[
Originally posted 2004 as part of the MilBlogs And Friends Special Edition of the Sixtieth Anniversary of D-Day. Please click the link to see the excellent work done by the other participants]
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When over 100,000 men hit the beaches of France 65 years ago, they were well-prepared. They had training, they had practice, they had equipment, and they had their mission.
They also had the right attitude. They were landing on these beaches, not to catch a bare toe-hold in the sand, but to begin a push that wouldn't end until they marched down the streets of Berlin and looked Hitler right in the eye.
But if they saw him, they wouldn't see Hitler as we see him today - a legendary figure of personified evil and a demi-god of power and malice.
Not hardly.
To the troops coming off the boat, he was nothing but a spastic, greasy-haired, one-balled, lunatic Austrian paper-hanger with a bad mustache.
Because back during the early 40's, Americans didn't fear their enemies. They made fun of them.
Why?
Dictators HATE being made fun of. Hitler even made it a crime to tell anti-Nazi jokes. So if you were caught saying something like:
Hitler and his chauffeur are whizzing along a country road when a pig rushes out and is hit by their car. Spotting a nearby farm house, the chauffeur is sent up to inform the occupants of the demise of their animal. He returns with an armload of food and wine. Hitler is amazed.
"Why did they give you that?"
"I do not know. All I did was knock on the door and say I am Hitler's chauffeur and I killed the pig."
or
Hitler asked his astrologer on what day he would die.
"On a Jewish holiday," the astrologer replied.
"But which holiday?"
"Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday."
or
There are two kinds of Aryans: non-Aryans and barb-Aryans
or
A fatally wounded German soldier asked his chaplain to grant one final wish. "Place a picture of Hitler on one side of me, and a picture of Goering on the other side. That way I can die like Jesus, between two thieves."
or
Goebbels was touring German schools. At one, he asked the students to call out patriotic slogans.
"Heil Hitler," shouted one child.
"Very good," said Goebbels.
"Deutschland Uber alles," another called out.
"Excellent. How about a stronger slogan?"
A hand shot up, and Goebbels nodded.
"Our people shall live forever," the little boy said.
"Wonderful," exclaimed Goebbels. "What is your name, young man?"
"Israel Goldberg."
or
"What is the difference between an Nazi and a dog? A Nazi lifts his arm."
or
A German father instructing his son on how to say grace.
"From now on you must thank God and Hitler when you pray," says dad.
"But what happens if Hitler dies?" the boy asks.
"Then you just thank God."
The consequences would be dire.
But in America, it was an industry.
Warner Brothers studios put out several classics cartoons mocking this failed house-painter and part-time goose-stepper, including:
Herr Meets Hare,
The Ducktators,
Daffy - The Commando, and
Scrap Happy Daffy.
Disney got into the act with
Der Fuehrer's Face and
Education for Death.
Popeye took a whack with
Seein' Red, White & Blue and
Spinach Fer Britain.
And did you think that Dr. Seuss just wrote quaint little children's books? You might be surprised to learn that he did
a large number of political cartoons during the war. Like the one at the top of this entry.
And let's not forget about Jack Benny in "
To Be Or Not To Be".
Or Charlie Chaplin in "
The Great Dictator".
And if you're in a singin' mood, there's always Spike Jones' rendition of "
Der Fuehrer's Face" (full mp3 available free here).
Now, I'm not saying that a few cartoons and a sprightly war ditty made all the difference on the beaches of Normandy, but I would feel safe in saying that when you've been mocking that "
paper hanging son-of-a-bitch" instead of fearing him, it makes finally
taking that piss in the Rhine river all the sweeter.
Of course, things are a little different today. The major Hollywood studios don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, so they're out of the precision guided humor business.
Fortunately for us, however, there are those who have not forgotten the lesson, and spare no effort in
reminding the public that even though we may have to fight our enemies seriously, we don't have to waste time taking them seriously.
