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✪ The Ducktators | World War 2 Era Propaganda Cartoon | 1942

✪ Myths about the great war. " Soviet heroes- a piece of propaganda

✪ Inconvenient questions of World War II (Cognitive TV, Artyom Voitenkov)

✪ World War I and how propaganda worked

✪ Lend Lease, World War II, refutation of Soviet propaganda myths

In the USSR, during the war, the historical heritage of pre-Bolshevik Russia, primarily the military one, began to be used for propaganda purposes. The guard was recreated in the army, St. George's awards and symbols, cadet corps returned in a modified form. Starting from 1943, Soviet military personnel began to wear shoulder straps, new awards were introduced in honor of the historical Russian commanders and naval commanders - Alexander Nevsky, A. V. Suvorov, M. I. Kutuzov, F. F. Ushakov, P. S. Nakhimov. Brochures about the heroic past of the Russian people began to be published in large numbers.

Attempts were made to use the Church for propaganda purposes. In 1943, after a long break, the election of a new Moscow Patriarch was allowed. The patriotic position of the Church was widely reported in the press. In particular, the creation of a tank column "Dmitry Donskoy" at the expense of believers was widely known.

Enemies in propaganda materials

Enemies in propaganda materials appear either pathetic and helpless, or inhuman monsters. In some cases, the central link in the propaganda material is not the enemy himself, but the inhumanity and destructiveness of his actions. This is due to the need to simultaneously suppress the fear of the enemy in your soldiers, instill in them determination and depersonalize the image of the enemy - to make sure that he is not perceived as a person and it is easier to shoot at him. As a rule, such materials contain strong motives for protecting one's country, one's home, as well as the motive for revenge.

Images of the political leaders of the enemy state were often used in an unsightly way. In propaganda films, the combat and personal qualities of enemy soldiers are most often described as very low. Often, when they are safe, they look arrogant and stupid, but show cowardice in battle. The enemy in such a movie is very easy to kill. So, for example, in the final episode of the Soviet film "Two Soldiers" (1943), the main characters together freely shoot the advancing German columns.

Counter-propaganda

It serves to repel propaganda attacks and actions of the enemy, disavows rumors and conjectures spread by the enemy for propaganda purposes, asserts the weakness, falsity and fallacy of the enemy's position. During the Great Patriotic War, the image of the Minister of Propaganda served as a frequent object of counter-propaganda Nazi Germany Joseph Goebbels (at the same time, the ideological cliché “Goebbels propaganda” arose).

Since the time of biblical antiquity, the peoples of the world, not relying only on the brute military force or the mind of their rulers, have always supplemented them with an important factor of psychological pressure on the public opinion of opponents. Unfortunately, our country turned out to be completely unprepared to fight Goebbels and his company, which already had extensive experience in demagogy, I confess, I was surprised more than once how skillfully a black dog was washed white in Berlin. It is generally more difficult to fight against a total state.

Propaganda in neutral states

Propaganda "in the camp of the enemy"

Propaganda work against the enemy was aimed at lowering his morale, forcing him to abandon the continuation of the armed struggle and incline him to surrender. To this end, the parties broadcast propaganda programs across the front line with the help of loud-speaking equipment, sometimes alternating them with music. Propaganda printed materials (leaflets, which also served as a "pass" into captivity) were thrown into the location of enemy units. Most often, such materials contained the thought of the danger or senselessness of resistance. The propagandists informed the enemy soldiers that they were in a difficult situation, directly threatening death, that they had a family in the rear that was waiting for them to return alive and healthy.

Often, as a motive for refusing to resist, the thesis about the “wrongness” of the political regime in the country that the soldier defends was proposed. In case of surrender, the enemy promised worthy, and even luxurious conditions of detention until the end of the war. Many printed propaganda materials were designed as "capture passes" - it was assumed that a surrendering soldier should present such a leaflet to the very first soldier of the enemy army. Often propaganda materials for the enemy were created on behalf of collaborationist organizations - such as the Russian Liberation Army or Free Germany.

Allied Propaganda

Due to the circumstances, the Second World War left a special layer of propaganda materials - dedicated to the allies [ ] . For the duration of the war with a common enemy, the differences between the countries of the West and the Soviet Union were forgotten. Allies, like their own warriors, are portrayed as strong, self-confident. Theses about brother nations, the common struggle for peace and freedom often come to the fore. It is noteworthy that the propaganda clichés about the "communist threat" and "world imperialism", which were supplanted by "allied" propaganda, after the war immediately turned out to be in demand again, and the poster, on which a Russian pilot shakes hands with a British pilot in the sky over Germany, began to be perceived [ by whom?] rather like strange.

• "James Kennedy" - Soviet song about the British allies

Notable works

Allied propaganda

The Second World War is one of the most striking examples of the representation of the image of the enemy in propaganda campaigns. From how politicians and their propagandists could depict their main military, political and ideological opponents, deliberately distort their image, emphasize the negative features of this image, motivate ordinary person the fate of states and peoples, as well as the future of all mankind, depended on protecting not only the interests of their country, but also a certain ideology. The propaganda campaigns of the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition are no exception in this regard, in which posters were actively used as the main tool for visualizing the enemy image.

