Misjudged

Last week, I read a peculiar article in the newspaper. It said that the International Red Cross Commission in Geneva announced that Field Marshal Göring had signed an order stating that all British pilots taken as prisoners of war should be treated as officers, regardless of their rank, and confined in camps designated for officers. Isn’t this a nice message in these times of merciless hateful and retaliation tendencies? Could this actually be a sign that the general mentality is changing and that generosity is not completely gone? – Libelle 1940, No. 11, p. 11

Mr. Göring issued a decree,
Which clearly states: if
A pilot is taken as a prisoner of war,
He will be treated fabulously.

He will receive treatment beyond measure,
As we will treat him as an officer.
Mr. Göring thought to himself,
I‘ve done something fine again.

Such a beautiful gesture has a direct effect,
It is intended
And achieved by me
That many an Englishman will

Surrender easily without much effort
And renounce the conflict, thus early on
Weakening the enemy‘s air force greatly,
As every RAF man would

Prefer to be in German captivity.
For Churchill, this is revolting,
For Germany, it is lovely,
We shall see, we shall see.

And besides, the whole world
Will say that Hitler‘s Germany upholds
Humanity with honor.
One is delighted and is pleased

With what Germany has done,
It is clear: Germany is humane,
And our German reputation
Will be better than ever.

One can see that the German military
Fights gallantly and is so fair,
And if an enemy falls into German hands,
It is now known that he will

Be treated as an honored guest,
Yes, the prisoners are almost
Better off than at home,
That was the case when the war began.

Meanwhile, five years have passed,
The German barbarism is now known
Everywhere around the globe,
From the depths of people‘s hearts they want

To be relieved and liberated
From the Nazi high culture,
From torture and torment,
And from German cruelty.

The German claims to be chivalrous
And bitterly complains
That people do not want to deal with him,
In every country he is now

Despised and he feels misjudged
By every nation, in every country,
He feels detested and loathed,
No longer welcomed as a guest.

He is shunned, boycotted,
And feels deeply shocked,
And feels offended and hurt,
That people think only ill of him.

He feels like a scapegoat,
A punching bag unjustly struck
By the world‘s evil stick,
The enemy‘s propaganda poison

Has, he believes, incited this world.
He feels insulted and injured,
As the purest innocent lamb,
Which has been pelted with mud.

He feels made into the black sheep,
And believes he has been brought to misfortune
By the blind hatred of dark forces,
For Germany has ceaselessly
Done nothing but the very best,
Above all, it was – humane.