MONTGOMERY, Bernard Law, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887-1976). Field-Marshal.
Typed Document Signed ("Montgomery of Alamein F.M."), a transcript of his message of 10 June 1945 as Commander of the British sector of occupied Germany, to the "Population of the British Area in Germany", explaining why British soldiers have been forbidd
In Chapter 22 of his Memoirs, published in 1958, Montgomery discusses the problem of post-war fraternisation with the Germans, and quotes this message in full. As he relates, "if we mixed freely with the Germans, went to their houses, danced with their girls and so on, it would be resented by our own families in England and by millions of people who had suffered under the Gestapo." In this forceful and characteristic message, he explains to the Germans the basis for the non-fraternisation policy, principally the necessity of bringing home to the people the reality of their defeat and the wickedness of their rulers.
", , , During the war your rulers would not let you know what the world was thinking of you. Many of you seemed to think that when our soldiers arrived you could be friends with them at once, as if nothing much had happened. But too much has happened for that. Our soldiers have seen their comrades shot down, their homes in ruins, their wives and children hungry. They have seen terrible things in many countries where your rulers took the war. For those things, you will say you are not responsible - it was your rulers. But they were found by the German nation; every nation is responsible for its rulers, and while they were successful you cheered and laughed. This is why our soldiers do not smile at you. This we have ordered, this we have done, to save yourselves, to save your children, to save the world from another war . . . our obect is to destroy the evil of the Nazi system; it is too soon to be sure that this has been done. You are to read this to your children, if they are old enouugh, and see that they understand. Tell them why it is that the British soldier does [not] smile."
Unnoticed by Montgomery, the evidently tired typist has left out the vital word 'not' in the last sentence. Montgomery remained in Berlin until May 1946, and it is likely that extra signed copies of his message were required until his departure. The non-fraternisation orders were soon relaxed, leaving only two rules: no members of the armed forces were to be billeted with Germans, nor were they allowed to marry them.
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