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I have been grateful to one of renown collector of propaganda leaflets that he offered me part of his collection built over 30 years on India. Now that I have lots of such leaflets, I think I shall share leaflet today than other materials :-) I think in future also, you will find me posting more on war propaganda leaflets than postal items.
Today's leaflet is an interesting set. In fact, a first such set in my collection where 2 propaganda leaflets were dropped with same content and same pictures by allied forces (or I shall say SEAC [South East Asia Command]) on Indian soldiers under Japanese forces (read INA: Indian National Army raised by Subhas Chandra Bose). The only difference between the two leaflets is language used. One of them is in Hindi while other is in Urdu.
Shown above is early SEAC leaflet depicting a large bomber plane in front with text in Hindi which translates as:
This is message by United Nations. Don't help Japanese by any means. Stay away from air bases, railway stations, markets, ports, major bridges, armed camps, warehouse and all those places where Japanese live or work.
When we drop bomb from such high altitude then it is impossible for us to differentiate between friends and enemy.
Japanese are our enemy and all those who help them. We don't want to harm our friends in any manner. Our friends who hate Japanese, treat them as enemy and never help them.
This is same leaflet with same picture and content but in Urdu. Naturally, the content of leaflet indicates it must have been used on Burma or North East India front where Allied forces (Indian soldiers part of British regiments) were fighting against Japanese (Indian soldiers as INA). This leaflet is warning for citizens of those area not to help Japanese in any manner.
This shows the back side of leaflet which is again same in both of them. It shows Great Britain and USA flag. Even though, the leaflet is uncoded but showing flag of US and Britain indicates this was operation of SEAC.
Today's leaflet is an interesting set. In fact, a first such set in my collection where 2 propaganda leaflets were dropped with same content and same pictures by allied forces (or I shall say SEAC [South East Asia Command]) on Indian soldiers under Japanese forces (read INA: Indian National Army raised by Subhas Chandra Bose). The only difference between the two leaflets is language used. One of them is in Hindi while other is in Urdu.
Shown above is early SEAC leaflet depicting a large bomber plane in front with text in Hindi which translates as:Warning
This is message by United Nations. Don't help Japanese by any means. Stay away from air bases, railway stations, markets, ports, major bridges, armed camps, warehouse and all those places where Japanese live or work.
Don't take this warning in light manner
When we drop bomb from such high altitude then it is impossible for us to differentiate between friends and enemy.
Japanese are our enemy and all those who help them. We don't want to harm our friends in any manner. Our friends who hate Japanese, treat them as enemy and never help them.
This is same leaflet with same picture and content but in Urdu. Naturally, the content of leaflet indicates it must have been used on Burma or North East India front where Allied forces (Indian soldiers part of British regiments) were fighting against Japanese (Indian soldiers as INA). This leaflet is warning for citizens of those area not to help Japanese in any manner.
This shows the back side of leaflet which is again same in both of them. It shows Great Britain and USA flag. Even though, the leaflet is uncoded but showing flag of US and Britain indicates this was operation of SEAC.
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