When analyzing the visual display of the image of the enemy in the propaganda of the allies, the following features stand out:

• A zoomorphic image of the enemy, especially the ruling elite of the Nazis. This feature is inherent a large number Soviet posters from the Great Patriotic War and is aimed at creating a feeling of disgust for Hitler and the Nazis in a citizen of the USSR and a soldier of the Red Army. These techniques were supposed to lead to a widespread perception of the occupiers as beasts incapable of humanity. Thus, the attitude towards the invaders as non-humans was justified, any sympathy for the enemy was suppressed.
• The scale of the object in the frame is an exaggeration and understatement of certain elements. This feature is typical for almost any visual propaganda. Propaganda artists showed one side or the other in the conflict either too strong or too weak. Individuals (the image of a hunched dwarf-Hitler and a huge fighter next to him), objects (equipment, weapons) and geographical values ​​\u200b\u200b(the size of the country could be adjusted to give the soldier a sense of imminent victory) were exaggerated and underestimated.
• Particular emphasis on the heavy losses of the enemy. The enemy on propaganda posters was often depicted as either already defeated or close to defeat.
• Use of color contrast. In addition to the scale, the color palette was also taken into account in the visual display of the elements of the image of the enemy. So, in contrast to the bright (red, white) allied forces, enemy forces and personalities were most often darkened and executed in dark colors.
• The presence of historical allegories and appeal to past historical experience. One of the key techniques used by Allied propagandists to belittle the image of the main enemy was to equate it with already defeated enemies from the country's past. Drawing parallels between modern invaders and defeated Historical rivals, propagandists sought to evoke a powerful upsurge of patriotic feelings in a person, to revive in his mind the myth of the historically determined impossibility of implementing enemy plans. [ ]
• The propaganda of the United States and Great Britain actively used the image of Christianity as a religion opposed to fascism. IN this case“good”, represented by the Western allies, stood in defense of Christian humanism from the encroachments of the “forces of evil” (German Nazism). This poster theme is based on the assertion that the Nazis, who committed so many crimes against the peoples of the world and plotted even greater atrocities, can not be recognized by Christians.It can be seen that the image of the battle of good and evil in Christianity is transferred to the battle between Western democracies and Nazism.For example, on a British wartime poster, a Christian cross is depicted, opposed to the Nazi swastika.At the same time, the cross of the swastika (which is depicted in a smaller size) obscures, conveying to the viewer the idea that Christianity will definitely win in this global confrontation with Nazism.The poster was supposed to have an impact on the soldiers who believe in God, showing them that Nazism is equated with Antichrist, brings only evil to the world, and therefore should be defeated in the name of the Christian faith 1943 American poster by Thomas Hart Benton, also appeals to the struggle of Christianity with the "evil of the world." Poster "Again!" the author wanted to show that the values ​​of the Christian religion are in danger due to the spread of the "Nazi plague". The German soldiers depicted on the poster, piercing the body of the crucified Christ with a spear and a German military aircraft shooting him from the air, personify the Nazis' violation of all norms of morality and Christian ethics. With their actions to destroy entire nations Nazi Germany challenges Christ himself, the Christian religion, which, according to the author of the poster, must be stopped. Like the British poster, the American one is aimed at believing soldiers, but uses more powerful allegory than juxtaposition of symbols. This poster exploits a whole biblical story. The Soviet Union, for ideological reasons, could not use the image of Christianity as a humanistic religion opposed to "Nazi barbarism." Soviet propagandists mainly resorted to the use of communist symbols and images, and also turned to the history of Russia, without touching on Orthodox themes.

Notable works

During the war years, 150-180 propaganda films were released (out of a total of about 1300). In cinemas, before each session, a screening (mandatory, it was impossible to miss) of the propaganda film magazine "Die Deutsche Wochenschau" was arranged - at the beginning of the war, lasting 10-15 minutes, at the end - already half an hour.

In propaganda films (and Hitler's speeches), explaining the reasons for declaring war on America, parallels were drawn between it and the "Jewish" government of the Soviets, the Jewish nature of its capital, the Judeo-Bolshevik orientation of its policy (aimed at absorbing third countries), and President Roosevelt was declared a Jew. The USA was portrayed as a country of low morality, and the main source of welfare for its citizens was the game on the stock exchange.

Aimed at the enemy army

Loud-speaking horn installations were widely used on the front lines, propaganda bombs, shells and rocket mines were used to distribute leaflets. Leaflets Third Reich for USSR were mostly distributed by Luftwaffe planes.

The facts of the capture or death of significant figures of the enemy (German leaflets with Yakov Dzhugashvili, the son of Stalin, the son of Khrushchev Leonid, large military leaders) were actively used, including those with elements of falsification of materials (photographs, statements, etc.).

