PSYOPs Photograph Library

WWI British balloon distribution of propaganda leaflets. Men of the Hampshire Regiment checking wind direction.

WWI British balloon distribution of propaganda leaflets. Men of the Hampshire Regiment attaching leaflets to a balloon, near Bethune, France.

WWII RAF Nickel Raid. Distributing propaganda leaflets through the flare chute of a Whitley bomber.

WWII RAF Nickel Raid. Loading leaflets into the Whitley aircraft.

WWII The "M" Balloon Unit. As each balloon is inflated its appropriate load is made ready and the fuse lit on a nearby truck. Belgium.

WWII The "M" Balloon Unit. Inflating balloons from hydrogen cylinders. Uninflated balloons are seen stacked on the roadside.

WWII The "M" Balloon Unit. The load is now carefully hooked on to the balloon under the supervision of the CO, FLt. J.M. Woodcock, who also checks the fuse and the position of the leaflets and ballast.

WWII The "M" Balloon Unit. Now the balloon is released for its journey over enemy territory by Corporal J. Brace.

WWII The "M" Balloon Unit. Counter-propaganda leaflets among them are Safe Conduct Passes for Germans willing to surrender being loaded into the string cage which will carry them deep into Germany.

WWII SICILY – German soldiers fighting at the Sicilian front, were often surprised to see Allied shells burst in the air over their heads, showering leaflets into their ranks. Printed in German, the sheets told Nazi fighters of the rapid Allied progress in Sicily and the futility of German resistance against strong United Nations forces, advising them that their shortest route home was through captivity. The following shows how the propaganda leaflets are loaded into non-lethal shells and fired into German lines.

COR 695926 WP. . . . . . . . . . NEW YORK BUREAU
Pvt. G. Herper of Aberdeen, Scotland, and Sgt. J. Jarvis of Paddington, England, members of the Propaganda Unit operating in Sicily, unpack the sheets that will soon be delivered to Nazi fighters.

WWII Sgt. M. Martin of the 19th Leaflet Unit rolling propaganda leaflets for artillery distribution in Roermond.

WWII Sgt. M. Martin and Driver T. Aiken loading propaganda leaflets into artillery shells in Roermond.

WWII Captain R.H. Heycock (Intelligence Corps) packing rolled bundles of propaganda leaflets into shell cases.

WWII U.S. gun fires information leaflets into enemy lines. Two U.S. artillerymen examine Safe Conduct Passes before loading them in a shell which will be fired into enemy lines near Reipertsweiler in the Hochberg area of Northern Alsace.

WWII A MESSAGE FOR THE ENEMY.
Lt. Livingston Hartley of the U.S. Navy loads a 25-pound gun shell with leaflets, to be shot at the enemy. Other shells loaded and waiting to be loaded are on the ammunition boxes, as well as leaflets...
The Psychological Warfare Branch of Allied Force Headquarters is handling the job of loosing (sic) the bloodless weapons on the enemy, the civilians in the enemy-occupied territory in the rear of the army...
Little over a year has passed since PWB was born. It was on November 4, 1942 that General Eisenhower sent for Col. C.B. Hazeltine and told him the need to integrate British and American military and civilian propaganda efforts.
13977 315P 3/10/44 AJE WABC 145.