CrabHao火雲豪

Whispers of War- The British World War II rumor campaign

戰場細語-談二次世界大戰英軍之謠言戰役

The humiliating defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in France in the summer of 1940

was perhaps Britain’s darkest hour of the Second World War. But the defeat was quickly and

successfully spun into a heroic retreat after the miraculous evacuation of the greater part

of the BEF from the beaches of Dunkirk. Britain was now fighting alone and facing a Nazi invasion.

1940年夏季英國遠征軍（British Expeditionary Force,BEF）在法國的慘敗，也許是大英帝國在二次

世界大戰期間最黑暗的時刻。但在大部份英國遠征軍奇蹟式地撤離法國敦刻爾克（Dunkirk）海灘後，

此挫敗很快並成功地轉成一場英勇的撤退。此際，大英帝國正獨自力抗納粹的侵略。

Hitler's "Last Appeal to Reason" was dropped over Britain in July 1940

1940年投散於英國的希特勒「最後呼籲」講稿

During a speech to the German Reichstag on 19 July 1940, Hitler gave Britain one last chance

to make peace. Sefton Delmer, the future head and mastermind of British black propaganda

, was just about to make his debut broadcast to Germany on the BBC when he heard the

Führer’s “last appeal to reason”. Spontaneously, without governmental approval, Delmer

tersely rejected any notion of a compromise peace. “Herr Hitler,” Delmer announced, “you

have on occasion in the past consulted me as to the mood of the British public. So permit me

to render your Excellency this little service once again tonight. Let me tell you what we

here in Britain think of this appeal of yours to what you are pleased to call our reason and

common sense. Herr Führer and Reichskanzler, we hurl it right back at you, right in your

evil smelling teeth . . .” 1 The unofficial rejection upset a few Members of Parliament

but Delmer’s attitude was indicative of the new mindset in the country.

在1940年7月19日於德國邦聯議會（Reichstag）發表的演說中，希特勒給英國下了最後通牒。當英

國未來欺敵宣傳主腦戴摩（Sefton Delmer）聽到此場演說時，他正準備於英國國家廣播電台做對德國

人的第一次播音。在未經英國政府當局同意的情況下，戴摩立即於播音中簡短地拒絕德國所提出的任何

妥協式的和平。『希特勒先生，您在過去偶爾會就英國民心狀態而請教於我。所以，在今晚讓我再為閣

下提供此一小小的服務。讓我告訴你，我們英國人對你的呼籲以及你所謂我們的理性及常識的想法。元

首及總理先生，我們絕不接受妥協，並請把你的言論吞回你邪惡的嘴裏。』此一非官方的回絕使幾位國

會成員十分不滿，但戴摩的看法卻是全民的心聲。

Sefton Delmer broadcasts to Germany

戴摩對德國人廣播

Britain’s main priority now was preparation for the expected invasion. All and every means

were explored to defend the country. Psychological warfare had an important role to play in

exaggerating Britain’s defence capabilities and to persuade the German invading force that

they were undertaking an impossible and perilous task which would only result in their

annihilation. The spreading of “inspired rumours” would be one method utilized to deceive

and depress the enemy.

大英帝國現在的主要工作是為可預期的侵略做好準備，並使用各種各樣的方式來保衛家園。心理戰在激

勵英國防衛能力上扮演重要角色，亦嚇阻德軍告知入侵英國是一項危險及不可能的任務，侵略結果只會

使德國自取滅亡。這類暗示性謠言的散佈為一項欺敵及打壓敵人之手段。

Rumors are a perfect medium for unacknowledgeable clandestine propaganda and deception. They

are incredibly hard to trace and near impossible to prove their origin; they can spread like

the proverbial wildfire. There is no one in the world who does not relish passing on gossip

or a titbit of “inside” information. Even in today’s news saturated world the populations

of the Western democracies, who believe they are more enlightened and less gullible than ever

before, still fall for the most ridiculous and often abhorrent conspiracy theories. Just examine

those who sincerely believe JFK was assassinated by the CIA or, perhaps, the Mafia, that an

Alien flying saucer crashed at Roswell in 1947, that the US moon landing was an elaborate hoax,

and even more far-fetched and absurd stories like the CIA orchestrated the 9/11 terrorist

attacks on New York and that Princess Diana’s death in a car wreck in Paris was not the result

of a speeding drunk driver but an MI6 murder plot on Prince Charles’ orders! Are these

conspiracy theories just self-generating stories from the imaginative minds of a cynical

public or are they propagated or assisted by hostile intelligence services? Who can ever know?

