Americans who have grown up during the last few decades have known China only as a
Communist enemy who helped North Korea and North Vietnam fight against American military
forces with money, weapons and manpower. It will surprise those people to know that at one
time China was a great ally of the United States, one of the “Big Four” that
included Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China and the United States. These nations
combined to defeat both the German Third Reich and the Japanese Empire during W.W. II.
China First to Fight
Because China had
been invaded by the Japanese early and had been fighting them far longer
than the United States, there were regular drives to gather donations from
the people to help the Chinese. The images are excellent examples of poster
propaganda.
Monta L. Osborne gave a series of lectures to PSYOP specialists on what he did
as a member of the OWI in China in WWII. He did the same thing during the Vietnam War for
the Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office in China. I have edited his lectures for brevity.
At the start of the war, the area was called the China-Burma-India Theater or CBI.
In 1944 the theaters were split and there was a Burma-India theater and a China Theater.
The China Theater included China and all the territories it claimed. For some reason it
also included Indo-China and a small section of Burma. The Japanese held half of the
country (Occupied China) and the nationalists held the western half (Free China). In the
Japanese area there was a puppet Chinese government in Nanking with its own army and
guerrillas. The Communists under Mao held part of northwest China called Yenan.
The United States had no ground troops in China during the war. The only Americans
actually fighting in China was the 14th Air Force and the Office of Strategic Services.
There were advisory troops and staffs called the Chinese Combat Command. Their
headquarters was in Kumming close to the Burmese border and American psychological Warfare
was conducted from there. The Army did not believe in PSYWAR and fought the Office of War
Information until February 1944 when the first leaflets were dropped. There was more
infighting with the Army and the OWI was split into two sections; the Information Unit
which would leaflet and propagandize Free China, and the PSYWAR unit that would target the
Japanese in occupied China. The Info unit would be based in Chungking and the PSYWAR unit
in Kumming.
The PSYOP Unit was led by civilian James L. Stewart who was the CBS representative
to China before the war and the staff was made up of leaflet, radio, and intelligence
specialists. Leaflet Operations had an editorial department, an art department, a
languages department and an air liaison office. When a leaflet was prepared for the
Chinese, an American and a Chinese writer would be paired. If the leaflet was for the
Japanese, an American and a Japanese POW or Nisei would be paired. It was believed that
there must be a native speaker involved to guard against errors of grammar or syntax. The
same theory applied to the art department and Chinese and Japanese artists were used to
produce the images on the leaflets. The leaflets were printed in the reproduction
department and the air liaison department’s main job was to see that the 14th Air
Force dropped the leaflets when and where scheduled. The Air Force never liked to waste
time on leaflet dropping when they could be dropping bombs, so pressure always had to be
applied.
The principal propaganda media in China was the leaflet. You can target an audience
with leaflets that you cannot reach with radio. No loudspeakers were ever used in the
China Theater. The Army’s Intelligence (G-2) was too busy with the war to help
PSYWAR, so the propagandists had their own intelligence network. Travelling merchants who
passed between the lines were an excellent source of information as were the diaries of
captured Japanese soldiers. They wrote everything down, including their regard of leaflets
which allowed the OWI to fine-tune their work.
Help China
Another propaganda poster showing Uncle Sam behind a Chinese family
who were fighting the Japanese with a reminder that “China is helping us.”
We should mention that the OSS was also in China doing sabotage and various dirty
tricks and if there was black propaganda to be printed, they did it.
The OSS “Morale
Operations” Printing Shop in Kumming China
Our Chinese Ally
Sometimes we
need to use propaganda to show our own people and military who our allies
were. In this case War Department Educational Manual EM 42 was
written and published to introduce America to the Chinese fighting the
Japanese alongside the Army and Air Force. The booklet tells the history of
China until the present war against the Japanese.
The Big Four
China had been invaded by Japan in 1937, over four years before the United States
entered the war. It was a weak and backward nation at the time and the main thing it had
was a tremendous population and a willingness to sacrifice land and manpower to keep the
Japanese at bay. In America the newspapers and newsreels depicted Chinese children and
peasants breaking stones by hand to build highways or burning their villages to defeat the
Japanese. Later, Frank Capra would immortalize their war in his propaganda documentary
– Why we Fight – The Battle of China (1944). John Wayne did his part in
the 1942 blockbuster movie Flying Tigers, about the American pilots that flew for
the Chinese Air Force two years before the United States entered the war. The Chinese were
always depicted as loyal, fiercely patriotic and pro-American. Both the United States and
Great Britain eventually had troops in China, using it as a secure base in their battles
with the Japanese in China and Burma.
Leaflet Data
An American Poster for China
This leaflet depicts an American pilot wearing patches on his
uniform signifying the United States and China with what appears to be a
"Tommy Gun" strapped to his chest and his foot on a Japanese soldier who
surprisingly has blue skin. That color is explained below. The text is:
Happy New Year
This
American airman is chasing the Japanese out of the skies of China – aid him!
The Door Gods of old have already fallen asleep from exhaustion. The terror
of the Japanese demons has seeped into the homes of millions of Chinese
people, and the old Door Gods can no longer hold them back.
This
new and youthful warrior, this American fighter pilot, has the support of
the courageous Chinese Army on the ground; his spirit will safeguard the
safety of your entire family, young and old. However, he and his Chinese
comrades still need your assistance.
When they are injured, lost, or hungry, they need your comfort and
friendship. Support them, they are fighting for you! Attention Chinese
compatriots in occupied areas:
Please do not place this door god where the enemy can see it. If the
Japanese see it, they will treat you savagely [literally "like fierce wolves").
[Translator’s Note]: The Door Gods, or 'Menshen' are divine guardians of
doors and gates in Chinese folk religion. They are pasted to the doors of a
house in pairs and are thought to ward off or block evil influences from
entering the dwelling. As far as I am aware, it is traditional for the
images of the Door Gods to be replaced with new ones every year around
Chinese New Year, which may explain the New Years greetings at the top of
this leaflet, as well as the references to the 'old' Door Gods being
'tired.'
Demons in Buddhism are often portrayed visually as having blue, red, or
green skin, which might explain why the Japanese soldier is the hue that he
is, both in the context of the Door God's talisman this poster seeks to
evoke, and in the context of the pejorative name 'Japanese Demons' that is
used in day-to-day conversation even outside of this particular folk
religion context. It's essentially the Chinese equivalent of the Western
Allies calling the Germans 'Huns' or 'Boche' or 'Jerry.'
Data on U.S. leaflet drops to China is scarce. About 40 years ago I had fairly
extensive records, but due to a lack of interest at the time I never really studied them
in great detail. I have sparse records and few examples of Chinese leaflets today, and I
think it might be worthwhile to put something in writing before all this data disappears
after decades of neglect.
A number of propaganda leaflets were dropped on China by the Allies during the war.
Some were designed to prop up the Chinese morale and encourage them to fight on, but
many more were in the form of reward leaflets that offered the Chinese cash for the safe
return of Allied airmen and their protection from the Japanese who were known to
occasionally behead captured pilots.
The leaflet codes used on the leaflets to China are known. The
leaflets are coded “CA,” “CM,” “CN,” and
“CP.” The letter “C” was a general code for China (C = China). The CA
were appeal leaflets (A = Appeal). The CM were morale leaflets (M = Morale) and sometimes
show President Roosevelt or other Allied leaders. The CN were miniature newspapers (N =
newspapers) and the CP were pictorial newspapers (P = Pictorial) for Chinese civilians
living in Japanese occupied territory. Because of the scarcity of most of these leaflets,
we will depict just a few of each type below. Because the reward leaflets offering payment
for the return of American pilots are the most colorful, we will depict them first.
REWARDS FOR AIRMEN
U.S.S. Marvin H. McIntyre (APA-129)
I think I must have had about a dozen different types of these “airmen”
leaflets over the years. At one time they were quite common and they are still seen from
time to time at auction. They are usually in full color on the front, but sometimes found
without color. Occasionally you will see a postage stamp and cancellation from the United
States Navy
Marvin H. McIntyre (APA-129), a Haskell-class attack transport on these
leaflets. For some strange reason, the
postmaster on the attack transport stamped and cancelled many different leaflets, probably
thinking that he was guaranteeing that they were genuine. Instead, he simply defaced them.
