WWI Propaganda | British leaflet to Turks

Mavi Boncuk |Front and back of British leaflet to Turks – Well fed prisoners of war.

The British dropped photographs showing cheerful well-fed prisoners on a "chow line"over Turkish troops in April 1917. The leaflets were dropped from seaplanes stationed at British bases on the islands of Thasos and Mitylene. The text in Turkish is, "You will gather from this photograph that stories concerning the maltreatment of prisoners of war by the British is without any basis. Those who surrender to the British are not only fed with white bread and delicious dishes of food, but they are also treated in a friendly manner. When you show this photograph at any British military station you will receive a courteous welcome and you will be sent to headquarters as a friend." Additional English-language text is, "The bearer should be taken to the nearest headquarters. He is friendly, should be treated well and allowed to keep this photograph."

Another raid occurred on 19 August. The operations report for the 25 August included a memo 'pamphlets dropped by DH9 machines." Auckland mentions a document which appeared to have been dropped over Turkey. The top half of the document is a letter from the Turkish War Minister Enver Pasha stating that Constantinople is not a military target and if the British persist in bombing it all foreign nationals will be interned. The bottom half is the British reply from Rear Admiral Lambert, Commander of the British Aegean Squadron, dated 18 September 1918. Lambert points out that the Germans have bombed such cities in France, Italy and Great Britain, and as long as the Turks remain allied to the Germans, the bombing will continue. He also threatens that any reprisals against civilians will just lead to increased bombing.

Other leaflets, which are believed to have been dropped on the Turks, are in the French language. Each has a title in German, "Kriegs-ausschuss der Deutschen Industrie Berlin" ("The Berlin German War Industry Committee") indicating that the source of the text was Germany. The remainder of the text was in French and the known titles are "The Question of Alsace-Lorraine," The German War Economy, and "The Peace in the East." The last leaflet mentions the Central powers signing a peace treaty with the new Russian government at Brest-Litovsk.

The British had four squadrons of aircraft in the northern Aegean Islands covering the Dardenelles approaches. They were the 220, 221, 222, and 223 squadrons. British aircraft were able to reach the old Turkish capitol of Constantinople (now Istanbul) and drop both bombs and leaflets.



British leaflet 48/T to the Turks

The leaflet raids originated from the island base on Imbros, nearest to Constantinople. One leaflet is alleged to have text, "Cursed by Talaat, Enver, and Hairi. If a government does not act in accordance with the will of the nation, it deserves to die with all its sons...The whole Turkish Empire is in the hands of the government, who will surely bring about Turkey's end, and if Talaat and Enver, who sold the country, are allowed to remain in power we shall have no course open to us but to shed our tears awaiting our last days."