Gustav Siegfried Eins facts for kids
Gustav Siegfried Eins (often called GS1) was a secret British radio station during World War II. It was run by a special government group called the Political Warfare Executive (PWE). This group's job was to spread information, sometimes secretly, to help the war effort.
GS1 pretended to be an illegal radio station operating inside Nazi Germany. Its goal was to create confusion and doubt among the German people. The idea for this station came from Sefton Delmer, who used to work for the BBC. He was hired by the PWE in 1940. The name "Gustav Siegfried Eins" sounded German, using a German Army spelling alphabet, but it didn't have any special hidden meaning.
The radio shows were recorded on special glass discs at a studio called Wavendon Tower. After recording, these discs were taken to powerful short-wave radio stations. These stations were located at Signal Hill in Gawcott and also at Potsgrove. From there, the broadcasts were sent out across the airwaves.
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How Gustav Siegfried Eins Broadcasted
The main person on the radio was a refugee from Berlin named Peter Seckelmann. He used the fake name "Der Chef," which means "The Boss." Der Chef pretended to be a very proud and patriotic German officer. He claimed to be loyal to Germany, but he was secretly working for the British.
What "Der Chef" Talked About
Most of Der Chef's speeches were aimed at low- and middle-ranking officials of the Nazi Party. He called them the Partei Kommune. He said these officials were selfish and corrupt. He claimed they were gangsters whose bad behavior shamed Germany. Der Chef often compared their actions to the brave German soldiers. He would say the soldiers were freezing to death in Russia, while the party officials were living easy lives. This was meant to make Germans distrust their own leaders.
When the Broadcasts Happened
The first broadcast from Gustav Siegfried Eins was on the evening of May 23, 1941. The station continued to broadcast until late October 1943. The final broadcast was designed to sound dramatic. The script said that the Gestapo, which was the secret police in Nazi Germany, stormed the radio station. It ended with "Der Chef" supposedly being shot.
However, there was a small mistake during this final broadcast. The engineer who played the recording didn't understand German. Because of this, he accidentally played the part where "Der Chef" died not once, but twice!
After Gustav Siegfried Eins stopped broadcasting, a new secret radio station took its place. This new station was called Soldatensender Calais.
See also
- Black propaganda
- Political Warfare Executive
- Psychological warfare