Researchers prefer their documents exactly as printed, not defaced with the addition of
stamps. However, due to the general rarity of the Chinese leaflets, the stamps and
obliterations do not detract from the value of the leaflet a great deal.
U.S. Army China Theater Psychological Warfare
Officer
Monta L. Osborne and his wife Helen.
Former U.S. Army Major Monta Osborne arrived in Kunming, China, 21 May 1945 and
quickly took the position of Assistant Psychological Warfare Officer. The Headquarters of
China Theater was in Chungking. In this headquarters was a Psychological Warfare Board,
which set overall PSYWAR policy for the Theater. Under the general policy supervision of
the Board was a Psychological Warfare Section, headed by Colonel Edward A. Pagels, the
Theater PSYWAR Officer.
Kunming was the China Theater operational headquarters. Day-by-day operations were
directed by a small staff of Army officers in the Psychological Warfare Section at Rear
Echelon Headquarters. In fact, this staff reported to the PSYWAR Section at the main
headquarters in Chungking. actual PSYWAR operations would be conducted by the
Psychological Warfare Unit of the Office of War Information (OWI). This unit was headed by
an OWI official, James Stewart.
The relationship between the Army PSYWAR staff in Kunming and the OWI PSYWAR Unit was
that the Army would exercise policy and operational control over the OWI unit. OWI would
produce leaflets, maintain radio broadcasting stations, operate these stations, maintain
its own intelligence service, and arrange with the 14th Air Force for the air distribution
of leaflets.
Osborne spoke of the missions to save the Allied pilots:
One of our special missions was the Pilot Rescue Mission, in support of what was
called the Air Ground Aid Section (AGAS). The mission of AGAS was to rescue pilots who
were downed in Burma or anywhere behind Japanese lines. It had a vast intelligence network
of its own, with agents located all through Japan-occupied China. The problem was that an
AGAS agent might not be able to reach a downed pilot in time to prevent his being killed
or captured by the Japanese forces or killed by the native populations. The PSYWAR mission
in support of AGAS was to try to persuade people all over the China Theater and Burma that
when an American pilot dropped into their midst, they should rescue him, feed him, bind up
his wounds and transport him to the nearest American outpost. These who assisted our war
effort in this way were given material awards, kept within believable limits. It is clear
that AGAS could not have succeeded without PSYWAR assistance.
In Let the Dogs Bark, the Psychological War in Vietnam, author Mervyn
Edwin Roberts III mentions the OWI Kunming office. He says in part:
The OWI staff in Kunming, China produced most of these leaflets. OWI was
producing 29,000 leaflets and leaflet newspapers per week. Overall, the
Kunming station printed close to one million leaflets by the end of the war.
Meanwhile, the Kunming staff prepared leaflets supporting a notional
American landing on the South China coast as part of the Pastel deception
plan. This simulated invasion planning was a ruse to draw Japanese troops
away from the planned invasion sites. OSS headquarters in Kunming encouraged
installing a covert radio station aimed at the region. Interest continued to
focus on the need to protect downed airmen and the safety of Allied
prisoners held in the region.
Those numbers seem rather low, and it is unclear if that is all the leaflets
produced in Kunming, or just the leaflets dropped over Vietnam. The OWI was
one of the most prolific sources of propaganda in China. They operated a
sophisticated propaganda machine that sought to demoralize the Japanese army
and create a portrait of US war aims that would appeal to the Chinese
audience. OWI employed many Chinese, second-generation Japanese (Nisei),
Japanese POWs, Korean exiles, etc. to help gather and translate information,
as well as transmit programs in multiple languages across the Pacific.
REWARDS FOR AIRMEN
Leaflet CA-114
Leaflet CA-114 depicts a farmer bringing an American pilot into his hut as a smiling
wife prepares a meal. The text on the front is:
Americans will never forget the people who helped them.
At the lower left a “blood chit” with an American flag is depicted in full
color with the text:
Recognize the American flag.
Leaflet CA-115b
This leaflet depicts an American aviator opening his flight jacket to show a Chinese
farmer his "blood chit" in the form of an American flag. Text on the front is:
Plant melons and harvest melons, plant peas and harvest peas.
This is similar to the Biblical proverb "As ye sow shall you reap." At the
bottom of the leaflet the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of War insignia is illustrated
along with the text on the front and on the back:
Please notice this symbol.
Recognize clearly this symbol.
The text on the back explains that by doing the simple good deed of returning an
American pilot to friendly forces the civilians will be richly rewarded.
Leaflet CA-125
A similar image and text is used on the front of CA-125. The message on the top of this
leaflet is:
A good deed has its reward, so has a bad deed.
Once again the CBI insignia has been added and the text:
Recognize this symbol to know your ally and friend.
On the back of the leaflet the American Air Force symbol of a white star on a blue
background is depicted along with a message explaining that a reward for saving the airman
will be paid at the end of the war.
Please notice this symbol
The text on the back explains that by doing the simple good deed of returning an
American pilot to friendly forces the civilians will be richly rewarded.
This leaflet is very similar to the one above, except instead of a shot-down bomber in
the background this American pilot flew a fighter aircraft. In addition, besides the
Chinese-Burma-India patch, this leaflet features the insignia of the 5th and 13th U.S.
Army Air Forces. The text tells the Chinese farmer that this is an American pilot flying
from bases in the Philippines. In addition is says:
Pay attention to these patches
Leaflet CA-117
This leaflet to the Chinese depicts an American aviator being carried in a sling by two
Chinese civilians. Symbols of the American Air Force and the China-Burma-India Theater of
War are depicted in full color with the text on the front:
Plant melons and harvest melons, plant peas and harvest peas.
Identify clearly these American military insignia
The text on the back is:
Chinese Friends:
The U.S. Air Force's powerful attacks against the invading Japanese
bandits are increasing day by day. Because in war there are both gains and
losses, it is inevitable that some American airmen may fall from the sky,
and some may land near you. If it happens that an American airman is forced
to ground, please remember that he is your friend, he has come to help you,
and to prevent your cities and villages from being destroyed by Japanese
planes.
If you encounter American airmen, you may not know what to do, and
you might even fear that assisting them could be risky, leading to
hesitation. However, do not forget that China is a vast country. The
Japanese bandits only control those small areas directly under their iron
heel, and their grasp is becoming more untenable with each passing day.
To combat the common enemy of China and the United States, you can
help American airmen in the following way: First, hide them in a safe place,
and then destroy their aircraft, preventing the Japanese bandits from
discovering its traces. Lend Chinese clothing for the American pilots to
wear, preventing them from being easily recognized from a distance. During
the night or when there is no one around, guide him back to freedom through
less-travelled routes.
By engaging in such righteous deeds, there will surely be many
people who are eager to aid you in your endeavors. Already, hundreds and
thousands of Americans have been rescued from the gaping maws of the
Japanese bandits in this manner.
Chinese friends, please use every possible means to rescue American
airmen. Remember firmly that they are fighting to help you drive away the
Japanese bandits. Anyone who assists them will be forever remembered by the
United States.
The translator adds: I used the translation of 'Japanese Bandits'
instead of the more expected ‘Japanese Invaders’ because the word used in
the original, is a clear reference to the old Chinese term ('Wokou' or
'pygmy bandits') which refers to the Japanese pirates which raided the
coastal areas of China and Korea between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The Chinese in the Second Sino-Japanese War often referred to the
Japanese as 'bandits' and "looters' or 'burglars' in addition to or in lieu
of 'invaders.' Whether this was purely harking back to the original Japanese
bandits of centuries past or a deliberately disparaging reference to their
marauding, plundering conduct, I can't say for sure.
The Chinese text uses the idiom 'tiger's mouth,' which I translated
to 'gaping maw' as it seemed to me that 'from the tiger's mouth of the
Japanese bandits' seemed a bit of a mouthful to English speakers.
The "pilot" series. As you can see there were literally dozens of leaflets
that depicted downed pilots and asked the Chinese to rescue them. This
leaflet was sent to me in 2022 from the personal collection of Howard C.
Halla, a B-25 pilot who was stationed in Hanchung from 1943 to 1945. He
dropped thousands of these leaflets at tree-top level over the Chinese
countryside. The text is:
This young airman bade farewell to his parents, his wife, and his
native land, to come to China and aid the Chinese people in our fight
against Japan.
He possesses courage, he has undergone specialist training, he also
pilots the best aircraft in the world, but he still needs the help of
Chinese friends.
