Daring, Racy & Risqué: Forgotten WWII Propaganda Videos

In early 1942 with the US reeling from Pearl Habour and Allied efforts stretched trying to halt German advances across Europe, morale was at a premium.

Enter the U.S. Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit, charged with lifting spirits and educating new recruits for the US Army.

Still from Spies (1943), showing the Mussolini, Goering, and Konoe look-a-likes eavesdropping at the news stand.

Each man, woman, child and organisation was obliged to give to the war effort, and Warner Bros' finest were not excluded.

Containing an all-star cast from the Golden Age of Warner Bros animation, Oscar-winning director Frank Capra spearheaded the initiative alongside Bugs Bunny voice actor Mel Blanc and Army Captain Theodor Geisel, a.k.a Dr. Seuss.

Together they made the cartoon character named “Private Snafu” (coming from the unofficial military acronym SNAFU ("Situation Normal: All Fucked Up") to teach soldiers everything from security, to proper sanitation habits, to Nazi booby traps. 

Still from Spies (1943), the swastika-shaped radio transmitter.

The goal was to help enlisted men with weak literacy skills learn through animated cartoons. 

"They were boozy, they were sex-laden, they taught soldiers a thing or two about life."

A few examples feature below:

The cartoons featured racy illustrations, mild profanity, and subtle moralizing. Private Snafu gave perfect example of how not to conduct yourself, his negative example lead the way in demonstrating behaviour to avoid. 

"They were made to entertain adult males while they were being warned about things like gonorrhoea

 

 - TCM host Ben Mankiewicz on Dr. Seuss' 'Private Snafu' cartoons