But what it does illustrate is that when there is huge public interest in an event with

strong emotional appeal and a lack of verifiable facts, the most fanciful stories can flourish

and be given credence.

謠言對未知的、秘密的宣傳及欺敵來說是一種完美媒介。謠言難以追蹤，無法查明來源。謠言可以像野

火一般燎原。世界上沒有一個人不喜歡談論八卦或說一點內部消息。甚至在今天新聞飽和的西方民主世

界，人們認為他們比從前更是開明及不易受騙，但仍是有人會相信十分荒謬及可惡的陰謀論。看看仍是

有人相信甘迺迪總統是被中情局或黑手黨暗殺、1947年外星人的飛行器墜毀於喬治亞州的拉茲威市、美

國登陸月球其實是一場精心製作的大騙局，以及其他更牽強、可笑的故事像是911恐怖攻擊，其實是中

情局精心擘劃以及英國戴安娜王妃在法國的死亡車禍，其實是查爾斯王子授意英國軍情六處計畫的謀殺

案。難道這些陰謀論只是從一群憤世嫉俗群眾的幻想中所產生的故事嗎？又或者它們是在敵方情報網下

所設計的？而誰又知道呢？但這的確顯示當一件事情對普羅大眾來說，是有著強烈情感並缺乏可查驗的

事證時，有著最富想像力的故事就會被相信及傳頌。

British home front propaganda poster to prevent the spread of rumors

英國國內防止謠言散佈的宣傳海報

In the wartime world of 1940 with strictly controlled and curtailed news media, the rumour

potentially was a very valuable and potent weapon in influencing public opinion. All warring

nations impressed upon their own people not to pass on gossip and hearsay. Across Britain

posters reinforced the message with such famous phrases as “Tittle-tattle lost the battle” ,

 “Keep mum, she’s not so dumb”, and “Careless talk costs lives”. In Germany a poster

illustrated how a “latrine rumour” passed onto one person at 2 p.m. would rapidly spread,

so by 3:30 p.m. thousands of people had heard the scandalous story. The artist, Paul Weber’s

famous illustration, “the Rumour” showing an inquisitive snake smashing its way through

an office block was also used to persuade the German Volk not to spread tales.

在 1940年戰時期間，新聞媒體被嚴格的控管，所以謠言對影響大眾觀點是一項非常有價值及有力的武

器。所有參戰國均對其人民要求不得散佈八卦及傳聞。英國透過海報中幾句非常著名的標題來加強人民

的印象，如「閒話、閒聊打輸戰爭」、「保持沉默，小心間諜」及「無心之言，殺身之禍」等。在德國，

有一張海報描述「公廁謠言」在下午二點時開始散佈，而在下午三點半時就有上千人聽到這則可笑的故

事。德國藝術家韋柏（Paul Weber）最著名的插畫「謠言」中有一條好奇的蛇在辦公大樓間游移，其目

的即在說服德國大眾不要輕易散佈謠言。

German Volk are warned about the dangers of the "latrine rumour"

德國人被警告「公廁謠言」的危險性

In the summer of 1940, as the remnants of the BEF regrouped in England and began intensive

construction of anti-invasion defences, Department EH established the Underground

Propaganda Committee (UPC) to formulate, under the tightest secrecy, an anti-invasion

whispering campaign. 2 The rumours they generated were codenamed “Sibs” – taken from the

Latin word sibilare, meaning to hiss – partly for security reasons and partly for amusement.

在1940年夏天，英國遠征軍的餘部在英國重組，並開始密集地進行反入侵防衛工事。

英國電訊部（Department Electra House，譯註二戰時機密組織，任務以宣傳為主）成

立了地下宣傳組織（Underground Propaganda Committee，UPC）」並秘密展開了反侵

略的流言戰役。他們所產出的流言稱為「喜伯」，取自拉丁字根，其意義為發噓聲，

一半是取自保密之故，另一則是純為娛樂。

Before Dunkirk only a few sibs had been developed and on an entirely ad-hoc basis. The

first rumour devised suggested that U-boat losses were much larger than the German

government was prepared to admit with only two out of every three boats returning. The

rumour was passed by Electra House to Colonel Vivian at Bletchley Park, aka Station X,

for dissemination by undisclosed means on 10 December 1939. This was followed up in

the following February with the story that there had been serious mishaps to U-boats

undergoing trials at Wilhelmshaven, owing to sabotage in the Deschimag shipyard. The

U-boat service would be a major recurrent target for British black propaganda throughout

the rest of the war.

