Propaganda or reality?

[deutscherinfanteriest]

I want to share with you a story told by Italian Colonel Goiran (the only one i found in WW1 was a Antonio Goiran) who reported that on 15th June 1918 near the Piave, in Ninni Wood (Zenson area?), were captured two pilots

 

One wore female socks with garters and other prisoners were discovered with "weird" photos portraying men

 

Is it propaganda or some Austro-Hungarians had particular tastes? I think it is propaganda... nobody in service drive a plane in such clothes (even if a "happy person") and who was captured, why did not throw away those compromising photos?

[johnboy]

Possibly members of a concert party. do you have the pics 

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Strange indeed.

Without sounding silly, I do remember at one time wearing pantyhose from an old girlfriend in the jungle 

The leeches were very bad and they kept me free of the *******

But as to anything else well, sorry

S.B

[charlie2]

I‘ve never had cause to wear them myself but ladies tights provide a good underlayer insulation. 

[deutscherinfanteriest]

No pics but be in a Italian document on the battle of Piave, citing date, spot and this Colonel... Idk what think honestly

 

If it is true, those two prisoners brought shame on whole Austria-Hungary

Edited 12 January , 2023 by deutscherinfanteriest

[deutscherinfanteriest]

Then why be on a plane without trousers? if he had such habits he could be so behind lines, not in service!

 

And the other prisoners, with g*y pictures... I hope it simply is propaganda!

 

It is a diary of L.G. (I do not know the exact name), officer from the 3rd Army

 

He reports also on 2nd August 1915, on Monte Coston, the death of Austrian Sergeant Leopold Bergmann. So I suppose it is not a liar! Or another prisoner, 1st September 1917 on the Carso, Josef Herzog, 73rd Austrian Infantry Regiment. Or an Austrian Colonel (91st Regiment) captured at Fagaré in mid November 1917, on the Piave

[deutscherinfanteriest]

He says there is a English nurse called Hilda Wynne (around Fossalta, 18th June 1918)

 

Probably those two "happy" pilots were probably captured by Ferrara Brigade or by the 10th Lancers Regiment "Victor Emmanuel II"

[pierssc]

Flying in aIrcraft of those days, with open, unheated cockpits, could be bitingly cold.  I have heard of some flyers wearing ladies silk stockings (preferably donated by a girlfriend) round their necks as a scarf.  As already mentioned wearing them on the legs under trousers could provide a warm layer, and they would need to wear something like a suspender belt to stop them falling down.  Wearing them without trousers would be a bit eccentric, I agree, and also a bit chilly.  And the Colonel didn't mention a skirt.   If they were wearing stockings under trousers, how did the Italian Colonel find out?  Perhaps the prisoner had to make an urgent call of nature?  Perhaps he was wearing breeches and a covetable pair of boots?  If one of his captors relieved him of the boots, the stockings may have been revealed.  So this aspect of the story sounds quite possible.

As for the photos, I wouldn't have been surprised if people were captured from time to time with photos of naked women among their possessions.  If their tastes ran the other way, they might still have had something to trade... or to occupy their long days in captivity.  You said "other prisoners" had the photos, presumably not flyers.

Anyway, all sorts of stories seem to circulate in war - just look at the threads on female snipers!

[deutscherinfanteriest]

Yes, in that diary he speaks about the pilots. then speaking about other prisoners, probably in the same area inspected by Brigade Ferrara commander, he says that other prisoners had such photos and "this was the master race that wanted to occupy our Veneto" (obviously with disdain)

[knittinganddeath]

4 hours ago, deutscherinfanteriest said:

Italian document on the battle of Piave,

Was the diary published after the war (which means it will likely have been edited) or is it a manuscript copy? If it was published, when? Who was the intended audience? Can the other information be corroborated? What did the photos show specifically, is it possible the images could be explained by "culture" (e.g. theatre traditions) or were they actually pornographic? What else do you know about Colonel Goiran's politics, career, family?

I don't mean for you to answer all these questions here and now, but that they might help you to evaluate the reliability and context of the source.

[deutscherinfanteriest]

Hello, no it is a diary publishe on http://www.frontedelpiave.info but they do not give names of this officer, probably from 266th Infantry Regiment in 1918

 

They do not give any indication how they got it. Historically, it matches with historical facts and Regimental Histories but there is no photos of those pilots nor the scandalous photos the prisoners owned.

Finally, Colonel Goiran was indicated with his surname and rank, but looking for him, there is nobody with such surname. And if was there, he surely was not a Divisional nor a Ferrara Brigade officer.

May be he was high ranking officer of 10th Lancers?