EN

Radio Oranje

Radio Oranje was a radio programme of the Dutch government in exile in London during World War II.

Subject
Fotograaf: Allard Bovenberg. Collectie: Anne Frank Stichting.

Radio privékantoor

Fotograaf: Allard Bovenberg. Collectie: Anne Frank Stichting. Copyright: AFS rechthebbende

From April 1940, the BBC broadcast daily 15-minute bulletins to the Netherlands through the Dutch Section of the European Service. At the end of May, the Dutch government in exile wanted its own airtime. Although this affected the BBC's monopoly, the Ministry of Information agreed. Employees were screened by MI5 first, though.

The name had been coined by Meijer Sluijser. It was headed by VARA chairman J.W. Lebon; Loe de Jong was his assistant.[1]

Queen Wilhemina made her first speech for the station on 28 July 1940.[2] Under regulation VO 35/40 of 4 July 1940, it was only permitted to listen to transmitters within the German-occupied Dutch territory and within the Greater German Reich.[3]

Broadcasts could be heard on 1500 metres (long wave), 373, 285 and 261 metres (medium wave) and the 49, 41 and 31-metre bands (short wave). Due to German jammers, Radio Oranje could only be heard on shortwave in many places.[4]

In the Secret Annex, the people in hiding listened intensively to the radio; including Radio Oranje.[5]

Footnotes

  1. ^ L. de Jong, Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog : deel 9: Londen : eerste helft, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff, 1979, p. 79-80.
  2. ^ L. de Jong, Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog : deel 4: mei '40 - maart '41 : eerste helft, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff, 1972, p. 614.
  3. ^ Verordeningenblad voor het bezette Nederlandsche gebied 1940, p. 135-136.
  4. ^ Wikipedia: Radio Oranje.
  5. ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version A, 27 March 1944, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.