The BBC At War BBC2

[dave walsh]

I've not seen any mention of this two parter on here. I thought it would be a of great interest. Any one else seen it? Both parts are on the I-Player now but P2 is repeated at 11-15pm.
Dave W

[paulsherwin]

Quite a good documentary and certainly worth a look, though most forum members will already be familiar with the technical side.

[russell_w_b]

It was interesting, but I was rather annoyed Skelton, Start Point (and Daventry and Rampisham) weren't mentioned, just alluded to namelessly, even though that's where the 'Messages Personnels' emanated from ('Tonight Aunt Polly's tea-party begins at moonrise') and the run-up to D-Day saw extra transmissions and messages - secret even from the transmitter staff - broadcast from these stations.

As for that map that showed a little transmitter mast radiating across occupied Europe from London, well... But such Londo-centricity is just what the great unwashed expect, I suppose...

[McMurdo]

I saw it and expected mention on the forum, sooner! I was sitting with HWMBO and he kept saying 'what radio's that?' and 'what radio's that?' and I kept saying 'Murphy, another Murphy, Wartime Civilian Receiver, Murphy...er..Murphy...'. You get the gist. Any forum member provide the Murphys?

[dave walsh]

Good to have some feedback A lot of the technical stuff was actually quite new to me. It would have been more British not to execute William Joyce [Irish Citizen or not] I think. News Night reported today that the Nazi's stole 20% of the world's art without actually mentioning that a lot of it was the decadent stuff Hitler disapproved off [but apparently recognised it's value].

They said it was the one remaining issue from the Second World War but we all know that the [vintage] technology stuff is what still fascinates-don't we? German techno in TV and Radio was very advanced. There's a lot more and it's not OT here as Radio was an incredible game changer, as shown in the Dimbelby Doc. You can just focus on the hardware and enjoy repairing-I appreciate that but the reason why we seem fascinated with WW2 in this country is that there is, even now, so much to learn [I suggest].
Dave W

[russell_w_b]

'Hitler's Airwaves' is worth a read, if you wish to learn about German broadcasting and Nazi radio ideology during WWII (Horst J. P. Bergmeier and Rainer E. Lotz, Yale University Press).

William Joyce's wife came from Denton Holme in Carlisle.

[Nicklyons2]

Good I thought, but not outstanding - perhaps I was expecting more given the pedigree of the presenter. As usual , particularly so these days, the politics and personalities were the focus of the story. I think the story of WWII is generally known; I thought a bit more 'back story' would have been interesting.

Though it is a bit off topic but as it has been mentioned above; the execution of W. Joyce seems IMHO, very harsh; given the number of people who materially contributed to Nazi war crimes and went on to live 'normal lives', executing a man who voiced propaganda (most of which was considered laughable by the British listeners) is, believe questionable. But it is not for discussion here!

[russell_w_b]

What Dimbleby didn't mention (unless I missed it) was that the famous 'V-for Victory' signal was created on an African war drum and, despite many efforts, was unable to be replicated by the enemy, who would attempt to sway the British listener to 'their' transmitters: just as Britain did, of course, with the non-BBC and purely MoI-driven 'black propaganda' emanating from various sites in the south of the country and controlled from Woburn Abbey (and ultimately the huge RCA MF set at Crowborough), designed to replicate their 'Soldatensender Calais' with a subtle twist...

'V-for-Victory' continued throughout BBC HF broadcasting as 'Interval Signal No:7', but was not the African war-drum version.

[HamishBoxer]

I recorded both parts and still await the pleasure of watching them.

[chriswood1900]

I have managed to watch both parts as I am at home getting over a minor op. It is in the usual modern style entertaining but light on any technical details so as not to confuse the viewer. IMHO worth watching though.
Chris

[peter_scott]

At least they refrained from the fake scratches and noise but I got very tired of watching the cyan and camel colour cast.

Peter

[petervk2mlg]

I've just watched both episodes and found the treatment a thoroughly enjoyable overview of the subject.
I liked seeing the 301G Volksempfänger, although a DKE38 might have been more representative of what more German people would have had.

[dave walsh]

Thanks for pointing me to "Hitler's Airwaves" [book +CD] Russell

It's on the list of some books my wife is sourcing at present. I'm looking forward to the Nazi version of Onward Christian Soldiers-who do you think you are kidding etc.

I can recommend two Beeb books myself-

"This New Noise-The Extraordinary Birth And Troubled Life Of The BBC" by Charlotte Higgins

which is just available and the dramatic sounding...

"Pinkoes and Traitors The BBC And The Nation" 1974-87 by Jean Seaton [Whilst it doesn't directly cover WW2 the influence is there]

On reflection I can see why some people think the programs were a bit formulaic but I don't think it was all that bad for a general audience and the demonstration of the recording technology would be a revelation to many. I thought it was quite moving to see Jonathan [don't call me David] Dimbleby talking about his dad. On the other hand it could be argued that he is too close to the subject and part of the inner circle!

Dave

[russell_w_b]

I enjoyed it, despite my niggles, but I felt that more 'back-room' stuff could've been covered if there'd been a further episode. I guess it's a compromise between winning an audience and boring them!

[AC/HL]

That's understandable. No point making programs if only a handful of enthusiasts watch them, and we're a handful in TV terms however you look at it.