncoded letter sheet from Karl Scholz to his wifeJosepha in Peterwitz. Disseminated in February of 1917,

it bears a fake red rubber stamp with text "Prisoners ofWar B.E.F. Passed by Censor No. 3."

John C. W. Field wrote about this propaganda theme in the Forces Postal History Bulletin

of Great Britain, republished in The Falling Leaf, Number 22, summer 1963. He mentions

British propaganda in the form of postcard stationery, envelope stationery, and letter sheet

stationery. He mentions that with the exception of one such leaflet dated 1917; every onethat he has seen was dated 1918.

Le Courrier de l'Air, 11 July 1918, No. 61

The Allies prepared a host of newspapers for the enemy. In March 1915, the British beganthe airdropping of the leaflet newspaperLe Courrier de l'Airfor civilians in German-

occupied France and Belgium (this newspaper would be revived in WW2). The French were

already publishing a propaganda newspaper,La Voix du Pays (The Voice of the Country). In

January 1917, the Belgian Army (in Britain) began publication ofLa Lettre du Soldat(The

Soldier's Letter) for the Germans occupying Belgium.

A major C. J. C. Street mentionsLe Courrier de lAirin Cornhill Magazine, November 1919.

He says:


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An early function of M.I.7b was the establishment of Le Courrier de lAir. The

needs of the invaded districts had long been felt, and it was realized that a

newspaper of Allied tendencies, aerially distributed, was the best way to meet that

need. The first issue of the Courrier was produced in the form of a single sheet,

some eight inches by six. It was a memorable production, destined to be the first

regular aerial newspaper of the world. It bears the date of 6 April 1917, and

carries in the leading column an exhortation that most admirably sets out its aim

and scope: This weekly paper will be distributed every week by airplane among

our brave Belgian and French friends living in the unhappy territory now in the

occupation of the enemy. It has for its sole object the dissemination of the truth

about the war Finally, the motto of the Courrier de lAir will always be: Truth,

the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth!

Street says that the last issue was dated 7 November 1918.

Edward Heron-Allen was the editor ofLe Courrier de lAir. He wrote about his operation in

a series of notes dated 15 November 1918:

Le Courrier de lAir was as its title denotes, a propaganda newspaper, planned by

Captain Chalmers Mitchell to be distributed over the parts of France occupied by

the Germans, and over Belgium, with a view to giving the inhabitants of those

areas accurate news of the progress of the war from the point of view of the Allies

of the Entente. In addition to this, it contained extracts from German papers,

which were suppressed by the government when the contained matters reflecting

upon adverse conditions in Germany, and accounts of German defeats and losses.

The average number of copies distributed weekly was 5,000.

The paper was distributed by hydrogen balloons, which were sent up from our side

of the fighting lines whenever the direction of the wind was favorable. It was

threaded in bundles of a hundred upon a silk paper fastener, which was passed

through a 20-inch length of tinder yarn such as is used for lighting cigarettes and

cigars, at intervals of about three inches. The tinder was strengthened and

supported by a strong wire running through it by which the who mass of bundles

called a release was firmly twisted on to the neck of the paper hydrogen

balloon. Before letting it go the tinder was lit at the top and as the smolder

reached each paper fastener it burnt away and a bundle of papers flew away

falling all over the country. Each balloon carried about 15 pounds of paper, in all

about 2000 copies, and it took from twenty minutes to half an hour to distribute its

load.

In 1968, Edward Heron-Allen sold his personal complete set ofLe Courrier de l'Air, number1 (6 April 1917) to number 78 (7 November 1918). This was the only set known to exist

outside of the British Museum. Besides the leaflet newspapers, the collection six officiallarge War Office photographs of the preparation of the balloons, some original

manuscripts, and part of issue 79 which was never published due to the end of the war. Thecollection was sold to an unknown buyer for $1080.

Sir Campbell Stuart mentions the actual balloon launch inSecrets of Crewe House. He says:

The unit for distribution consisted of two motor lorries, which took the men, the

cylinders of hydrogen, and the propaganda loaded on releases to a sheltered


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position selected in the morning by the officer in charge after consultation with

the meteorological experts. The vans were drawn up end to end, separated by a

distance of about ten feet, and a curtain of canvas was then stretched on the

windward side between the vans, thus forming a three-sided chamber. The balloon

was laid on the ground, rapidly filled, the release attached and lighted, and the

balloon liberated, the whole operation taking only a few minutes.

The load of the balloon was chosen according to the direction of the wind. If it

was blowing toward Belgium, copies of Le Courrier d'Air were attached. If

towards Germany, propaganda leaflets for the enemy troops.

The Falling Leafnumber 2, April 1958, features an article entitled "The Great War

British Leaflets Western Front 1914-1918." It mentions the first British leaflet dropped on

the enemy in October 1914, "Notice. An explanation for German soldiers." The leaflet wasprivately designed and printed by Colonel Swinton who had the leaflets prepared by the

Continental Daily Mail. A repetition of this private PSYOP campaign was forbidden by

higher authorities.


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Swinton wrote an excellent leaflet attempting to explainto the German soldiers the reality of their position.

NOTICE

AN EXPLANATION FOR GERMAN SOLDIERS.

