nestork wrote:

I think the most important point that's not been mentioned so far in
this thread is how both the Nazi and Allied governments used propoganda
to motivate their populations. In England, German soldiers were
portrayed on posters as quazi-neanderthal apes that killed babies with
their bayonettes. In Germany, Jews were portrayed on posters as having
many of the same characteristics as rats.

Britain had a head start amd perfected their chops in WWI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_House

Britain had a brilliant idea; let's have our leading fiction authors pump
out some really stirring propaganda. Some had prior experience. Conan Doyle
had written some purple prose about the Belgian atrocities in the Congo. Not
having Microsoft Word, he had to edit it by hand to turn it into a tale of
German atrocities in Belgium. Kipling always was an armchair war monger and
fit right it. Toynbee cranked out some classics. Everytime I read about XXX
bayoneting babies and raping nuns I think of old Arnold. The description of
Iraqi atrocities in the invasion of Kuwait come to mind when GHW Bush was
trying to lead a reluctant nation into war. Sonny Boy showed him how it was
really done -- leading a nation into an ill-advised war, not winning it. At
least Daddy knew enough to quit while he was ahead.