Niemals! (Never!)
Depicted above is the cover of a German propaganda pamphlet published in October or November of 1944, entitled "Niemals!" (Never!). It had a circulation of about 400,000 copies.
In the image, there is a strong fist coming down on a map of Germany and shattering it. The muted sepia tones contrast with the bold victory red of the text. The strong defiant imagery is punctuated by the alarming exclamation mark at the end of "Niemals!" (Never!)
As mentioned, the pamphlet was circulated in the fall of 1944, when the desperation of the Nazi state began to reach a fever pitch. This resulted in reckess and ill-advised attempts by Hitler to turn the tide of the war back into Germany's favor. The cover of this propaganda pamphlet symbolizes the scrambling late-war attempts of the Nazi state to motivate Germans to hold firm to the ideology of the Reich—despite the war slipping quickly and decisively out of their grasp.
Notably, this pamphlet was published shortly after the failure of Operation Lüttich, the battle whose outcome Hitler believed was the most important in the entire war, and the resulting disaster for German forces at the Falaise Pocket (described below in Also at This Time - Historical Context).
The text within the propaganda pamphlet suggests that it is better for Germans to fight and die for Nazi ideology, even destroying the whole of Germany in the process, rather than to let the Allied powers declare victory over them; according to the pamphlet, the Allies would destroy Germany out of hatred and enslave its people as punishment.
Some interesting quotes from the pamphlet about the Allied forces that reflect Germany's nationalism—which are underscored in their fervor with a noticeably paranoid tone—are as follows:
"Their hatred for the Führer, whose peace and disarmament proposals they always rejected, is almost sick. Because they have no stature themselves, neither human nor political, they envy the genius, the unreachable, the creative spirit, that seeks a new world. They know and sense that this man has guided the German people to its true inner greatness... world history pays heed to a different clock than the one Churchill carries in his vest pocket. After his name has faded, the name Adolf Hitler will shine more brightly than before over humanity! The great have always been disdained by the mediocre, but it is also true that the fame of the genius endures for centuries!"
"German man! German woman! German boy! German girl! Do you want our enemies' hateful dreams to become reality? Do you want Germany to perish, as the Jew Kaufman demands? No—a thousand times no! We want Germany to live! We want to be free as our fathers were! Better to die than live in slavery!"
Citations
Goitsch, Heinrich. Niemals! Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP, 1944. https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/niemals.htm. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Operation Lüttich (The Battle of Mortain)
"The Battle of Mortain," a National Guard Heritage Painting by Keith Rocco, courtesy the National Guard Bureau.
In the early morning hours on the same day that Isabel penned and sent this letter to Margaret, Monday, August 7, 1944, a battle began on the Western front in Europe that would spell the beginning of the end for Hitler and his powerful German forces.
Barely past midnight on August 7th, the ULTRA cryptologists of Bletchley Park had hurriedly called Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commander of the U.S. 12th Army Group, to report the findings of an intercepted August 6th communication from Hitler requesting backup for the 2nd SS Panzer division that would be pressing into Mortain that evening as part of his final planned Normandy counterattack, Operation Lüttich. By the time the Americans received the dispatch, however, the 30th Infantry Division dug into Hill 314 "were already feeling the first impact of Adolf Hitler’s latest blitzkrieg, the only one he would launch in Normandy" (Lippman)—and a move that would spell disaster for Hitler's powerful Third Reich.
After the successful Allied invasion of Normandy that started with D-Day (June 6th) almost exactly two months prior, their ensuing probe with the successful Operation Cobra into German-controlled France that allowed the Allies to seize control of Avranches had put the pressure on a scandalized Hitler, who had been recovering from the botched assassination attempt of July 20th that had been schemed up by some of his own closest generals.
In the unassuming and quiet town of Mortain, France, lay a landmark known as Hill 314. Following leadership directive to defend key locations in Normandy, a sector of American forces—namely, the 30th Infantry Division (known by its nickname Old Hickory)—had dug in on Mortain's Hill 314 in the days leading up to August 7; its strategic position and good visibility would prove essential to Allied efforts to win control of France. Only days prior, the 30th Infantry Division, a group of still-green young men who mostly came from Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, had found itself caught up in two instances of friendly fire in which Allied bombers unwittingly dropped shells onto their own troops; Old Hickory had suffered the loss of nearly 150 of its soldiers to this tragic accident, but the 450 or so soldiers of the 30th infantry division who were sent to Mortain were still determined to demonstrate their tenacity and resolute will (Against All Odds S2 E6).
To say that Hitler was determined to regain control of his lost territory, pinch Allied supply lines and ultimately drive the Americans back to sea in a show of absolute force would be an understatement. In a hasty effort to concentrate troops westward (and against the advisement of his general Günther von Kluge in Normandy, who was worried—and rightly so—that the operation would leave the southern and eastern flanks vulnerable), Hitler quickly devised his plan for a final, decisive counterattack: Operation Lüttich. What Hitler did not expect was that the 30th Infantry Division was going to halt his his panzer forces—some 12,000 men strong—in their tracks.
