Guide for British Soldiers in Germany 1944

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The Guide for British Soldiers in Germany 1944 (orig .: Instructions for British Servicemen in Germany 1944 ) is a brochure from the British Foreign Office that was distributed to around 400,000 soldiers during World War II before they were sent to Germany for combat operations.

With the help of this guide, the British soldiers should be trained psychologically and familiarized with the habits and peculiarities of the Germans.

In 2014 the text was published in a bilingual version by the publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch .

content

The guideline is divided into several chapters, which concern the different aspects of the upcoming deployment in occupied Germany.

  • In the foreword , the addressees are informed that the Germans have suffered a lot of suffering, but that one should not be lenient with them or feel sympathy for this reason. This is followed by a reference to the atrocities of the Nazi regime and that such a thing should never be repeated.
  • The introduction emphasizes that the British occupation should not be brutal, but neither should it be indulgent or sentimental. The soldiers are warned against “' propaganda ' in the form of unfortunate stories”. The Germans are described as “a strange people in a strange, hostile country”.
  • The German state deals with geographical information (rivers, climate, landscape types), as well as German industry (metropolitan areas, infrastructure)
  • German history briefly sheds light on the emergence of the nation Germany in 1871, the rise of Bismarck, and an overview of the situation after the First World War and in the Weimar Republic . The following is a sketch of Hitler's rise. Finally, it is emphasized that Hitler's plans to subjugate other nations were "approved by the Germans".
  • What the Nazis made of Germany illustrates Germany's political system. In the course of this, the individual sub-organizations ( SA , SS , Gestapo ) are explained in more detail. The ideological side is also illuminated using Hitler's Mein Kampf.
  • What the war made of Germany describes the conditions in the country caused by bombing and acts of war: there are reports of destroyed cities, collapsed infrastructure and numerous war victims, together with the indication that this suffering was self-caused. The use of forced labor is also discussed.
  • How the Germans are is a description of the mentality of the German people. This is described as belonging to the authorities and denying their guilt. It would love "military character" and at the same time suffer from a feeling of national inferiority that was already pronounced before Hitler. A mixture of “sentimentality and cold feeling” would be characteristic of this. In the following the authors describe how Hitler shaped the German people. In schools, the children were taught that “power comes before law” and “war is the noblest form of human activity”. This is followed by warnings, for example that the Germans are less similar to the British than it seems at first glance and that the German leadership is already making plans for World War III, which must be prevented at all costs. It is also pointed out that many Germans will claim that they were opponents of the regime because they want to be on the winning side. These claims are generally considered not credible.
  • How the Germans see us describes the perception of the British by the German people. This would consider the British to be less hardworking and less organized. Yet it would also have admiration for Britain. Hitler would also have expressed his envy of the British Empire in Mein Kampf , although he would now consider it to be degenerate. The soldiers are reminded to be representatives of their country and it is made clear that their behavior will shape the image of the Germans about the British. It is also emphasized that the Germans see the British as cousins ​​because of their racial ideology. However, the authors deny the assumed similarity. The Germans' view of the Americans (similar to the British) and the Russians (together with Jews were considered sub-humans, triggered by propaganda) is also briefly discussed.
  • How the Germans Live deals with eating habits, as well as favorite foods and drinks of Germans. The subjects of “entertainment”, “sport”, “health”, “women” (here it is emphasized that marriages between British soldiers and Germans are prohibited), “religion”, “music”, “literature” and “general” ( e.g. references to right-hand traffic and that the German people are used to the command tone, which is why it is recommended).
  • Money explains the structure of the currency system and emphasizes the fact that due to the consequences of the war there will be hardly anything to buy. The soldiers' needs would be served through British military dispensaries. There is therefore nothing left but to save the pay.
  • How to communicate is a chapter about communication in Germany. English was taught in all high schools and especially in the cities there were numerous people who could speak English. In the provinces you may have to help yourself with sign language. The similarity of many German words to their English counterparts is highlighted and it is recommended to form sentences as simple as possible and to speak in a normal tone.
  • What you should do contains a summary of the most important points that you should implement (e.g. "Avoid casual speech and attitude", "Always be strict but fair in dealing [...]")
  • What to Avoid Contains a summary of the most important things to avoid (e.g. "Don't sell clothes or equipment", "Don't start a fight")
  • Safety instruction emphasizes the duty of vigilance. Just because there might be no more fighting doesn't mean you are safe. Warnings are given about propaganda and sabotage and appropriate countermeasures are shown - such as the caution when using the phone or exact ID checks.

The guide also contains a short dictionary with the most important words and phrases (missing in the German translation), as well as a map of Germany in the borders before March 1938.

Others

Analogue appeared among others:

  • Instructions for British Servicemen in France , 1944
  • Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain , 1942

expenditure

  • Instructions for British Servicemen in Germany 1944 . New edition Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2007. 64 pages publisher's announcement (first November 1944)
    • Guide for British Soldiers in Germany 1944 . Bilingual edition, slightly abbreviated in the dictionary section. German translation by Klaus Modick . Preliminary remarks on the German edition by Helge Malchow and Christian Kracht . Foreword to the new English and German edition by John Pinfold. KiWi-Taschenbuch, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3462046342 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Bodleian Library; Edition: Reprint 2005.
  2. ↑ ISBN 978-1851240852 .