The spread of rumors in the unoccupied territory that "Jews do not fight", that they are not at the front, that they all settled in the rear, in supply, etc. .

Propaganda in the occupied territories

During the Second World War, the long-term occupation of large and heterogeneous densely populated areas of enemy territory was carried out by only one side - Germany and its allies. It is the experience of Germany in this sense that is of greatest interest. Since the Germans had different interests in the various territories that were under occupation, the methods of governing the subject countries and the propaganda techniques used were correspondingly different. So, the inhabitants of the captured Scandinavia were considered "Aryans", full-fledged citizens of the Reich, who should take an active part in its affairs. The French were considered a civilized, but alien people, in which loyalty to the invaders should be brought up. For this purpose, for example, the German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels posed for cameras along with the stars of French culture [ ] .

The policy in the east, in Poland and the occupied regions of the Soviet Union was different. Since the Slavs were considered an inferior race, their destruction or Germanization was assumed in the future. As a first step in this direction, work was carried out to destroy the most powerful national cultures and divide people. From a propaganda point of view, this meant flirting with national movements and setting citizens against each other. For this purpose, national proto-government institutions were created (almost completely powerless - for example, the BCR, the Ukrainian National Council, the UCC), national military formations (Belarusian Regional Defense, Kyiv Kuren, etc.), propaganda museums (see, for example, the Museum-Archive of the Transitional Period ), nationalist and anti-Semitic literature was published, newspapers of the corresponding content were published, for example, the newspaper "For the Motherland". At the same time, the Germans tried to create in the occupied eastern territories a feeling that life goes on - cinemas were open, newspapers were published, and cultural events were held. The population was instilled that the predatory Bolshevik power had ended forever, they were presented with photo montages in which German soldiers allegedly posed in Moscow and Leningrad. Serious work was carried out to prevent support for the partisan movement. In propaganda materials, the partisans appeared as thieves and murderers, cooperation with them was punishable by death. Special mention should be made of the propaganda campaigns that ensured the resettlement of the inhabitants of the occupied regions to Germany. The Germans created and showed special films in which the hijacked were promised a heavenly life far from the front.

Notable works

One of the most famous German leaflets during the war was "

2019-01-10 | 1116

October 27, 1942 in the newspaper "Battle Way" published a note "The Germans cut the prisoners and drink their blood." Already on November 19, 1942, Soviet military censorship decided that using this article for anti-fascist propaganda was overkill.

Filmstrip "Saboteur from Jupiter", 1960

2018-07-04 | 845

Soviet filmstrip 1960 Summary movie: American militarists create a secret missile base, a series of mysterious deaths begins in the camp - the officers hide, the soldiers put forward a counter plan. The outcome is unexpected, but materialistically justified.

A Visual Guide to Racial Theory as Taught in the Third Reich

2017-04-05 | 6718

Hans Friedrich Karl Günther, a German anthropologist and eugenicist, provided his scientific works serious influence on the racial policy of the German National Socialists. In Germany, classes on racial theory used it teaching aids, representing drawings of representatives of various "races" and "subras".

Letter from the partisans of the Pinsk region to Hitler

2017-02-23 | 3597

In early December 1942, the Germans issued a leaflet under the heading "Listen, partisan Ivan", where insults were made to Soviet leaders and partisans. As a response to a leaflet by the Germans, a group of partisans of the headquarters of the Pinsk region wrote a letter addressed to Hitler.

Interview with Goebbels' secretary

2016-08-17 | 5883

105-year-old Brunnhilde Pomzel, former secretary of Joseph Goebbels, gave an interview to The Guardian. "This is one of the first - and probably the last - in-depth interviews in her life," - says journalist Kate Connolly. Pomzel recalled that there was elegant furniture in the propaganda ministry, and a carefree atmosphere reigned in the reception room next to Goebbels's office, where 6 secretaries worked, including Pomsel herself.

The liberation of Europe from the Nazis in the cartoons of American Sergeant Bill Mauldin

2016-07-19 | 6245

On the night of July 9-10, 1943, the Allies landed in Italy - the liberation began Western Europe from Nazism. Among the paratroopers was Sgt. Bill Mauldin. He went through the whole war in Europe, drawing cartoons. Unlike ordinary propagandists, Mauldin did not ridicule the enemy, but joked about the hardships of war and army order, showing the life of the front through the eyes of Willy and Joe - two simple "Gee-ey", tired, ragged, but always ironic. The cartoons were published in his book "At the Front".

2016-07-16 | 7840

During World War II, the allies of the USSR needed to explain to their citizens why their countries, together with the USSR, were fighting against Hitler, and propaganda posters were produced for this purpose. Allied propaganda was also directed at Soviet citizens - posters in Russian were issued for them, telling about the contribution these countries make to the victory over a common enemy.

Posters of foreign SS volunteer units

2016-04-24 | 12638

By June 1941, three volunteer regiments of foreign citizens were created in the ranks of the SS, and with the outbreak of hostilities, the number of foreign units began to grow steadily. The participation of foreign legions in the war against the USSR was supposed to show, according to Himmler's plan, a pan-European desire to destroy communism.