According to Robert Baumer's book "Old Hickory," as quoted in an article published by the National Guard, in August 1944, Hitler issued his sternest order in the war to date: "Strike through Mortain to seal off the Americans at Avranches!"
The map below depicts the movement and position of American and German forces during the eight-day battle at Mortain; notice the American roadblocks, depicted by green circles, that were key in disallowing the German panzer forces from gaining traction and access to Hill 314. (Map source).
The Battle of Mortain would prove to be a test of mettle for both the Allied and German forces, but Old Hickory would outlast even facing the threat of quickly diminishing supplies, including little to no food or water for days on end and depleted battery packs for the radios that served as their only line of communication to the 35th Infantry Artillery Division backing them up from their vantage point on the hill (Against The Odds S2 E6) .
As the National Guard website explains, here is how the battle proceeded:
"At H-Hour, 7 August 1944, the troops of the XLVII Panzer Corps rolled forward in Operation Luttich with the 2nd SS Panzer Division headed directly for Mortain and Hill 317, a key terrain feature in the central sector of the attack.
On the 7th of August, the roadblock and Hill 317 were surrounded and bypassed by the main body of German forces. The group surrounded on Hill 317, commanded by Capt. Reynold Erichson were protected by a ring of artillery fire from the 35th Infantry Division artillery and fighter-bomber sorties flown by the 2nd Tactical Air Force RAF.
This kept the Germans from taking Hill 317 and stopped the momentum of the counterattack in the area on the first day. The 35th Infantry Division, attacking the German penetration from the southwest, relieved the besieged troops at noon on 12 August.
In one of the outstanding small-unit achievements of the war in Europe, the defenders held out for six days, sustained 300 casualties, but denied the enemy a key objective. For their valiant actions on Hill 317, the 120th Infantry Regiment was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation."
The valiant efforts of the 30th Infantry Division and their refusal to allow the panzer forces to gain the upper hand at the Battle of Mortain were instrumental in deciding the course of the war that would result in Allied victory. In fact, Hitler himself declared that Mortain "will be the most decisive battle of the entire war" (Against The Odds S2 E6).
Surprisingly, there is little information readily available online about Operation Luttich and the Battle of Mortain, given that they happened among the most instrumental months of the entirety of World War II among such noteworthy events as D-Day and the Falaise Pocket—but without the efforts of the soldiers at the Battle of Mortain, Hitler would not have been handed such a striking defeat at Normandy once and for all during the events of the Falaise pocket only days later.
The story of the Battle of Mortain, including rare and invaluable firsthand testimonies from Old Hickory veterans who fought in Mortain during that fateful August week in 1944, is retold day-by-day in the striking documentary series "Against The Odds," season 2, episode 6, which can be accessed to watch with a Discovery+ subscription (see link in Citations section).
According to Antone Jaber, Jr., one of the infantrymen interviewed in the documentary:
On the fifth day of fighting, "the Germans came up with a white flag up the hill where we were, went up, talked to the captain. And like I say, being naive, I thought they wanted to surrender—they wanted us to surrender! And my captain, company commander, told them to go to hell."
Citations
Against The Odds. “The Untold Story of the Battle of Mortain,” March 23, 2016. www.ahctv.com/show/against-the-odds-ahc.. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Brooks, Drew. “Mortain: A Forgotten World War II Battle and the Modern-Day Fight for Recognition.” The Fayetteville Observer, November 10, 2018. https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/military/2018/11/10. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Encyclopedia Britannica. “Normandy Invasion | Definition, Map, Photos, Casualties, & Facts,” April 3, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/event/Normandy-Invasion/Breakout-August-1944#ref831190. Accessed 16 April 2023.
History.com. “July Plot,” February 4, 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/july-plot. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Imperial War Museums. “The German Response to D-Day,” n.d. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-german-response-to-d-day. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Lengel, Ed. “The 30th Infantry Division’s Heroic Stand at Mortain, August 1944.” The National WWII Museum New Orleans, April 1, 2020. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/30th-infantry-division-battle-mortain. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Lippman, David H. “Hitler’s Bold Attack at Mortain." Warfare History Network, September 16, 2022. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/hitlers-bold-attack-at-mortain/. Accessed 16 April 2023.
National Guard. “Battle of Mortain,” n.d. https://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/Image-Gallery/Historical-Paintings/Heritage-Series/Battle-of-Mortain/. Accessed 16 April 2023.
National Guard. “WWII 30th Infantry Division Awarded Presidential Unit Citation,” n.d. https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/2115576. Accessed 16 April 2023.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
How did women like Isabel and Margaret create their own remarkable stories in what would largely become known as a "man's war"? Is Isabel's support of Margaret surprising?
