Tuesday, September 3, 2019

BBC Used Music to Contact Polish Underground During WW II

"A new archive has revealed the BBC's role in secret activities during World War Two, including sending coded messages to European resistance groups.

Documents and interviews, released by BBC History, include plans to replace Big Ben's chimes with a recorded version in the event of an air attack.

This would ensure the Germans did not know their planes were over Westminster.

BBC programmers would also play music to contact Polish freedom fighters.

Using the codename "Peter Peterkin", a government representative would provide staff with a particular piece that would be broadcast following the Polish news service."

See full story here

1 comment:

  1. Hello,

    "The choice of music would send the message to fighters."
    Yes, that is correct.

    "They would see one which they thought would make a better broadcast and the wrong bridge would get blown up in Poland."
    It was obviously a joke. Sending such order required an authority. And geographical knowledge.

    If I'm not mistaken Brits would often play Chopin's mazurka. Message was "no airdrops tonight". Warsaw insurgents would start to hate mazurkas.

    ReplyDelete

Bieganski the Blog exists to further explore the themes of the book Bieganski the Brute Polak Stereotype, Its Role in Polish-Jewish Relations and American Popular Culture.
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