I have long wanted to know what it was like, German propaganda during the great patriotic war.

The thought crept in after Vkontakte (in general, it doesn’t matter where) I saw a scan of a German propaganda leaflet urging Soviet soldiers to surrender, because resistance is pointless, because the Germans, the first - they will win exactly, the second - they came with good intentions, namely : liberate Russia and other national republics of the USSR from the "Bolshevik-Jewish" yoke, etc. In general, land - to the peasants, plants and factories - to the workers (déjà vu directly, these phrases seem to me very fresh somehow). What can you not promise to appease the "natives". Fortunately, people survived, resisted and did not succumb. If we had succumbed, we would have read a completely different story, and the victims of the concentration camps would not have been in the hands of the German troops, but the Bolsheviks and Stalin personally (here about Stalin - again deja vu.).

We have a unique opportunity to take a look, or rather compare what really happened and how it was all presented in German propaganda, and correlate it with what we have now, in terms of propaganda, of course. By the way, again overseas.

A leaflet calling for surrender, for everything is lost, Stalin escaped, Stalin's son in captivity drinks tea and, covered with a warm terry blanket, watches TV. Che you rot in the trenches, come to us in the receiver-distributor of all kinds of benefits.
German propaganda: "Don't shed blood for Stalin"


That's what the Germans told us - these lights of the then "just society", the sons of civilized Europe!
And here's what really happened. According to one version, Stalin did not want to exchange his son Yakov for Field Marshal Paulus, who was captured near Stalingrad, saying the following - “I don’t change a soldier for a field marshal!” According to another version, Yakov died in battle on July 16, 1941. And the fact of captivity is a product of German propaganda.

The only place in the Republic of Belarus where you can easily and quickly access such materials is the National Library in Minsk. But, unfortunately, most of this kind of material is in the national archives and local regional archives - I have not got there yet. I came there just before the "national saints" - "Freedom Day". After many hours of walking around the floors, looking through the card index (because not all the materials of the library have been entered into the digital database yet), I found what I was looking for: a list of all periodicals published in the occupied territory of the BSSR. The names of some I remember the most, I don’t even need comments on them)

Long live Belarus
Note: publisher: M. Ganko

For Independence(original name)
Note: Publication on a ratator for military personnel of the 30th SS division (1st Belarusian) - these are, by the way, those who allegedly fought against both the Germans and Moscow. From this, they joined the ranks of the SS.

Malady Zmagar(how fresh, oh so fresh)
Note: The magazine was published by the Labor Group of the Belarusian Youth Union in Germany.

Nowy Shlyakh
Note: printed in Riga

ROA fighter
Note: the edition has not been preserved, see " New way"(Bobruisk) 1943 June 16.

To my great regret, for some reason I went to the library without taking a notebook and a pen with me :)) Therefore, the list is not complete and the note to the edition is not all. By the way, about 60 German propaganda newspapers and magazines were published on the territory of the BSSR. I'll be more prepared for my next trip to the library.

The first magazine that came into my hands was " Belarus on varts"- the magazine was published for the Belarusian police and then for the Belarusian military personnel of the Belarusian regional defense. Each paragraph I read evoked a storm of emotions in me - after all, it's so familiar to me from current articles, the same phrases, the same syllable, everything is the same, nothing There are such coincidences and coincidences in life, and even on the eve of the procession of the BCHBshns.Here is that very first article for you


I want to highlight the last paragraph

We, the Belarusian pals, have been able to ponder over these facts. Let's get the day of the 25th sakavika budze for us with the help of the saints, let's take care of the skin for us here for this day rahunak z tago, that it is saved and this is the hour for asyagnennnya idealu our people and that we here.

That's how it was in Minsk.

Here are the parades...

There are fewer living eyewitnesses who went through this war every year, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, 42,220 veterans of the Great Patriotic War live on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Every year their number will decrease faster and faster. So, when there will be no one left who can tell us how it was. They will speak as they should. Already now you can hear something like - the villagers themselves are to blame for the fact that they were burned, they simply should not have cooperated with the partisans who killed German soldiers, despite the fact that they came to liberate Belarus from Stalin's yoke. Indeed, who likes to be killed. The fact that the "regional defense" is the guys who fought against the Germans and against the Soviet occupation (the fashionable trend is now "trend" to talk about the occupation by Moscow) Well, you see, for this, the retreating German troops in 43 began to create national militias on occupied territories, including "Regional Defense", and publish the magazine " Belarus on varts". So, in order to turn them against themselves, it is not enough for them to have enemies in the form of regular Soviet army and partisans, so they also set the "marginal defense" on themselves. They created it and set it on themselves :)

It is now fashionable to compare the two regimes of Stalin and Hitler, drawing an equal sign between them. And I will draw my equal sign between the then "civilized" Europe and modern Europe.

