WWII Humor: How Soldiers Used Laughter to Get Through the War

In WWII, soldiers used humor to cope with the hardships of war. Laughter served as a lifeline, reducing stress and fostering camaraderie among troops. They shared jokes, often rough or vulgar, that helped highlight war’s absurdity.

American soldiers also used humor to connect with locals, bridging cultural divides. Humor allowed them to process trauma and provided resilience during difficult times. Curious? There’s more to uncover about this unique coping mechanism.

Joke
When a silver aeroplane flies over, it’s American. When there’s a green ‘plane, it’s British. When there are no aircraft, that’s the Luftwaffe.
A passenger train is fully loaded, and a German soldier, on leave, shares a compartment with a decrepit lady, a beautiful young French woman, and a young French man. The train enters a tunnel, and no one can see anything. A kiss is heard, then a hollow slap. When the train comes out of the tunnel, the German has a horrible black eye. ‘So unlucky’ thinks the German soldier. ‘The French man gets the kiss and I get the blame!’ ‘Well done, my girl!’ thinks the old lady. ‘You stood up to that brute!’ The beautiful woman is puzzled. ‘Why would that German kiss that old lady?’ The Frenchman, meanwhile, thinks ‘How clever I am! I kiss the back of my hand, hit the German and no one suspects me!’
When a clock goes forward it goes ‘tic-tac’ – but when Rommel goes backwards, it’s tactic.
“Hitler and Goring are standing atop the Berlin radio tower. Hitler says he wants to do something to put a smile on Berliners’ faces. So Goring says: ‘Why don’t you jump?'”
General to private: “Have you come here to die?” Private to General: “No sir, I came here yester-die!”
On the Wehrmacht sniping range, the lieutenant says to a fellow soldier: “That guy over there is pretty good”. “Yes indeed, but I have a feeling that we should better check his personal background”. “Why?” “After every shot he carefully removes his fingerprints from the rifle”.
A man walks into the records office and asks to change his name. The clerk is not keen on helping but asks the man’s name and the man replies “My name is Adolf Stinkfoot.” The clerk is sympathetic and decides to allow the man to change his unfortunate name. “What do you want to change it to?” asks the clerk, the man replies “Maurice Stinkfoot.”
A World War II pilot is reminiscing before school children about his days in the air force. “In 1942,” he says, “the situation was really tough. The Germans had a very strong air force. I remember, ” he continues, “one day I was protecting the bombers and suddenly, out of the clouds, these fokkers appeared. (At this point, several of the children giggle.) I looked up, and right above me was one of them. I aimed at him and shot him down. They were swarming. I immediately realized that there was another fokker behind me.” At this instant the girls in the auditorium start to giggle and boys start to laugh. The teacher stands up and says, “I think I should point out that ‘Fokker’ was the name of the German-Dutch aircraft company”. “That’s true,” says the pilot, “but these fokkers were flying Messerschmidts.”
Hitler visits the front and talks to a soldier. Hitler asks: “Friend, when you are in the front line under artillery fire, what do you wish for?” The soldier replies: “That you, my Fuhrer, stand next to me!”
If you face an enemy and want to know what country they are from, send a volley towards them. If you are greeted by precise rifle fire, they are British, if you are raked by machine gun fire, they are German, if you hear a ‘Hurra’ and get charged by a mass of men, they are Soviet, if you hear a ‘Banzai!’ and get charged by a mass of men, they are Japanese, and if nothing happens for minutes and then your position gets leveled by artillery and air bombardment, they are American.
“We call ourselves the Sixth Panzer Army because we’ve only got six Panzers left.” That’s a direct quote from Josef ‘Sepp’ Dietrich.
1943. A passenger train is fully loaded, and a German soldier, on leave, shares a compartment with a decrepit lady, a buxom French girl, and a young French man. The train enters a tunnel, and no one can see anything. A kiss is heard, then a hollow slap. When the train comes out of the tunnel German has a horrible black eye.’ ‘So lucky’ thinks the German soldier. ‘The French man gets the kiss and I get the blame!’ ‘Well done, my girl!’ thinks the old lady. ‘You stood up the to the Kraut brute!’ The buxom girl is puzzled. ‘Why would the German kiss that old lady?’ The Frenchman, meanwhile, thinks ‘How clever I am! I kiss the back of my hand, hit the German and no one suspects me!’
During the war, Stalin discussed with Marshal Zhukov the plans for a new offensive. ‘What do you think, comrade Zhukov, what direction should we choose for the attack?’ ‘West, comrade Stalin.’ ‘Go and think, comrade Zhukov!’ As Zhukov walked out, he muttered, ‘What a pig!’ Stalin’s secretary Poskrebyshev overheard the Marshal and reported to Stalin. Zhukov was ordered back to Stalin’s office. ‘Whom did you have in mind when you said ‘What a pig?’’ Stalin asked. ‘Of course, I meant Hitler,’ Zhukov said. ‘Then whom did you have in mind, comrade Poskrebyshev?’ Stalin said.
A Polish submariner is asked, ‘You see a German and a Soviet cruiser from your periscope. Which do you attack first?’ He replies, ‘Of course the German one. Duty before pleasure.’
A German factory worker wants to buy a Volkswagen, but cannot due to all production being geared for war. Undeterred, he decides to steal parts from the assembly line and assemble them at home. One day he arrives home and enters the garage, having gathered all parts needed. Hours pass, he never leaves the garage, and his wife goes to check on him. “Hans, what happened to the Volkswagen?” She asks. Her husband shouts back: “I have no idea what to do. No matter how I assembly those, I get a halftrack!”
The ideal war: German weapons, Russian winter equipment, British summer equipment, American rations, French entertainment tournees, Italians as foes and Finns guarding flanks. The nightmare war: Italian weapons, German winter equipment, Finnish summer equipment, British rations, American entertainment tournees, Russians as foes and French guarding flanks.
