‘But Sarge, I can barely speak English!’
Collecting WWII Military Foreign Language Books
Militaria collectors sometimes get involved because of some other interest that they have. A mechanic stumbles over a derelict jeep, and says to himself, “I could get that running.” Soon, it’s parked in his garage. A doctor at a major hospital sees a tray of Civil War surgical instruments at an antique mall, and before he knows it, a corner of his den is lled with an assortment of bone saws, and medical textbooks from several wars.
My interest in WWII language guides and phrase books developed because of my high school studies in French, Spanish and German. They led me to an interesting career in international nance, but they also spurred my interest in foreign language training materials produced by the military during and after WWII.
Ultimately, more than 16 million Americans served in uniform during WWII. They came from every walk of life, and from every educational background. While certainly some were bilingual, or even tri-lingual, many spoke only English, and they were thrust into countries thousands of miles away to ght against — and to work with — people who spoke many languages. We can imagine the cries of GIs suddenly transported from Butte, Montana to Belgium, Albania or Brazil: “But Sarge, I can barely speak English!”
A variety of different books and booklets were created to develop the language skills of U.S. military members, and many of these materials from the WWII era are easily found by collectors. Some of the more common language training materials will be explored here in more detail.
LANGUAGE GUIDES
Language Guides are 4.1” x 5,” about the size of a passport, and 60 to 80 pages long. By the end of the war they were issued for nearly two dozen languages, including Albanian, Burmese, Icelandic, Persian, Hindustani. These weren’t intended for class
room training, but rather as a quick reference book to soldiers in the eld. Of cially known as Technical Manuals, they were distributed with record albums to teach the proper pronunciation of key words and phrases. Few of the records have survived, although some of the booklets are common today.
Because of their size and their “exotic” nature (to some), they were a popular souvenir, and many survived the war. Each Language Guide included cartoon illustrations, brief quizzes, and sketches of common road signs. These were useful for people who needed some language skills, but who did not need the uency required by interpreters, translators, and spies. They continued to be printed long after the war ended. Most carry a WWII era date inside the front cover, Later printings can be identi
ed by a post-war date printed inside the back cover.
These booklets were studied both by individuals and by small units, such as a squad. Even a few simple phrases could be helpful in dealing with the local populations. These are commonly found in good condition. Don’t pay more than a few dollars for a copy with a torn cover, or with pages falling out. Expect to pay $5 to $20 for a Language Guide in good condition, although some rare languages, including Japanese, command a slightly higher price.
PHRASE BOOKS
Phrase books are 60 to 80 pages long, and include sections on general expressions, personal needs, reconnaissance, and road and travel. These are 4.25” x 5.” Key words and phrases were shown in English, and the same phrase was repeated in another language, with a guide to pronunciation. When necessary, a GI could simply point to the phrase he needed in the foreign language. While many phrases would be inappropriate in a modern tourist book, others re ected the needs of a serviceman: “Are there any booby traps?” “How many machine guns are there?” “What color were the uniforms?” and “Throw down your arms!” Every phrase book included common military terms, including ranks, branches of service, and terms like tank, artillery and sniper.
German and Spanish phrase books are among the most common. These can typically be found in good condition for $5 to $20 each. Japanese phrase books are rarer.
TECHNICAL MANUALS
Technical Manual - Phrase Books each contained the equivalent of an entire dictionary of technical foreign language words and phrases. They weren’t available for all languages, but include French (TM30-243) and German (TM-30-245) These books measure 4.25” x 5”, small enough to t into a shirt pocket. Value: $10 to $25.
CLASSROOM TRAINING BOOKS
Spoken German - Basic Course EM 519 is typical of intensive classroom training books printed by The War Department. Before the United States entered World War II, the War Department saw the need for men and women in uniform who could speak foreign languages. The U.S.A. is a nation of immigrants, and GIs who grew up speaking French, German, Russian, and other common languages were easily found and were quickly put to work translating captured documents and military manuals, interrogating captured enemy combatants, and interviewing refugees. For some other languages, such as Burmese, Thai, Rumanian and Tagalog, it was more dif cult to identify speakers, and intensive language classes were required.
Among the rst government schools for advanced language training was The Military Intelligence Service Language School, which quietly — and secretly — began instruction in the Japanese language in November, 1941, at Crissy Field, which is part of the Presidio complex in San Francisco. In 1942, following the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Roosevelt, Japanese
Americans could no longer be in many coastal areas, and the school had to move. It became the Military Intelligence Service Language School in Madison, Wisconsin.
At the beginning of the war, German and Japanese were naturally perceived as the most critical languages. By the end of the war, the focus of the training shifted to what were perceived as the next adversaries — the Russians and the Chinese. Between 1941 and 1945, instruction was done in literally dozens of other languages. Language classes continue even today in more than 20 languages, including Farsi, Hebrew, Pashto, and Iraqi Arabic. Now known as the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the Presidio it still sets the world standard for advanced language training.
The German course was at least two books: EM 518 & EM 519. Another example is EM 550 Colloquial Dutch. These were not merely standard high school texts with new covers. Militaryrelated vocabulary and topics appear
throughout the books.
These textbooks cover how you would say in German:
— “The leader of this party, Adolf Hitler, did away with the
republic and introduced a dictatorship.”
— “Reich Minister Goebbels made a speech yesterday before
10,000 workers.”
— “Three munitions factories were bombed last night by
planes which ew over northern Germany.”
Classroom textbooks are not common, but with patience, collectors can nd textbooks for $10 to $35 each.
Of course, other language materials can be added to your collection. Language training materials were printed by the Allies, by the Axis countries, and of course by private companies. And just when the collector thinks he understands everything that is available, he will stumble over something completely new. A complete collection would certainly comprise hundreds, if not thousands of volumes. They represent an interesting an affordable area for the collector.