Operation Annie - January 25, 1945

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0525

Overview

Description: TRACK 1
0:05: Trojan Horse theme (poor sound; skipping)
1:09: 1212 broadcasts daily from 12 to 6. News from the homeland, the Saar, and the Pfalz. Story on the 7th Panzer Division (garbled). German forces attempting to fend off Americans in Maastricht. Fighting in northeast Luxembourg. The Führer and the Generalfeldmarschall (garbled).
4:05: Trojan Horse theme (sound continues poor; skipping). News: Geilenkirchen [Germany] struck. Saar updates, followed by updates for Mannheim and Alsace. Bombers in Munich and Dusseldorf. Trojan Horse theme.
5:57: Northwest of Colmar (sound continues poor; skipping).
9:49: Eifel and Mosel updates. Localities cited: Ulm, Heinsberg.
15:02: A report from Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt.
16:37: Story on 5th and 2nd Panzer Divisions (sound continues poor; skipping; section repeats twice).
21:58: Soviet forces (unintelligible).

TRACK 2
0:07: Radio 1212 brings updates to Wehrmacht personnel and the people of the Rheinland. A message of warning from the Oberkommando about insubordination. Feature about the Volkssturm [paramilitary units] and incentives for those who join. We’ve received a report from Army Group B, on [Field Marshal Otto] Model and his Volksgrenadierdivision, which faces tough winter conditions. Mention of National Socialist Leadership Officers; officer’s statement of encouragement to soldiers.
3:49: As of this morning, the railway bridge in Nonnweiler resumes operations. The Chief of Staff of the Nazi Stormtroopers, [SA General] Wilhelm Schepmann, received the new “Knight’s Cross” award for his fearless leadership. Radio 1212, with news of the Wehrmacht (signoff).
6:59: (Sound poor; distortion; improves over time.) Radio 1212, with news for military personnel and the civilian population of the Rheinland. Question those who question our fight. Everything is at stake for us here. Pessimism is indulgence. Fight on.
7:51: Now, news from Bonn am Rhein. The 52nd Army Core, along with the 56th Regiment and the 9th Volksgrenadier Korps, face a difficult battle. While some try to differentiate Germans from National Socialists, the Wehrmacht reminds you that every German is a National Socialist. Dortmund: American forces destroyed a dam, with the result that diseases are now spreading into the public water system, threatening outbreak of typhus. Radio 1212 broadcasts news for the people of the Rheinland (tagline).
10:30: Radio 1212, with news of the Rheinland and reports from the Front and the homeland for members of the military and the people of the Rhein District and the Saar Palatinate. We broadcast daily from 2-6, every hour on the hour. Trojan Horse theme (signoff).
12:15: Radio 1212, with today's war reports. The English are withdrawing in the north Ardennes. American supply lines in La Roche are severed. Battles continue in Bastogne. Bridges on the left bank of the Rhein successfully defended. The German advance into Alsace from the Saar continues. Radio 1212 broadcasts daily from 2-6, every hour on the hour.
13:13: Repeat of headlines from 12:15.

TRACK 3
0:08: Radio 1212, with news for military personnel and the civilian population of the the Rheinland.
Repeat of report (from Reel 2) on Army Group B, Field Marshal Model, and the Volksgrenadierdivision, which faces harsh winter conditions. Mention of National Socialist Leadership Officers and an officer’s statement of encouragement to soldiers. Message of warning from the Oberkommando about insubordination. Feature on the formation of the Volkssturm, noting incentives for those who join.
3:20: As of this morning, the railway bridge in Nonnweiler is operating again. Stormtrooper Chief of Staff Wilhelm Schepmann awarded the new “Knight’s Cross” for fearless leadership. Breslau: we’ve just received a report from the Eastern Front. Rheinlanders remain strong in the face of the threat to their homeland. (Sound poor.) While German women and girls may be encountering numbers of foreigners in public, they should keep their German blood pure. Leaders from the north encourage vigilance against intermingling, especially with Italians. Radio 1212 has brought news for military personnel and the civilian population of the the Rheinland.
7:55: This is Radio 1212. Listeners are urged to use postcards rather than letters: postcards weigh much less and therefore are less of a burden to the Reichspost. Listeners are also urged to stop mailing letters to nearby addresses: this is not a luxury the German people can afford at this time. This is Radio 1212.
9:57: Radio 1212 now concludes its broadcast. We broadcast daily from 2-6. Now to close, some music (no music follows). Trojan Horse theme (signoff).
11:50: Partial speech by Major (Lüdecke? Lüdecker ? Lödige?). “I feel able to say that yesterday, for the first time in a long time, that….at least I was kept….” (Extended silence after false start.) [Speech possibly read/recreated by Radio 1212 announcer.]
12:30: Speech restarts or resumes. “I remain optimistic...this time is considerably different. Although military strategy might be a little scattered and naive, the 6th Tank Army will be able to fend off attacks with calmness.” Remainder of speech is a rallying cry for support and optimism. Let us hope for the best.
18:55: This is Radio 1212. This has been a speech on the situation in the West by Major (Lüdecke? Lüdecker ? Lödige?).
19:27-end: Now, a speech from Major (Lüdecke? Lüdecker ? Lödige?). (Above speech repeats.) Radio 1212 has broadcast a speech by Major L. on the situation in the West. [The speech and the "Major" himself are possibly Radio 1212 fabrications.]

TRACK 4
0:02 Trojan Horse theme. Radio 1212, daily from 2-6, every hour on the hour. Radio 1212 with news from the Front and the homeland for the civilian population of the Rheinland and the Saar Palatinate.
1:41: Radio 1212 with today's reports from the Western and Eastern Fronts. In northern Alsace, near Haguenau, German forces attempt to repel Americans. Same just north of Colmar. Eifel and Mosel updates: due to Monday’s and Tuesday’s events, troops moved during darkness last night. The drop behind the forest continues. The 6th Panzer Army is on its way to the east. German forces in St. Vith [Belgium] are still holding the Allies at bay. (Poor sound; noise.)
6:46: The Ruhr Front. German forces are about to face a serious clash with British troops in Heinzberg, 5km west of the Ruhr.
7:19: General Field Marshall von Rundsteht has received 10 tank divisions to deal with the critical situation in the East. Eastern Front: Soviet forces have reached Breslau. Neuendorf and Biala [Bielsko-Biała] are at risk. The battle in the East is serious, but leadership remains composed. This has been today’s news. In a few minutes, updates from the Wehrmacht will be arriving.
9:55: This concludes the news from the Front. In a few minutes Radio 1212 will broadcast news for military personnel and the civilian population of the Rheinland.
10:25: Attention, this is Radio 1212 with the latest news. (Repeat of report from 1:41-10:25.)
14:32: Radio 1212 concludes its broadcast of news from the Front for military personnel and the civilian population of the Rheinland and the Saar Palatinate. We broadcast daily from 2-6, every hour on the hour. In half an hour Radio 1212 will broadcast news and music for the Rheinland and the Saar Palatinate. (Signoff message repeats.)
Date: 1945 January 25
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 Notes: Technical note: Reel 1 (RG-165-66) : Around 5:20, starts skipping and continues for the entire recording
Recorded Sound Source: United States. National Archives and Records Administration
File Number: Source Archive Number: RG-165-66 reel 1
Source Archive Number: RG-165-66 reel 2
Source Archive Number: RG-165-67
Source Archive Number: RG-165-68

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:30:13
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn722572

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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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