--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Linguists holding bullhorns hollered, “A…" description: "\"“Linguists holding bullhorns hollered, “A bas les Boches! A bas les Marcon! Down with the Boches! Down with the Macaronis! Vive la France!” A mortar cr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/rick-atkinson-7144_american-flag_linguists-holding-bullhorns-hollered-a-b_2475435.jpg" --- # Linguists holding bullhorns hollered, “A bas les Boches! A… ![“Linguists holding bullhorns hollered, “A bas les Boches! A bas les Marcon! Down with the Boches! Down with the Macaronis! Vive la France!” A mortar crew with the 18th Infantry fired a special shell the size of an ostrich egg. It soared 200 feet into the night, detonated with dazzling pyrotechnic…” quote by Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/rick-atkinson-7144_american-flag_linguists-holding-bullhorns-hollered-a-b_2475435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/rick-atkinson-7144_american-flag_linguists-holding-bullhorns-hollered-a-b_2475435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/rick-atkinson-7144_american-flag_linguists-holding-bullhorns-hollered-a-b_2475435.jpg) > ““Linguists holding bullhorns hollered, “A bas les Boches! A bas les Marcon! Down with the Boches! Down with the Macaronis! Vive la France!” A mortar crew with the 18th Infantry fired a special shell the size of an ostrich egg. It soared 200 feet into the night, detonated with dazzling pyrotechnic sparkle, and unfurled an American flag, which floated to earth; given a clear target at last, French gunners replied with eager fire.”” [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War propaganda and spectacle can rally troops, but also mask the brutality behind theatrical displays. **In simple terms:** Propaganda fuels morale but hides violence. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between spectacle and reality. Themes propaganda war morale Mood critical historical Type military history analytical When to use this quote - battlefield morale boosting - public speeches - media coverage - military ceremonies Key Concepts psychological warfare nationalism Questions to Reflect On - What role does symbolism play in wartime morale? - How does propaganda affect civilian perception? A Different Perspective Spectacle may desensitize participants to suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American flag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-flag/) ## Related quotes > [“Every way he turned, his past was detonated, revealing tunnels and alternative routes under the packed, settled earth of the present. 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It detonated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/when-my-old-life-died-it-didn-t-go-quietly-it-detonated/) [Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/) > [I would have, had someone not detonated their charges prematurely. (Nykyrian) Yeah, Cruel. You have to watch that premature detonation problem of yours. (Hauk)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-would-have-had-someone-not-detonated-their-charges-prematurely/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Raw, freezing magic detonated from her outstretched hand with the sound of a thousand thunderclaps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-whitehouse/raw-freezing-magic-detonated-from-her-outstretched-hand-with-the/) [Sam Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-whitehouse/) > [“She laid land mines in my skill that detonated weeks later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/she-laid-land-mines-in-my-skill-that-detonated-weeks-later/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [If the perpetrators of the World Trade Center plane crashes had a nuclear weapon, there's no doubt in my mind but that they would've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/if-the-perpetrators-of-the-world-trade-center-plane-crashes-had-a/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [“The British government in 1807 had issued the “Orders in Council,” which enforced a naval blockade against France, and with a shortage of seamen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/the-british-government-in-1807-had-issued-the-orders-in-council-which/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [God bless America, land that I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/god-bless-america-land-that-i-love/) [Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/) > [Colin Kaepernick is the latest professional athlete to spark a national debate about the meaning behind the American flag and the national anthem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abdul-rauf/colin-kaepernick-is-the-latest-professional-athlete-to-spark-a/) Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf > [“America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves. 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I saw them do it, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/i-could-hear-them-yell-and-laugh-each-time-and-there-was-nothing-i/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“The largest contingent of invaders—drawn from the U.S. 1st Infantry and 1st Armored divisions aboard thirty-four transport ships—would storm ashore at Beach Z near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/the-largest-contingent-of-invaders-drawn-from-the-u-s-1st-infantry/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [Global war is a clash of systems, not just battalions biffing one another in some godforsaken forest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/global-war-is-a-clash-of-systems-not-just-battalions-biffing-one/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“fifty-six, his hour had come round. 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That's almost as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/there-were-almost-11-000-american-soldiers-killed-in-germany-in-april/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“TWO hundred and thirty nautical miles southeast of Gibraltar, Oran perched above the sea, a splinter of Europe cast onto the African shore. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/two-hundred-and-thirty-nautical-miles-southeast-of-gibraltar-oran/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“blared “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” clearly audible on the hillcrest, where a lieutenant who was immune to the prevailing confidence of his seniors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/blared-the-stars-and-stripes-forever-clearly-audible-on-the-hillcrest/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“The troops also edged toward that timeless state common to veteran armies in which the men trusted no one less wretched than themselves. Still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/the-troops-also-edged-toward-that-timeless-state-common-to-veteran/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“In the first half of 1944, battle casualty rates for every 1,000 bomber crewmen serving six months in combat included 712 killed or missing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/in-the-first-half-of-1944-battle-casualty-rates-for-every-1-000/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“In less than three years he would be the most celebrated American battle captain of the twentieth century, a man whose name—like those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/in-less-than-three-years-he-would-be-the-most-celebrated-american/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“If you don’t succeed, I don’t want to see you alive,” he advised. “I see no point in surviving defeat, and I am sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/if-you-don-t-succeed-i-don-t-want-to-see-you-alive-he-advised-i-see/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [In searching for a rationale to go to war, Bush settled on the notion of Saddam as an incarnation of evil, basically, and convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/in-searching-for-a-rationale-to-go-to-war-bush-settled-on-the-notion/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) [Explore all 93 Rick Atkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) ## More American flag quotes > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I wrote the script of Patton. 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It is fitting that the House act to protect it as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-american-flag-is-an-enduring-symbol-of-liberty-democracy-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The night of September the 14th, 1814, saw heavy bombardment of Baltimore by the British. Despite this, the next morning, the large American flag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-night-of-september-the-14th-1814-saw-heavy-bombardment-of/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“Superman – Moses in a costume, with his underpants on the outside. Captain America – the poster boy of the mad American patriot. Wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sinclair/superman-moses-in-a-costume-with-his-underpants-on-the-outside/) [David Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sinclair/) > [“The bold colors of the American flag stood out over her husband’s coffin. Colors of honor. Colors of freedom. 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They packed the gymnasium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-huang/people-reacted-with-hate-and-fear-and-then-community-by-wearing/) [Eddie Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-huang/) [Browse all 158 American flag quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-flag/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Linguists holding bullhorns hollered, “A bas les Boches! A bas les Marcon! Down with the Boches! Down with the Macaronis! Vive la France!” A mortar crew with the 18th Infantry fired a special shell the size of an ostrich egg. 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