Facts selected for propaganda purposes. For instance, they were rarely told about the questionable human rights records of their allies (and in fact of their own country). Is that really so difficult to understand?

And do you claim British soldiers were experts on European politics? My grandmother (not representative, but principally pro-British) told me they did not know anything - even less than French soldiers, who knew little enough. The newspapers could tell us what they liked, and spare us what they disliked.

Nowadays we have the Internet, but still, when someone tells us Saddam has done xxxx and possessed yyyy weapons, soldiers will shout hurray - it is their job, not their necessarily their personal character.