Talk:Soldatensender Calais

Black or Grey?

According to Sefton Delmer, himself, Soldatensender Calais was a grey station and not really black. The reason being that Soldatensender never claimed to be a German run station, like the grey leaflet newspaper Nachrichten für die Truppe, it just existed and did not claim any patronage.

See Delmer's Black Boomerang, page 118, where he specifically states that Soldatensender is a grey station. Or see here: [1]

Dick, [Richard Crossman] lying there in his hospital ward, with phlebitis still creeping up his leg and threatening his heart, was all charm and enthusiasm. He had been listening to Calais as he lay in bed, he said, and it was the slickest thing ever.

"Of course," he insisted, "it is not 'black'." "No," I said, "it is something new. Donald and I call it 'grey'. It is between 'Black' and 'White'. No doubt many of our German listeners realise we can't really be German. Nevertheless they accept us gratefully, because we don't make that 'Boom, boom, boom' V-noise of the B.B.C. which betrays them to the Gestapo and because we sound like ordinary Germans, not a lot of emigres."

(Psywar 07:07, 18 April 2007 (UTC))

I have changed it back to black. Sefton Delmer indeed called the Soldatensender Calais a grey station, but he also called the Nachrichten für die Truppe "a dirty off-white". While Nachrichten indeed did not specify its origin, the Soldatensender did pretend to be a German station, Delmer just thought that unlike with Gustav Siegfried Eins, most German listeners would see through it. Delmer's definition of grey propaganda was thus a different one than the one in the article. By the latter definition, the Soldatensender was black, not grey.—Graf Bobby (talk) 22:06, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

I’m not going to get into an editing battle but I strongly disagree. As soon as Atlantik began broadcasting on medium wave as Soldatensender Calais it lost its credibility as a true black station, regardless of its content. Delmer recognised that that would be the case and invented the term "grey propaganda" to specifically define Soldatensender. In the same way black propaganda leaflets that had previously been disseminated covertly were reclassified as "grey" when they were later airdropped in greater numbers. The black content of the leaflets had not changed but the leaflets had lost much of their plausibility because of the overt method of distribution used.—Psywar (talk) 02:42, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

The following official PWD/SHAEF memorandum gives further details about why Soldatensender Calais was classed a "grey" propaganda radio station: http://www.psywar.org/blackpolicy.php

6. The effort of skill and organisation needed to maintain such a deception for any time is great. Slight mistakes in details and current language, careless handling, technical hitches will give away eventually a sustained programme or a series of leaflets. But it is possible to do covert, unofficial propaganda in which no serious attempt is made to maintain the pretence of "inside Germany’ though every effort is made to maintain a German approach to the news and comment, to maintain perfection of technique and the illusion of "being German" in the mind of the listener or reader. This type of propaganda has been christened "grey" and it is to the grey category that belong SOLDATENSENDER CALAIS and the daily newspaper for the troops [NACHRICHTEN]. Both are run by a unit responsible for genuine black output.

Psywar (talk) 15:33, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I'm trying to remember what it was referred to in Churchill's Wizards. That's the trouble with library books - you don't know when you'll need them again. Better to attribute the definitions of black or grey to those who make them. GraemeLeggett (talk) 16:02, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Hours

This book says that the station broadcast from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The number of hours and schedule for Soldatensender changed as the war progressed. Originally Altantik broadcast for about 9 hours a day with around three hours in the evening for Soldatensender on medium wave when Aspidistra was available from RAF Fighter Command - the actual time fluctuated depending on when, or if, PWE got back control of Aspidistra from the RAF. For example on February 13th, 1944, Aspidistra did not carry G.9 until 9.30 p.m. Two days later Aspidistra did not carry G.9 at all, it went out only on shortwave. But soon Soldatsender was broadcasting for much longer hours on medium wave. The 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. quoted by yourself was in the early days between October 1943 - around March 1944. Actually IRC the three hours were supposed to be 9 p.m. til midnight but perhaps that was European time rather than GMT? Psywar (talk) 07:07, 14 April 2008 (UTC)