Behind the Tunes: Real American Zero - The Adventures of Private Snafu

The doltish but self-confident and self-congratulatory Private Snafu is in possession of a military secret during World War II. Over the course of the day, spouting rhymed couplets, he divulges the secret a little at a time to listening Axis spies. He tells his mom some of the secret when he calls her from a phone booth; the rest he spills to a dolly dolly spy who plies him with liquor. Snafu's loose lips put himself at risk.

Pvt. Snafu suffers the consequences of not keeping his equipment and weapons properly maintained.

A fairy encourages Snafu to duck out of his training regime for his own reasons.

Private Snafu learns the hard way about the need for military dicipline and procedures to maintain an effective army.

A homesick Pvt. Snafu learns that his family are almost as committed to the war efforts as himself.

Pvt. Snafu complains about being assigned to the infantry only to learn that other branches have their own problems.

Introducing Private Snafu, the nation's worst soldier and his various versions in different branches of the armed forces. The cartoon, ironic and humorous in tone, was created during World War II and it was designed to instruct service personnel about security, proper sanitation habits, booby traps and other military subjects, and also to improve troop morale. The main character's name is a play on the military slang acronym SNAFU, "Situation Normal: All Fouled Up."

Pvt. Snafu thinks he's too smart to get caught by an enemy booby trap, but he soon finds that the traps are alluring and that he is every bit the booby.

Private Snafu wants to tell his sweetheart, Sally Lou, that he thinks his unit will be sent to the South Pacific. But every effort he makes to get his letter through uncensored is thwarted by a resourceful (and unseen) censor with an array of contraptions and booby traps. Not even Snafu's carrier pigeon can avoid the censor -- not when he has a hawk for an assistant. Technical Fairy, First Class, comes to the rescue and agrees to deliver the letter -- but he has good reason to say that he'll hate himself in the morning.

Snafu learns of the folly of hoarding and wasting military food supplies.

Snafu learns the need of keeping his gas mask at hand when he is attacked by anthropomorphic gas cloud.

Pvt. Snafu's unit suffers the consequences of blabbing military secrets while on leave at home.

Using Snafu as an example, Techanical Fairy First Class teaches the methods of effective camouflage.

Private Snafu (Situation Normal All Fucked Up) presents his brother Tarfu (Things Are Really Fucked Up) who was a carrier pigeon keeper and has joined the Navy

Private Snafu learns about fear

Private Snafu learns about inflation

As the Devil watches Pvt. Snafu and his unit stationed in Iran, he talks about the hazards of working in the heat.

A humourous look at the Aleutian Islands and their strategic value.

Private Snafu is stranded on a tiny island with a Japanese officer; he must depend on his wits to defend himself against his sword-wielding foe.

Private Snafu steals secret Japanese war plans, is captured and tried. He escapes and rows out to sea.