在「敦刻爾克大撤退」前僅有少部份的「喜伯」在流傳。第一個謠言為有關德國潛

水艇的戰損數字遠大於德國政府所公布，也就是每派出三艘潛水艇中僅有一艘戰

返。謠言由電訊部傳遞給布列卻利公園（Bletchley Park，譯註又被稱為X車站，為

二戰時英國主要編、解密碼中心）的衛維恩上校，並於1939年12月10日以匿名身

份將謠言散佈出去。次年2月傳言已變成在德國維漢哈芬港（Wilhelmshaven）接受

試製的潛水艇，因受戴卻麥格製船廠（Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau

AG,Deschimag）被破壞影響而受到重大損失。在接下的戰事中，德國潛水艇一直是

英國「黑宣傳」最主要目標。

Another early rumour claimed that due to the ration situation in Germany, doctors had

orders to do away with hospitalised old and permanently disabled patients. In the Spring,

three more fabricated stories were spread by Bletchley Park and by agents of SIS’s

Section D. The first was an economic warfare rumour which asserted that certain Germans

who had made a habit of noting the serial numbers of bank notes had discovered two

notes with the same numbers. The implication being that the Reichsbank was disguising

massive economic inflation by printing twice as many bank notes and was attempting to

hide the fact by repeating serial numbers. Another suggested that the receipt of large food

parcels from abroad by Germans was being taken by the Gestapo as proof that the

recipients had money in a foreign country.

有關配糧的問題則是另一項早期散佈的謠言，謠言指出德國醫生接獲命令殺害老殘

病患。在1940年春天，又有三個偽造的謠言由布列卻利公園及秘密情報處D小組散

佈。第一個是有關經濟戰的謠言，其聲稱部分德國人民發現銀行報表有出現兩組相

同的數字。其隱藏意涵為德國央行（Reichsbank）將同一筆帳款列印二次，以掩飾國

內通貨膨脹的問題。另一個謠言是有關「蓋世太保」接收外國的大型食品包裹，謠

言指出接收者在國外擁有大量現金。

As the Battle of Britain got underway the UPC’s work became more organized and more

urgent. Their brief was to mislead the German General Staff into thinking they have to

take precautions against non-existent weapons and to circulate news to the determent of

the morale of the German invasion force. The first anti-invasion rumours were prepared in

mid-July, several of which claimed that Britain had new and decisive weapons waiting to

be unleashed. One alleged weapon was a high-capacity light machine gun with a rapid

rate of fire and special sights to give it great accuracy. It was particularly effective at

shooting down dive-bombers, was the claim. When tested in France in one day it brought

down twelve dive-bombers and the next day two more before breakfast. To help the story

spread photographs of a modified BREN gun with mocked-up sights would be

accidentally released to the press without comment.

在英國參戰期間，地下宣傳組織的工作變得更為緊急。他們的任務是使德軍總部相信他們得去預防一些不存在的武器並持續散佈流言以打擊德軍士氣。第一批反侵略謠言是在7月中旬發佈的，多數謠言指出英軍已具有新式及精密的武器。其中一項武器為高容量彈匣輕機槍，其可快速發射及精確瞄準。據稱其對於轟炸機之射擊尤具效果。在法國測試時，第一天內擊落12架轟炸機，第二天在早餐前即擊落14架。為了加速謠言的散播，一挺改良後輕機槍的照片未加任何說明地偶然出現在報紙上。

A new deadly mine of terrific power specially designed for destroying several

landing-craft at once was another of Britain’s imaginary secret weapons. The UPC

recommended that more flavour could be given to the story if photographs were released

of soldiers lowering disguised manhole covers on ropes into the sea from small boats.

This could be continually repeated along the coastline under Luftwaffe aerial observation.

If any enemy troops were lucky enough to actually get ashore then other special mines on

the beaches controlled by “secret rays” should finish them off. But if not, the trip wires

armed with allsorts of lethal devices would. The “ultimate rumour” suggested that Britain

had an immense number of armoured vehicles capable of charging down transport planes

on the ground. The truth, however, was that there were practically no armoured vehicles

of any kind.