Nazi Germany year 1938

Partition of Czechoslovakia

CZECHOSLOVAKIA. In accordance with the Munich Treaty of September 30, 1938, German troops entered the Sudetenland.
Prague. The Ambassador of Poland handed over an ultimatum to the Polish government demanding that the Teszyn region be transferred to Poland. In the evening, Polish troops entered the Teszyn region. (This is Poland, poor sheep)

1939.02
CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Prague. In February, when discussing the budget of Slovakia, the Slovak deputies demanded a complete separation from Slovakia from the Czech Republic.

1939.03.03
Friday CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Prague. Agent intelligence reports have been received from Germany (source - agent "Karl"): The occupation of the country is scheduled for March 15; Bohemia and Moravia will be occupied by 4 army corps; at 9.00 the troops will enter Prague. At the same time, the "independence" of Slovakia will be proclaimed. The operation will be carried out under the guise of a "peaceful action in order to establish order." Since no resistance is expected, there will be no mobilization in Germany. Czechoslovakian intelligence chief Moravec immediately relayed the information to Major Gibson of the Intelligence Service so that the British government could prevent a Nazi invasion. Gibson promised to help.

Shared.

Soviet troops came - reunited. Again Czechoslovakia.
Democrats came, again divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Yugoslavia 1941

After the occupation on the territory of Yugoslavia, an extensive partisan movement, in scope the most significant in Europe (not counting the USSR). The occupation authorities on the territory of the country created pro-Hitler Independent state Croatia (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Hitler -divided

THE USSR -reunited

Europe and the USA represented by NATO -shared.

We could also observe in the BSSR (Belarus), the Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine) and other national republics of the USSR. We see the same now.

Divide and conquer! From Hitler to this day.

So where do we put the equal sign?

The most common type of flyer leaflet during the war is a prisoner pass for enemy soldiers. To deliver leaflets to enemy soldiers, special artillery shells, aerial bombs, and rifle grenades were used.

German leaflets with a prisoner pass for Soviet soldiers are widely known. But our propagandists did not remain in debt. At the beginning of the war, Russian passes did not work - the Germans were successfully advancing, and appeals to class consciousness, the call to turn weapons against the exploiters were not perceived by the Germans, who considered themselves representatives of the nation, and not of a certain social class. But Soviet propagandists knew how to learn from their mistakes. After the first defeats on the Eastern Front, the passes finally started working. We offer you a small selection of little-known Soviet leaflets for Wehrmacht soldiers.

German soldiers are informed about the winter defeat of the Wehrmacht near Moscow. On the reverse side is a standard prisoner pass. The password in Russian is curious, which the Germans who decide to surrender should shout out: Farewell Moscow! Down with Hitler!

On a leaflet in the background are Tyrolean partisans from the Napoleonic Wars. In the foreground is a Soviet partisan. The text reads: What do you say by looking at their faces? The Soviet peasants are doing the same, fighting for the honor and freedom of their homeland.



And this Soviet leaflet tells the German soldiers on the Eastern Front that their comrades suffered a crushing defeat in Libya. theater map, detailed story about what happened at the theatre. On the reverse side of the leaflet is a statement of the fact that a war on two fronts will not lead to anything good for Germany and a call to surrender.



And this leaflet informs the German soldiers about the imminent opening of the second front.



A series of leaflets about how well the captured Germans in the Soviet rear:







Generals don't die, they surrender. Do the same. The comments are redundant and sound convincing.




An SS man paws at the wife of a wounded soldier in the rear. An attempt to embroil the Wehrmacht and the SS troops.



This leaflet tells the Germans about what is happening in their rear, total mobilization, the Italian allies went home, and the Germans at the front are plugging all the holes.



"That's what total mobilization is. Goebbels has fun with girls, and older women are sent as slaves to factories" (although instead of older German women, slaves driven from occupied countries worked in German factories, the use of slave labor and allowed the Germans to carry out total mobilization).



The dead speak to the living. "Comrades, wherever you are in a trench, in a dugout, on a post, we will relentlessly follow you the shadow of Stalingrad"



With Hitler the war will never end



























Propaganda in World War II (until 1945)

When it became clear that the new big war in Europe is inevitable, the Ministry of Propaganda has begun preparations for it. First of all, a special directorate for propaganda among the troops and population of the enemy country was created at the General Staff. Propaganda departments functioned in the army groups. Special propaganda troops were also created. Their organization began after the Wehrmacht spokesman General Keitel and Goebbels made a fundamental agreement in 1938 on the conduct of propaganda during the war. In the same year, the formation of special propaganda companies began in the German armed forces. The first five propaganda companies were attached to the command of the army corps in Dresden, Breslau, Nuremberg, and Vienna. In the autumn of 1938 they took part in the occupation of the Sudetenland. In June 1941, at the time of the attack on the USSR, there were 17 propaganda companies in the German troops destined for war on the Soviet-German front. In 1943, propaganda companies were separated into a special branch of the military. Their total number at that time was 15 thousand people, and the staff of an ordinary propaganda company included 115 people. Depending on the tasks performed, its composition could increase or decrease.

