A dramatisation of accounts of a pirate radio station operating within Germany in the lead up to the outbreak of World War II: one Australian newspaper identifies it as 'the secret radio station of the German People's Freedom Front ('Radio That Hitler Fears, 1939), but a number of Feindsenders ('enemy-radio-stations') operated within the boundaries of Nazi Germany. In the series, the station was called Liberty Station ('3SR News').
The radio series, which was originally broadcast in eight episodes in 1940, 'describes the adventures of the plucky propagandists who run Germany's secret broadcast station, and their continual pursuit by and hares-breadth escapes from the Gestapo' ('Radio That Hitler Fears', 1940).
When series two began airing in 1941, it introduced the character of 'Ivan the Terrible', 'the very real voice of Russian who interrupts German broadcasts' ('3SR News').
Reports in December 1939 indicated that New Zealand national broadcasters had bought Dominion Rights and planned to broadcast the serial, but this broadcast has not been traced.
Sources:
'2UE Calling', Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, 13 December 1939, p.15.
'3SR News', Benalla Ensign, 10 October 1941, p.3.
'The Radio That Hitler Fears', Courier-Mail, 21 September 1939, p.4.
'The Radio That Hitler Fears', Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, 17 January 1940, p.8.
Series one was originally broadcast on 2UE in eight parts in October 1939: Sunday 8th, Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th, Monday 16th, Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, and Sunday 22nd. The series was subsequently broadcast around the country.
Cast: 2UE Dramatic Players.
A second series was broadcast on 2UE from Monday 13 October 1941: longer than the previous series, it ran until at least May 1942.
