4th November 2006
Two weeks ago I went to the Imperial War Museum to view five films from their archive.
I wrote about four of the films in my earlier post on Humphrey Jennings' wartime documentary films.
The fifth film was quite different. It was a 14 minute US film, directed by Frank Capra, originally produced in 1944, rewritten after the Battle of the Bulge, and released in April 1945.
It was shown to all US troops entering German territory for the first time, during the closing stages of the war. I believe it was also shown to many British and other allied troops on the Western front.
It is interesting to contrast this film with Humphrey Jennings' 'A Defeated People,' to show just how much attitudes changed in the six months between April 1945 and September and October the same year, when Jennings was filming in Germany.
'Your Job in Germany' conveys an uncompromisingly hard line attitude. The title screen at the start of the film says:
"You have just seen some of the atrocities committed by the Germans. The motion picture you are about to see is a training film prepared by the War Department for the US Army of occupation in Germany, so that they will be fully instructed and advised concerning their all-important mission."
There was no attempt to show German people as individuals. Instead the German nation, as a whole, was portrayed as collectively responsible and guilty for causing wars in 1870, 1914 and again in 1939.
The job of the American soldier was to stay aloof, be suspicious, and stay alert.
That a film such as this should be shown to US and allied troops at the end of the war is not surprising. What is surprising is the transformation that occurred in the first six months of the occupation, after the British and Americans had personal experience of conditions in Germany, and had met German men, women and children face to face.
The contrast with "Your Job in Germany" makes Humphrey Jennings' film "A Defeated People" appear all the more remarkable.
Here are some extracts from the commentary to "Your Job in Germany."
"The problem now is future peace. That is your job in Germany"
"You'll see some mighty pretty scenery. Don't let it fool you. You are in enemy country. Be alert, suspicious of everyone. Take no chances. You are up against more than tourist scenery. You are up against Germany history. It isn't good."
In a sequence referring to events after World War One, when the British and Americans occupied part of Germany for a time, and then withdrew their troops:
(Ironically) "Nice country Germany, tender people the Germans." (Ironically again) "When it comes to culture, they lead the whole world... We poured in our sympathy, we pulled out our armies...millions of people had let down their guard..."
And then referring to the situation, now, after World War Two:
"We almost lost this battle. It took everything we had ... It took every once of our courage and guts. It can happen again. That is why you occupy Germany. To make that next war impossible."
"The German lust for conquest is not dead. It's merely gone under cover."
"Somewhere in this Germany are the SS guards...the Gestapo guards. Out of uniform you won't know them. But they'll know you."
"Somewhere in this Germany are storm troopers, by the thousands, out of sight, part of the mob, but still watching you, hating you."
"Somewhere in this Germany there are 2 million ex Nazi officials. Out of power, but still in there, think, thinking about next time."
"Every business, every profession was part of Hitler's system ... Practically every German was part of the Nazi network."
"Guard particularly against this group. These are the most dangerous. German youth.
Trained to win by cheating. Trained to pick on the weak."
"Practically everything you believe in, they have been trained to hate and destroy. They believe they were born to be masters. That we are inferior, designed to be their slaves. They may deny it now, but they believe it."
"You are not being sent into Germany as educators. Every German is a potential source of trouble. Therefore there must be no fraternisation with any of the German people."
"Fraternisation means making friends. The German people are not our friends. You will not associate with German men, women or children."
"Don't clasp that hand, it's not the kind of hand you can clasp in friendship."
In practice there was no resistance to the British and US forces, and soldiers very soon did make friends with the people.
Field Marshal Montgomery, the British Commander in Chief, told in his memoirs how the non-fraternisation orders were soon relaxed:
"Such an order would simply not be obeyed. We must be sensible about it. Furthermore, if we were ever to re-educate the German population it would be a good thing to mix freely with them and teach them our standards of freedom and individual responsibility."
Already on 12th June 1945 the orders were relaxed, as Montgomery said: "to the extent that soldiers might speak to, and play with, children. They were of course, doing it anyway."
In July the rules were further relaxed, permitting conversations in the street, but not allowing soldiers to enter German homes. Then in September the ban was lifted completely. Montgomery said in his memoirs:
"We were then left with only two rules - no members of the armed forces were to be billeted with Germans, not were they allowed to marry them."
"It was a great relief to get this matter settled. I had never liked the orders which we had to issue; but it was Allied policy."
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