The propaganda companies included military journalists, photo, film and radio reporters, personnel for the maintenance of propaganda radio vehicles and film installations, specialists in the creation and distribution of anti-Soviet literature, posters, and leaflets. To form these companies, individuals were selected who were required to be equally good at both journalistic skills (literary, radio, photo or film reporting) and various military professions. The latter circumstance was especially important when covering the combat operations of aviators, tankers, sailors of torpedo boats, etc., since, for example, the crew of a combat aircraft could not take on board a single superfluous person who was only an observer of what was happening. A journalist from a propaganda company had to be able to replace someone from the crew of a combat vehicle.

Propaganda companies were called upon to serve not only the means of mass influence of the Nazi Reich. Before the outbreak of hostilities, propaganda units carried out work among their troops and the German population. Since the beginning of the war, their actions were dominated by propaganda aimed at the troops and population of the enemy. The training and equipment of the companies differed depending on the theater of operations, they were given country experts, translators who spoke local languages, printing houses with the appropriate set of fonts.

It was the propaganda companies that ensured the success of Goebbels' favorite brainchild - the weekly newsreel. Even at the beginning of 1945, their cameramen sent to Berlin 20,000 meters of film every week, although only 1,200 meters were required for a 45-minute session of the weekly newsreel. The selection of the best stories was made, which brought success to the newsreel not only in Germany, but also in foreign countries. For the foreign audience at the beginning of the war, 1,000 copies of such newsreels were produced weekly with narration in 15 languages.

The press was not deprived of attention either. Despite the fact that all the press in Germany was controlled by the Nazis, Goebbels paid special attention to it - as, indeed, to the foreign press. The basis of interaction between the Ministry of Propaganda and journalists was daily press conferences, or rather, briefings. These events, which were held twice a day, were required to be specially accredited representatives of all Berlin, as well as the largest provincial newspapers.

They were held by the highest-ranking employees of the ministry and were of a confidential nature. The notes made during the briefings, as well as the pre-printed instructions given to journalists, were subject to destruction or return to the ministry for use. In addition, the editorial offices of newspapers and especially magazines were regularly supplied with circulars through the usual channels of communication. This whole system, from which the Nazis in principle did not make secrets, was so fine-tuned that one of the responsible employees of the Goebbels ministry allowed himself a public statement that the German press, even during the war, was able to abandon that preliminary censorship, which in supposedly so The "free" democracies of the West have led to the fact that newspapers must come out with large white spots on the pages. Foreign journalists accredited in Berlin could attend press conferences three times a day, one of which was hosted by Ribbentrop's Foreign Office.

The most important task of propaganda in the Second World War was to conceal their own plans, and Goebbels succeeded in this with brilliance. The first such measure, carried out by the German high command, was directed against Poland. It pursued the goal of hiding the strategic concentration and deployment of German troops. To do this, newspapers and radio reported that the German command intends to

build a system of large defensive structures in the East, similar to the "Western Wall". Only the area located along the border with Poland could be chosen for such construction. To this end, in the border area, first, topographic referencing and camouflage of positions on the ground were carried out, and then the equipment of troop quartering sites and the laying of communication lines. After the completion of the preparatory work, many divisions were brought up to the border, which immediately began the construction of field fortifications. Then, a few weeks later, to replace these divisions, which was also reported in newspapers and on the radio, a significant number of troops arrived in the border area. more divisions, and the troops previously stationed there were again sent to the territory of the Reich. The Poles, who followed all movements with great attention, felt safe again after this dispatch of troops.

The third, especially powerful, wave that followed then meant the concentration of troops. Thus, despite the large movements, he managed to hide from the Poles.

Often, the German command carried out measures to disinform the enemy without the participation of troops, but only with the help of the media. So, for a long time, the West Wall was at the center of German propaganda. The propaganda of this "wall" began before the operation to seize the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia (in October 1938) and boiled down to presenting the equipment and equipment of the "Western Wall" much more modern, and its military role is much more significant than it really is.

As a result, the Allies were convinced that it was impossible to break through this line of fortifications (at least without suffering unacceptable losses). Thus, General Gamelin, then Chief of the French General Staff, said, when it came to providing Poland with the promised assistance, that an attack on the "Western Wall" would require the entire supply of ammunition available to the French army. This gave the leaders of Great Britain and France the opportunity to refrain from fulfilling their obligations - despite the fact that the German command had only five personnel and twenty-five reserve divisions to defend the "Western Wall".

A similar kind of propaganda was deployed in 1941, before the attack on the USSR. The concentration of troops under the plan "Barbarossa" was originally presented as the creation of a cover in case of intervention Soviet Union(which contributed to fanning anti-Soviet hysteria), and then - as a bluff, designed to divert attention from the preparations for the invasion of England. The highest political leadership of fascist Germany also participated in this disinformation action. So, in June 1941, an article by Goebbels appeared in the Volkischer Beobachter newspaper, in which, with a hidden threat, it was said about the invasion of England. To make this intention more plausible, the distribution of the newspaper issue with this article shortly after its publication was imperceptible, but so that it could still fall into the hands of enemy agents, it was stopped. The reprint of the article by other newspapers was also prohibited. The plausibility of the intentions expressed in the article was reinforced by the steps taken against the newspaper. The event carried out fully achieved its goal - the leadership of both the USSR and Great Britain accepted this material as the truth.