When he is shot down, he needs your knowledge and your bravery to
get him to a safe place, so that he can return to the fight.
He needs your kindness and understanding, not only because he is a
young man, but also because he is in a land strange to him.
If we want China and America to be united, we must help him like we
would our own family, so that our two nations will be able to achieve a
swift victory.
B-25 Bomber Pilot Howard C. Halla
In October 1946, The Propaganda Branch, Intelligence Division, based in the Pentagon,
Washington D.C., published a report entitled A Syllabus of Psychological Warfare.
It was prepared to give quick answers about Psywar to the press that wanted to know what
the United States had done during WWII. Leaflet CA-117 was featured on the cover of this
report.
With Stamp and Cancellation
We mention above the strange stamps and cancellations found on some of these leaflets
by the Postmaster of the attack transport McIntyre. Here is an example cancelled on 10 January
1946. One wonders what he was thinking, and perhaps he was simply preparing souvenirs for
all the members of the ship’s crews. We will probably never know. At any rate, I
suspect that I have seen hundreds of such stamped cancelled leaflets.
Leaflet CA-137
The OWI produced several leaflets with the idea of saving the lives of Chinese Railway
workers while stopping repair of those railroads that carried Japanese troops and
supplies.
Leaflet CA-137 depicts Chinese trains, workers and junks in bright red and black
leaflet. The leaflet was dated 5 June 1945 and targeted people who live work or travel
along the Canton-Hankow railway. Its purpose is to warn people from hauling or repairing
the railroad for the Japanese which will be bombed and strafed daily. Some of the text is:
Allied armies are driving the Japanese invader out of western Hunan. In front of
their advance, by day and by night, American and Chinese airmen will continue to bomb and
strafe the Canton-Hankow railroad.
This Railway Warning Leaflet is another
from the collection of Howard C. Halla
In most cases they have short comments while workers are seen flying through
the air from the bombs. One example says only:
RAILWAY WORKERS
Two Chinese farmers see a parachute in the sky. They bring the airman home,
and later take him to a safe place where the Chinese government is in
control. A similar leaflet with the same general story is entitled “AIRMAN’S
PICTURE POINTIE.”
POINTIE-TALKIE CARDS
The OWI knew that there would be cases where the Chinese civilian finding an American
pilot might be illiterate. They therefore printed a number of these pointee-talkie cards
that allowed an airmen to just show the cards to his finder in the hope that the person
would understand the simple drawings. In most cases the cards depicted a farmer looking up
at Allied planes, seeing a parachute come down, being shown the blood chit sewn to the
airman’s jacket, and finally taking him to friendly forces.
Leaflet CA-132
This pointee-talkie card depicts American and Chinese airmen showing their blood chits
with flags in full color and the text:
These are the symbols of friends
Two Chinese farmers see a parachute in the sky. They bring the airman home, and later
take him to a safe place where the Chinese government is in control. A similar leaflet
with the same general story is entitled “AIRMAN’S PICTURE POINTIE.”
Pointie-Talkee Booklet
This handsome multi-page pointee-talkee booklet depicts the flags of the United States,
Great Britain and China. It appears to be a British product and there are over 20 pages of
phrases in both English and Chinese that can be used for rescue or for intelligence
against the enemy.
COMIC BOOK
Cover and Back of Comic Book
This is an American pilot
Then he can return home.
And every Chinese and American can live happily in their homeland.
From the middle of the comic
He has a mission. That is to destroy the Japanese robbers, their
looting and savagery.
He feels that this is the most valuable enterprise of his life
Final Two Pages
This young flyer bade his parents farewell and said goodbye to his hometown
to come to China to help his Chinese friends…But he needs the help of the
Chinese people to fight against Japan. He has courage, is professionally
trained, and is flying the best airplanes in the world. But he needs the
help of Chinese friends. When he is shot down, he needs your wisdom and
courage to get him back to a safe place. Then he can go back to fight again.
He needs your warmth and understanding because he is a young man, and he is
in a strange place. For China and the United States to work well together,
you should help him as you would one of your own. Then China and the United
States can easily win the war.
We should mention that comic books are always good propaganda because many
people in foreign nations cannot read but they can understand the pictures.
Comic books have been used in just about every war as a form of propaganda.
They are always popular and both the children and the adults like to read
them.
GENERAL LEAFLETS
Major Osborne discusses the OWI PSYWAR Unit:
It was composed of an administrative section, a psychological warfare operations
section and an intelligence section. The operations section was divided into leaflet
operations and radio broadcasting operations. The leaflet operations office was divided
into five departments: editorial, art, languages, reproduction and air liaison.
Leaflets were produced by leaflet teams, each consisting of an American writer, a
writer of the nationality of the target audience being addressed, an American artist, and
an artist of the nationality of the target audience. The languages department consisted of
translators and interpreters who, collectively, could handle English, French, Chinese,
Japanese and a considerable variety of tribal languages. The reproduction department, of
course, printed the leaflets and the air liaison department arranged with the 14th Air
Force for airdrops.
Almost all leaflet delivery was by the 14th Air Force, using both fighters and
bombers.
The P-40s and P-51s dropped leaflets from “belly tanks”, each of which
held 5,000 5 x 7-inch leaflets. From the bombers, leaflets were dropped by means of a
British Mark II bomb and finally by the M-16 Cluster Bomb. Artillery shells were used on
occasion, and L-5 aircraft were employed in situations where the ground fire was not
expected to be too heavy or where they could fly up beyond the range of small-arms fire.
There also was extensive distribution of leaflets by ground patrols and by the OSS agents
behind the lines. Through OSS we were able to place leaflets even in some Japanese unit
headquarters; sometimes on the desks of the Japanese commanders.
CA
Leaflet CA-15b
This leaflet
depicts a Japanese supply ship under attack. The text is:
If you want to die, just take the boat
The back is a
long message, all text. The leaflet says in part:
Chinese
friends,
The floating debris on the photo on the back of the
leaflet is a destroyed Japanese ship. The Chinese and American Air Force
and submarines have already destroyed thousands upon thousands of
Japanese ships, this is but one example. until the Japanese yoke on
China is released, until the Japanese military has been routed from
China, many more such boats remain to be destroyed.
Chinese
friends, the ships may operate along the Chinese coast, and some might
even fly a Chinese flag, but they are even more formidable than Japanese
worships. If Japan did not have these ships to transport their troops,
their weapons of war, ammunition or provisions, they would have already
collapsed.
Chinese Friends, please stay far away from these ships! even when
they are docked, don’t approach them! Our most sincere wish is that not
a single Chinese is hurt, but until the last boat carrying Japanese
troops and provisions is sunk, we cannot stop bombarding these boats.
There is one thing we can do now; and that is to implore you all, please
stay away from these ships!
Leaflet CA-16 B
This leaflet
depicts American bombers that might be B-24 Liberators, although they don’t
look much like them, bombing Japanese ships in a Chinese harbor. The text on
the front is:
Disaster evacuation!
Avoid this kind of situation.
The text on the
back is:
Chinese
friends, avoid all boats and vessels.
If you live or
work in an area where there are boats, regardless of whether it’s by the
coast, the riverside, or in harbors, we sincerely urge you to leave quickly.
We don’t want to cause harm to Chinese people, so we are giving you warnings
in advance. No matter what, do not leave by boat, and do not use boats to
transport goods.
Don’t work
anywhere near boats, whether you are coal pickers in Tanggu, or dockworkers
along the shores of the Yangtze, shipbuilders in the docks of Jiangwan or
Dagu, or wooden boat-builders in areas such as Xiamen, Youtou, Guangzhou,
Guangzhou Bay or Haifang, please beware of attacks from our airplanes.
If you are
unwilling to throw your lives away pointlessly, then please avoid all boats.
Leaflet CA-101
This leaflet was dated 20 December 1944 and depicted a Chinese city that had been
bombed. Its purpose is to warn the Chinese away from target areas, to build up Chinese
morale in the Japanese-occupied area and to discourage the Chinese from working for and
helping their Japanese occupiers. The text on the front is:
The Japanese are our Target!
The back has a long text message that says in part:
The first alarm has sounded. For the first time fighters and bombers of General
Chennault’s China-based air force joined with the far flying B-29’s to strike a
gigantic blow.