How did the stories of women like Isabel and Margaret compare to the stories of women like those who worked as codebreakers at Bletchley Park? How were the experiences of these women similar, and how were they different?
We see in the letter that Isabel reassures Margaret that she is still "the girl anyway," and not to worry because she will ultimately find love again and get married one day. Did Jack truly love Margaret, and did she love him? Is marriage the ultimate expression of love?
We know now that about eight months after this letter was penned about Jack breaking Margaret's heart by marrying another woman, Adolf Hitler married his longtime partner Eva Braun in a ceremony under the full moon shortly before the pair committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Why are we as humans so fascinated with the concept of marriage, even across cultures and vastly different ideologies, and even during dire times of war? Do times like war actually intensify our human longing for marriage and togetherness?
Operation Ultra and the Women of Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park (pictured here) serves as a tourist attraction and museum today, but at one time housed more than 10,000 individuals who worked to decrypt top-secret Axis communications for the Allied war effort. (Image source)
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Operation Ultra was a cooperative allied effort to "intercept and decode radio and cable messages sent by the Nazis" to their allies during the war. Launched by British intelligence in 1941, Bletchley Park became the top-secret home to the Ultra Intelligence project.
Interestingly (but unsurprisingly, given the collective invaluable contribution of women to the war effort across all kinds of occupations), around 75% of the 10,000 people employed at Bletchley Park were women, performing jobs essential to the functioning of the park; they were involved in every aspect of the Ultra Intelligence project, including performing as cryptologists themselves. Women serving at the park included the WRENS (Women's Royal Naval Service) who were among the first recruited by the British government to work on the 'bombe' at Bletchley—the first machine created to decrypt Germany's notorious Enigma codes. The bombe project was highly successful and Britain realized the need for more intelligent women to be brought onto the project.
As the United Kingdom's Horus Security Consultancy notes, "thousands of women were brought in from all over Britain – the leaders of Bletchley Park looked for women who were linguists, mathematicians, chess champions, and even crossword experts. The work was very intensive and shifts were from 4pm until midnight, midnight until 8am, and 8am until 4pm for 6 days per week."
The messages that these women decrypted allowed them to forewarn Allied leaders of incoming attacks, such as the warning that Ultra was able to send to the general at the Battle of Mortain in the early hours of August 7, 1944. Many such warnings were sent throughout the war which gave Allied forces a leading edge, saving them suffering and bloodshed as a direct result of the tireless work of the Bletchley Park codebreakers.
The contribution of these women to the war effort cannot be understated; from working tireless hours around the clock to intercept and decode important Axis messages, to keeping their work an absolute secret, the security of not only Britain but of the Allied powers at large was in the hands of these courageous and intelligent women. Historians estimate that the work done by the codebreakers at Bletchley park shortened the war by up to two years, saving countless lives in the process.
Seen here are women workers at Bletchley Park posing together for a rare photograph (Image source)
While the names of many of the women who worked at Bletchley Park are lost to history, valuable records kept from the project have allowed us to discover and celebrate several of the women who served the Allied effort such as Joan Clarke, whose "involvement in the Enigma project that resulted in the decryption of Nazi Germany’s secret communications earned her prestigious awards and citations" (Horus Security Consultancy), Margaret Rocks, who became the most senior cryptologist at the park, and Mavis Batey, who became assistant to notable codebreaker and scholar Dilly Knox.
The work of these women was often grueling and thankless. In a rare diary entry of one woman who worked at the park, Pauline Leech describes her second day observing the codebreaking activity as follows: "the waste of it all–the time, the material, the human energy."
This downtrodden description is a salient reminder that the day-to-day lives of these women, like many of the women who served in the war effort, were often defined by work that was overwhelming and sometimes even felt impossible; however, they still saw it through. Although Miss Leech did not have the future sight to know that the work that seemed like such a waste of human energy at the time would in turn save countless human lives in the course of the war, we know it now. Thus, the invisible work of these women and of all the women who served in the war effort should be remembered.
Citations
Bletchley Park. “Diaries and Letters,” n.d. https://bletchleypark.org.uk/our-story/diaries-and-letters/. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Byte Out of History: Using Ultra Intelligence in World War II,” March 19, 2020. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/byte-out-of-history-using-ultra-intelligence-in-world-war-ii. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Google Arts & Culture. “Bletchley Park: Home of the Codebreakers." Google Arts and Culture, n.d. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/7gUxRIPFAxsA8A. Accessed 16 April 2023.
“The Women of Bletchley Park.” Horus Security Consultancy Ltd, July 20, 2021. https://www.horus-security.co.uk/articles/the-women-of-bletchley-park/. Accessed 16 April 2023.