Operation Annie - December 6, 1944

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0501

Overview

Description: 0:04-1:50: "Trojan Horse" theme (Radio Luxembourg signature tune). Organ.
1:51-2:13: General introduction of Radio 1212.
2:21: News from the Front: Saarfront. Fighting in the western part of Saargemünd; US infantry attempts to overwhelm the defenders of the three Saarbrücken (Saar-bridges); after a surprise attack yesterday morning, two American tank columns broke through the Maginot line.
2:52: In a fast forward march of 10km a tank column reached the Saar. overrunning German defense positions in Runtling and Hurling.
3:13: US troops are approaching the Saar in the area near Vorbach; artillery on the hills west of the city continued its bombardment of Saarbrücken, 7km away.
3:27: In the south, US troops advanced past Saar-Union, which SS troops abandoned yesterday, and reached Raarlingen.
3:48: Only a few German infantry troops remain in Saarlautern.
3:54: US troops passed the Saar at Ennsdorf and created a new bridgehead (airhead); Saarbrücken itself awaits a large-scale attack, every minute a bomb fallw on the city. Workers, women and children who weren’t evacuated are hiding in the city’s tunnels and pits.
4:18: Four of seven train lines that converge in the heart of the Saarland have been cut off by US troops.
4:27: The only change on the 20km long front near Düren is a US push toward the city of Wehrstein, at the Hürtenforst. Enemy tanks approaching the Cologne lowlands were repelled by the Germans. Significant American units have now taken up positions in front of the Hürtenforst.
5:02: German tanks executed two counterattacks near Luchebech, six tanks were lost; supply columns on the Cologne-Aachen Street were under the Americans.
5:22: Alsace: snow; fierce battles ongoing to halt US-French pincer attack on Colmar.
5:35: The last German troops have withdrawn from Schlettstadt and Libobille north of Colmar had to be evacuated. The situation in other parts of the Alsace front hasn’t changed. The withdrawal of war material and cannons of the undamaged Rhine areas (?) continues.
6:02: Aerial war: Last night Soost was the target of a major attack by British bombers.
6:15: Yesterday Hamm was attacked by several 4-engine British bombers; the railway was severely damaged and railway workers killed; several other railway stations in western Germany were attacked as well.
6:53: Yesterday during the major attack by US bombers over Berlin, more than 150 German air fighters ascended to defend the city.
7:03: Radio 1212 on the air. This concludes reports from the front. During the program we will repoint on cities occupied by the enemy during the past 24 hours.
7:20: March music.
13:35: In the past 24 hours several more cities evacuated by German troops have fallen into American hands. In the Saar area: Ennsdorf near Saargemünd; Remmelfing; Fachschweiler, Diebling, Ernstweiler, Wurtweiler, Nussweiler and Wieningen; Niemeringen; Düren: Bergstein.
14:28: Following cities now under immediate threat: Saargemünd; Schwittweiler, Kuhlhausen, Urmingen, Hambach, Rundlingen, Kadenbronn, Rarlingen
14:59: Trojan Horse theme.
15:23: 1212 airs news for the Wehrmacht and the civilian population in the western areas. To all NSFOs on the western front a reminder: The amount of issued Tapferkeitsurlaube (time off due to bravery) is limited; no more than 3% of deployed troops are allowed to be on vacation, and of those only one part is permitted time off due to bravery. Special leave for damages through bombing, deaths and weddings must be included. The order of OB West from October 2 has led to misunderstandings among the troops. This order mentions specifically that the 3% quota must not be exceeded due to leave time granted for bravery.
16:24: Soldiers and railway workers near Arhaus are working to clear away rubble from a German troop train destroyed by the British. Important transports had to be redirected.
16:45: SS paramedics report heavy losses to the 17. Panzergrenadiere (tank troops) and the 36. Infantry division following recent battles near Saargemünd.
17:09: Party officials in the Rhine Pfalz who still have access to luxury cars are reminded of the Führer’s order to offer rides to people they see waiting on the streets. Political developments suggest an increase in the number of pedestrians with heavy luggage. Car drivers are requested to watch for those people on the streets, particularly by night.
17:45: German civilians repatriating from France and Luxembourg are informed that the Saarbrücken branch office of the NSDAP has closed, its business now taken over by the Stuttgart office. Repatriates now must visit the office in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart, Hospitalerstraße 7, to receive their ID papers.
18:30: Trojan Horse theme. 1212 concludes its broadcast. In one-half hour Radio 1212 offers musical selections for the Rheinland and the Saarpfalz.
19:04. Classical music selections, beginning with Overture to "Donna Diana" by Emil von Reznicek [(1860-1945). N. b. Reznicek's wife was Jewish; their daughter, Felicitas, was a member of the anti-Nazi resistance.]
25:25-end. Trojan Horse theme.
Date: 1944 December 06
Credit: Accessed at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of National Archives & Records Administration

Physical Details

Language: German
Genre/Form: Radio broadcasts. Propaganda.

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: You do not require further permission from the Museum to access this archival media.
Copyright: Public Domain
Conditions on Use: To the best of the Museum's knowledge, this material is in the public domain. You do not require further permission from the Museum to reproduce or use this material.

Keywords & Subjects

Topical Term: Propaganda, American. Radio broadcasting, American--Germany. Radio in propaganda--Germany. Radio, Military. World War, 1939-1945--Propaganda. Radio Broadcasting
Corporate Name: Radio Luxembourg Radio 1212

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: In Process
Recorded Sound Provenance: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum acquired digital copies of Record Group 165: from the National Archives and Records Administration in March 2019.
Recorded Sound Source: United States. National Archives and Records Administration
File Number: Source Archive Number: RG-165-41

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:30:16
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn722548

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Also in Operation Annie broadcasts

Operation Annie (also known as "1212", the frequency on which it broadcasts) was a covert Allied "black propaganda" radio station which began broadcasting in late 1944 from a secret location in Luxembourg and purported to be pro-German, playing patriotic traditional German songs. Over a period of 127 broadcasts, the station built up a loyal following of both German civilians and soldiers. By early 1945, the Allied forces were advancing on Germany and, under instruction from General Dwight Eisenhower, the radio station began broadcasting false information about Allied positions and implied a major assault into Germany was under way. This had the intended effect of making German civilians flee from their homes, which in turn hampered the retreat of the German army. Source: http://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Operation_Annie_(1946)

Date: 1944-1945

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