Are psyops a modern phenomenon or were they used in historical conflicts?

Are psyops a modern phenomenon or were they used in historical conflicts?

What is the earliest psyop we know of?

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>What is the earliest psyop we know of?

Probably something like public executions of enemies and rebels.

Psychological warfare has always been a key part of war.

During the Roman-Judean war at the Siege of Jerusalem, Vespasian in an attempt to demoralize the defenders who were already starving to the point of eating their children, lined up his soldiers right in front of the walls and paid each and every one of them their monthly salary to show how he was generous and how the Romans were cool and shit. Didn't really work because the people in charge would just kill anyone who was showing signs of leaving the city.

Yes, it's a completely modern idea.

Woops wrong General, it was Titus Flavius the son of Vespasian, not Vespasian himself.

Terror tactics are as old as warfare dude
>Carthaginian war elephants, scaring the shit outta horses
>Pigs set on fire and set loose to scare the shit outta elephants
>Chinese fire weapons to scare the shit outta mongols
>Public executions, crucifixions, massacring survivors of tribes or cities
And just generally stuff that coulda spooked or disheartened enemies, like war drums or dances

...

I was more looking along the lines of directly influencing the civilian population in an enemy country through deception, distribution of propaganda, etc.

The Carthaginians sacrificed babies, don'tcha know.

Sun Tzu recommends stuff to make the enemy react in anger.

See Alexander the Great and how he spread Hellenic culture after his conquests.

>never gonna give you up

Are there cases of besieged forces having the heads of their former comrades hurled across castle walls a la LOTR?

Not the earliest but still pretty fucking insane.

youtube.com/watch?v=4d9H_1ygEv8

Vietnam was a pretty fucked up war, more than it's given credit for.

>The report of the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff maintains that the music was used principally to prevent parabolic microphones from being used to eavesdrop on negotiations, and not as a psychological weapon based around Noriega's supposed loathing of rock music.[27

there's a record of a chinese general about 2000 years ago whose city was surrounded by an army from another region. Totally outnumbered and cut off, no way to escape, he ordered his troops to hide amongst the city people. Opened the city gates, and sat on top of the city wall, playing a flute.

Apparently the opposing force looked at this, could see no soldiers, and concluded that the city was a trap, and probably a killing zone to slaughter thousands.

The besieging force retreated and left, convinced the Chinese general had overwhelming forces hidden in reserve.

Balsy as fuck

You'd hurl the bodies like in the siege of Karlštejn, and those of the victims of the bubonic plague so you have biological warfare on top of psyops, it happened during the siege of Kafa between Mongols and Tartars.

he was just trying to get over his PTSD from being raped as a little boy

>ywn blast Panama by Van Halen from the side of a Blackhawk while invading Panama against little resistance

Don't give me that feeling man ;_;

>tfw riding into Panama blasting this from a Blackhawk and facing almost no resistance

and people say war can't be glorious

Razing villages is a great way to anger your enemy and scare the shit out of his subjects

>starving to the point of eating their children

I detect some fallacy and bias in this account

The Romans used to send detachment north of the frontier to demoralise local tribes by mass-raping, pillaging and executing. Over the centuries this ended up fucking them since the tribes gradually coalesced into much larger unions in the face of Roman attacks.

It was partly because they had burned their own stocks to force a miracle from God, and the Siege was reported from lasting February to September. Not trying to paint the citizens as unusually cruel, but they were led by some real zealots. Josephus, who was a Jew himself, although admittedly had a Roman bias, wrote about it.
>At one point they destroyed the food stocks in the city, a drastic measure thought to have been undertaken perhaps in order to enlist a merciful God's intervention on behalf of the besieged Jews.[3]
>She soon grew weary of resisting and acquiring food for the benefit of looters. In secret she killed her suckling baby and roasted the flesh. The sweet odor of the roasted flesh attracted attention and her tormentors were on her again demanding that she give up her roast. Mary, by this time, apparently out of her mind in great distress told them coolly that she had prepared a feast for them and reserved the best part for their enjoyment. She led them to where the half-eaten remains of her baby were covered up and revealed to them the horrible sight. Even men who had become hardened by the horrors of the war were shocked and seized with fright at the sight of the roasted infant half consumed by its mother.

>flying into panama while blaring black sabbath over the speakers
holy fucking shit

>dead mans party by oingo boingo

superb taste

>Noriega surrendered after listening to that
What a shit taste faggot desu

>It was partly because they had burned their own stocks to force a miracle from God

Holy shit hahahaha fucking Jews.

I NEED MONEY CAUSE I HAD NONE

I would be shitting my pants if some fuckers that were coming for my ass used that song

youtube.com/watch?v=_UbGtjnluyY

have you seen apocalypse now?