Three Germans Surrendered Holding One Piece of Paper Between Them
WW2 Silent Revealed
8,336 views
In one American Army account, three German soldiers walked toward the enemy with their hands up and a single sheet of paper between them. It wasn't a letter, a flag, or a plea. It was laid out like an official certificate, printed in German and English, with seals at the top and orders addressed not to them, but to the men about to capture them. At the bottom was a name every German soldier knew: Eisenhower. This is the story of that piece of paper — who designed it, what it promised, and what happened to the men who believed it.
SOURCES
Books
Daniel Lerner, Sykewar: Psychological Warfare Against Germany, D-Day to VE-Day (1949)
Paul M. A. Linebarger, Psychological Warfare (1948)
Judith M. Gansberg, Stalag: U.S.A. (1977)
Articles & official publications
Martin F. Herz, "Some Psychological Lessons from Leaflet Propaganda in World War II," Public Opinion Quarterly 13:3 (1949)
"The Voices of Freedom," Army Talks, Vol. IV, No. 18, 16 September 1945
SHAEF Psychological Warfare Division, Leaflet Operations in the Western European Theatre
12th Army Group, Publicity and Psychological Warfare, 1943–1945
Canadian Military History, Vol. 17, Issue 3
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Vol. III (Office of the Historian, docs 398, 401, 405)
Croley, ETSU thesis (2006)
Archives
U.S. National Archives, Record Group 331 (Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, WWII)
U.S. National Archives, Record Group 111 (Signal Corps photographs)
Imperial War Museum, London, LBY K. 96/1022
Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College (blog, 24 January 2012)
University of Leeds (WWII leaflet collection)
Online references
Herbert A. Friedman, "The Allied 'Passierschein' Safe Conduct Passes of WWII," psywarrior.com
Z-G 61 English translation, psywar.org
Bill Downs, CBS war correspondent archive (Z-G 90 text)
Wikipedia: Psychological Warfare Division (SHAEF); Rheinwiesenlager; German prisoners of war in the United Kingdom
Visuals: archival photographs from the U.S. National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, animated maps, and original illustrations.
3 Comments
BTW your spoda spell out the persons name along with the signature. not only can it identify who the signature belongs to but many signatures are unreadable.
Three Germans Surrendered Holding One Piece of Paper Between Them
WW2 Silent Revealed
8,336 views
In one American Army account, three German soldiers walked toward the enemy with their hands up and a single sheet of paper between them. It wasn't a letter, a flag, or a plea. It was laid out like an official certificate, printed in German and English, with seals at the top and orders addressed not to them, but to the men about to capture them. At the bottom was a name every German soldier knew: Eisenhower. This is the story of that piece of paper — who designed it, what it promised, and what happened to the men who believed it.
SOURCES
Books
Daniel Lerner, Sykewar: Psychological Warfare Against Germany, D-Day to VE-Day (1949)
Paul M. A. Linebarger, Psychological Warfare (1948)
Judith M. Gansberg, Stalag: U.S.A. (1977)
Articles & official publications
Martin F. Herz, "Some Psychological Lessons from Leaflet Propaganda in World War II," Public Opinion Quarterly 13:3 (1949)
"The Voices of Freedom," Army Talks, Vol. IV, No. 18, 16 September 1945
SHAEF Psychological Warfare Division, Leaflet Operations in the Western European Theatre
12th Army Group, Publicity and Psychological Warfare, 1943–1945
Canadian Military History, Vol. 17, Issue 3
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Vol. III (Office of the Historian, docs 398, 401, 405)
Croley, ETSU thesis (2006)
Archives
U.S. National Archives, Record Group 331 (Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, WWII)
U.S. National Archives, Record Group 111 (Signal Corps photographs)
Imperial War Museum, London, LBY K. 96/1022
Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College (blog, 24 January 2012)
University of Leeds (WWII leaflet collection)
Online references
Herbert A. Friedman, "The Allied 'Passierschein' Safe Conduct Passes of WWII," psywarrior.com
Z-G 61 English translation, psywar.org
Bill Downs, CBS war correspondent archive (Z-G 90 text)
Wikipedia: Psychological Warfare Division (SHAEF); Rheinwiesenlager; German prisoners of war in the United Kingdom
Visuals: archival photographs from the U.S. National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, animated maps, and original illustrations.