The World War II Resistance: Radio


Figure 1.--Radio was an important part of war for the first time in World war II. One of the areas affected was the Resistnce movement. It was away of finding out about the War a well as coorrdinate operations and report on German activiyies. Here a French woman denostrates how she listen to Radio London. This wasdangerou to do around older childen as they might without knowing the dnger reveal the activity. The press caption read, "How French Risked Dealth Penalty to Hear News: A French mother holding her child demonstrates how she and her neighbors listened to Allied news during German occupation over a radio run from an old converted electric motor, generated by a bicycle wheel turned by hand. Her husband holds the wire. Risking the death penalty imposed by the Nazis, French patriots used their ingenuity to rig up sets in defince of the enemy's threats." Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps. ETO-HQ-44-10677. Serviced by London OWI to List B certified as passed by SHAEF censor.

Radio changed the nature of warfare, giving a tremendous advatage to the offensive. Advance elemets no longer lost contact with commanders. It also changed the nature of popaganda. Occupying powers no longer had a monopoly on information. And it changed the possibilities for resistance. Individuals were ble to obtain accurate information on the War. After the fall of France (June 1940), the BBC's Radio London broadcasting in different languages became a beacon of hope for the oppressed people living under NAZI rule throughout the continent, the major source of information about the War and resistance to the Germans. It soon became very dangerous to listen to foreign radio broadcasts, both in Germany and occupied countries. This is one reason that the Germans even before the War took radios away from Jews. Churcgill after the fall of France hit upon the idea of setting Europe aflane through the resistance. This was impossible because of the German grip on the continent and vast secuity operation. The resistance could and did play an important role in the Soviet and Allied war effort. A key aspect of totalitarian rule is controlling infomtion. It was an important part of the NAZI dictatorship in Germany and the Germans cought to replicate this in their expanding empire. It thus became a serious crime to listen to foreign broadcasts. Radio also increased the capabilities of the resistance. As German rule became increasingly oppresive and as the Soviets and Allies began to reverse the Axis tide, resistance begn to grow. And radio provided a means for the soviets and Allies to easily communicate with resistance groups that the Axis powers could not interupt, although code breaking was a problem. Communication in the other direction werre far more dangerous, but a vital part of the Allied effort ahainst the Axis. Axis response to the resistance was brutal and given the highly urban environment of Western Europe (unlike the Soviet Union and Yugoslvia), armed resistance was virtually impossible. The major objective of the resistance in the West became preparation for the Cross-Channel invasion, essentially reporting on German preparations and troop movements and orders for the resistance to prepare and support the invasion. Sending such messages in German occupied areas was dangerous because the Germans could detect and locate sending stations. As the invsion would come in France, it was the French resitance that becme key to the Western Allies.

Radio and Electronics

World war II was not only an industrial war, it was the first electroniv war. Radio changed the nature of warfare, giving a tremendous advatage to the offensive. Advance elemets no longer lost contact with commanders. Radio sending sations existed in World war I, but they were large bulky sets. They could be installed on ships or in headquaeters units, but could not be carrid by troops on the move. Mesages to or from moving units were sent ny messenger. Cpl. Adolf Hitler was such a messenger. It was even difficult for moving units to carry receivung units. Enormus progress was made in radio during the ar, o much so thatimmeditely after the war you befin to see commercial radio.

Propaganda

Radio also changed the nature of popaganda. Occupying powers no longer had a monopoly on information. And it changed the possibilities for resistance. Individuals were ble to obtain accurate information on the War. A key aspect of totalitarian rule is controlling infomtion. It was an important part of the NAZI dictatorship in Germany and the Germans cought to replicate this in their expanding empire.

Foreign Radio Broadcasts

After the fall of France (June 1940), the BBC's Radio London broadcasting in different languages became a beacon of hope for the oppressed people living under NAZI rule throughout the continent, the major source of information about the War and resistance to the Germans. It soon became very dangerous to listen to foreign radio broadcasts, both in Germany and occupied countries. This is one reason that the Germans even before the War took radios away from Jews. It became a serious crime to listen to foreign broadcasts. A British lady married to a German man rembers hearing her liitle boy takjing to a friend whose mothers alkso listen to the radio by holding her ear close to the speaker, neither understanding why. The lady realized how one word to the wrong person, such as a teacher or a neighbor, could mean both mothers could be arrested. A reader in Serbia writes, "There is a neighborhood of Belgrade called 'London'. Belgrade citizens during World War II risked arrest and possible death by listening to Radio London. On one occasion a 9-year old boy was travelling with his dad on the tram. As the tram rattled past the London area, the boy innocently said in a loud, surprised voice, 'Oh Dad, when you listen to Radio London is this where the radio station is?' Later that day the boy's father was arrested." People un Allied countries could listen to Axis broadcasts. But in the Soviet Union it was also prohibited to listen to not only German, but all foreign broascasts.

Coordinating the Resistance: Messages from Allied Countries

Churchill after the fall of France hit upon the idea of setting Europe aflane through the resistance. This was impossible because of the German grip on the continent and vast secuity operation. The resistance could and did play an important role in the Soviet and Allied war effort. Radio also increased the capabilities of the resistance. As German rule became increasingly oppresive and as the Soviets and Allies began to reverse the Axis tide, resistance begn to grow. And radio provided a means for the Soviets and Allies to easily communicate with resistance groups that the Axis powers could not interupt. The Germans could not prevent radiio messages from Allied countries meaning primaroily Britain, and the Soviet Union. They could, however, listen in and break coded messages.

Messages from Occupied Countries

Communication in the other direction werre far more dangerous, but a vital part of the Allied effort ahainst the Axis. Axis response to the resistance was brutal and given the highly urban environment of Western Europe (unlike the Soviet Union and Yugoslvia), armed resistance was virtually impossible. The major objective of the resistance in the West became preparation for the Cross-Channel invasion, essentially reporting on German preparations and troop movements and orders for the resistance to prepare and support the invasion. Sending such messages in German occupied areas was dangerous because the Germans could detect and locate sending stations. And because of their brutality, once a member of aesustance cell was captured, it was only a matter of time before he cracked nd naned the others in the cell. As the invsion would come in France, it was the French resitance that becme key to the Western Allies. Everything dependened on the outcome of the D-Day invasion.







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Created: 4:17 AM 3/7/2016
Last updated: 3:25 PM 3/7/2016