A British flier is shot down over German-occupied France. He survives his combat but seriously injured. The German doctor has to amputate one of his legs. The British flier asks the doctor, “After you take off my leg, can you have one of your bombers drop it over England on their next raid?” The doctor thinks this a strange request but agrees to it. A few days later, they have to amputate his other leg. The British flier makes the same request, and the Germans agree. Then they have to take off an arm, and the flier makes the same request. Again, the Germans comply and drop his arm over England. Finally, they have to amputate his other arm and the flier makes the same request. The camp Kommandant interjects: “Nein! Ve cannot do zis! Ve suspekt you are trying to escape!”
When the RAF comes over, the Germans duck. When the Luftwaffe comes over, the Brits duck. When the USSAF comes over, everybody ducks.
In Germany, an elderly man decides to go visit his daughter & her family over the weekend. During his stay, he notices that his 18 year old grandson spends the majority of his time either sleeping or in front of his computer. Becoming quite concerned, he decides to have a talk with him before he is to leave to go back home. “You really should get out more often, play sports, make friends, travel… perhaps meet a lovely young girl.” The grandson doesn’t seem to take much interest in this. The grandfather proceeds to tell him about his own days as a young man. “When I was your age, my friends and I went to Paris. During the day, we toured around, taking in all the beautiful sights. At night we would drink, sing, fondle the young maidens’ breasts and pinch their behinds. Sometimes before we left, we would anger the bar-keeps by urinating along their bar. Ah, we had a wild time!” The grandson looks astonished and perplexed. They then bid their farewells and the grandfather announces that he shall come back in a few weeks and hopes that in the meantime he takes his advice to heart. A few weeks later, the grandfather returns to find his grandson lying in bed with a broken arm, a broken nose, black eyes and multiple bruises. “Good Lord! What happened to you!?” he asks. “Well,” says the grandson, “I thought a
A German goes to the church, and says to the priest that he wishes to confess. The priest looks at him, and says that he would do everything to absolve him. The German says, “Father, during the war I hid a Jewish refugee in my attic.” The priest says that that is not a sin and instead, an act of good. The German says “But Father, I collected rent from him for every week he stayed.” The priest is disturbed and says that it was not a good move, but as it ultimately served a good cause, it can be excused. Then the German says: “Father, should I tell him that the war is over?”
In Berlin, in the spring of 1945, a reporter asks a German civilian what he thinks of Hitler. The civilian looks carefully about him, then says, “follow me.” He leads the reporter down the street, around the corner and takes him inside a bombed out building. Once again looking around him to see if anyone was near, he finally replies, ‘Actually, I kind of like the guy.”
It’s Bank Holiday weekend and people are paddling in the sea off Margate in Kent. Suddenly a German U-Boat surfaces, the hatch opens and a German appears. He points his SMG at the startled holidaymakers and cries ‘You must all surrender! You are now prisoners of Germany!’ A man shouts back ‘But the war’s been over for sixty years…’ ‘Has it? Who won?’ The German asks. ‘We did.’ The German shouts down the hatch ‘Willi! Take down the picture of the Kaiser!’
How can you tell that soldiers in the eastern front are good friends? When soldier comes back from leave,his division has came backward 200km to meet him.
Two men encounter one another on the street, and the first one says: “Nice to see you out again. How was in the concentration camp?” The second men replies; “It was great. Mornings we got breakfast in bed, with our choice of freshly ground coffee or cocoa. We did some sports, and then there was a three-course lunch with soup, meat and dessert. After that we played some board games and took a nap. And after dinner, they showed movies.” The first man can’t believe his ears. “Wow! And the lies they spread about the place. Recently I was talking to Meyer, who also spent some time there. He told me horror stories.” The second man nods seriously and says: “That’s why he got sent back.”
What has gold in its mouth, silver in its hair and lead in its bones? A member of the Volkssturm.
A German judge walks out of his chambers laughing out loud. A colleague asks why he is laughing, and the judge says he just heard the funniest joke in the world. His colleague asks him to tell it. “I cannot,” the judge says, “I just sent someone to the konzlager for telling it!”
A German general defending occupied Normandy asked what forces he would command. He was told that he had some regular German troops as well as some Russian turncoats who had defected to Germany and these would serve as auxiliaries. He asked, “If we expect the Russians to fight the Americans to keep the British from taking France away from Germany, aren’t we asking rather a lot?”
Q: Why are there so many tree lined streets and leafy lanes in France? A: Germans like to march in the shade.
Some soldiers of an infantry regiment stationed at Basel were sitting in a cafe. One had as his vis-a-vis a German civilian. ‘Would you fire on the Germans if they came to Switzerland?’ asked the German. ‘No’ said the Swiss. ‘Waiter! A glass of beer for this brave soldier,’ ordered the German, ‘and your comrades at the next table,’ he continued ‘would they fire on the Germans?’ ‘They would no more fire on the Germans than I would.’ ‘Excellent!’ exclaimed the German ‘Waiter, glasses of beer for all these soldiers. Tell me, dear friend,’ he went on, ‘are the Swiss soldiers as good friends of the Germans as you are?’ ‘Ah I cannot say,’ said the soldier. ‘But tell me why you personally would not fire on the Germans?’ ‘Because we’re in the band.’ The Role of Humor in Soldier Morale