Disinformation was widely used not only to hide their intentions, but also to intimidate the enemy. So, a few days after the attack on France, Goebbels ordered a message to be transmitted to France through the "black" radio station that a plan to attack the Bourbon Palace had been discovered in Paris. This and other reports of the Germans about the actions of the "fifth column", launched through various channels, were picked up and presented in a sensational form by the French press. Later, on August 8, 1940, Goebbels ordered to prepare a message for the "black" radio station in England that 100 thousand sets of English military uniforms fell into the hands of the Germans near Dunkirk. The Minister's intention was to intimidate the British with the prospect of German paratroopers dressed in English uniforms. On August 14, German "black" radio stations reported that German paratroopers, some in English uniforms and some in civilian clothes, had been thrown out in one of the regions of England, and that they had taken refuge with agents of the "fifth column". The English newspapers the next day reported that parachutes had indeed been found on the ground, but that they were not seen to be lowered. On August 20, Goebbels ordered that "English reports" about the presence of German paratroopers in England be officially refuted, and "black" radio stations continued to report on new landings.

A method close to disinformation was the use of "anticipatory messages", i.e. reports of some event that has not yet occurred, but is expected and very likely. However, the Goebbels department used it infrequently, since it repeatedly fell into a mess. For example, the Germans were so sure of the fall of Moscow that on October 10, 1941 they reported the fall of the Soviet capital. It also happened earlier, in September 1939, when the Germans twice reported the sinking of the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the first time by torpedoes, the other by air bombs. When an official notification came from the British after that that the Ark Royal had arrived in Cape Town, Goebbels turned to the representative of the German Navy at his regular briefing with the question of how to respond to this message. The representative of the Navy replied: "I, unfortunately, have nothing to say about this, Mr. Reich Minister, because the Ark Royal was sunk by the Ministry of Propaganda, not us." With the loss of strategic initiative, German propaganda began to use this method in order to soften the shock impact of unpleasant events. Thus, in connection with the retreat of the fascist troops, information was disseminated about the intention of the Wehrmacht command to "level" or "reduce" the front, and then there were reports of the withdrawal of German units to new positions.

For the same purpose (to mitigate the unpleasant effect), such messages, as a rule, were placed where they attracted the least attention - on the last pages of newspapers, in the middle of a radio broadcast, etc.

Rumors were still widely used by the Ministry of Propaganda - now they were directed almost exclusively to their own population. Goebbels' diary testifies that he specifically relied on the dissemination among the people of "genuine legends" about his raids on the quarters of Berlin bombed by British aircraft. The Minister of Propaganda prudently believed that there was no need to report this in the newspapers: "That's better, oral propaganda works here." And at the briefing on October 24, 1942, he gave the order to spread among the people a rumor about the use by the Germans of "unheard of effective weapons" in Stalingrad. A month later, there was talk that German tank flamethrowers appeared in Stalingrad, capable of throwing houses six stories and higher into a sea of ​​​​fire, and that the Wehrmacht soldiers first used an automatic machine with a rate of fire of 3000 rounds per minute there. With all these "accurate" details, it was about the purest fabrications. The effectiveness of this technique was such that one can still come across people who believe in such fabrications. The ultra-rapid automatic machine enjoys particular success, and attempts to convince of the technical impossibility of its creation do not give any effect.

In the occupied territories, German propaganda was primarily aimed at securing the loyalty of the population.

The Wehrmacht conducted propaganda against the Soviet troops, the population of the front-line and front-line regions, and especially the inhabitants of the occupied areas. In addition to the army, propaganda in the occupied regions was carried out by the Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, in which special structures were created for this. Propaganda actions were coordinated through the Reichskommissars and the general regional and district commissars subordinate to them. The Reichskommissars had special propaganda departments at their disposal.

The propaganda system included the lower levels of the occupation administration - the elders, burgomasters and other ranks. Hitler's propaganda materials were sent to all institutions, districts and volost governments, village elders, and the elders were obliged to read German leaflets and newspapers to the population. Reports of the German high command were read in the same mandatory manner. In addition, in prominent places in cities and villages, newspapers, posters and leaflets were hung on special boards. The occupying authorities also tried to train propagandists from the local population.

In advance, even before the start of hostilities against the USSR, the Nazis prepared a large number of posters, leaflets, appeals, orders, instructions and other printed materials. In general, they were of a general nature, therefore, from the first days of the war, the military command and the occupying authorities began to create a printing base directly on the occupied territory.

