| Original caption: “[Adolf] Hitler jigs happily after the signing of the armistice with France at Compiegne.” This is a still from newsreel cameras that caught Hitler stomping his foot with joy as he heard the news that on June 17, 1940, on the day of his appointment as a Prime minister of France, Marshal Philippe Petain (April 24, 1856 – July 23, 1951), the war hero of World War I, delivered a speech to the people of France via radio. In his “capitulating” speech the elderly leader of the new government called the continuing struggle “aimless” and on the same day, an appeal for signing an armistice agreement reached Hitler’s Wolfsschlucht I (“Wolf’s Gorge”) headquarters in Belgium. This was the moment of the German dictator laughing and stomping his foot on the road at was captured by newsreels, and later mentioned in the recollections of his personal secretary Christa Schroeder (March 19, 1908 – June 28, 1984) and Chief of Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) Colonel General Wilhelm B. Keitel (September 22, 1882 – October 16, 1946). On the same day, June 17, Hitler issued two official decrees. The first statement was addressed toward the Nazi German Wehrmacht (“Armed Forces”) and included high-toned words about “restoring justice,” taking back the originally German lands into the Reich, and the Swastika flag, which would be forever present within the conquered territories. The 2nd message was aimed at the German people, with the news on Petain’s appeal for peace and an upcoming meeting between Hitler and Italian Dictator Il Duce Benito Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) in Munich, scheduled for June 18. Apart from these 2 messages, Hitler made a personal call to Minister of Propaganda Josef Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) to inform him about the French capitulation and to give orders on how the news of the German victory should be covered in the media. During this June 17 telephone call, Hitler informed Goebbels (who posted an entry into his diary), that the negotiations between Germany and France would be conducted in the forest near Compiegne. Goebbels’ entry in the diary also included a passage about the cheerful crowds at the Wilhelm Platz in Berlin. A memory of the never-ending trench war and 2,000,000 dead German soldiers was still vivid among the people; they felt relief with the news of the victory in France. The footage was seen in London. John Grierson (April 26, 1898 – February 19, 1972), a Scottish film maker and director of the Canadian Information and Propaganda Service, saw a propaganda opportunity. He and Stuart Legg, an English filmmaker, realized that the clip of Hitler’s step could be looped, repeated, and turned into a little dance step that would make the Furher look ridiculous. (As if he needed help)They worked their film so wizardry well that many people thought Hitler had indeed danced a celebratory jig. Grierson said: “the Germans were having victories and we had to make the victories look like less.” He was a central member of Charles Ridley’s (April 3 1897 – October 1968) team at the British Ministry of Information, and helped create the “Lambeth Walk – Nazi Style” short film that used cutting and editing mastery to set Hitler and Nazi marching gestures to the highly-popular tune, “Doing the Lambeth Walk.” These films were a great and very effective Allied propaganda tool. The British public said that film clips and shorts like these were important in maintaining morale on the home front. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0393.jpg |
| Image Size | 539.59 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2560 x 1899 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | American Embassy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 17, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | Brûly-de-Pesche |
| State or Province | Naumur |
| Country | Belgium |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | NYF 37082 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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