The propaganda troop of the third realm was one the armed forces assigned organization, whose task existed in the psychological influence both the German people and army member, and the opponent of the realm.

History of the propaganda troops

The list of propaganda troops was considered for the first time by the realm guidance during the mobilization 1937 and finally accomplished for the first time 1938 in the context of the Sudetenkrise, whereby these troops were not used however. The propaganda troops were first subordinate to the Signal Corps, became however on 14 October 1942 their own branch of service. Them been subordinate in technical regard of the department for armed forces propaganda (WPr) under Hasso of Wedel.Die personnel strengths of these troops amounted to 15.000 men, from which to end of war about 1.000 fell. Altogether the Kriegsberichter produced about 80.000 word contributions and over 2 millions single photos.

Field

The field of the propaganda troops falls mostly into the range of the psychological war guidance ("“active propaganda"”):

• Influence of the enemy and the population in the occupied areas with loudspeaker acoustic irradiation, pressure and distribution of handbills, publications, film, establishment of Radiosendern
• Positive influence of the own troops (also special the non-German army parts)
• Fight of hostile propaganda
• Camouflage of the own operational measures by purposeful incorrect information (diverting manoeuvres).
• War reporting (in writing, picture (photo, design) and film)

"„The propaganda troops of the armed forces guarantee a cooperating between propaganda and weapon war in the area of operations. "“(Joseph Goebbels)

For the fulfilment of these tasks the propaganda troops seized both on German domestic assistance (translation, pressure of handbills) and on local auxiliary workers (of "“east propaganda courses"”) back.

Particularly within the range of the weapon SS, where the propaganda troops were above average active, the tasks of war report refunding dropped back to weapon-NSS-own troops (Kriegsberichter - KB).

Operational areas and arrangement

The propaganda troops of the armed forces were divided into the following parts:

• Department for armed forces propaganda (WPr) in the OKW (supreme command of the armed forces): Technical guidance of the propaganda troops.
• Propaganda departments: To the influence of the population in the occupied areas operating federations.
• Propaganda companies (PK): Into combat forces merged troops, often war correspondents.
• Propaganda employment department: Mobile department for direct-in-corrodes, with own transport aircrafts Ju 52 and other material (Fesselballons for handbill distribution, high performance public-address systems, etc.) equipped "“elite unit"”, which became related both the logistic co-ordination between the propaganda troops and Berlin, and for emergencies.
• Front printering courses: To the production railway trains equipped by handbills in the far remote operational areas of the east.
• Free coworkers: To attain mainly authors, who tried on own fist (often by picking up attempts in civil sectors such as taverns and of hunt pilot, commander of submarine etc. propagandistically usable material (mostly narrations of war employments).

Belonging one of the propaganda troops

The requirements of the propaganda troops to the abilities their war correspondents were quite highly settled particularly; thus it does not surprise that some large medium shapes of postwar Germany are under it:

• Lothar book home
• Kurt W. Marek
• Joachim Fernau
• Rudolf of hail seaweeds
• Werner
• Karl Holzamer
• Henri Nannen
• Roland
• Ernst Rowohlt
• Manfred Schmidt
• Peter von Zahn

Literature

• Buchbender, Ortwin: The sounding ore. Sea-forest publishing house, Stuttgart 1978.

Articles in category "Propaganda troop"

We found here 8 articles.