Allied Propaganda Early in the war Britain was the only major combatant that had evaded German control But the British lived with a real fear of invasion or of being cut off and starved into defeat It depended on its allies for supplies It became clear to the British government early in 1939 that German aggression in Europe might lead to war The British set up a government department to produce propaganda aimed at Germany and the territory it had occupied It also set up the Ministry of Information to produce white propaganda aimed at encouraging British civilians The ministry used various means of communication including posters and radio broadcasts which were organized by the young British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Protecting the Country The major focus of British propaganda was defense and security It was feared particularly early in the war that the Germans could attack at any time For that reason everyone was encouraged to always carry their gas masks There were drills at school and in workplaces so that people knew how to fit their masks quickly PROPAGANDA THE ROYALS British propaganda got a boost when the royal family decided to stay in London during the Blitz When it was suggested that the children go to Canada for safety the Queen said The children won’t go without me I won’t leave without the king And the king will never leave The King and Queen visit bombed-out areas in the East End of London Buckingham Palace was bombed seven times during the war but King George VI and Queen Elizabeth remained in residence 66
ALLIED PROPAGANDA 5 A Canadian beaver marches side by side with a British lion in this Canadian recruiting poster The beaver has the maple leaf on its helmet the lion’s cigar is a reference to that of Winston Churchill see box page 10 7
PROPAGANDA CHARLES DE GAULLE When France surrendered to the Germans in June 1940 General Charles de Gaulle fled to London He asked the British to let him broadcast messages to maintain morale in occupied France He recruited a military force from French expatriates troops and sailors from French colonies in Africa also joined In 1942 de Gaulle also took charge of the resistance movement inside France Y De Gaulle inspects Free French forces By 1944 some 300,000 Free French took part in the D-Day invasion The 17th-century Canadian hero Pierre le Moyne was in some ways an odd choice for this recruiting poster he had led a number of attacks against the British in Canada 8 In fact a gas attack never happened Instead the bombing campaign known as the Blitz which began in September 1940 meant that air raids on cities were common for around nine months Information The Ministry of Information used posters to issue bulletins about the home front These were simple lists of information such as where it was possible to get hot meals where people could volunteer to help at rest centers for bombed-out families and how people could get travel vouchers nonessential travel was restricted Local announcements included the semester times for high schools or the availability of new premises for bombed businesses There were also more general tips on how to try to avoid sickness in crowded air-raid shelters such as Gargle daily night
Eyewitness HAROLD HOBDAY Harold Hobday was a navigator on one of the Lancaster bombers that took part in the Dambusters Raid I think it was a good thing especially from a morale point of view The dams raid apart from anything else did a lot for the morale of the country and abroad It also did a lot of damage in Germany So when people say Was it worth it I say that it was and morning and Bring a handkerchief and always cough or sneeze in it The threat of air raid remained throughout much of the war Posters recruited members of the civil defense forces such as air-raid wardens They also gave the public a pictorial guide to help distinguish the shapes of enemy and friendly aircraft in the skies overhead Business as Usual Despite the threat of bombardment or invasion propaganda promoted an approach described as business as usual In difficult conditions it was considered essential for morale to maintain the appearance of normal life as much as possible Even today the British are often proud of their stiff upper lip which means that they supposedly betray little emotion One famous poster that summed up the British spirit remains popular Its slogan reads simply Keep Calm and Carry On ALLIED PROPAGANDA The Daily Mirror announces the success of the Dambusters Raid which was later made into a famous movie DAMBUSTERS RAID Some military operations were as important for their impact on morale as for their actual results One example was the RAF raid on the dams of the Ruhr Valley one of Germany’s vital industrial areas The raid used a special bomb designed by Barnes Wallis The bomb bounced along the water behind the dam then sank and detonated next to the dam wall The mission destroyed two of the four dams but its real impact was to boost British morale Wallis’s ingenuity and the courage of mission leader Guy Gibson were widely celebrated 9