It has become known that German soldiers have been told that the British treat

their captives inhumanely. That is a lie.

All German prisoners of war are well treated and receive the same food as their

British soldiers.

The opportunity is now taken to enlighten the German soldier about some facts

that hitherto have been kept secret from him. The German Army never reached or

occupied Paris and has been retreating since September 5.

The British Army has been neither made prisoner nor beaten. It increases in

strength every day.

The French Army is not beaten. Quite on the contrary, for it inflicted a heavy

defeat on the Germans at MONTMIRAIL.

Russia and Serbia have so decisively defeated Austria that she no longer plays any

part in the war. With the exception of a few cruisers, German shipping, the

Merchant Marine as well as the fighting fleet, is no longer to be seen upon the

seas.

The British and German Navy have both suffered casualties, but the German was

the heaviest.

Germany has already lost several colonies and will soon lose what now remains to

her. Japan has declared war on Germany. The British and the Japanese now

besiege Kiauchau.

The report circulated in the press that the British colonies and India have rebelled

against Great Britain is wholly untrue. Quite on the contrary, these colonies have

sent to France large formations of troops and many supplies to help their

Fatherland. Ireland is one with England, and from north and south is sending her

soldiers who are fighting with enthusiasm alongside their English comrades.

The Kaiser and the Prussian War Party wanted this war against all the interests ofthe Fatherland. They prepared for this war in secret. Germany alone was

prepared, which explains her temporary successes. We have now succeeded in

checking her victorious advance. Supported by the sympathies of the whole-

civilized world, which regards with horror an arbitrary war of conquest, Great

Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro and Japan will carry on

the war to the end.

We bring these facts to general notice in order to throw light upon the truth that

has been hidden from you. You are not fighting to defend your Fatherland, since

there was never any thought of attacking Germany. You are fighting to satisfy the


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ambitious war lust of the military party at the cost of the true interests of the

Fatherland. The whole business is evil.

At first sight these facts will seem improbable to you. Now it is for you to compare

the events of the past few weeks with the information manufactured by the

military authorities.

ON OCTOBER 4 THE RUSSIANS GAINED A TREMENDOUS VICTORY OVER

THE GERMAN ARMIES IN EAST PRUSSIA. THE GERMANS LOST 70,000TROOPS.

Sir Campbell Stuart goes into greater detail in Secrets of Crewe House. He mentions thatthe leaflet was prepared with the aid of Lord Northcliff's Paris Daily Mail organization. He

says that "the Army chiefs at that time did not show any enthusiasm for the innovation, andColonel Swinton was unable to proceed with the project." Swinton personally paid the cost

of printing the leaflet and was later repaid his out-of-pocket expenses by the British Army.What an inauspicious start to WWI PSYOP.

Major General Sir Ernest D. Swinton talked about his creation in Eyewitness, Hodder and

Stoughton Ltd., 1932. He says:

I was persuaded that far-reaching results might be obtained if it were at all

possible to shake their faith in the justice of their causes. Much might be done at

small cost, with no great trouble, and with little risk. Acting on this conviction, I

drafted a leaflet to counteract the false teaching that had for years been instilled

into the whole German nation, and to reveal to the army facing us some of the

real truth, or at least to plant the seeds of doubt In order to make the most of the

space available the message was printed on both sides of the paper, large Roman

type being employed so that it might be easily read, and on paper of a bright

arsenical green suggestion of poison to prevent it from being used for other

purposes. (Authors note: toilet paper?). At my request, the Paris Daily Mail Pressprinted 25,000 copies for a nominal fee. These were handed over without delay to

the Royal Flying Corps at Abbeville to be dropped behind enemy lines.


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Woolrich series leaflet "What Tommy Gets to Eat."

There is another series of WWI British leaflets that is almost unknown. In spring 1988, aleaflet was illustrated in The Falling Leafwith the question, "Who can help with the WWI

leaflet opposite? It is in the style and format of a British leaflet to Germany but its text

appears to be 'black.' The serial number 32 is one that has not been seen before." Theleaflet is entitled "What 'Tommy' gets to eat." The leaflet lists a number of 23 food items

and shows the daily ration of the British soldier. Some of the items are, "Bread 346grams", and "butter 28 grams." Nothing was known about this item until a member of the

Psywar Society visited the Royal Engineers Museum at Bromptom Barracks in Chatham,Kent. The museum has a collection of WWI leaflets. One of the files was entitled

"Propaganda by balloon," and contained leaflets from the "A.P." series, the "Belgian"series, and the "Woolrich" series. The leaflet in question was from that Woolrich series. The

highest number in the museum file is 33, so we assume that at least that many were printed.Many of the leaflets are in the form of miniature newspapers with a masthead depicting

Kaiser Wilhelm and titles such as:

Nr. 12 "Autumnal sheets," dated September 1918.

Nr. 23 "War newspaper," dated October 1918

Nr. 30 "Army and Homeland," dated November 1918

There seems to be little data on the meaning of "Woolrich," but in a set of notes written by


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the editor ofLe Courrier de lAirwe find the comment:

The copies for distribution were sent direct from the printers to Woolrich where

they were made up into bundles on releases and sent over to the Censorship and

Publicity Section at General Headquarters near Montreuil in France.