BE WARNED CHINESE FRIENDS:
This is merely the beginning. The first alarm! From now on each blow will be
increasingly greater until the Jap is driven from China’s soil. The same air-fury
that shattered Germany will blast the Jap wherever he is – in occupied China –
in the Philippines – in Japan proper.
Save yourselves. Bombs have no eyes. They cannot tell friend from foes. Avoid the
terrible sacrifice of war by staying away from these targets: Jap supply bases; Jap
industrial centers and factories; Jap ships; Jap railroads and communication lines.
Leaflet CA-119
This March 1945 OWI leaflet targets the people of Hankow and warns them of bombs to
come. The front text is:
WARNING PEOPLE OF HANKOW
Bombs are Coming!
The text on the back is long and says in part:
People of Hankow,
The Japanese are using your city as their main China supply base. It is their depot
and arsenal. Therefore, Chinese friends, the American Air Force must attack.
Sometimes our planes will come in twos and threes. Sometimes they will come in
hundreds. They will keep coming into the Japanese armies in China hoist the white flag of
surrender. Chinese friends, the Americans will use delayed action bombs – the kind
that fail to explode for minutes or hours after they land. The purpose of this is to give
you a chance to get away. Get far away; the bombs are loaded with a powerful
explosive…
Osborne adds:
One of the biggest most prolific types of Chinese leaflets was the “Bomb
warning” leaflet. After December 1944, the Japanese Air Force constituted practically
no threat in the China Theater. By that time the 14th Air Force had achieved almost
complete air mastery. They were able to bomb when and where they would. They could even
announce when they would bomb a certain city. We were able to drop a leaflet on Hankow
telling them the exact time the city would be bombed…
Leaflet CA-120
We said that CA leaflets are usually in the form of appeals. The Office of
War Information (OWI) leaflet coded CA-120 dated 9 March 1945 depicts a
long-tongued God of Death in the clouds above a typical Chinese village. The back depicts American bombers over factories and warns the Chinese to stay away
from railroads, air fields, etc.
And to disrupt Japanese communication and war efforts in China. The
text on the front is:
DEATH IS ABOVE YOU IN THE SKY
The text on the back is:
People of Occupied
China.
The Air Force and Combined American-Chinese Air Wing does not want
to harm you. They are out to smash the Japanese military installations and
airfields, to uproot the railroads, shipping, factories, and warehouses that
feed the greedy Japanese war machine. You can see why such places must be
wiped out before China and America can win their joint war.
People of Occupied China, move away as quickly as possible from the
vicinity of everything used by the Japanese. A plane going four-hundred
miles an hour cannot lay bombs with the exactitude of a hen dropping an egg.
Each month hundreds more American and Chinese
planes take to the sky. Each month the bombed areas widen. Do not be caught,
Chinese friends. Quickly move away.
Death is above you in the sky!
Osborne adds:
A special series in the Chinese language was called the “Chinese Action Leaflet
Series.” These were intended to provoke action: To persuade the Chinese people to
quit working on the railroads and steamboats used by the Japanese; to escape into the
hinterlands outside the areas controlled by the foreign forces; and to sabotage railways,
steamboats, arsenals and factories which were producing or transporting arms for the
Japanese and their Chinese puppets.
OWI Leaflet CA-126
This leaflet
depicts a Chinese family carrying all their belongings quickly leaving a
city and railway that is about to be attacked by American aircraft. The city
is shown to contain factories making military supplies for the Japanese
army. The text on the front is:
Escape for your life: We are going to bomb the Railway!
The back is all
text except for a small US Airforce symbol at the bottom left. The text says
in part:
Chinese
friends, this leaflet is advice given with both solemnity and good
intention. Those who do not heed this advice may find themselves hurt or
throwing away their lives. On the other hand, this advice will save many
of those with courage.
Would you rather live or die? This isn’t a
threat, just advice. Advice, which we sincerely hope you will accept –
accept immediately, less it be too late for regrets.
To all
colleagues who are in train locomotives, on the rails, in train
carriages, train repair yards, train stations, rail terminus, stations,
rail storage yards, or working in factories that manufacture goods for
the Japanese, leave quickly. The locations listed above are all cogs in
the war machine used by the brutal Japanese in their massacre and
plunder of tens of thousands of your fellow countrymen. The increasingly
ferocious and formidable Chinese and American air forces will bomb these
places clean.
Therefore,
please leave these places quickly, don’t work for the Japanese anymore.
Go find work in another location, only so, can you retain a healthy and
complete body in anticipation of the day when China regains her lost
land, to pass some peaceful days. "As long as there are green mountains
there will be firewood." This saying is not wrong.
OWI Leaflet CA-133
This leaflet depicts two Japanese soldiers stealing all the food from a
Chinese farm. This same theme was used in later wars such as Vietnam where
the U.S. tried to keep the Viet Cong from stealing the food of farmers. The
text on the front is:
Hide all your food! The Japanese enemy is being starved!
The back of the leaflet is all text:
The Japanese enemy is being starved!
Let them be hungry! Let them be hungrier!
Now
the Germans have been defeated, the United States can focus all their
strengths in dealing with the Japanese, at that time, the warlords in
Japan's own land are busy getting their food, and having troubles in getting
enough for themselves, therefore they are not able to take care of the
hungry Japanese soldiers in China’s battlefield.
Keep
in mind, the closer China and all the other countries who love freedom are
getting to the victory, the crueler and hungrier those Japanese soldiers
abandoned in China are becoming. They will act like a group of hungry dogs,
suddenly attacking your villages or fields to find some food. Do not let
them find the food! Otherwise, you and your family will starve. Don’t you
let them find a bit of food! No matter an egg, a pea, a chicken, a duck.
Don't trade with them. As soon as China wins the battle, their [Japanese occupation] money
will be worth nothing except being used as window paper. Don't give them or
sell them a single grain of rice, a pound of meat, or a carrot. Don’t even
let them see the food.
Hide your food right away! Hide them tightly!
By the United States Army in China
OWI Leaflet CA-141
This June 1945 leaflet targeted Chinese troops that had joined the Japanese in Kwangai
and Hunan Provinces. The text on the front is:
PUPPET SOLDIERS, DESERT THE JAPANESE!
The text on the back says in part:
Under the pretense of making a desperate struggle, the Japanese troops are
retreating. They are leaving you behind and sacrificing you in order to maintain control
over your area. This is one of the ruthless intrigues which the Japanese use to make the
Chinese fight the Chinese. You have long been deceived by them. It is time to wake up and
be deceived no longer.
The armies which are fighting the Japanese will soon be in your area. Think it over
– you whose consciousness is already troubling you. Rise up against the Japanese!
Escape from them! Revolt and come over to the Allies! Otherwise you will be sacrificed
with no reward but the evil name of traitor!
OWI China Appeal Leaflet CA-147
This 27 July 1945 American leaflet was dropped over China to warn industrial workers
away from Japanese operated plants. It depicts heavy bombers over bombed and flaming
factories. Some of the text is:
Industrial workers of Taiyuan and Shihchiachuang
Save Yourselves! Soon Chinese and American bombers will be coming to bomb Japanese
installations. You Chinese who work in the mills, factories, warehouses and on the decks
of ships operated by the Japanese – find work elsewhere, quickly! The Japs are
doomed. For it is written in the Book of Changes, “When a thing reaches it limit, it
turns around.” Don’t work with them and die with them. Let Jap blood spill, not
yours….
Leaflet CA-148
The OWI leaflet coded CA-148 dated 31 July 1945 depicts Kuan Ti in full
armor mounted on his war horse. The text on the back reminds the Chinese that Kuan Ti once fell into the hands of the
enemy and worked for them. But, he was loyal to his Chinese brothers, returned to them and
is now renowned as a hero. It tells those Chinese who might be working for the Japanese
that they have the chance to be a hero like Kuan Ti if they just return to the Chinese
cause. The text on the front is:
EVERYONE CAN BE KUAN TI!
The text on the back is:
CHINESE TROOPS IN THE
SERVICE OF THE JAPANESE - RETURN TO YOUR BROTHERS AS DID KUAN TI
Everybody knows that Kuan Ti was a hero. Everybody knows that he
was loyal to his brothers and his people. Because of this he has been
worshipped as a God for hundreds of years. He has become a symbol of loyalty
and justice.
For a time, you recall, he fell into the hands of his enemies, but
he came back to fight for justice and the good of his people.
