Operation Annie - December 9, 1944

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0504

Overview

Description: TRACK 1
0:06: Radio 1212 announcement: Speaking in honor of German Railway Workers Day, Reich Minister Dr. Speer and Dr. Herzlmüller stressed that final victory depends on the commitment of German railway workers. Speeches by Goebbels were translated into Russian and French for the benefit of foreign workers. Selected workers were awarded the Cross of Honor.
1:15: A reporter for the Spanish newspaper “Arriba” commended the Rhineland population's courage and stamina in the face of daily threats of invasion and aerial attack. Outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease reported in the region of Alzey, probably spread by livestock transports carried out by the Wehrmacht. According to regulations, military personnel are forbidden from transporting livestock owing to danger of epidemic.
2:53: The military situation has affected telephone communications; the Reichspost advises connecting to wire-radio service when possible; this change can only be made by Reichspost workers.
3:48: Workers near Offenburg Baden reassigned; Hitlerjugend members in the Schwarzwald area commandeered by the Wehrmacht to haul grit and sand to the roadways to prevent "black ice" accumulation.
4:13: The Department of Iron and Metal hopes to gather great quantities of metal from battlefields, and has initiated a vigilance campaign to inform Volkssturm members that every unreturned kilogram weakens the Reich’s troops. Wehrmacht troops are requested to avoid using metals important to the war effort. Too often Wehrmacht members have converted ammunition and ammunition shells into liqueur glasses, flower vases, writing utensils, etc.
5:04: Trojan Horse theme. Radio 1212 concludes its transmission.
5:40: Light classical music.
11:30. Announcement: In 1/2 hour Radio 1212 will broadcast news and music to the Rheinland and Saarpfalz.
11:45-end: Trojan Horse theme
TRACK 2
0:00-1:50: Trojan Horse theme. Radio 1212 with news from the Rheinland, and a reading of the names of areas captured by enemy during the past 24 hours.
2:15: Front news: In Alsace, reports of further troop movements near the bridgehead of Breisach. Saar front: US troops have crossed the Saar and constructed bridgeheads on three positions on the east side; US infantry crossed the river yesterday morning near Settingen and Dillingen, overran German positions, and fought for access to the eastern suburbs of Saargemünd. Close combat in Saarlautern has ended. German troops are attacking the newly-built US bridgehead near Lisdorf south of Saarlautern. The Americans now control 22 block houses evacuated by the Germans. Heavy fighting continues at the Westwall near Dillingen to the north of Saarlautern.
6:17: Radio 1212 will announce the names of areas now under enemy occupation.
6:30: Music (Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437, by Johann Strauss II).
10:52: Radio 1212. During the past 24 hours the following areas have fallen into American hands.
12:17: Trojan Horse theme (signoff).
TRACK 3
0:00: 1212 news of the Wehrmacht [needs translation].
5:50: Trojan Horse theme.
6:30: Viennese style light music.
12:24: Break-in news report [needs translation]
14:04-end. In 1/2 hour Radio 1212 will broadcast music and news to the Rheinland and Saarpfalz. Trojan Horse theme (signoff).
Date: 1944 December 09
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-165-44 Reel 1
Source Archive Number: RG-165-44 Reel 2
Source Archive Number: RG-165-44 Reel 3

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:30:18
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn722551

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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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