One would therefore assume that "Woolrich" is a place, probably a military base or

airfield.

There is also mention of a "Belgian series," although only three leaflets are mentioned.These leaflets were written in Flemish and French for the Belgian people. They were not

coded, but had a hand-written reference number. The first leaflets shows portraits of theKing and Queen of Belgium. The second leaflet is a speech by a M. Coorman on 21 July

1918, and the third leaflet talks about the feeling of the people of London about the BelgianSovereigns.

British Propaganda and The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers to form the Triple Alliance in August 1914.

The German military mission of 1913 had already organized the Turkish army and navyunder German leadership. The Triple Entente, or Allied Powers, declared war on the

Ottoman Empire on 4 November.

The British also dropped propaganda leaflets on the Turks. R. G. Auckland mentions this

campaign in The Falling Leaf, Summer 1972.

British leaflet 48/T to the Turks

On 15 July the Germans began an attack against the French. After 3-day fight the

Germans, in spite of determined action, were unable to obtain their objective


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British Aircraft drop both bombs and leaflets.

Auckland says that the British had four squadrons of aircraft in the northern Aegean

Islands covering the Dardenelles approaches. They were the 220, 221, 222, and 223squadrons. British aircraft were able to reach the old Turkish capitol of Constantinople

(now Istanbul) and drop both bombs and leaflets.

The leaflet raids originated from the island base on Imbros, nearest to Constantinople. Oneleaflet is alleged to have text:

Cursed by Talaat, Enver, and Hairi. If a government does not act in accordancewith the will of the nation, it deserves to die with all its sons...The whole Turkish

Empire is in the hands of the government, who will surely bring about Turkey's

end, and if Talaat and Enver, who sold the country, are allowed to remain in

power we shall have no course open to us but to shed our tears awaiting our last

days.

Talaat Bey Enver Pasha

The message makes little sense but probably has allusions to the Koran and perhaps somedifficulties with the Turkish to English translation. Talaat Bey was the Grand Vizier and

Minister of the Interior. Enver Pasha was the Minister of War. Hairi Bey was the Shiek-ul-Islam. Hairi mysteriously disappeared (probably murdered), and both Enver and Talaat

were condemned to death by a Turkish Court-martial on 11 July 1919. Talaat Bey somehowsurvived and after the war he lived in Berlin, where he was assassinated by an Armenian

student in 1921. Called by Russian foreign minister Sergei Sazonov "The most infamousfigure of our time," Talaat's mortal remains were solemnly transferred to Istanbul in 1944.


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Front and back of British leaflet to Turks Well fed Prisoners of War.

The British dropped photographs showing cheerful well-fed prisoners on a "chow line"over Turkish troops in April 1917. The leaflets were dropped from seaplanes stationed atBritish bases on the islands of Thasos and Mitylene. The text in Turkish is:

You will gather from this photograph that stories concerning the maltreatment of

prisoners of war by the British is without any basis. Those who surrender to the

British are not only fed with white bread and delicious dishes of food, but they are

also treated in a friendly manner. When you show this photograph at any British


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military station you will receive a courteous welcome and you will be sent to

headquarters as a friend

Additional English-language text is:

The bearer should be taken to the nearest headquarters. He is friendly, should be

treated well and allowed to keep this photograph.

Another raid occurred on 19 August. The operations report for the 25 August included amemo 'pamphlets dropped by DH9 machines." Auckland mentions a document whichappeared to have been dropped over Turkey. The top half of the document is a letter from

the Turkish War Minister Enver Pasha stating that Constantinople is not a military targetand if the British persist in bombing it all foreign nationals will be interned. The bottom

half is the British reply from Rear Admiral Lambert, Commander of the British AegeanSquadron, dated 18 September 1918. Lambert points out that the Germans have bombed

such cities in France, Italy and Great Britain, and as long as the Turks remain allied to theGermans, the bombing will continue. He also threatens that any reprisals against civilians

will just lead to increased bombing.

Other leaflets, which are believed to have been dropped on the Turks, are in the French

language. Each has a title in German,Kriegs-ausschuss der Deutschen Industrie Berlin

("The Berlin German War Industry Committee") indicating that the source of the text was

Germany. The remainder of the text was in French and the known titles are "The Questionof Alsace-Lorraine," The German War Economy, and "The Peace in the East." The last

leaflet mentions the Central powers signing a peace treaty with the new Russiangovernment at Brest-Litovsk.

Next Page


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Continued

SGM Herbert A. Friedman (Ret.)

The United States entered the war on 6 April 1917. American PSYOP relied heavily on theAmerican press, considered second only to the British at the time. Although most of thecombatants among the Allies and the enemy "Central Powers" practiced PSYOP of one

type or another, the main protagonists were the British, the United States, France andGermany.

Field Manual 33-1, Psychological Operations, July, 1987, give a brief overview of the

American campaign.

American military PSYOP centered on leaflet production, since radio did not exist

as a means of mass communication and loudspeakers were still primitive.

American leaflet propaganda concentrated on reducing enemy morale through

the use of fundamental 'common sense' type approaches as basic themes. This

tactic succeeded in causing many of the enemy to surrender. British and French

leaflet distribution techniques were adopted or improved with balloons and

airplanes used as primary methods of dissemination.