一款威力強大、致命性且用來催毀登陸艦的地雷也是英國虛構的秘密武器。地下宣

傳組織建議，假如發佈的照片中，有士兵從小船將偽裝人孔蓋用繩索降低拋入海中，

更可增加新聞報導的可信度。這項謠言在德國空軍的觀察下不斷地散播。假如有任

何敵軍部隊幸運地抵達海岸，灘岸上的他種地雷則會將其殲滅，以保護這項秘密武

器。假若仍無法完全殲滅敵軍，其他的致命陷阱則會產生功能。而英國的終極謠言

則是英軍具大量的重型輸具，可直接在地面運輸飛機。但事實上，英軍是幾乎沒有

重型輸具。

In the countryside a number of post boxes on the corner of road junctions were sealed off

by the Post Office. A rumour to explain this was circulated. The post boxes have been

filled with explosives and would be detonated if German troops were ever to pass through

the junction. To deter parachutists, another sib contended that, overhead telegraph wires

included a high-tension cable designed to electrocute any descending paratroopers

unlucky enough to get caught up in them. One of the more realistic tales revealed that

huge imports of Thompson submachine guns were arriving at British ports and were being

despatched rapidly across the country. What these anti-invasion rumours painfully

illustrate is how under-equipped and ill prepared for war the British army were in the

summer of 1940. 5

在郊區，由郵局將路口轉角處為數不少的郵箱相連接起來。另一則謠言顯示謠言是

相互連結的。郵箱被填入了爆裂物，當德軍部隊通過時即會被引爆。另有一則嚇阻

傘兵空降的「喜伯」，它指出電報線路及高壓電纜均是通電，若有任何傘兵接觸到立

即會觸電致死。其中有一項較實際的謠言是英軍進口了大量的湯普生手提機關槍並

快速地配發至各部隊使用。然而，此項反侵略謠言反而清楚的點出英軍於1940年夏

天時，部隊是嚴重缺裝的。

At the Underground Propaganda Committee meeting on Friday, 27 September 1940

probably the most famous and wide reaching rumour of the war was submitted. The

essence of the rumour was that Britain had a secret weapon which could set the sea on

fire, engulfing enemy invading barges on their cross Channel trip. The text of the actual

rumour is more explicit:

在1940年9月27日地下宣傳組織召開的會議中，產出了也許是戰爭期間最有名及

廣泛流傳的謠言。其內容是英軍具有一項可使海洋引燃的秘密武器，當敵軍準備跨

海攻擊時它可吞沒敵入侵船團。實際謠言描述的更為清楚，其內容如后：

The British have a new weapon. It is a mine to be dropped from aircraft. In distinction

from other mines, however, it does not explode, but spreads a very thin film of highly

inflammable and volatile liquid over the surface of the water for an enormous area. The

mine’s further action then ignites this liquid provoking a terrible flame. 6

英國有了一項新武器。它是項可由飛機上投下的雷彈。它與其他雷彈不同之處在於

它並不爆炸，而是它會散佈一層易燃及易揮發的薄膜於海面上。接下來它便會引燃

並造成一場巨燄。

According to John Baker White in his autobiography of his wartime career, The Big Lie,

he submitted this rumour to the UPC after a visit to St. Margaret’s Bay, near Dover, on the

southeast coast of England. 7 He witnessed a demonstration of a genuine anti-invasion

weapon installed across the beaches. Pipes had been buried under the beach down to the

low water mark and where designed like a wheat field irrigation system but instead of

spraying water onto crops their purpose was to shower invading enemy troops with

burning gasoline. The demonstration was highly impressive with enormous flames

shooting out across the beaches with masses of billowing black acrid smoke. In reality the

under-the-beach flamethrower may have been a lame duck being easily put out of action

with a few mortar rounds. But Baker White noticed the psychological effect upon the

under-strength troops defending the area; it certainly boosted their morale. What if there

was a weapon capable of actually igniting a wide expanse of sea, he conjectured. There

was no such weapon but if the Germans could be persuaded to believe there was, it could

have a real adverse effect on the morale of the invasion force and additionally sustain the

morale of the defending British troops and civilians on the home front.

