Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Similar to the others in this series, in this case highlighting German history, culture, and how to behave, but this time as an occupying army – and as such being far more cautionary, as the British soldiers would be amongst the enemy in Germany, as opposed to with allies in France.

There were naturally two sides for how to treat the German people after Hitler was defeated, one, with mercy, tolerance, and humanity, and the second, with toughness, and holding them accountable for having empowered the Nazis. I suppose it’s a bit like the duality found between “an eye for an eye” in the Old Testament and “turn the other cheek” in the New, and the opposite sides of the coin that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were on. The preface points out several Members of Parliament favored leniency as a way of being better than the Nazis (“Humanity and justice cannot be based upon hatred and revenge”), as did Winston Churchill, who ends his History of the Second World War with “In war, resolution; in defeat, defiance; in victory, magnanimity; in peace, good will.”

However, the authors of this book took a harder line, possibly because it was appropriate to keep the troops from letting their guard down in showing mercy, or fraternizing in a way that may end up getting allies killed, but as the quotes below show, also because the bitterness of what England had been through during the war still stoked jingoistic feelings. It’s a little shocking in places as a result, but more interesting to read because of it. The brief German history section, while perhaps basic, is interesting, highlighting Bismarck, and explaining the rise of Hitler and aspects of the Nazi party (e.g. Gestapo being the first couple of letters from Geheime Staats-Polizei, Secret State Police, etc). The first German phrase in the section at the end is Hande hoch! - Hands up!, and a few more of those types of things precede the usual Guten Morgen and other niceties.

Quotes:
“From the time Hitler came to power no serious resistance movement showed itself in Germany until the attempted putsch of the German generals on the 20th July, 1944. But the cause of that revolt was not the barbarity of Hitler’s methods, but merely their lack of success.”

“Don’t be too ready to listen to stories told by attractive women. They may be acting under orders.”

Ouch:
“This mixture of sentimentality and callousness does not show a well-balanced mind. The Germans are not good at controlling their feelings, They have a streak of hysteria. You will find that Germans may often fly into a passion if some little thing goes wrong.”

“When you deal with Germans you must be on your guard. We were taken in by them after the last war: many of us swallowed their story about the ‘cruel’ Treaty of Versailles, although it was really far more lenient than the terms they themselves had imposed on Russia only a year before; many of us believed their talk about disarmament, and the sincerity of their desire for peace. And so we let ourselves in for this war, which has been a good deal bigger than the last. There are signs that the German leaders are already making plans for a Third World War. That must be prevented at all costs.… (més)

About twice the size of the similar booklet distributed to Americans prior to their deployment in England, but with the same ‘feel’ – a reminder of what the host country had been through, and guidelines to behave as proper representatives of the visiting country. This one also includes a brief history lesson of France and French phrasebook. The sections cautioning against the allure of French women that would likely be on soldier’s minds are interesting, as are the points made that British bombing of the Germans in France had killed civilians, and the naval blockage denied food to them – so that while the French embraced their liberators, there might be occasional unevenness in individual people’s reactions.

Quotes:
This one from Winston Churchill 8/31/43 as a preface:
“You may be sure that France will rise again free, united, and independent, to stand on guard with others over the generous tolerances and brightening opportunities of the human society we mean to rescue and rebuild.”

“You will often think that two Frenchmen are having a violent quarrel when they are simply arguing some abstract point. The excitement is all on the surface; fundamentally they are at least as tolerant as ourselves.
The French, however, are not tolerant of authority – as the Germans have found to their cost. Their first reaction to a uniform or a regulation is not to obey unquestioningly, but rather to ask whether it is necessary and make disrespectful comments if they decide it is not. This is all part of the Frenchman’s deep belief in the individual. He is convinced of his right to think for himself and voice his criticisms aloud.”

“Thanks to jokes about ‘Gay Paree’, ‘French farce’, and ‘Pictures from Paris’, there is a fairly widespread belief among people in Britain that the French are a particularly gay, frivolous people with no morals and few convictions. This is especially true at the present time, when the French have been living a life of hardship and suffering. But the idea of the French living a glorious orgy of ‘wine, women and song’ never was true, even before the war.”

“If you should happen to imagine that the first pretty French girl who smiles at you intends to dance the can-can or take you to bed, you will risk stirring up a lot of trouble for yourself – and for our relations with the French.”… (més)

This is one of a series of booklets which is being re-printed by the Bodleian Library.It should be of the upmost interest to anyone at all concerned with the Second World War and it's aftermath.The title I suppose says it all,but after a concise Preface which sets the scene,there are 13 chapters,with such headings as - The German Land,What the Nazis have Done to Germany,What the war has Done to Germany,What the Germans are Like,What the Germans Think of Us,ect .
The booklet ends with a list of Do's and Dont's,such as -Keep your eyes and ears open,Avoid loose talk and conduct,Go easy on Schnaps.Don't be sentimental,Don't fall for political hard-luck stories,Don't go looking for trouble.
The booklet is (as the Preface says) in turn unintentionally humorous and crudely stereotypical,and gives an excellent picture of British official thinking of the time.… (més)