Operation Pig Iron
The operation Pig Iron was a measure of operational information that during the Second World War from the summer of 1944 by the American Office of Strategic Services was planned (OSS) and carried out. The goal was through the use of bombs , the miniature versions of Propaganda magazine The New Germany contained a indoctrination perform the enemy. These bombs were dropped by aircraft over enemy territory. With over 8.9 million (out of a total of around 9.5 million) printed copies of the magazine, the miniature edition was the most massive way of disseminating this propaganda medium.
The magazines previously printed in normal format were reduced to a size of 10 × 6 ½ inches using a photo-technical process - which corresponded to a quarter of the normal size - and then processed into rolls of 1500 pieces each. These rolls were then packed in specially made cylindrical devices. Then they were transported by truck from Rome to Foggia , where they were filled into bombs . The US Air Force stationed there then flew these bombs into the center of the enemy in Germany or Austria in order to drop them there.
Since other propaganda material was to be distributed in this way at the same time - the obvious Allied origin of which could not be denied - a ruse was used to make the alleged German opposition magazine Das Neue Deutschland appear plausible. For this purpose, an additional imprint was placed on the title page of the discarded magazines, which was intended to indicate alleged coincidental discoveries during the advance of Allied forces. For example, the text appeared on the front page: “ During the occupation of Paris, this German newspaper fell into the hands of the Allies ”. The success of this measure could also be seen in the violent backlash on the German side, in which, for example, Heinrich Himmler's own propaganda magazine Das Schwarze Korps drew attention to the treacherous authors of the magazine. There were devastating comments on the content of the journal and the authors themselves.
The operation Pig Iron is the most successful American scheme for the dissemination of propaganda magazine The New Germany .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Operational History of Das Neue Deutschland , accessed on June 28, 2019.