German Radio Moscow 1941

Discussion in 'The Third Reich' started by Lindele, Sep 10, 2019.

  1. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Today, 78 years ago.
    broadcasting in German started with propaganda and information to influence Germans to show more resistance toward the Nazis. Listening to this or any other foreign broadcasting was very risky and could lead to be send to a concentration camp.

    Stefan.
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    1951 ?
     
  3. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96


    Thanks Owen.
    Of course it was 1941
     
  4. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    What a disappointment I was waiting for a revelation about early Soviet research into time travel (although with time travel can anything be either early or late?) The citizens of Berlin certainly had a choice of illicit listening BBC, Moscow and from 1942 Voice of America
     
  5. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Thanks Stefan for noting this event.

    First of all,the seizure and control of German radio from when Hitler took power in January 1933.

    Goebbels,as Minister of Propaganda used the radio as a propaganda weapon at home and abroad and was met with counter propaganda and accurate reporting of the war situation.Initially it was BBC transmissions which proved accurate reporting to German public who were bored with repetitive propaganda and suspected false reporting.Listening to these broadcasts was forbidden and while most listeners were never caught,in the first year of the war over 1500 defaulters were sent to concentration camps or sentenced to hard labour for listening to BBC transmissions.

    Among of the first tasks of Goebbels was to absorb control of radio content from the German Postmaster General to the Ministry of Propaganda in March 1933.What followed for home consumption was that throughout the day and evening,the German public heard broadcasts portraying Hitler as the nation's most precious asset,describing the Nazi way of life as desirable and emphasising patriotism,nationalism,and the great mission of the Nordic Germans.When the war started the BBC provided a reliable source of assured accurate news contrary to the news which was put out by the Propaganda Ministry.

    The Russians exploited the German deteriorating war situation,by infeeding their propaganda into the main German transmitter,Deutschlandsender after establishing synchronisation their wavelengths.By this means the Russians were able to break into the Deutschlandersender national transmissions....German listeners then heard.... lies.... lies,spoken in German by Russian presenters with an added explanation which was claimed to be the real truth.Imitation speeches of Hitler and Goebbels were transmitted which caused the Germans to frantically apply a solution which was to end the normal programme and revert to playing patriotic music.One added attraction for listening to Russian shortwave transmissions and regarded as most effective was a Russian promise to broadcast the names of Germans taken prisoner....apparently drew large audiences, eager for news of their menfolk.

    After Stalingrad,the pressure on German POWs to become involved with Russian established anti Nazi organisations mounted .....the National Committee for a Free Germany.Further, the Russians cast the net wide to include officers in a dedicated anti Nazi organisation,the League of German Officers in which Von Paulus was a member (and a member of the NCFG after the war while still a prisoner.) In turn there were efforts made to persuade these dissidents to broadcast propaganda to Germany.

    On release from Russian captivity in 1953, Von Paulus chose to live in the DDR where he died in 1957.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2019
    Dave55 likes this.
  6. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    As well as the white propaganda broadcasts by the BBC Britain also used black propaganda with broadcasts that purported to come from German underground radio stations but were in reality located in Britain. To add to the credibility of these a Gestapo raid was faked on one so that listeners heard the sound of doors being smashed in much shouting etc and the station then went off the air
     
    Owen likes this.
  7. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    British black propaganda broadcasts were organised by a guy called Sefton Delmer who had been brought up in Germany. One of his first fake stations pretended to be run by a dissident German army officer who broadcast short bulletins at fixed times but allegedly from a variety of different locations to avoid detection. This concentrated on revealing corruption and sexual misconduct by senior Nazi Party officials. So convincing was it that US intelligence spent considerable effort trying to identify who the officer was
     
  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Edited title to 41.
     

Share This Page