In the chaos of WWII, humor played a crucial role in keeping soldiers’ spirits high. You’d find that humor was more than just laughter; it was a lifeline.

In the face of violence and uncertainty, jokes and comical stories helped maintain morale. Soldiers often used rough and vulgar humor to mock the absurdity of their situations, which not only relieved stress but also helped forge strong camaraderie.

Sharing a laugh after a dangerous encounter over a pint of beer offered a momentary escape and a sense of unity. As you navigate the battlefield, humor becomes a shared language, transcending barriers and revealing the absurdity of war.

Laughter on the battlefield offers unity and escape, unveiling war’s absurdity amidst chaos.

It’s through laughter that soldiers found comfort, strength, and the will to keep going amidst the harshest realities.

American Soldiers Bringing Laughter to Europe

As the echoes of laughter faded on the battlefields, American soldiers took their humor across the ocean, bringing a lively spirit to war-torn Europe.

During World War II, their exuberant joy often surprised locals, like when a soldier belted out “Dixie” on a London bus. The contrast between British modesty and the Americans’ independent spirit highlighted these cultural differences.

Yet, humor transcended barriers, with moments like a gum-chewing soldier amusing a deaf British lady, showing how laughter unites us all.

Despite the differences, British locals pretty much accepted this American humor, finding relief amidst chaos.

This spirit of levity, similar to what would be seen again in Operation Iraqi Freedom, offered camaraderie and resilience during the darkest of times.

Front Line Humor and Its Rough Edges

Some might say that front line humor during WWII was a gritty coping mechanism for soldiers facing daily violence and death.

Rough humor dynamics emerged as troops laughed at their discomforts, recognizing the absurdity of war. It wasn’t just about laughter; it was about survival.

Rough humor dynamics: Jokes were often vulgar and unprintable, yet essential.
Absurdity recognition: Soldiers mocked the ridiculousness of their predicaments.
Camaraderie bonding: Humor created unity, lightening war’s burdens.
Civilian identities: Laughter revealed the soldiers’ lives beyond the battlefield.
Paradox of military life: Serious circumstances mixed with unexpected levity.

These shared humorous experiences were a reflection of their resilience, reinforcing bonds and providing a mental escape from the harsh realities of their environment.

