26th Division (German Empire)

Transcription

♫ March music ♫ ♫ "Ode to Joy", by Beethoven from his 9th Symphony ♫ The problem now is future peace. That is your job in Germany. By your conduct and attitude while on guard inside Germany, you can lay the groundwork of a peace that could last forever... or just the opposite. You could lay the groundwork for a new war to come. And just as American soldiers had to do this job twenty-six years ago, so other American soldiers, your sons, might have to do it again, another twenty odd years from now. Germany today appears to be beaten. Hitler...Out. Swastikas...Gone. Nazi propaganda...Off the air. Concentration camps...Empty. You'll see ruins. You'll see flowers. You'll see some mighty pretty scenery. Don't let it fool you. You are in enemy country. Be alert and suspicious of everyone. Take no chances. You are up against something more than tourist scenery. You are up against German history...it isn't good. This book was written chapter by chapter, not by one man, not by one Führer. It was written by the German people. Chapter one: The Führer: Bismarck. The Title: Blood and iron. The armies: German. Under the Prussian Bismarck the German empire was built. The German states combined, serving notice to all that their religion was iron. And their god was blood. Bismarck's German empire built itself by war at the expense of Denmark, Austria, and France. And became in 1871 the mightiest military power in all Europe. ♫ Waltz music ♫ Enough conquest for awhile. Time out to digest it. Europe relaxes...the danger's over. Nice country Germany. Tender people the Germans, and very sweet music indeed. ♫ Music ♫ Chapter 2: A new Führer: Kaiser Wilhelm [II]. New title: "Deutschland über alles"- "Germany over all". And the same tender German people (Bombs) smacked us with their World War I. Against Serbia, Russia, France, Belgium, Italy, Britain (bombs)... and the United States of America. (Bombs) It took all of us to do it but we finally knocked that Fuhrer out. Defeated the German armies. Second chapter ended. We marched straight into Germany and said: "Why these people are OK. It was just that Kaiser we had to get rid of. You know, this is really some country. When it comes to culture, they lead the whole world!" We bit. We poured in our sympathy. We pull out our armies and they flung chapter three in our faces. Fuhrer number three. Slogan number three. Today Germany is ours. Tomorrow, the whole world. And the tender, repentant, sorry German people carried the torch of their culture to Austria...Czechoslovakia...Poland...France... England...Norway...Holland...Denmark...Belgium... Luxembourg...Russia...Yugoslavia...Greece...and the United States of America. Over the shattered homes, over the broken bodies of millions of people that let down their guard. We almost lost this one. It took everything we had. Measure the cost in money? There isn't that much money. Measure the cost in lives? We can only guess at that figure. It took burning...and scalding, drenching. Freezing. It took legs. Fingers. Arms. And it took them by the millions. It cost hours, days and years that will never return. We threw in our help. Our wealth. Our past and our future. It took every last ounce of our courage and guts. Now what happens? ♫ Music, sounds like a waltz ♫ - Ah, hell, this is when we came in. - Yea...this is where we came in. And chapter four. Could be. It can happen again. The next war. That is why you occupy Germany. To make that next war impossible. No easy job. In battle you kept your wits about you. Don't relax that caution now. (bomb) The Nazi party may be gone. But Nazi thinking, Nazi training and Nazi trickery remain. The German lust for conquest is not dead. It's merely gone undercover. Somewhere in this Germany are the SS Guards, the "Schutzstaffel". The Gestapo gangsters. 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...and hating you. Somewhere in this Germany are 2 million ex-Nazi officials out of power, but still in there. And thinking. Thinking about next time. Remember that only yesterday every business, every profession was part of Hitler's system. The doctors, technicians, clock makers, postmen, farmers, housekeepers. toy makers. Barbers. Cooks. Dockworkers. Practically every German was part of the Nazi network. (Chanting by the German people) Guard particularly against this group. These are the most dangerous: German youth. Children when the Nazi party came into power. They know no other system than the one that poisoned their minds. They're soaked in it. Trained to win by cheating. Trained to pick on the weak. They've heard no free speech. Read no free press. They were brought up on straight propaganda. Products of the worst educational crime in the entire history of the world. Practically everything you believe in they have been trained to hate and destroy. They believe they were born to be masters. That we are inferiors designed to be their slaves. They may deny it now, but they believe it and will try to prove it again. Don't argue with them. Don't try to change their point of view. Other Allied representatives will concern themselves with that. You are not being sent into Germany as educators. You are soldiers on guard. You will observe their local laws. Respect their customs and religion. And you will respect their property rights. You will not ridicule them. You will not argue with them. You will not be friendly. You will be aloof, watchful, and suspicious. Every German is a potential source of trouble. Therefore, there must be no fraternization with any of the German people. Fraternization means making friends. The German people are not our friends. You will not associate with German men, women, or children. You will not associate with them on familiar terms, either in public or in private. You will not visit in their homes. Nor will you ever take them into your confidence. However friendly, however sorry, however sick of the Nazi party they may seem, they cannot come back into the civilized fold just by sticking out their hand and saying, "I'm sorry". Sorry. Not sorry they caused the war. They're only sorry they lost it. (German people chanting in unison, praising Hitler) That is the hand that heiled Adolf Hitler. That is the hand that dropped the bombs on defenseless Rotterdam... Brussels...Belgrade. That is the hand that destroyed the cities, villages, and homes of Russia. That is the hand that held a whip over the Polish, Yugoslav, French, and Norwegian slaves. That is the hand that took their food. That is the hand that starved them. That is the hand that murdered, massacred. Greeks. Czechs. Jews. That is the hand that killed and crippled American soldiers, sailors, Marines. Don't clasp that hand. It's not the kind of a hand you can clasp in friendship. (unknown male) - But there are millions of German. Some of those guys must be okay. Perhaps. But which ones? Just one mistake may cost you your life. Trust none of them. Some day the German people might be cured of their disease. The "Super Race" disease, The "World Conquest" disease. But they must prove that they have been cured. Beyond the shadow of a doubt. Before they ever again are allowed to take their place among respectable nations. Until that day...We stand guard! We are determined that their plan for world conquest shall stop, here and now. We are determined that they shall never again use peaceful industries for war-like purposes. We are determined that our children shall never face this German terror. We are determined that the vicious German cycle of war/ phoney peace/war/phoney peace/war/... (Bombs) phoney peace, shall once...and for all time... (cymbals clang) come to an end. That is your job in Germany.