Chinese soldiers fighting for the Japanese—the Chinese and the
Allies who are fighting to liberate China from Japanese oppression are your
brothers. Return to your brothers as did Kuan Ti.
Each of us has a conscience. Each of us wished to be honored and
not hated. Each of us can become a hero if he practices justice and loyalty
towards his people. Should he fight and die for his people he will be
honored even though he is unknown.
The proverb says: "To be a God or a devil depends entirely upon
which one you yourself are aiming at." Willingly or unwillingly, you have
been with the enemy for a long time. The Japanese are on the verge of
collapse and you, soldiers, stand at the crossroads as Kuan Ti stood many
centuries ago. You must choose the road that leads back to your people and
to glory, or you will stumble onto the way leading to destruction.
Leaflet CA-145
I was not going to depict this leaflet because it is a tiny little thing about
80 x 60mm. It is a very crude wood-block drawing of a train on tracks near a building. It
warns the Chinese civilians against working on any Japanese railway.
CA-146
I suspect that CA-145 was dropped along with CA-146 because that is the same
size leaflet and depicts a similar image except that now the train has been hurled into
the air by the detonation of bombs.
The text on the front of CA-146 is:
RAILROAD WORKMEN
The text on the back is:
Railroad Workmen
Chinese and American pilots must bomb this Japanese-held railway. Therefore,
Chinese workmen, go away from this railway and stay away! Let Jap blood spill, not yours!
Read this friendly warning.
Shun all freight yards, trains, tracks, tracks, depots – all
railroad installations. Neither load nor unload a freight car. Let the
railroad remain unrepaired. Move not a stone, not a rail, not a handful of
earth. Whoever does the rebuilding is in danger of losing his life!
REMEMBER THAT AND
STAY AWAY!
Notice that this message serves two purposes. Number one, it saves
the life of the Chinese worker. More important, by telling the workers to
stay away it will bring the Japanese movement of men and materiel to a
halt.
Osborne says:
The 14th Air Force had gained complete mastery of the air in China. It was military
policy to bomb Chinese cities where there were large concentrations of Japanese military
installations and troops. Wishing to spare the Chinese populations, we urged them to
vacate the city at a specific time. For example, we would drop leaflets over Hankow,
informing the people:
“As of 0900 hours, June 23, Hankow will be bombed. The first plane will appear
precisely at 0900 hours. You must get out of the city! You must save your life!”
When such a leaflet was dropped, people streamed out into the countryside in all
directions. All along railway lines we dropped leaflets warning the Chinese people that
the entire line would be bombed out of existence. They were warned to move out of the
reach of the bombs. It is a fact that there was a stretch of 100 miles of railroad where
no Chinese family was living nearer, on both sides, than five miles from the rails.
Leaflet CA-149
This 25 July 1945 leaflet depicts two Chinese sampans being bombed.
The target is Chinese boatmen on the North River. The leaflet warns the
North River Chinese sampan boatmen not to help the Japanese. The text on the
front is:
NORTH RIVER BOATMEN,
DO NOT HELP THE JAPANESE
The message on the back is:
We are your friends. We do not want to harm you. And so, we
Americans have dropped this urgent warning from the sky.
Don’t carry Japanese troops or Japanese supplies. Stay away from
the river routes used by the Japanese.
Otherwise, American troops will be forced to bomb you and your
sampan. The Americans do not wish their bombs to strike you. The wish to
bomb only the Japanese. But from the air, American flyers cannot tell
Chinese from Japanese. Therefore, here are our friendly instructions.
Hide yourself and your sampan away from the Japanese. Refuse to
work for the Japanese. We know this is hard. We know you must work to live.
But why work for the Japanese when it can bring only death?
For a short time only, you must do as we say. Then the brave
soldiers of China and America will come and drive out the Japanese. Then you
will have more work and better pay.
Leaflet CA-152
The OWI leaflet coded CA-152 dated 31 July 1945 depicts a Chinese soldier bayoneting
snake that represent Japan and the text:
A DYING SNAKE CAN BITE!
The text on the back reminds the Chinese that although the Japanese have
been beaten and are in retreat, they are still murdering civilians and burning
towns. It warns them to stay clear of the Japanese for their safety. It warns
that sometimes the Japanese pretend to leave, but a small rear guard will then
take any Chinese that reenter the village as prisoners and make the men work
as porters and rape the women.
The leaflet is to be dropped on Areas where Japanese evacuation is
anticipated as soon as possible.
The text on the back is:
Yes, a dying snake can bite. We all know that. And the venomous
Japanese power in China is dying. We know that, too.
Nanning, Liuchow and Kweilin are free.
Northward through China trudge the embittered Japanese, sure of
only one thing: ultimate utter defeat.
Certainly, the Japanese were not magnanimous in the hour of
greatest triumph! Imagine their bitterness now, in defeat!
In their fury the Japanese put the torch to Liuchow before
departing. Of Liuchow’s 24,000 buildings, only 300 were left standing.
Therefore, when it seems that the Japanese are preparing to leave your
place—beware. Beware!
In Liuchow the Japanese left hundreds of cleverly concealed
explosives. These mines sleep quietly in houses and along roads—wherever
people are likely to congregate—then, when touched, explode unexpectedly.
Sometime a box of food may be left exposed, wired with death. Therefore,
Chinese friends, shun recently evacuated areas until they have been secured
by Allied troops. Chinese and American soldiers know how to detect and deal
with these hidden, diabolic devices.
Be sure the Japs have really gone before you show yourself.
Recently citizens poured back into a village as soon as the Japs evacuated
northward. A second Jap column, also evacuating, entered the village from
the south and caught the population there. The Japs impressed 200 men as
coolies for hard labor and carried away several women for their pleasure.
Therefore, Chinese comrades, wait until you are positive your place has been
secured by the arrival of Allied troops—then go joyfully forth to greet
them!
Remember, a dying snake can bite! Wait until its bloodied tail has
ceased to twitch before you expose yourself and your loved ones to the final
drop of venom from its fangs!
Leaflet CA-154
This 7 August 1945 leaflet is text only and designed to warn the
Chinese people to leave Nanchang. The text in the front is:
WARNING TO NANCHANG
The text on the back is:
Friends of Nanchang,
Our air forces are going to bomb your city. As you well know the
Japanese are making valuable use of Nanchang and we must blast them out.
That is war.
We do not wish to harm a single Chinese. Therefore, friends of
Nanchang, we ask you to evacuate the city. Get out as soon as possible, Our
planes will come again and again. They will keep coming until they have
flattened the Japanese and all rail and storage places that are vital to the
Japanese in their war against China.
Friends of Nanchang act quickly. Leave the city. Bombers are
coming.
CM
Leaflet CM-108
The OWI leaflet coded CM-108 dated 28 December 1944 is all text. It targeted Chinese in the Yenshih Area. The purpose of the leaflet
was to warn the people of the Yenshih area that they will not profit, by
turning over U.S. Airmen to the Japanese. Also, to impress the Yenshih
population with the feeling that we have our eye on them.
The title on the front is:
WARNING TO TRAITORS!
The text on the back is:
PEOPLE OF YENSHIH AND
ADJACENT AREA
You know of the American airman who fell in your midst. Many
good-hearted people wanted to help him escape the common enemy but there
was one traitor among you. For the promise of 100,000 dollars, he
informed the Japanese of this American airman’s whereabouts. Now this
young American who came to help save China has been taken to Loyang and.
Peiping by the miserable Japs.
The traitor is already getting his just reward. Instead of paying
him 100,000 dollars, the wily Jap gave him one-tenth of the agreed sum.
After a little while the Japanese decided that even that sum too much.
No one has any concern for a traitor.
At present this traitor who so cheaply sells American airmen and
his country’s honor has been quietly arrested by the Japanese. Their
little theatrical performance was over and now they are putting on the
squeeze to get back their blood-money. The traitor will be paid in the
usual Japanese manner. He probably will not be seen again. Should the
Japs fling him out, he will still have to face Chinese Justice.
FRIENDS OE YENSHIH! Please take this warning. Do not help the
Japanese. The Japs are liars. They do not pay their debts. They steal
everything they get their hands on. To deal with the Japs is to risk
your life and to dishonor your ancestors. Proper treatment for all
patriotic acts is guaranteed. Tho fate of the traitor is the same in any
land. — DEATH AND DISHONOR.
