Directions of fascist leaflet propaganda for the decomposition of the Red Army
Warning! This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is based on historical facts confirmed by sources and does not contain propaganda, justification or approval of the ideology, policies, actions or symbols of the Third Reich.
Propaganda of corruption is a dirty business, having nothing to do with faith or worldview. In this matter, the only decisive factor is the result itself. If we succeed in winning the enemy's trust… instilling in them slogans that will corrupt them—it makes no difference whether these slogans are Marxist, Jewish, or intellectual, as long as they are effective!
— Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany J. Goebbels.This article will provide a starting point for the author's classification of German leaflets during the Great Patriotic War. The main themes used for informational and psychological influence on the Red Army will be highlighted. Naturally, there were a vast number of leaflet types, and listing them all is impossible. Therefore, this article will present only striking examples that will allow one to judge the general purpose of each method of influence.
It's important to note that the Soviet Union also created an apparatus for conducting special military propaganda aimed at enemy troops and populations. A separate series of articles will be devoted to this topic in the future.
Before we begin to present the classification itself, it is necessary to pay attention to some general characteristics inherent in German propaganda.
Most of the illustrations for this article were created based on materials from the website agitka, authored by military propaganda researcher N. A. Smirnov. The leaflets will be presented from the front (top) and back (bottom).
Simplification
The Nazis intended all propaganda materials to appeal to the masses, not the most intelligent soldiers. Therefore, they discarded overly long phrases, as well as direct threats or ridicule. The goal was to simplify propaganda as much as possible. Often, leaflets boiled down the information to an "either/or" format (life or death, hunger or satiety, victory or defeat). Such materials were accompanied by memorable, yet equally simplified, illustrations. These illustrations, however, had a certain impact.
One of the most famous German leaflets from the beginning of the war
Another colorful leaflet with a "life or death" theme. "Sh.V.Z." next to an inverted triangle on the back of the leaflet translates to "Bayonets in the ground." These words were to be shouted to indicate the intention to go into German captivity.
The leaflets almost always encouraged surrender.
Anti-semitism
Propaganda materials placed particular emphasis on the emergence and development of anti-Semitism within the Red Army. Nazi propaganda tirelessly reiterated that the Bolsheviks, like all its structures (especially the NKVD), were in fact instruments of world Jewry, whose leadership desired to enslave the entire world.
Jews were accused of initiating the war and of being a "parasite nation" living at the expense of others. The main thesis of German propaganda for Soviet soldiers in this regard was that the Jews, having seized power in a once-free Russia, had created a "Soviet prison of nations." The conclusion drawn from all this was that Bolshevism and Jewry were one and the same. Both were enemies of the peoples of Russia and were subject to extermination.
There were many leaflets in the "Watch the Jew" series, and they depicted many political figures of the Soviet Union.
Humor
The leaflets also used so-called "light genres": cartoons, simple poems, and anti-Soviet humor. They were easy to remember and easily retold. The advantage of these genres was their "infectiousness" and unprincipled nature. Anti-Soviet humor was dangerous precisely because many might not take it seriously, yet it was intended to undermine the "sacredness" of Soviet power and the seriousness of the events taking place.
Such caricatures and simple humor, at first glance not perceived as obvious Nazi propaganda, could subtly penetrate the consciousness of fighters and undermine their steadfastness and faith in their just cause.
The image of "General Winter" was often used in leaflet images on both the German and Soviet sides.
The image of the bear as a symbol of Russia
Leaflets from the "Laugh with Us, Red Army Soldier" series were widely distributed. They contained low-brow but memorable humor and anti-Soviet propaganda. At the top was the inscription: "Read-destroy-pass on." The idea was that soldiers would share the jokes they read.
The Soviet Union's anthem was altered by German propagandists.
Visibility
The use of geographical maps was also productive. As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
Maps depicting the front line or the contours of encirclement also allowed for a glimpse of the real state of affairs, which was typically embellished in the Wehrmacht's own propaganda reports. Wehrmacht propaganda organs used maps to demonstrate the advance into Soviet territory or to demonstrate the hopelessness of the encircled Red Army unit's position.
A map showing the encirclement, accompanied by a call for surrender. This format was often used in leaflets.
This map shows the advance of German troops deep into Soviet territory, while the reverse side shows losses, often exaggerated by German propaganda.
A special leaflet with a map for Red Army pilots. The map indicates the locations where pilots could land to surrender.
Disguise
This involves disguising them as familiar images. This method was mentioned in the previous article. The distribution of "banknote-leaflets" began in 1942. Reading or possessing a Nazi leaflet in the Soviet army was punishable by severe penalties. Furthermore, German propagandists were confident that, under the harsh conditions of war, a soldier would not ignore a banknote lying on the ground.
Around the perimeter of some of these leaflets was the inscription: “Hide this ticket among the others in your wallet” (such a leaflet was demonstrated in the previous article). The "bill-and-leaflet" was particularly effective because it could be placed in a wallet with other, real money, thus avoiding attention. Furthermore, if it were found on a soldier, he could justify the mistake by claiming he hadn't noticed and simply put it away, unaware that this type of printed propaganda existed.
A leaflet disguised as a party card also worked in a similar way. There were also propaganda pieces disguised as newspaper clippings from popular Soviet newspapers, train tickets, and other images familiar to all Soviet soldiers.
A leaflet designed as an issue of the Red Army newspaper "Combat Leaflet"
The back of the leaflet reads: "Workers, down with the war provoked by Stalin. If you want peace, turn your bayonet against those who are driving you to the slaughter."
A leaflet disguised as a party card of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
This is what a leaflet stylized as a train ticket looked like.
A leaflet disguised as a newspaper clipping from Komsomolskaya Pravda. The back of the leaflet, in the "Voice of Truth" column, usually contained German propaganda.
During the war, Voenizdat prepared and published numerous specialized brochures—memos, methodological manuals, instructions, and manuals on a wide variety of relevant military topics. Therefore, one of the German leaflets resembled the cover of such a manual.
Having outlined some characteristic techniques of German frontline propaganda, we can now proceed to the actual classification of Nazi leaflets addressed to Red Army soldiers. This will be discussed in the next article.
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