Morale leaflets incorporated antimilitarist, pro-democratic sentiments that were

popular at the time. The autocracy and inefficiency of the German government

provided an excellent target. These leaflets urged the common German soldier to

rebel against his generals, nobles, and officials. Leaflets that attacked German

nationalism targeted people from Bavaria and Alsace-Lorraine. This method was

used because these people resented Prussian dominance of the German Empire.The leaflets were designed to demoralize enemy troops and included the following

type messages: 'The U.S. is producing vast numbers of sophisticated weapons,'

'The U.S. Army has landed in Europe,' and 'German casualties and military

setbacks are very serious'. The U.S. also produced some excellent leaflets with

surrender appeal themes promising the German soldiers who surrendered

first-class American food, humane care, guaranteed privileges under international

law, the value of remaining alive, and the opportunity to eventually return to

loved ones."

ED PSYOP of WWI http://www.psywarrior.com/WWIAllies

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A Syllabus of Psychological Warfare adds:

American psychological warfare was based preeminently on the political warfare

developed by President Woodrow Wilson. The United States entered the war in

1917 with a clear conscience, since the Kaisers government was plainly the

aggressor. Immediately upon participation, the U.S. Government strove for the

Fourteen Points. These assured both allies and enemies that the United States

sought no new territory as a result of the war, that we stood for open diplomacy,

that we believed in a league to enforce peace which would make further war

impossible. They also promised democratic self-government to hitherto-suppressed

nationalities of the Baltic and Central Europe.

The New York Times of 9 November 1918 mentions the American psychological warfare

operation. The article entitled Germans Impressed by our Propaganda says in part:

WITH FIRST AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE: While our forces are sending

high explosive and gas shells and machine gun fire into the enemy lines on the

Argonne-Meuse sector, the American Army Headquarters is conducting a

bombardment of printers ink on the foe

Our propaganda outlet claims Wilson as its favorite author, his speeches and notes

being included extensively, while matter regarding General Pershing is also

considered good for German thought.

The Propaganda Department has a big printing establishment in Paris under the

command of Captain Arthur Page of Doubleday, Page and Co., and the editorial

work is under the direction of Walter Lippman, formerly of the New Republic

It would be exaggerating to say that desertions were frequent recently, due to the

propaganda, but investigations shows that the campaign of publicity is having a

desired effect upon German morale. One interesting subject discussed in our

leaflets is the good food supplied to the German prisoners, not forgetting the

excellent quality of our tobacco.

George Creel

In the United States, PSYOP was the responsibility of two groups. The Committee on PublicInformation was a civilian agency chaired by George Creel (and thus often called "the

Creel Committee"). It was established less than two weeks after America's entry into thewar. Creel was a close friend of President Wilson and as a result, his committee had a high

priority of the national resources. The committee maintained a news bureau in Washington,


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which was used to disseminate American propaganda to both local and international newssources. Creel used posters, advertising, and even the new American film industry to put

across his message. In October 1917, Creel established a foreign branch to point out theinequities in the central Powers and to explain America's postwar objectives. The

American Commissioner to France was Mr. James Kerney who in June 1918 opened aheadquarters in the Maison de la Presse (House of the Press). He was replaced by a Major

James in late July. The French commission worked with the French propaganda bureau toinform the Germans about America's preparations for war.

Thomas C. Sorensen says about the Creel Committee in The Word War, Harper & Row,

N.Y., 1968:

The fledgling propagandists had to learn while doing, and they made many

mistakes. "When we started out," Creel recalled later. "it was as if the

Babylonians were asked to invent the thrashing machine." But they learned fast.

Though often flamboyant and amateurish, the Creel Committee played a major

part in making Wilson and the U. S. war aims widely known and appreciated

throughout the world.


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Germanys Confession

During the life of the Committee on Public Information, it produced numerous publicationssupporting the U.S. policy for the war in Europe. Creel used writers and artists, and 75,000

volunteers to give 4 minute speeches to organizations in support of the War. They mademore than 7.5 million speeches to 314 million people in 5,200 communities. Some of the

printed publications from his Committee were small booklets ranging from about one tothree dozen pages. Examples are:

The Kaiserite in America; One Hundred and One German Lies; Germany's

Confession; The Lichnowsky Memorandum; The German Whisper; Friendly

Words to Foreign Born (This pamphlet was printed in Bohemian, Polish,

German, Italian, Hungarian, and Russian); The War Message to the Farmer; To

the Workers of Free America and German Socialists and the War.

The military agency was Captain Heber Blankenhorn's Propaganda Section, G-2D,General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces A.E.F.). It was established in early

1918. Heber was a former editor who had been promoted to Captain and put in charge ofhis one-man section. The section originally had the responsibility to study enemy

propaganda and prepare counter-propaganda. In April 1918 it was renamed the"Psychologic" Subsection. Apparently, President Wilson hated the word "propaganda." In

July, Blankenhorn and seven officers were sent to study the propaganda methods of theFrench and British. The official history of the G-2 (Intelligence) unit at General Pershing'sheadquarters states that they were mostly involved with printed material and leaflets in

particular. Linebarger says:

The Americans at A.E.F. concentrated on morale and surrender leaflets. They did

work that was superb from the point of view of common sense

psychology...Balloons and airplanes were the chief methods for air distribution.