Leaflet CM-111
The OWI leaflet coded CA-111 dated 16 April 1945 is all text and says on the front:
BERLIN FALLS
The text on the back explains that Berlin has fallen and thousands of high-ranking Nazi
officials and military personal have been captured. It ends:
Immediately after the fall of Germany the entire might of the United States, China
and Great Britain will be unleashed on the Japanese and they will know no respite until
they are completely defeated.
Leaflet CM-115
This 20 March 1945 leaflet targets North China Railroads with the
purpose of warning the Chinese construction crews away from danger and to
obstruct work of these vital Jap-used lines. The illustration shows railroad
workers throwing away their tools and fleeing as the tracks are blasted by a
squadron of American bombers. The text on the front is:
RAILROAD WORKERS,
MOVE AWAY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!
The text on the back is:
QUICKLY GET AWAY . .
.
Railroad workers, you are in great danger. Railroads are the Japs'
lifelines carrying troops, munitions, and other war-materials enroute to
massacre your fellow-countrymen. For that reason, the Japanese-held
railroads must be smashed.
The Chinese American Composite Wing is determined to bomb such
railroads until nothing remains but twisted steel. They are determined to
prevent these lines from being repaired. The Chinese American Composite Wing
will bomb the railroads until the Japanese are forced to use the highways.
Then they will destroy those too.
Railway workers, be wise. Avoid these inevitable bombings. Many of
your friends have already fled the railroads to take up different work.
Those who are strong enough to oppose the Japanese will always find a
livelihood. Instead of working for the Japanese, fight them for China’s
freedom – so that your sons and grandsons will honor you!
Leaflet CM-117-B
This 3 March 1945 leaflet was designed to raise the morale of the
Chinese people in Occupied China and prepare the soil for U.S. Operations.
It depicts a map of the world –
The text on the front is:
GERMANY COLLAPSES!
The text on the back is:
GERMANY HAS
COLLAPSED!
After a period of devastating disorders, organized resistance in
Germany has ended. The Americans, British, French, and other allied forces
in the west, and the Russians in the east, are pouring across the German
hills and plains virtually unopposed. Here and there the armies are running
into islands of opposition; where fanatical groups of Nazis are making their
last, ferocious stand. A brief pause, then the victorious flood streams on.
Italy fell. Germany has gone down. Next will be Japan. This is
inevitable now that the might of all the 40 United Nations can rapidly be
brought to bear.
People of Occupied China, the hour of liberation from the Japanese
is not far off. Already the Imperial armies have been routed from Mandalay.
Iwo Jima, a key Japanese stronghold only 750 miles from Tokyo, has been
captured by U.S. Marines. Most of the Philippines are liberated. The
Ryukyus, 200 miles from Japan and about the same distance from the China
Coast are this moment under attack. Tokyo, Kobe, Kure, and Nagoya are being
regularly bombed. These are very serious blows to the Japanese.
Chinese People, the dawn is steadily approaching. Wait and watch.
Meanwhile do what you can to aid our common cause. Americans have a
time-honored proverb: "God helps him who helps himself."
Leaflet CM-118
This 2 April 1945 depicts a map showing the distance between
Okinawa and Kyushu, Formosa and the Coast of China.
The text on the back is:
OKINAWA INVADED!
At dawn on 1 April 1945, a hundred thousand U.S. troops swarmed
ashore on Okinawa. They landed in 2 columns, one column pushing ashore 4
kilometers southeast of Minatogawa, while the other landed near Kitadani.
For ten days before the landing Admiral Mitscher’s task force pounded
Okinawa, while light bombers and fighters of the fleet smashed at airfields
and gun-emplacements.
This was the largest landing operation ever seen in the Pacific,
involving hundreds of large and small landing craft, spearheaded by 1500
planes. Several of the U.S. Navy’s newest and largest warships took part.
It was a repetition, on a larger scale, of the landings on
Guadalcanal, Saipan, Leyte, Luzon and Iwo Jima. At no point in the Pacific
where American troops have attempted a landing in force have they ever been
repelled.
Okinawa is an ideal base for U.S. operations. The 50-mile-long
island is a natural steppingstone to the China Coast, only 300 miles away.
It is also next door, in an air sense, to Japan’s main war-industries on
Kyushu, thickly dotted with iron and steel foundries, synthetic oil works,
and shipyards.
The landing on Okinawa is important in two respects. It proves the
amazing weakness of the Japanese navy, unwilling to risk defending even its
home waters. It also means that the United States now has a striking base in
the very heart of Japan’s "basic area."
Leaflet CM-119
The OWI leaflet coded CM-119 dated 24 April 1945 depicts President
Harry Truman and tells of the death of President Roosevelt. The purpose of
the leaflet was to bolster Chinese morale by reporting the speech of
President Truman. Truman’s speech allays any fears that America will falter
in her war effort, or that the passing of President Roosevelt will seriously
affect the course of the nation’s declared war and peace aims. The large
text on the front is:
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT IS DEAD!
The text on the back is:
On 12 April 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United
States, suddenly passed away while resting at Warm Springs, Georgia. So died
one of the most courageous and far-sighted of all United States president.
He will be mourned by people all over the world.
Mr. Roosevelt was succeeded in office by President Harry S. Truman,
elected vice-president in November 1944. Immediately upon taking office,
President Truman stated his views on war and peace. The following is the
full text of his speech to the people of the United States and the 44 United
Nations –
In his speech to the U.S. Congress, President Truman assured the
nation that he "would support and defend those ideals of Roosevelt’s with
all my strength and all my heart." He further declared "So that there can be
no possible misunderstanding, both Germany and Japan can be certain, beyond
any shadow of doubt, that America will continue the fight for freedom until
no vestige of resistance remains." Truman reiterated that America’s demand
remains the same – unconditional surrender; that there will be no traffic
with the enemy on the terms of peace, and that real security
[postwar] cannot be found behind geographical barriers but only in law
and justice. He mentioned the despair of some people – that wars are
inevitable – and declared that through continued cooperation of the United
Nations peace under law can be kept and future wars prevented.
The day after President Roosevelt’s death, the Washington Post
reflecting the spirit of the capital of the United States and of the people,
published this statement: "There are signs that the leadership and influence
of Mr. Roosevelt are even stronger in death than they were in life."
Leaflet CM-126
This 9 August 1945 leaflet tells the Japanese that Russia has
declared war on them. The text on the front is:
RUSSIA DECLARES WAR
ON JAPAN
The text on the back is:
True to its obligation as an ally, the Soviet Government has
accepted the proposal of the Allies to declare war on Japan. Russia said she
associated herself with the declaration of the three powers – the United
States, Great Britain, and China - demanding the unconditional surrender of
the Japanese armed forces. This demand was rejected. Russia declared war on
Japan on 8 August. Russian troops are now fighting the Japanese.
CN
Leaflet CN-102
CN-102 dated 15 February 1945 is the very first edition of a 5 x 7-inch unillustrated
miniature newspaper and is entitled:
THE WORLD NEWS – Number 1
The newspaper is divided up into several sections such as Far East, Europe, and Japan.
Some of the text in the “Japan” section is:
Repeated bombings of Japan by American Superfortresses have caused a panic among the
Japanese. Even the Japanese newspapers do not deny this. The Yomiuri Shimbun, for example,
acknowledges that “enemy planes will come any time they like regardless of weather
conditions.” A report of the Asahi Shimbun depicted Tokyo as “The city of
endless nights,” as a result of the unlimited blackouts.
Although Osborne uses a different name for the newspaper, I am fairly certain this is
the one he was talking about since it is the OWI product for the Japanese in China:
Our most effective leaflet series directed to the Japanese target audience was the
Japanese News, which actually was a small Japanese language newspaper, printed on 8 x
10-inch sheets and on both sides. We tried to establish among the Japanese soldiers the
belief that we were their regular, reliable news service. Every effort was made to drop
this paper all over China where Japanese forces were known to be located, on the same day
every week, if possible at a certain hour. Over a period of time Japanese soldiers learned
that news from their own officers was false propaganda designed to bolster their morale.
They increasingly began to rely on our Japanese News, which kept them informed of Japanese
defeats and losses everywhere, plus conditions in their homeland.
The Japanese News was supplemented by the weekly Japanese Pictorial, which also was
a newspaper but consisted largely of photos with captions, cartoons and drawings. It
featured such events as the Allied bombing of Tokyo, the burning of the city, and defeats
of the Japanese Army all over Asia.
