Ongoing History Daily: The fake WWII radio station that tricked thousands of soldiers
Radio is and always has been a very effective and efficient way to reach many people over a large area. Back in World War II, radio was used to trick hundreds of thousands of German troops into surrendering.
Operation Annie was a fake radio station broadcasting in German from Luxembourg between December 1944 and April 1945 that became very popular with Nazi troops under the name Natchtsender 1212. Not only did it play German folk music and offer news updates on the war, but it was also very pro-Nazi. The troops trusted the station completely—but it was all an Allied fake-out.
On April 18, 1945, Natchsender 1212 broadcast fake news that the Allies had encircled Germany’s Army Group B. Because so many soldiers believed what was broadcast, they were certain that all was lost and surrendered by the thousands.
