#tbh idk if i can be arsed to tag this one. feelin lazy tonight boys

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Our friends the French: practical guide for GIs in France, 1944-1945

This book is a translation of the guide that was given to US GIs sent to France in the aftermath(ish -- see dates) of WW2. It works on a question-answer model. Honestly for the most part it's a funny read. A lot of the "frequently asked questions" are very run-of-the-mill dumb & uninspired musings that anyone normal and bored might have. "They stink :'( Why chief??" "Yes soldier tis because they're out of soap because of the, you know, war." "Also their roads are bad >:(" "Yes soldier tis because of the war again" So it's pretty funny. Like a compilation of a thousand people's most thoughtless ponderings. The other part of the humor is in the political intentions, which are relatively easy to parse out. A lot of the answers aim to remind the soldiers that they have entered a country that suffered war, and to empathize with that. Another fair amount aims to inform and educate on what's be going on -- I think we'd say "combat disinformation" today. Such as, explaining the Lend-Lease agreement, and why decisions have been made (like: why join the war).

The real funny part is in the pretty blatant propaganda, as in "we joined the war because we all care about MORALITY and FREEDOM ! ! ... (and a little bit because it was beneficial to us)" . There was a bit about French farmers "being the most hardworking of them all" that made me laugh -- because I mean, why the French ones in particular? That's hilarious. And another bit, about cars, that went something like this --

"Why are their cars so poorly maintained?"

"Well, they can't maintain them as well, and maybe they do drive worse. But also, it's because our car industry is just extremely superior, and you can't fault them for not being as good :)"

A very dad-read, if I'm honest. A fairly fun look into war history, as fun as that can get. Also similar guides have been produced for various countries and time periods; in case you were curious.