Blankenhorn was quite a prolific writer. Many of his articles and letters are archived. He

wrote a piece entitled "How America Shelled the German Lines with Paper" for Harpers

Magazine, Volume CXXXXIX 1919. He says that his office was room 65, on the floor above

General Pershings offices, in Damremont Caserne, at Chaumont, Haute-Marne. Some of

his more interesting comments are:

When America waged propaganda, as when it waged war, it avoided the German

way. Our leaflets were as bitterly honest as our bayonets. With every consignment

of leaflets in German went printed English versions, so that our troops might

know what they were handling.

Our patrols, stealthily visiting points near wire, which they knew would be

traversed by enemy patrols, had put down little piles of leaflets weighted with

stones to prevent their blowing away. Revisiting the spots the next night, our

patrols found the papers gone and in their place hand grenades, left not as traps,

but like a sort of receipt.

When the silence fell(the signing of the Armistice) we had put three million

leaflets over German lines.


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American pilots prepare for a propaganda leaflet mission

We noted above that the British had ceased dropping leaflets from aircraft after Germanythreatened to shoot the pilots. Two British officers, Captain E. Scholtz and Lieutenant H.C.

Wookey were shot down and captured near Cambrai on 17 October 1917. They were

charged with "the distribution in September 1917 of pamphlets detrimental to Germantroops." They were tried, found guilty of treason, and sentenced to 10 years at hard labor.The British government threatened severe reprisals against German officers, so in April

1918 the pilots were pardoned by the Kaiser and sent to a regular POW camp atKarlsruhe. According to Blankenhorn, the Americans, "fully aware of the enemy threats,

made it a point to fly defiantly low as possible and drop their leaflets directly on Germanpositions." This so embarrassed the British that they returned to the airplane for leaflet

drops in the last weeks of the war. He also states that some British pilots burned the leafletsin their hangars to avoid carrying them over enemy lines.

Neil Leybourne SmithsHistory of 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, RAAFadds:

February through to March 1918 involved the Squadron in many photographicmissions around the Armentieres area where fighting was intense. Some flights

were assigned to drop propaganda leaflets over enemy rest camps well behind the

front line. Their purpose was to unsettle the enemy by letting them know that good

food and warm billets awaited them if they choose to surrender. However these

missions were discontinued after it became known throughout the Corps that

pilots brought down in enemy territory while dropping leaflets were treated

brutally by the enemy.


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General Lawrence directive no leaflets were to be dropped by aircraft

Dr. Philip M. Taylor, author ofMunitions of the Mind - A History of Propaganda from

Ancient World to the Present Day, Manchester University Press, Manchester and New York,

1995, discusses the legal issue in more depth:

For most of 1918, the principal method of distributing enemy propaganda was

leaflets not airplane. This was because at the end of the 1917, four captured

British airmen were tried by a German court martial for having distributed

pamphlets containing insults against the German army and Government among

German troops in the Western Theatre of War. Although two of the accused were

acquitted due to lack of evidence, and although the court itself questioned the

ruling about whether this act was a violation of international law, two officers

were sentenced to ten years imprisonment. When news of this punishment reached

the war office in January 1918, all leaflet dropping by airplane was suspended.

Reprisals were threatened, resulting in the pardoning of the two British officers,

who were returned to their camps and treated as normal prisoners of war. But the

Air Ministry remained reluctant to commit its men and machines to leaflet raidsand the suspension order remained in force until October 1918, barely a month

before the end of war.

23 page booklet written in German by the 'Friends of German Democracy'


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Friends of Democracy leaflet

John C. W. Field mentions American civilian leafleting inAerial Propaganda Leaflets,

Francis J. Field Ltd., Sutton Coldfield, England, 1954.

An American propaganda group called The Friends of German Democracy

produced leaflets which were forwarded to the Service de Propagande Aerienne

and the A.E.F. Intelligence Section. Because the leaflets were disseminated mostly

by the French, they were coded with French internal numbers. The highest

number I am aware of is 74. The numbers given below are all internal French

codes.

To emphasize the American help, The Friends of the German Democracy

informed the Germans that 1,500,000 American troops had arrived in France,

while many more were ready to come over. Leaflet-postcard 46 says in part, "THEAMERICAN HELP. 1,500,000 American soldiers are in France; more than twice

that number is being trained in America. One single draft call in a single month

gives almost as many recruits as a year in Germany. A fleet of 5 million tons,

which can carry more than 13 million tons a year. A fleet which together with the

English fleet would form an endless supply of steel, copper, explosives, grain,

petroleum, and munitions....the cliques in Germany are struggling against these

powers. (Signed) Friends of German Democracy in America.

Although an American leaflet, it was the French that disseminated 500,000 of them over theGermans in September 1918.


