Figure 1.--

German radio beginning in January 1933 was under the control of NAZI Minister of Propaganda Josef Goebbels. Thus during the 1930s and 40s, the so called Golden Age of radio, all German radio was under the strict control of the NAZIs. We know that programing was tightly controlled and censorded by the NAZIs. We know nothing, however, about actual programming. After Kristalnacht in 1938, Jews were forced to turn in their radios. During World War II, the Germans took many measures to control radio listening in the occupied countries.

Government Policy

Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels from the beginning was attuned to the importance of mass media. In this regard, radio was seen as key. Goebbels viewed radio as second only to the press as the "most effective weapon in our struggle for existence". [Bergmeier and Lotz.] After the NAZI seizure of power, the NAZIS could control all German radio programming. Any programs or music that the NAZIs did not approve of was banned. Very quickly programmin appeared, both new programs and entertainment programs appeared with NAZI ideological content. Thus during the 1930s and 40s, the so called Golden Age of radio, all German radio was under the strict control of the NAZIs.

Volksempfänger Radio Sets

The NAZIs came up with something called a Volksempfänger VE 301 GW (NAZI People's Radio). This was an inexpensive, easy to operate radio set that all Germans could afford and one that was built to receive only German broadcasts. The industrial "rationalization" conducted by the NAZIs affected everyday objects, as well as architecture, art and armaments. The most famous such item is probably the Volkswagen, although relatively few were actually produced during the Third Reich. Radio sets (receivers), like many other other products, were closely analized to determine how they could be most useful to the NAZI regime. Goebbels was very interested in radio and he realized that as he controlled the broadcasting, an inexpensive People's Radio would be like putting a loud speaker in every German home in the Reich. Industrial design was not pioneered by the NAZIs. Walter Maria Kersting was a pioneers of German industrial design well before the NAZIs seized power. Kersting in 1932 published The Living Form in which he described how the task of the designer was to create "... simple and cheap objects, which must not appear to be more than they are... and which can be bought anywhere". He felt that operation of these devices should be intuitive so that they could be understood by an ordinary person "who does not have a technical mind". He also felt that these items should be designed such that they are "foolproof in the event of mistreatment". Following these principles, Kersting in 1928 designed a radio set. There were several hundred thousand produced in the 5 years before the NAZIs seized power uin 1933. Kersting's designed fit perfectly with what Goebbels wanted. In fact, Kersting, only one change was made to the original design before the NAZIs ordered mass production--a swastika was added to the front. Goebbels ensured that the receiver had a limited range so that only NAZI frequencies could be picked foreign broadcasts would not interfere with Hotler's and other other NAZI political broadcasts." The Volksempfanger was this during the 12 years of the Third Reich a chillingly effective NAZI propaganda device. The concept of thge Volksempfänger, did not end with the War. The Communists in Eastern Europe were impressed with the concept. The Telsa company in Czechoslovakia for 25 years manufactured radios looking rather like the Volksempfänger whose only frequency was a conduit for Party propaganda. [Mezel]

Programming

We know that programing was tightly controlled and censorded by the NAZIs. We know very little, however, about actual programming during the Third Reich.

Music

The NAZIs seized power in January 1933. The new Propaganda Minister Goebbels ordered that American jazz music be banned from German radio. The NAZIs believed that jazz music represented decadent American society. Jazz was apparently seen as threatening the racial purity of the Aryan race. The origins of jazz of course lay with American blacks. This did not endear jazz to the NAZIs and the fact that American Jewish musccians and band leaders like Benny Goodman were involved with swing as jazz passed into American white culture further alienated the NAZI purveyors of culture and taste. Jazz was seen as not only black, but Jewish music because many well-known band leaders like Benny Goodman were Jewish. Jazz and swing were considered dangerous beacuse so many young Germans were drawn to the music. Swing was seen as an element of modernism, "the refuse of a rotting society" and the NAZIs charged that Jews were using jazz to corrupt the Aryan race through "musical race defilement". The music played on German radio followed the traditional tastes of Hitler and the NAZI. [Bergmeier and Lotz]

Adventure series

Restrictions

After Kristalnacht in 1938, as part of further anti-semitic measures, Jews were forced to turn in their radios.

Hitler Youth

Radio was used as part of the Hitler Youth indoctrination program. Er habe few details, but images show HJ boys at meetings seated in a circle. listening to the radio. Weknow of no speific HJ programing. Presumably they were listening to one of Hitler's speeches or perhaps a speech by some other NAZI official.

World War II NAZI Broadcasting

Under Goebbels, the Propaganda Ministry rapidly expanded the foreign-language broadcasting division in the 1930s, well before World War II. Goebbels set up "Secret Stations" which were ostensibly run by opposition groups broadcasting from inside target countries, but were actually located in the Berlin Olympic stadium. Roderich Dietze was the wartime head of German radio's English-language service. While the NAZIs refused to play American swing and jazz music for domestic radio listeners, they employed such music for their overseas propaganda broadcasts to foreign listeners during World War II. In these broadcasts, swing and jazz seemed the perfect bait. Much of the repotoire was standard jazz music. Some had a NAZI twist. A jazzy rendition of "Onward Christian Soldiers" was broadcast with anti-Semitic lyrics replaced. Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry hired a swing band fronted by the crooner, Karl ("Charlie") Schwedler. Goebbels also ordered the establishment of Radio Arnhem which, for several months in 1944-45 broadcast as a Allied forces station. [Bergmeier and Lotz.]