Leaflet CN-104
This 3 March 1945 Miniature 5 x7-inch newspaper leaflet is Titled
News Highlights Number 3. I thought it was worth mentioning since the
headline is:
TOKYO’S INDUSTRIAL
AREA REDUCED TO ASHES
The front of the leaflet says in part:
Within the last fortnight, U.S. carrier-based planes launched four
powerful attacks on the Tokyo area, in conjunction with an even more
intensified bombing by huge formations of land-based superfortresses. The
tonnage of bombs dropped was counted in the thousands, and a large part of
industrial Tokyo has been reduced to ashes.
Following the mass raids of the 16th and 17th of February, on the
25th more than a thousand naval planes and about 200 superforts appeared
again over Tokyo, dropping 2,000 tons of bomb on its factories and the
adjacent military and naval installations. About 240 blocks of buildings,
covering over 60 acres of the most congested industrial area of the Japanese
capital, were demolished. Parts of the city were still aflame two days
later. In this raid, at least 223 Japanese planes were destroyed. On the
27th, American carrier planes bombed Tokyo for the fourth time, inflicting
heavy damages on electric plants, hangars and two aircraft factories, and
destroyed 158 Japanese planes. Together, with the loss of 809 planes
sustained on the 16th and 17th February, a total of over 1,100 Japanese
planes has been destroyed by the American air fleet during these raids.
LIQUIDATION OF ENEMY
REMNANTS ON IWO JIMA
Since the successful landing of American troops on Iwo Jima on
February 19th, the Japanese garrison of 20,000 men has offered stubborn
resistance. But U.S. troops, superior in both number and morale, are
determined to seize the island-fortress at all costs. They have occupied the
strategic height of Suribachi and two airfields, killing more than four
thousand Japs after a bloody ten-day fight. The enemy remnants, cornered at
the north end of the island, will be annihilated in the not distant future.
Even the Domei News agency has admitted that the battle on Iwo Jima is
"unfavorable" to the Japs. The complete occupation of this island by the
U.S. troops will enable American planes to intensify their raids on Japan
Proper.
The featured story on the back says in part:
CIVIL POWER IN
PHILIPPINES HANDED OVER TO FILIPINOS
The liberation of Manila has been completed. All the Japanese
troops, 12,000 in number, have been destroyed. Although a part of Luzon and
some other islands of the Philippine group are still in Japanese hands, the
U.S. authorities, honoring their promise made to the
Filipinos have handed over the civil government of the liberated
areas to President Osmena. This is a most eloquent proof that the
Philippines will be a fully independent country as soon as Japanese are
driven out.
As early as in 1916, the U.S. Congress had passed the Jones Act,
announcing that "as soon as a stable government has been established in the
Philippines the United States will withdraw her sovereignty over the
Philippines and acknowledge her independence." In 1935, the U.S. Congress
passed the Tyding-MacDufie Act, stipulating that in 1946 the United States
would completely withdraw her sovereignty over the Philippines.
Leaflet CN-106
This 3 April 1945 leaflet was designed to lift the morale of the
news-starved population of Occupied China, and to prepare the soil for
cooperation against the Japanese. The title of the leaflet is News
Highlights Number 5. The text on this leaflet says in part:
AMERICANS LAND IN
RYUKYUS
The avenging boots of American forces today are grinding into the
Japanese soil of Okinawa. The Americans poured ashore yesterday in the
biggest amphibious action ever to occur in the Pacific theatre, reportedly
involving 1400 ships and six divisions of U.S. Army troops and Marines. They
have already captured two airfields and are pushing swiftly inland.
Okinawa, largest of the Ryukyus group, lies some shared 300 miles
south of the Japanese mainland of Kyushu. Adjacent small islands shared with
it the ferocious ten-day aerial and naval pounding. Powerful vessels of the
British Fleet also are participating in the campaign including the "King
George V" and the aircraft carrier "Illustrious."
The Americans also have had a foothold on Karema Island, several
miles south of Okinawa, since March 26.
SUPER FORTRESSES
CONTINUED TO BOMB JAPAN
The systematic attacks on the Japanese mainland by the American air
armada continued unabated. After hammering the Japanese Fleet in the Inland
Sea, U.S. carrier planes raided Japanese air force installations on Kyushu,
Shikoku, and Honshu on March 21 and 22. Two days later, more than two
hundred B-29s bombed Nagoya doing great damage to the Mitsubishi Aircraft
Plant. At the time when the American task force was attacking the Ryukyus,
Super fortresses appeared again over Kyushu and pounded aircraft plants and
airfields. As pointed out by a high-ranking officer of U.S. Airforce, the
Super fortresses' raids on Japan are still in the initial stage. Sooner or
later the Japanese will see 1,000 B-29s winging over their homeland in daily
raids.
BRITISH ARMY
ADVANCING BEYOND MANDALAY
After twelve days of street fighting, Mandalay, former capital of
Burma and an important railway junction fell into the hands of British and
Allied troops. The victorious forces are now advancing towards the oil
district. Meanwhile, the Chinese Expeditionary Army has cleared the
Lashio-Hsipaw road. In view of the recent activities of the British
warcraft, which had shelled Sumatra and the Andaman Islands, it is expected
that a major amphibious action will shortly be launched in Southeast Asia.
Leaflet CN-111
The OWI leaflet coded CN-111 dated 28 May 1945 has the silhouette of an aircraft near
the top. The title and headline is:
CHINA NEWS HIGHLIGHTS – Number 10
TOKYO BOMBINGS ARE PREVIEW OF ALLIED AIR POWER.
The text explains that the power that destroyed the Luftwaffe and bombed Germany’s
cities and factories is now coming to the Pacific to bomb Japan. 500 American B-29s bombed
the Japanese homeland on 24 and 26 May 1945. It says in part:
The U.S. War department announced on 28 May 1945 that Lieutenant General James H.
Doolittle will bring his famous Eighth Air Force to the Pacific from Europe…During
the last months of the European war, American flight of 1000 four engine-bombers escorted
by nearly as many fighters, blasted German war installations….
It reminds the Japanese that Doolittle was the first American to bomb Tokyo and he is
returning to finish the job he started.
Leaflet CN-117
The OWI leaflet coded CN-117 dated 7 July March 1945 depicts General Douglas MacArthur.
The title and headlines are:
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS – Number 16
PHILIPPINES CAMPAIGN VICTORIOUSLY CLOSED
A Communiqué issued at General MacArthur’s Headquarters on 5 July said:
“The entire Philippine Islands are now liberated and the Philippine Campaign can be
regarded as virtually closed.”
This campaign started last October 20th when General MacArthur
landed his amphibious forces of Leyte Island. After 250 days of fierce
fighting, all the organized resistance of Japanese troops, totaling
450,000, has been smashed and the entire archipelago, comprised of Luzon,
Mindanao, and other 7,000 large and small islands, is liberated.
The Japanese lost about 420,000 troops in the battle of the
Philippines while the U.S. Army suffered only 54,000 killed, wounded, and
missing. The remaining 30,000 Japs are widely scattered and from now on
can only offer sporadic resistance.
CP
Leaflet CP-104
CP-104, dated 30 March 1945, is a larger pictorial newspaper meant to keep
the Chinese in occupied territories informed of the progress of the war. The
title and headline are:
LIBERTY PICTORIAL – Number 4
GERMANS AND JAPS IN PANIC
Page one is all text except for a map of wartime Europe seeing Germany
surrounded. The lead story begins:
Germany is doomed. The Reich, struck by new and formidable blows on the
Eastern and Western front, has been thrown into confusion…The entire
populations of Germany and Japan are suffering horribly. For this they have
their fascist warlords alone to blame...
It goes on to say that Germany is on the verge of collapse and soon the
Japanese will be next.
Photographs inside the paper depict American forces advancing on Iwo Jima.
Some of the text is:
Stars and Stripes waves over Iwo Jima
In the fiercest battle of the Pacific War, lasting 25 bloody days, Iwo Jima
fell to the fighting U.S. Marines. More than 20,000 of Japan’s crack troops
were killed in action or sealed in caves on this intricately fortified
Japanese stronghold…
Rather than show the front page I will show the center section that is
filled with photographs. The most impressive is an aircraft carrier fleet
with the caption:
U.S. Fifth Fleet steams forward to an attack against the Japanese
homeland.