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Feldpostkarte leaflet

Linebarger illustrates an American leaflet inPsychological Warfare and says, "Surrender

Leaflet from the AEF. Although this American combat leaflet from World War I copies the

original form of the German Feldpostkarte (field postcard)...It is not black propagandasince neither source nor intent is concealed. "When you are taken prisoner by the

Americans, give this to the first officer who checks your identity. The prisoner is ordered tofill in his own battle-order history. By marking appropriate items, he indicates whether he

is hurt or not and can explain that he is well cared for and fed "beef, white bread, potatoes,beans, plums, genuine bean coffee, milk butter, tobacco, etc." Notice that the first three

American leaflets all have food themes. The food fed to the German enlisted soldiers was so

bad that they often complained that kommisbrotwas prepared from the sweeping of military

bakery floors.

Wolfgang Baldus mentions the card in depth inSchwarze Propaganda. He says:

The right side of the card has the word Feldpostkarte with the addition For

German soldiers who are taken prisoner by the American Army. The sender had

to fill in the following personal data: rank, name, number of the regiment,

battalion, department, company, battery, squadron, other formations, etc. The

propaganda on the back said, Keep this card. Fill in the address of your family,

and when you are taken prisoner by the Americans, hand it over to the officer who

takes your personal data. He will consider it his duty to mail it and thus reassure

your relatives. Do not write on this side. Delete where inapplicable. I am

imprisoned / slightly wounded / seriously wounded / unharmed / do not worry

about me. The war is over for me. I am well supplied with food. The American


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Army provides to its prisoners the same food as to its soldiers: beef, white bread,

potatoes, beans, plums, real coffee, milk, butter, tobacco

Leaflet 8 says, "BROTHERS! The world is in great need. You and you alone can

end this need rapidly. We are American citizens of German descent. We know you

and trust you. We beg you to trust us. The great German nation is the barbarian

and the breaker of trust in the eyes of the world. You can recover your good

reputation only if you overthrow this government, which has made German

intelligence and German industry a danger to the world. Take the determination

of your destiny into your own hands.... If you will do this, the world war will end.

In the name of America we give you our word that the new Germany will be taken

up as an honorable member of the society of nations. Your intelligence and

industry will once again be a blessing to humanity, instead of a curse.... Arise for

a struggle for a free Germany! In the name of Americans of German descent.

UNION OF FRIENDS OF GERMAN DEMOCRACY New York, March, 1918"

Leaflet 74

Some of the other known titles are leaflet 30 - a brochure entitled "America and

the World Wars," leaflet 27 "More than one million Americans" and leaflet

74 Men and Women of the German People

The most active units for distributing propaganda were the 104th Squadron of the

5th Army and the 99th Air Squadron. Later, small balloons with a diameter of 3

1/2 feet and a carrying power of 1 1/2 pounds were used. A larger balloon that

carried a tin container holding 10,000 leaflets that could remain aloft for from

600 to 800 miles was also employed. There was even an attempt to use kites, but

this was disapproved because the wires were a danger to allied aircraft.

American morale leaflets attacked the German monarchy and militarists and echoed thedemocratic views of America. Other leaflets told of the vast amount of men and materiel

that the United States could bring to Europe and pointed out recent German losses andretreats. The surrender leaflets offered good American food, medical care, safety and a


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guarantee that the prisoner would return to Germany after the war.

Stanley Sandler discusses the American effort in Cease Resistance: It's Good for You: A

history of U.S. Army Combat Psychological Operations, 1999. He says:

...The technological innovations of the later 19th and the early 20th centuries now

made truly mass psychological warfare possible: Information could be sent

instantaneously via cable or telephone, rotary presses could print up tens of

millions of leaflets and photographs on cheap paper, and the product could bedistributed quickly by rail and motor truck to the front and then behind enemy

lines by aircraft, balloons and artillery.

Blankenhorn complained bitterly that the French and British were dropping millions of

leaflets over their fronts, but the Americans had none. General Pershing apparently foundthis satisfactory because it gave the Americans the freedom to write and distribute their

own leaflets without foreign assistance. Eventually, Pershing divided the propagandasub-section into two sub-divisions. One was based in Paris under Walter Lippman and

tasked with the collection, printing and forwarding of propaganda material. The second,under Blankenhorn was at general headquarters in Chaumont and responsible for the

distribution of leaflets to the respective armies, corps, and Airfields.

In a 1918 letter to General Churchill, Blankenhorn says:

I go down to the front to prison cages and with my German speaking lieutenants

hold long confabs with officers and privates and argue the war with them until we

know what arguments hit them the hardest. We find out what papers they read and

what Reichstag spokesman they believe and then we go back and put our

information with what Merz gathers in London and Lippman's ideas and draft a

leaflet which goes to General Nolan (G-2 Chief).

Garth S. Jowett and Victoria ODonnell discuss American propaganda inPropaganda andPersuasion. They say in part:

American military propaganda activities concentrated on morale and surrender

leaflets because radio loudspeaker techniques did not exceed the power of a

megaphone by much at that time. Therefore, most communications with the

enemy had to be by one of the most basic forms of all the printed leaflet. The

British and French had pioneered in this form of propaganda, but the Americans

developed some of their own inventions, and balloons and airplanes were the chief

methods of dispersement, but later special leaflet bombs and mortars were also

used very effectively.