Occupied Countries

During World War II, the Germans took many measures to control radio listening in the occupied countries.

Denmark

Danes, like many other Europeans, lived through German occupation -- and Nazi-controlled radio -- from 1940 to 1945. The Dabisg Government in 1996 grudgingly granted a braodcast license under Denmark's liberal freedom of speech laws to the National Socialist Movement of Denmark (DNSB) which began broadcasting its message of racial purity and ethnic hate, ranting against Zionism and big business in phrases borrowed from the NAZI era.

Luxembourg

German forces invaded Luxembourg in 1940. Radio Luxembourg which had a dedicated international audience was used for propaganda. Lord Haw Haw broadcast from the station in English during the NAZI occupation.

(The) Netherlands

The Germans invaded the neutral Netherlands in May 1940. The Dutch Army surrendered after Rotterdam was bombed. Queen Wilehmina, who had provided a haven to Kaiser Wilhelm after World War I, fled to England to set up a Government in exhile. The country was totally under NAZI control within a few days. The Dutch people kept their ears glued to their radios to listen to BBC war reporting as well as broadcasts from the Dutch Government in exile. The NAZIs of course desired to cut the Dutch people off from the outside new media and their Government in exile which soon established Radio Oranje. THE NAZI occupation forced in 1940 prohibited the Dutch people from listening to foreign broadcasting. Dutch broadcasters were heavily censored by the Germans. VARA was the first Dutch broadcaster which openly protested against the German occupation broadcast controls when they had to report about a march of the Dutch NSB NAZI-organisation. The NAZIS prohibited the broadcasting of English and American songs in January 1941. (This was almost a year before America entered the War.) The NAZIs as the occupation progressed steadily increased their control over Dutch programming. Dutch broadcasters were ordered to increase the use of German mass-produced programming. They were ordered to broadcast Arien "Auflagesendungen" (mass-produced programms) like the musicprogrammes with German titles: "Gruss aus der Heimat" (greetings from the fatherland) and "Wunschconcerte" (request concert). The Dutch people attempted to protest against the brutal German occupation and persucution of the Jews with the 1941 "February-strike". The strikers were brutally suppressed. The Germans decided to prevent any uncontrolled Dutch broadcasts. The Dutch broadcasting groups were disbanded on March 9, 1941. In its place the German occupation authorities set up a NAZI German propaganda-station "De Nederlandse Omroep" (Dutch Broadcasting Organisation). The personal and property of the previous Dutch broadcasters were taken over by "De Nederlandse Omroep". A German engineer, Herwijer, aas put in charge. He appointing Dutch collaborators (NSB members) to all executive posts, ensuring that Dutch broadcasting was torally in NAZI hands. The NAZIs with "wire-broadcasting" could control the programs which were actually carrried on Dutch radio staions. Wire-broadcasting ("Draadomroep" or "Radio-distributie") was the only radio allowed by occupation authorities. NAZI Occupation authorities in spring 1941 introduced a radio registration and a listening fee, purportedly to finance broadcasting. This fee replaced the previous membership-fee of the former Dutch broadcasting organisations. The Dutch people registered about 1.3 million sets. Of course, foreign broadcasts especially the BBC and Radio Oranje from the Dutch Gouvernement (in exile in London) were very popular with the Dutch people. The Germans tried to stop the broadcasts, especailly after the War had turned against them by 1943. Occupation authorities prohibited the Dutch to listen to foreign broadcasts and there were severe penalties. There were also efforys to jam the broadcasts. These measures were sufficently effective to please the NAZIs, so on May 13, 1943 they ordered the confiscation of all radios. Here as most Dutch citizens had registered their radios in 1941, the NAZIs were very quickly able to get most radios out of Dutch hands. The NAZIs managed to collect about 1.1 million sets. Only 55,000 Dutch citizens were exempted from the order to turn in their radios. These were collaborators such as NSB members. A few other Dutch citizens continued tomlisten on hidden radios. Thus the Dutch quickly learned of the June 1944 landings in Normandy and by September they had reached areas in the southern Netherlands. Therest of the Netherlands, however, was not liberated until early 1945. During thesde last months of the war the Dutch in the still occupied areas could listen to "Radio Herrijzend Nederland" broadcast from the areas of thye country already liberated from the NAZIs.

Sources

Bergmeier, Horst J. P. and Rainer E. Lotz, (Contributor). Hitler's Airwaves : The Inside Story of Nazi Radio Broadcasting and Propaganda Swing (Yale University Press, Book & Cd edition August 1997).

Mezel, Eric. Edited by Jocelyn de Noblet, Industrial Design: Reflecyions of a Century (Centre de Recherche sur la Culture Technique Flammarion/APCI, 1993). 168p.

Created: June 18, 2002
Last updated: January 3, 2003