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    OSS - The Psychology of War


ARMY COMBAT PROPAGANDA COMPANIES

[A] transfer of certain combat propaganda units, formerly a part of the Military Intelligence Service, to the Office of Strategic Services has been accomplished. These units represent partial activation of the Combat Propaganda Companies, which when completely activated and trained, will be available to Task Force Commanders as fully mobile combat units to: demoralize, deceive, and otherwise hamper the tactical activity of enemy troops opposite our lines; break the will to win or to resist of enemy inhabitants of enemy territory; inform, assure, inspire, and guide friendly inhabitants of occupied territory in their cooperation with our objectives and forces. Specially staffed and equipped, these organizations will provide Task Force Commanders, for immediate front line use, with all media of combat propaganda including the spoken work by radio transmission to points deep behind the enemy line, and combat loud speaker adjacent to the line, and the written word and the picture by printed leaflet, pictorial propaganda dropped from the air or shot across the lines. In addition to providing the above media of combat propaganda, the companies will perform the following functions: intercept enemy broadcasts for evaluation as to the enemy's tactical propaganda intent, receive United States or United Nations broadcasts and rebroadcast them when and where desired or record them for evaluation or later rebroadcasts, interfere with and jam enemy communications and broadcasts. Activation of Combat Propaganda Companies, Feb. 3, 1943

PWB - ETO Training School, Jan. 10, 1944

Master Outline of Two Weeks M.O. Course at Area F, circa Nov. 1944

Sample Campaign that may be Used by a Combat Propaganda Company, circa 1943

The combat units will be trained as radio and printing teams of 30 men each. Each unit will be equipped with a mobile printing press, and at leaste two units will be equipped with mobile radio broadcasting transmitters. The personnel of each team will include trained script writers with the proper language qualifications (English, French, German), radio announcers and broadcasters, and the necessary technical personnel. The mnission of these units will be to prepare prin ted material and devices intended to divide, confuse, alarm, and demoralize the enemy, to put on the air false and misleading broadcasts, and to bombard the enemy lines by every possible morale instrument. [Agreed to omit this special program for MO since the Group is unwilling to include propaganda or combat propaganda activities in a program; but agreed also that it is probably within the power of the theater commander to organize such activities in his theater and, under the Joint Chiefs of Staff Directive, to utilize OSS personnel in such activities.] Special Program for MO Activities in the European Theater, Nov. 26, 1943

Proposal for Special Tasks to be Assigned to Quasi-Military Organizations, Dec. 20, 1943

Concerence in connection to matters pertaining to sound effects, April 19, 1944

Copyright Paul Wolf, 2004. For educational use only. No copyright to original government works.