YANKS IN BRITAIN       In Dinton, near Salisbury, the police were called to investigate a report of German paratroops in the area. When they arrived, the police discovered that the paratroopers were actually a couple of Americans who had gotten lost. Because the Americans' distinctive helmets and olive drab uniforms were different than those worn by English soldiers, somebody had arrived at the conclusion that the two were Germans. The two very frightened GIs tried to explain the situation to their captors, but nobody would listen. "They don't sound like Germans," one of the locals remarked, "but they don't sound real, either." After the misidentification had been explained, everybody thought that the incident was very funny, a Dinton resident recalled — all except the two upset American soldiers.    In an attempt to educate the American troops about Britain, GIs were issued pamphlets about life and customs in the British Isles. One of the early pamphlets was called BRITAIN: For All Members of the American Expeditionary Forces in Great Britain. It offered such sterling advice as, "Don't make fun of British speech or accents, never criticise the King or Queen," and a note that was usually good for a skeptical laugh — "Most people get used to the British climate eventually."    One thing the GIs had to get used to was constantly being addressed as "Yank." Occasionally the word was lengthened to Yankee. No matter if the soldier was from the depths of Alabama — to the British, he was still a Yank. close this page