懷特（John Baker White）依其戰時工作內容，所著的自傳「大謊言」一書中提到，

此一謠言是地下宣傳組織在參訪了英國東南部多芬的聖馬格麗特灣時所被啟發的。

他現場目擊於海灘上展示的一項反攻武器。管路被深埋於海灘下方，並將其設計成

類似麥田灌溉系統，但其灑到敵人身上的並不是水，而是易燃的汽油。此項展示出

令人印象深刻的巨燄及翻騰嗆鼻的濃煙。事實上，在海灘下方的噴火器僅是一項跛

腳裝備，其可輕易地以迫擊砲轟毀。但懷特注意到此一展示對當地防衛部隊心理上

的影響，它明顯地提高部隊士氣。於是乎他便假設有一種武器可以在廣大的海面上

引燃。當然事實上這項武器是不存在的，但假若可以說服德軍相信，那將可嚴重地

打擊德軍的戰鬥意志，此外還能振奮英國部隊及百姓的士氣。

The rumour he submitted to the UPC was sent for clearance to the Inter-Services Security

Board (ISSB) who were responsible for clearing rumours and had power of veto over any

of a military nature which might inadvertently be a real security risk. The rumours would

then be scrutinized by the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). Rumours of a purely

propaganda nature had to be submitted to the Foreign Office instead. This longwinded

vetting procedure was a constant headache for the UPC and they unsuccessfully

requested on several occasions for it to be dropped. Very many of the rumours suggested

by the UPC were blocked either by the ISSB or Foreign Office and probably, considering

their often outlandish nature, quite rightly so. But Baker White’s “setting the sea on fire”

rumour was given the go-ahead albeit with the unenthusiastic comment, “No objection,

but we think it a pretty poor effort”.

懷特將此一想法透過地下宣傳組織交由「軍事情報部（Inter-Services Security

Board,ISSB）」審查，「軍事情報部」為負責澄清謠言，也負責所有軍事行動的情報

安全工作之組織。謠言將會被「聯戰情報委員會（Joint Intelligence Committee, JIC）」

詳加審查。若謠言僅具宣傳特質將被交由外交部處理。冗長的審查程序常使地下宣

傳組織困擾，而且其申請常遭駁回。許多由地下宣傳組織所提出謠言不是被「軍事

情報部」就是被外交部回絕。但懷特的「在海面上放火」乙案儘管上層沒有很高的

評價，但仍表示『不反對，但認為是一個相當糟糕的點子』。

At first the story did not make much of an impact. Then, according to Baker White, came

“two wonderful strokes of luck”. The RAF were bombing the German invasion barges in

Calais with incendiaries and on one occasion were “fortunate” to hit a battalion of soldiers

conducting a practice invasion exercise. The incendiaries inflicted terrible burns on many

of the soldiers. The second piece of good luck was that the wounded soldiers were sent to

Paris for specialised medical treatment. The rumour had already been disseminated in

Paris. The arrival of the badly burnt soldiers fuelled the flames, so to speak! Burnt corpses

also washed ashore in Northern France. In Britain as well there were numerous stories

circulating of burnt bodies in German Army uniforms being washed up along the English

southeast coast. 8 Both in France and in Britain a new self-generating rumour formed

telling how the Germans had launched an abortive invasion attempt repelled by Britain

setting the English Channel on fire; a rumour that is still believed by some to this very

day. Afterwards, Baker White says, the French resistance would amuse themselves by

pretending to warm their hands on German soldiers sitting next to them in cafes and

restaurants. The first evidence obtained that the story was circulating amongst German

troops came from a captured Luftwaffe pilot who admitted during interrogation that is was

common knowledge amongst his squadron that the English had burning sea defences.

第一則故事並沒有造成很大的衝擊。後來，據懷特所述，幸運之神降臨了兩次。英

國皇家空軍（Royal Air Force, RAF）於開萊斯（Calais）攻擊德國入侵駁船時，巧合

地轟炸了一個營的兵力。此次縱火燒傷了許多士兵。第二次好運則是受傷的士兵被

送到巴黎接受加護治療。於是此一謠言便在巴黎散佈開來了。受傷的士兵對引起其

燒傷的大火加油添醋。也有被燒焦的屍體被沖上了法國北部海岸。而在英國，也傳

說有許多身穿德軍制服的燒傷屍體被沖上英國東南部海岸。在英法均有自行產生的

謠言，傳言德國人被英軍在英吉利海峽放火，以致其攻擊行動早夭，這些流言至今

一直都有人相信。隨後，懷特指出法國的抵抗活動將娛樂自己所扮溫暖的手，對德

軍士兵坐在旁邊，他們在咖啡館和餐館。第一次獲證此則故事於德軍部隊中流傳，

是由一受俘的德國空軍飛行員的審問中證實，該中隊官兵普遍相信英軍可於海上放

火攻擊。