Feindsender

Feindsender (German: "enemy-radio-station") is a term used during the Third Reich to describe programs produced by radio-stations of the enemies of the then German Reich, such as the United Kingdom or the USA, or by radio-stations inside Germany broadcasting material against Nazi Germany. The term has not been in general use since the downfall of the Third Reich.

With the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, many new laws and prohibitions were established in Nazi Germany. This forced the population to decide whether to obey the Nazi regime, or to risk being declared "criminals". Whoever decided to fight against the new laws and prohibitions was observed by the Gestapo and could be sent to a concentration-camp.

One of those new laws, introduced on 1 September 1939 concerned "extraordinary radio-measures" (Verordnung über außerordentliche Rundfunk-Maßnahmen). This law prohibited listening to any radio-station other than the Nazi state-controlled radio-stations. If a German Reichsbürger was found to have violated this rule, and listened to a British comedy broadcast, for instance, or to Jazz-music from America, they would normally receive a warning if it was the first time they were caught, and would be arrested if caught again. The recording or distribution of such broadcasts were punished with incarceration in a concentration-camp or even with the death penalty during WW2.

Soon, the British Broadcasting Company BBC came to be regarded as the main Feindsender, and listening to the BBC radio-station was punished with imprisonment. Vatican Radio and Radio Moscow were two other famous Feindsender during that time.

Estimates of how many Reichsbürgers listened to such Feindsenders vary. The crimes have, however, been dubbed "the little man's resistance" because, together with friendliness to forced laborers (also a crime, and punished even more harsh), and going detours to avoid passing a Nazi memorial where one would be forced to salute (the Viscardi Way or "Shirkers' Way" in Munich) it was very common and served as proof that somebody had not really been a Nazi, even though cowardice or good reasons hindered him to perform other actions of resistance.

Despite the punishments, even in Nazi Germany, there were several radio stations which were considered state-disobedient.

The term Feindsender in popular culture

 * The Electro-Pop-band Welle: Erdball called themselves Feindsender 64.3.
 * A famous and popular internet-radio-station is named Feindsender.

List of famous Feindsender

 * BBC
 * Vatican Radio
 * Radio Moscow
 * Voice of America
 * Soldatensender Calais and Gustav Siegfried Eins - British black propaganda disguised as German armed forces stations