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General Pershings Order 106

The first American leaflet was dropped in August of 1918. It was an edited version ofGeneral Pershing's order 106, dated 1 July 1918, which mandated proper treatment forprisoners of war. This theme was selected because Colonel Joseph V. Stillwell (later to be

"Vinegar Joe" in WWII) said that Germans were afraid to surrender because they hadbeen told by their officers that they would be killed if captured by the Americans. In

addition, knowing that many of the German troops were hungry, a list of the rations fed toPOWs was placed on the leaflet. Many Germans asked for those rations immediately upon

surrender. Their American captors often were forced to explain that they had not eaten fortwenty-four hours.

George Bruntz adds:

Perhaps the most ingenious scheme for getting for getting the enemy troops to

desert was used by the Americans. Our propagandists dropped a "prisoner leaflet"

over the German lines, which contained an extract from the orders prescribing the

treatment to be accorded by the A.E.F. to the prisoners of war. Appended to it was

a list of rations issued to the American soldier and prescribed for enemy prisoners.

More than a million copies of this leaflet were sent over to the enemy.

Major Harold E. Porter of the United States Air Service in WWI mentions a similar leaflet

in the bookAerial Observation the Airplane Observer, the Balloon Observer, and the Army

Corps Pilot, Harper and brothers, NYC, 1921:


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On 15 October 1918, Erwin started on a patrol and propaganda dropping

expedition with some other members of the squadron. Having no particular

mission except to drop the leaflets, on which was printed the bill of fare of the

American prison camps and other inducements for the hungry Huns to surrender,

he and his observerdecided to distribute their Food Will Win the War

literature among the Huns....

Captain Heber Blankenhorn mentions his first visit to the front on 28 August 1918 in

Adventures in Propaganda: Letters from an Intelligence Officer in France, Houghton Mifflinand Co., Boston and New York, 1919. The letter is heavily censored:

There strode into General Headquarters a certain officer from a certain front line

Division in a certain well-known sector. He was in a hurry. He said: Im told you

run propaganda. I want some propaganda quick. Weve got opposite us the

umpth and umpty umpth divisions and weve had some deserters from them

and I want some more. I dont know much about propaganda. I believe in it I

dont think it will win the war and all that, but if anything is going to get those

deserters over its propaganda, and I want those deserters for informationThey

are afraid to come over because they believe that Americans kill all prisoners

We produced a copy for a leaflet to fit the casebut we had to get approval and

the General was busy and the officer had to goI sent the copy in with a memo.

Finally it came back with a big blue scrawl across it, Excellent I phoned and

tomorrow night the first American made propaganda goes over the line.

The shop isnt even open yet but we sold propaganda over the counter like so

much meatTonight I rammed ahead, arranging to print our leaflets by the

thousands, writing a new leaflet to puncture the first Austrian division to turn up

on the Western Fronttrying overnight to build a great machine.

The second leaflet was similar, but mentioned the rations in detail. Entitled "Daily Rations

of American Soldiers - The German Prisoners of War receive the same rations," it has textsuch as, "Beef - 567 grams, Potatoes or other fresh vegetables - 567 grams," and "Coffee

Beans - 31.75 grams."


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Leaflet number 4 - St. Mihiel Map leaflet

Blankenhorn came up with the concept of a leaflet depicting a map of the American gains in

the San Mihiel salient. He says inAdventures in Propaganda, Houghton Mifflin Co., Bostonand New York, 1919, "Every soldier wants a map. American propaganda provided one,

which carried its own lesson. Dropped over the German lines after 13 September 1918." Wecalled the leaflet "The Meaning of St. Mihiel." The text was, "The salient, where the

Germans had defended themselves for four years, was taken in 27 hours by the Americans."Beneath the map, "The shaded line is the front on the morning of 12 September. The dotted

line is the front on the morning of 13 September. 390 square kilometers were gained. Thenumber of prisoners amounts to 15,000." Blankenhorns commanding officer told him,

"Telegraph that text to Paris. Print half a million." When Blankenhorn asked the Americanair commander Brigadier General Billy Mitchell to have his crews drop the leaflets, he was

told, "Propaganda is all right, but it has no place during operations. Come back in the


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winter" Blankenhorn said later that some American pilots had been happy to drop theleaflets after a suitable honorarium.

Gen. John J. Pershing

General Pershing described the results of the battle in Final Report of Gen. John J.

Pershing, Washington, D.C, Government Printing Office, 1919:

the material results of the victory achieved were very important. An American

Army was an accomplished fact, and the enemy had felt its power. No form of

propaganda could overcome the depressing effect on the morale of the enemy of

this demonstration of our ability to organize a large American force and drive it

successfully through his defenses. It gave our troops implicit confidence in their

superiority and raised their morale to the highest pitch...

President Woodrow Wilson

The Americans often published excerpts from President Wilson's speeches. Leaflet number

5 was entitled "The Way to Peace and Justice" had quotes from Wilson's speech of 27September to the League of Nations. A number of leaflets were thereafter prepared which

consisted of Wilson's replies to German armistice entreaties. Blankenhorn wrote to his wife,"all I have to do these days is publish to the Boche what Wilson says: he writes all our

leaflet news." Other such leaflets were number 15 Wilsons answer. No armistice, aslong as and number 19 President Wilsons note of 23 October 1918.


