Germany 1944: A British Soldier's Pocketbook in Bloomington, MN

This Soldier's pocketbook from 1944, and the tale of its creation, reveal a fascinating moment of history: a snapshot of prejudices, expectations, assumptions and fears. It was created in conditions of secrecy to prepare British and Allied soldiers for entering and occupying Germany - but at a time when victory was not guaranteed. What would they face? How would they be treated? How would they manage a population they were used to thinking of only as 'enemy combatants'? Part Practical guide, part everyman's history of the German people, part propoganda tool, it is an instantly absorbing window on an uncertain time. It shows how the Allied civilian and militery command wanted to condition the ordinary serviceman's thoughts about what he would encounter. Today's reader will find here opiniated comment and crude stereotype, but also subtle insights and humour - intentional and unintentional. The pocketbook says as much about the mindset of its British compilers as it does about the German people or about the Nazi regime that the soldiers would eventually topple.