Radio London, 1940 1944 [French]


Freedom At The End Of The Airwaves Radio London, 1940 1944 As early as 1940, members of the Forces de la France Libre, as well as many resistance fighters, listened to the BBC and the programs in French of "Radio Londres" to learn about the latest developments in the war  By giving the floor to actors and listeners of the BBC, but also to resistance fighters and members of Free France, this documentary brings to life the history of the legendary radio during the Second World War and takes us back thanks to numerous archives. unprecedented in its sound universe. After the lightning war led by the Germans on French territory, Marshal Pétain announced on June 17, 1940, on national airwaves, that he consented to the armistice.  The next day, from a BBC studio in London, General de Gaulle launched his call to resist and to continue the fight.  From that moment on, a Franco-French wave war will start.  While in France, most of the transmitters fell into the hands of the Germans, and the new authorities of the Vichy regime put the media under control, radio programs in French, intended for the French, were being set up in England.  Soon known as "  The French speak to the French"  and "  Honneur et Patrie ", the flagship programs of the French services of the BBC will try to fill the lack of information available on the other side of the Channel. True weapon of war, the radio of London left the memory of a radio of truth, hope and freedom. Extracts from the programs "The French speak to the French" and "Honneur & Patrie", broadcast by Free France on the BBC to occupied France. A documentary by Aurélie Luneau and Christine Robert  (first broadcast on the program "La Fabrique de l'Histoire" on February 4, 2002).

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.