Soldatensender Calais facts for kids
Soldatensender Calais (which means Soldiers' Radio Calais in German) was a secret radio station during World War II. It was run by the British government, specifically by a group called the Political Warfare Executive. This group was in charge of using propaganda to influence people during the war.
The station pretended to be a real German military radio station. It broadcast from November 14, 1943, until April 30, 1945.
What Was Soldatensender Calais?
Soldatensender Calais was a type of black propaganda station. This means it pretended to be from the enemy side. Its goal was to trick German soldiers and citizens. It wanted them to believe the information was coming from their own military.
The station broadcast on different radio frequencies. These included 833 kHz, 714 kHz, and 612 kHz. There was also a shortwave station called Kurzwellensender Atlantik. This one was made to reach German U-boat crews at sea.
The Powerful Aspidistra Transmitter
To broadcast so widely, Soldatensender Calais used a very powerful radio transmitter. This transmitter was called Aspidistra. It was originally built for an American radio station. However, it was never used there because of new power limits.
The British Secret Service bought this huge transmitter for a lot of money. They installed it in a large underground bunker. This bunker was located near Crowborough in Sussex, England. Aspidistra was one of the biggest medium wave stations in the world at that time. Its power made it perfect for secret operations like Soldatensender Calais.
Live Shows from Milton Bryan
Unlike some earlier secret stations, Soldatensender Calais had live shows. These shows were broadcast from a special studio. The studio was built in Milton Bryan, Bedfordshire. A woman named Agnes Bernelle was one of the presenters. She used the codename "Vicky" during her broadcasts. The station usually broadcast from 6 p.m. until dawn.
How the Propaganda Worked
The creator of Soldatensender Calais was Sefton Delmer. He described the station's method as "cover, cover, dirt, cover, dirt." This means the station would first play good music. It would also share news about sports and other things German soldiers cared about. This made listeners trust the station.
Then, the station would slowly add in propaganda messages. These messages were designed to lower the soldiers' spirits. For example, they might warn soldiers about con artists. These con artists would trick soldiers being moved to the Russian front.
This method was different from other propaganda stations. For instance, "Tokyo Rose" and "Axis Sally" were more obvious. Soldatensender Calais was much more subtle. To make it seem even more real, the station even played speeches by Adolf Hitler. It also played speeches from other Nazi officials.
Role in D-Day
Soldatensender Calais played a part in the D-Day invasion. This was the huge Allied landing in France on June 6, 1944. The station broadcast information that made German officers think the invasion was happening in more places than it actually was. This helped to confuse the German military.
After the Pas de Calais area was taken over by Allied forces, the station changed its name. It became known as Soldatensender West.
The broadcasts from Soldatensender Calais were also used in a newspaper. This newspaper was called Nachrichten für die Truppe. It was dropped from planes for German troops to read.
The station stopped broadcasting on April 30, 1945. It closed without any official announcement.
Other Secret Radio Stations
The Political Warfare Executive ran other secret radio stations during the war. These included:
- Das wahre Deutschland (The True Germany)
- Sender der Europäischen Revolution (Station of the European Revolution)
- Gustav Siegfried Eins
- Wehrmachtssender Nord (Armed Forces Radio North)
- The German Priest station
Soldatensender Calais even inspired other stations. For example, the Soviet-based German People's Radio was partly inspired by it.
See also