Humor in Retrospect: Comic Relief After Danger

Although the immediate danger had passed, soldiers often found themselves reflecting on their wartime experiences with a newfound sense of humor.

Retrospective reflections allowed them to view the absurdity of war in a different light. You might hear humorous anecdotes about narrow escapes, where what seemed terrifying at the time later transformed into comic relief.

This comedic coping mechanism helped soldiers process their experiences, turning trauma into laughter. Sharing these stories strengthened camaraderie among troops, as they bonded over the shared absurdity of their situations.

The emotional toll of conflict became easier to bear when soldiers could laugh at the bizarre twists of fate. In hindsight, humor didn’t just lighten the mood—it was an essential tool for healing.

Cultural Differences in Wartime Humor

How did humor serve as a bridge between cultures during WWII? Despite vast cultural differences, humor acted as a powerful tool for connection, fostering camaraderie amidst the chaos.

You’d find American soldiers using humor to bridge gaps with locals, adapting their jokes to fit unfamiliar contexts. But this wasn’t without challenges. Cultural misunderstandings often arose, especially with Germans, who struggled to grasp why Americans laughed in serious situations.

Here’s how humor bridged the gap:

Adaptation: Soldiers tailored jokes to local sensibilities.
Cross-cultural exchanges: Shared laughter helped break down barriers.
British vs. American: British modesty met American boisterousness.
Absurdity in adversity: Humor arose from danger, reflecting civilian identities.
Transcendence: German soldiers even found humor in surrender.

These exchanges highlight humor’s unifying power in wartime.

Anecdotes of Laughter Amidst Conflict

When facing the chaos of war, humor became an essential lifeline for soldiers, offering moments of relief amidst the turmoil.

Laughter therapy emerged as a natural response, where absurd anecdotes and near-miss stories transformed danger into comedic camaraderie. You’d often hear tales like PFC Nathan Gorochowski’s, who narrowly dodged a shell while lighting a cigarette, sparking laughter and bonding among comrades.

These stories, rooted in the absurdity of their experiences, provided a much-needed escape from the harsh realities of war.

Soldiers used humor to bridge cultural gaps, even if some Germans didn’t quite get the jokes.

Yet, within their ranks, these shared moments lightened the load of conflict, reminding them they weren’t alone in the trenches.

The Absurdity of War Through a Comedic Lens

War, with all its chaos and unpredictability, often feels like an absurd theater where humor becomes a vital act.

As a soldier, you’d find comedic relief in the absurd situations you face daily. Laughter turns into a survival tool, helping you navigate the bizarre and often dark irony of war.

Imagine cracking jokes about your near-misses, transforming fear into something you can laugh about.
Rough and vulgar humor bonds you with fellow soldiers, lightening the psychological load.
Cultural humor clashes make you chuckle at the Germans’ straight-faced demeanor.
War novels mirror your experiences, highlighting the absurdity and bureaucratic madness you endure.
Sharing anecdotes offers you relief, a way to reflect on the chaos with a smile.

This humor becomes your shield and comfort.

Notable War Novels and Their Impact

Although war novels often investigate the grim realities of conflict, some of the most impactful ones blend humor with tragedy to offer a unique perspective.

Take “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller, which uses comedic narrative techniques to highlight military bureaucracy’s absurdity. This war literature impact is profound, as it mirrors soldier experiences through slapstick humor amid chilling wartime realities.

Similarly, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” employs dark humor, mixing science fiction with anti-war sentiments to critique society’s absurdities.

These novels engage readers by illustrating how humor provides insight into human experiences during wartime. The humor acts as a coping mechanism for characters, reflecting how soldiers navigate war’s absurdities and horrors, offering a glimpse into the therapeutic potential of laughter.

Reader Reactions to Humor in War Literature

Despite the gravity of wartime settings, readers often find humor in war literature both compelling and invigorating. You might expect negative reactions, but instead, readers engage deeply with the humor-laden narratives, appreciating how they illuminate the absurdity of military life.

This blend of laughter and tragedy fosters emotional resonance, allowing you to connect with the characters on a profound level.

Here’s why humor in war literature captivates:

Contrast: Humor juxtaposes the seriousness of war, creating intriguing narratives.
Relatability: It highlights universal human experiences amid conflict.
Emotional Depth: Laughter and tragedy together deepen your understanding.
Engagement: The absurdity draws you into the story.
Appreciation: Readers often find unexpected delight in the humor.

Authors like those of “Catch-22” and “Slaughterhouse-Five” masterfully balance these elements.