Leaflet CP-106
CP-106 has the title and headline is:
LIBERTY PICTORIAL – Number 6
ALLIES CLOSING ON BERLIN
After five years of bloody war, the total collapse of Nazi Germany is in sight. Only
40 miles separate the American armored spearheads from Berlin, once the center of the
arrogant Nazi government, now a city without hope.
Another story mentions the death of President Roosevelt and the inauguration of Harry
Truman. It says in part:
ROOSEVELT’S SPIRIT WILL LEAD THE ALLIES TO VICTORY
It is sad indeed that America’s courageous President Roosevelt will not hear
the bells of victory when that glad day comes. But,” though Roosevelt’s voice is
silent, his courage is not spent, and his faith is not extinguished. The world may be sure
we will prosecute the war on both fronts, East and West, with all the vigor we possess, to
a successful conclusion.” Such was one the first statements of America’s new
President, Harry Truman…”
Osborne says:
We also produced a Chinese language weekly newspaper, addressed to the population of
Japan-occupied China. Here we stressed Allied victories and Japanese defeats. This, also,
was supplemented by a pictorial weekly.
Leaflet CP-113
This leaflet, dated 22 August 1945, informs the Chinese people that the Japanese have
surrendered. The title and headline is:
CHINESE LIBERTY PICTORIAL - Number 14
VICTORY OVER JAPAN – JUSTICE IS VINDICATED
Japan, the first criminal to start the war of aggression in the world and the only
Axis power to insist on the continuation of the mass slaughter after the unconditional
surrender of Nazi Germany, has at last capitulated to the United States, Great Britain,
China and the Soviet Union….
This article has concentrated on leaflets dropped on the Chinese mainland. However,
just to give an example of a leaflet in the Chinese language not dropped on China, we must
look at the OWI leaflets to Formosa (now Taiwan). The Chinese island of Formosa was
invaded and occupied by the Empire of Japan after a brief war with China in 1895. During
WWII the American OWI sent a number of leaflets to the Formosans promising liberation
after the Allied victory.
Leaflet 107
Leaflet 107 was one of a series of leaflets aimed at Formosa. It was not to be used
anywhere else. It depicts Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek at the left, President Franklin
Roosevelt at the right, and the island of Formosa in the grips of a Japanese octopus in
the center. Text on the front is:
China and America Together Doom Violent Japan!
Text on the back is in both Chinese and Japanese and says:
The two great nations fronting on the Pacific Ocean are united with a single
purpose. They are determined to sweep away the Japanese pirates and to restore human
liberty.
What I find amazing about this leaflet is that while Chiang is being politically used
on a propaganda leaflet as a Chinese hero and patriot, U.S. General Joseph Stillwell in
China so hated the Generalissimo [he referred to him as “peanut”] for his lack
of courage and unwillingness to fight the Japanese that at one stage he hatched a plot to
have OSS Detachment 101 assassinate him by using a small botulism pill. He also had a
second plot where Chiang would be killed in an aircraft accident. On October 19, 1944,
Stilwell was recalled from his command partly due to continuing difficulties with British
and Chinese commanders. He did not get a parade upon his return, instead he was met by two
Army generals who told him that he was not to answer any media questions about China
whatsoever. The assassination plan is discussed in The Deadliest Colonel, Thomas N.
Moon and Carl F. Eifler, Vantage Press, New York, 1975.
China and United States Cooperation…
This is almost surely not a propaganda leaflet. The design indicates it was never
dropped from an aircraft. However, it is a propaganda piece. It depicts Roosevelt and
Chiang and the flags of both countries. My best guess is that it was a handout for the
Chinese people at patriotic meetings and demonstrations to hang on their walls, to raise
their morale and remind them that they were not alone in their fight against the Japanese.
The text is:
China and United States Cooperation to beat brutal Japan and build
peace
Printed by the U.S. News Bureau
This is just a very short look at American leaflets to China during WWII. I could show
several dozen more such leaflets but I think this will give the reader an idea of how we
tried to keep our Chinese allies informed and motivated during the Second World War.
Did the leaflets do any good? Major Osborne concludes:
The PSYWAR campaign in China resulted in or strongly influenced a few thousand
Japanese soldiers to surrender. It had a decisive influence on the morale of the Japanese
soldier, particularly during the last few months of the war. We were able to convince very
large numbers of Japanese soldiers, months before the war actually ended, that they had
lost the war and that their wisest course would be to try to preserve their lives. During
the summer of 1945 there was very little military action in China, due in part to the
reluctance of the Japanese soldier to fight. Toward the end of the war we began finding
the corpses of Japanese officers in the rivers of China; they had been assassinated
by their own enlisted men. There is no question that the PSYWAR effort had been worth far
more than its relatively small cost.
Leaflet KA-1
Before I end this article, I should mention that the Office of War
Information working with U.S. military forces also leafleted several other
nations that were occupied by Japan. Korea had been occupied since 1910.
Japan controlled Korea for 35 years during Japanese Imperialism. The
Japanese control of Korea lasted from 22 August 1910 until 15 August 1945.
During this period, Japan worked to wipe out Korean culture, language, and
history. Schools and universities forbade speaking Korean, and authorities
burned over 200,000 Korean historical documents, essentially erasing much of
Korea’s historical memory. Additionally, Japan took over Korea’s labor and
land, and hundreds of thousands of Korean women were forced into life as
"comfort women" in military brothels.
This 30 October 1944 leaflet depicts the same text as leaflet CA-1
did to the Chinese people. The purpose of this leaflet was to warn Korean
civilians to stay away from Japanese military installations and all places
which are useful to the Japanese military. The image on the leaflet depicts
a B-29 Super Fortress bombing an industrial complex. Koreans have been
warned and are fleeing the bombing. The text on the front is:
Get away from places
of military importance to the Japanese.
The text on the back is:
Dear Korean people!
Japanese imperialism which has invaded all Asia and is disturbing
the world is simply a virus
[the Chinese text of
CA-1 says "scourge"] which tends to destroy mankind. America, China, and
their allies are determined to wipe out this virus with merciless bombs
which are the best medicine for it. From now on powerful American air forces
will strike hard at Japanese military installations all over Korea. We do
not wish to hurt our Korean friends. Our bombing objectives are only the
installations with which the Japs fight the war, particularly airfields,
steamships, docks, warehouses, trains, factories, mines, and the like. But
it is not easy for our bombers to distinguish from several thousand feet in
the sky between friend and foe on the earth. Therefore, all who remain near
such objectives may be destroyed. Friends! Leave these areas as soon as
possible!"
The American Air
Force in China
Leaflet VJ-104
This 17 August 1945 leaflet has the code "VJ." That means
"Victory
over Japan" and tells us the war was over. This leaflet had the purpose to
prepare for the landing of U.S. military personnel by parachute to help with
the care of Allied prisoners-of-war. The text is:
TO THE COMMANDING
OFFICER, IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY:
The United States forces are prepared to drop representatives on
this field from B-24 aircraft for the humanitarian purpose of establishing
contact with Allied prisoners of war on behalf of Allied Army Headquarters.
If the field is safe for such a landing, it is requested that you signal to
that effect by displaying a white cross on the field.
COMMANDER,
U.S. Armed Forces in
China.
Leaflet VJ-107
This leaflet was dropped on 20 August 1945. It was aimed at
Japanese troops then occupying Vietnam. The text is:
COMMANDER OF THE
JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY, SAIGON
We have tried to let you know by leaflet that we wish to land a
party of officers whose sole purpose will be to arrange for the welfare of
our prisoners. We regret that we have not received your signal to land which
was to have been a white cross on the airfield. Nor have we been able to
obtain radio contact with you on the frequencies indicated in the message we
dropped to you on August 18th. We are now returning to our base. We
earnestly request that you enter radio contact with us tomorrow for the
purpose of completing arrangements for reception of our mission. We will
listen for the first 10 minutes at the beginning of every hour. You should
use the call letters "Jig Roger Love" (JRL) and transmit to us on 14.5
Megs using international morse code and transmitting your message texts. We
shall transmit to you on the same frequency using the call letters Mike Oboe
Victor (MOV).
MISSION CHIEF
For A.C. Wedmeyer
Lieutenant General
USA
Commanding
Readers with comments are encouraged to write the author
at sgmbert@hotmail.com