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Growth of Army Leaflet

Leaflet 6 shows the continual monthly growth in US troop arrival in France starting In July1917 with 1,718 and ending in September 1918 with 311,000. The title of the leaflet is "More

than 1,900,000 American troops are now in France, and more than ten times as many standready in America." Some of the text at the bottom is, "The yearly increase of the American

Army in France: From 76,000 men to 1,800,000 men. The picture above shows the monthlyarrivals of American troops."

Leaflet 14 was entitled "Official numbers. Between 1 and 30 September" and asked the

Germans a number of difficult demoralizing questions such as, "Will you ever be as strongas you were in July, 1918? Will your opponents grow stronger or weaker? Have you the

slightest hope of victory in the future?"

There are just over 20 American leaflets known. Some of the other titles are number 10

"Official numbers" number 11 "Inquiry of the German government" number 16 Czechoslovak!..." and number 20 - To the German soldiers. Turkey"

Leaflet 18 - "The German withdrawal of the 15 July to the 21 October 1918" updated the

war map to 21 October and mentioned 210,000 German prisoners taken in just 50 days.

Both Creel and Blankenhorn took credit for the vast number of demoralized Germans whoeither were captured or quit the war. Creel said, "Eight prisoners out of every ten captured

by the Americans had our stuff in their pockets" Blankenhorn said, "by the end of theArgonne campaign the bulk of prisoners were found to have our leaflets on their persons."

The Official history of the AEF says that 75% of all German officers thought that the

leaflets were laughable and had no bearing on the morale of the German soldier. On theother hand, when surveyed, 75% of the enlisted soldiers said that they believed the

American leaflets.

In the last three months of the war in 1918, the Americans dropped about three million


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leaflets over enemy lines. Most were disseminated by aircraft, some by balloon and a veryfew by shell. President Wilson approved the sum of $76,000 for propaganda balloons. There

was talk of 10,000 such balloons with a range of 600-800 miles. However, they were notfavored by American commanders who preferred to keep the expensive hydrogen gas for

observation balloons. As a result, the great majority of American leaflets were disseminatedby aircraft. The AEF apparently used very few leaflet artillery shells or grenades although

they were very popular with the British and French. The British constantly experimentedwith better means of dissemination. They experimented with a trench mortar. It worked

well, but the idea of picking up leaflets during a mortar attack was deemed unlikely.

A Patriotic French Wartime Label

The WWI French civilian patriotic label above is one of the earliest images to depict an

aircraft dropping propaganda leaflets over the countryside. This label is one of manythousands produced by Gaston Fontanille, also known as Delandre. He was a famous

con-man who was in and out of jail his entire life. With the onset of World War I, he set upshop to produce and market stamps for the various units of the French Army. When

military censors refused to allow him to distribute the stamps to soldiers in the field,Delandre sold them to the general public. The text is:

RESPECT to God.

Soldiers!..Swear by:

THE NAME of a GERMAN!


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THE NAME of a GERMAN SHELL.

This seems to be a reference to the Biblical 3rd Commandment, You shall not take The

Name of The Lord your God in vain..." It appears that instead of saying Nom de Dieu!(By God!) when attacked by the Germans, the soldier is being asked to say Nom de Boche

(By the Germans).

As soon as France entered World War One the government took control of the

communications media. No news concerning mobilization or military movements that mightreflect unfavorably on the army could be published by the French press. Three days afterthe start of the war Foreign Minister Viviani appropriated 25 million francs for

propaganda purposes. However, this money would not be spent until 1916 when the Frenchgot serious about PSYOP. For the most part the French leaflets are all text with no

illustrations. Some, like the newspaper leaflets have a touch of color in the masthead, butthe great majority of leaflets are rather plain. Few of the French leaflets have thepunch-hole used to tie the leaflet to a balloon. We therefore assume that most of them were

either dropped by aircraft or taken behind the lines by agents or patrols.

French Balloon Propaganda


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Leaflet of President Wilson's speech

French soldiers balloon leaflets reprinting President Wilson's speech of 2 April 1917 to the

Germans. These photographs first appeared in the Paris newspaper Le Miroir(The

Mirror), 20 May 1917. The text is, "Small balloons carry the complete text to the enemy.On 2 April, in Washington before Congress, President Wilson gave his famous speech that

will go down in history. The newspapers of the whole world published the complete text.The German newspapers were the only ones to cut and edit it. To correct this lack of

information, we sent the complete text of the message over the enemy lines. The paragraphs

originally omitted were printed in red. They are indicated here by vertical lines." Thenewspaper depicted the leaflet in question and certain paragraphs were marked to showthose portions that the Germans had censored and the French had reproduced.

In October 1914, the Germans were at the gates of Paris. They were drafting Frenchmen to

dig their trenches and build fortifications. The French government tried to motivate theFrench civilians to resist. It dropped the following leaflet over Lille on 13 October, "TO

THOSE WHO LIVE AROUND LILLE! In refusing to execute the military worksprescribed by the enemy, you are within your rights and in so doing you fulfill your duty a

Frenchman. The Hague Convention, ratified by all the civilized nations, gives youjustification. The worthless citizens who accept work of immediate or remote military

interest will become most guilty to their native country. In addition, they will exposethemselves to the rigors of the law when the French flag flies again over Lille. That m

allied psyop of ww1.pdf

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