THE "V" CAMPAIGN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 147, 27 August 1941, Page 7

THE "V" CAMPAIGN

REMARKABLE RESPONSE

TAKEN UP IN" MANY COUNTRIES

The "V" for Victory campaign, begun by Britain on July 20 to entourage revolt in German-occupied territories in Europe, has also had r< remarkable and instant response in many other countries, including the United States of America.

The campaign is the beginning of the greatest subversive movement in history. The ultimate object is revolution throughout German-occu-

pied territories

The originator of the slogan, it is revealed, was the 8.8.C.'s Belgian announcer, M. Delandelay.

"V Clubs" in U.S.A

In the United States the "Victory" campaign is receiving wide publicity. "V Clubs of America" are being formed as a national auxiliary of the British-American Ambulance

Corps. V symbols are being stamped everywhere both in writing and Morse code. Doctors and nurses are carrying are sign of their arms. Walter Winchell, the columnist., is using the Morse signal for V, three dots and a dash, to divide the items in his column.

South Africans are now wearing V-shaped badges, and are eating Vsliaped cakes and biscuits. Coloured children paint with V's upon their faces. Envelopes are stamped with the symbol, and manufacturers are malting V-ishapecl ornaments for hats, clothes and handbags. In Istanbul (Turkey), large V's were painted on the walls of the German Embass3 r and other German property. The police are statedi to bo taking measures to prevent repetition. « In Sweden one newspaper published a poem about Swedish defence in which every word began with V. There are many reports of disaffection in the occupied countries. Czechs celebrated the second anniversary of the German occupation by chalking up V signs with the words, "We never give in." Workers went to the factories, but instead of working sang patriotic songs and made speeches. "Riots followed intervention by the police.

The German occvipation authorities find nothing more irritating and more harmful to their propaganda than anti-German remarks, slogans, and signs scribbled on walls. The scribbling which is done at night, seems to be a favourite pastime with the oppressed people, particularly of Belgium and Holland. At Ghent the German authorities have been obliged to issue a stern order to householders to remove all such in-

scriptions by eight in the morning. It it not stated, however, whether the übiquitous and haunting letter "V" has been officially recognised by the Germans as an offensive: inscription though they no -doubt know that it stands for "Freedom""' in Dutch and Flemish and for "Victory'" in French. The technique of scribbling a "V" on a wall must be sufficiently familiar and therefore all the more maddening to the Nazis, who, especially before Hitler's rise to power, scribbled the only slightly more elaborate Swastika on every wall in Germany.