Since Soviet printing enterprises were mostly evacuated or destroyed by the Red Army during the retreat, in most cases printing equipment was imported from Germany or occupied European countries. In a fairly short time, the Germans restored printing houses in all major cities and in many regional centers. Among the population, the Germans distributed various publications in Russian: books, brochures, calendars, illustrated magazines, posters, portraits of Hitler, etc. But the bulk of them were newspapers and leaflets.

The greatest number of leaflets was issued in the first days of the occupation. Then they were published only for the partisans and the population living in the zones of their active operations. In the future, the place of leaflets was occupied by all kinds of appeals, orders, announcements, posters, and mainly newspapers. To attract the attention of readers accustomed to respecting local publications, often the logo and name of newspapers were left the same as in Soviet time, often the Germans also went for a direct fake, disguising their publications as central Soviet newspapers. The exact number of German occupation publications has not been established, however, according to archival data, about 300 titles are known.

The tactics of German propaganda in World War II changed in accordance with the course of hostilities and was divided into three main stages:

Propaganda of military successes;

Propaganda by critical analysis of one's mistakes;

Propaganda by instilling fear of defeat.

In terms of time, the first stage covers the initial period of World War II until the defeat of the German army near Moscow (from September 1939 to December 1941). At this stage, German propaganda fed on victories at the fronts and saw its task as explaining to the German people the necessity and justice of this war and proving its preventive character. Estimates of German propaganda during this period are quite contradictory, since high morale in a period of constant victories is not proof of the effectiveness of psychological operations, and the propaganda itself was quite straightforward and often rude. In the occupied territory, it boiled down mainly to intimidation with the power of Germany in order to break the will to win among the population of the occupied regions.

The second period, which began in January 1942 and lasted until the summer of 1944, is considered the most interesting in terms of tactics. This period includes the "disputes" of the radio commentator G. Fritsche with enemy propaganda, as well as the weekly publication of Goebbels' editorials. According to R. Sulzman and American researchers, these articles represented something new in propaganda.

Goebbels's publications created the impression that the government was talking openly and naturally with every German citizen about the most delicate issues of the political and military situation and allowing him to have his own opinion on this issue. In his speeches, the Minister of Propaganda also used the propaganda messages of the enemy known to him, which managed to penetrate the people. He analyzed all sorts of rumors spread among the people and in certain cases allowed himself to deliberately exaggerate. The film "Friederikus" was released. He had to show how Frederick the Great, despite all the unfavorable circumstances for him, by perseverance and perseverance achieved a victory that for a long time seemed impossible. The footage, in which the king was depicted in holey shoes, did not leave the pages of the press for a long time. It is worth noting that this kind of appeal to historical analogies is generally typical for a side that does not have a strategic initiative and is losing the war.

Since that time, front-line reports have become even more realistic, and the weekly review for the first time publishes photographs of dead German soldiers.

Propaganda through a critical analysis of its actions was calculated by its leaders to convince the people of the need for war, to make them harden internally and make them immune to setbacks at the front.

The third stage again set as its goal intimidation, but not the enemy, but its own citizens. It begins with the Allied invasion of Europe in the summer of 1944 and continues until the end of the war in the spring of 1945. At this stage, German propaganda tried to mobilize the last forces of the people to resist the enemy, instilling in him the fear and horror of defeat.

There was a wealth of material for this - both massive bombardments, and published (and sometimes not officially published) plans after the military structure of the world, and even the very demand for unconditional surrender. It was in this atmosphere that the proverb arose and became widespread: "Rejoice at the war, for the world will be terrible." Researchers suggest that Goebbels himself invented it. It is also noted that it was at this moment that many Germans openly or secretly believed in the existence of some miraculous weapon in Germany. This belief was supported by the actual commissioning of new technology - jet aircraft and guided missile weapons, but propaganda was silent about the fact that Germany was not able to establish a truly mass production of this technology.

Usually trying to avoid outright lies, Nazi propaganda in the final phase of the war not only misreported the situation on the fronts, but did so with great delay. At a press conference in those days, Goebbels said that propaganda should make every effort to survive just a few difficult weeks ahead, until a new weapon would significantly change the situation. It has been constantly asserted that anti-Hitler coalition intends to destroy not only Germany as a state, but also the German people. Propaganda appealed mainly to feelings that touched the heart and soul of the people, i.e., to German nationalism, to the readiness of the people for self-sacrifice, to their faith in their leaders and devotion to their authorities, as well as to their soldierly virtues.

Nazi propaganda did not initially change significantly with the outbreak of hostilities, but significantly expanded its scope.

Propaganda actions began to be used to provide covert preparations for military operations. In the occupied territories, the task of propaganda was to suppress resistance and ensure the loyalty of the population.

With the loss of strategic initiative priority again became propaganda within the country. Its main theses during this period were, at first, assertions about the temporary nature of the defeats experienced by Germany, and later - the need to fight to the end, whatever it may be. Characteristically, even during this period, most Germans were confident that Hitler would be able to find some means to soften the defeat and the terms of surrender and peace treaty.