The Grim Math of War
Nazi psychological warfare taunted the Allies with skulls and snails
This is a gruesome German propaganda leaflet, aimed at allied forces at the end of the battle of Casino in May 1944. The allies had landed at Salerno in September 1943, and had been slowed in the fight to move north by terrain, weather and fierce German resistance.
The death's head on the map holds a calipers to measure the progress so far and apply it to the allied goal of occupying all of Italy and moving on Berlin.
As the text on verso notes, it had taken 8 months to gain 123 kilometers, and casualties had been high ("About 1000 casualties for each kilometre!").
Based on the rate of success through May 1944, the leaflet concludes:
Probable arrival in Northern Italy about April 1948.
And the price? Further 700,000 men lost as dead or wounded...
Probable arrival in Berlin in or about 1952.
And the price? Another 600,000 men dead, wounded or taken prisoners!
That means another 7 long years of bloodshed! And that means you will never live to see it!
The same point was made by a German propaganda poster distributed about the same time - the speed of the allies' advance was slower than the pace of a garden snail.
The poster claims that a snail traveling at 0.8 meters a minute for 191 days would have advanced 320 kilometers by April 1, 1944. But the Allies had achieved only 180 kilometers.
The German leaflet and poster show the sarcastic and sinister tone of the German propaganda that aimed to discourage the Allied troops from continuing their advance in Italy, and how the Allies proved them wrong.
After the German defense line and Monte Cassino were stormed in mid-May 1944, the Allies moved on rapidly to liberate Rome on June 5, 1944.
More Nazi propaganda …
Nazi Propaganda Poster (1944)
Caption translation: “The USA will save European culture from destruction.” By Harald Damsleth (August 16, 1906 – March 1, 1971) was a Norwegian illustrator. He is best known for his posters for Nasjonal Samling (NS) during World War II. In 1950, Damsleth was convicted of treason during World War II and sentenced to five years of ha…
Title: Speaking of Timetables
Collection: Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection: Speaking of Timetables | Verso
Creator: Unknown
Date: 1944
Title: It's a Long Way to Rome
Collection: Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection: 2180.01
Creator: Unknown
Date: 1944
The catalyst is fear; always fear. Nothing plays quite like it.
Propaganda is way more sophisticated nowadays, but it's pretty wild how similar it is both in intent and in messaging.