The International Clandestine Scene
The long and interesting story of radio
broadcasting in Bulgaria would hardly be complete without the inclusion of
details regarding clandestine radio stations beaming their programming into
Bulgaria from other locations. Our story
today goes back to the turbulent era of World War 2, and in particular, to the
year 1940.
Researcher
Ellic Howe in England informs us in his fascinating book “The Black Game” that
there were two hundred or more clandestine radio broadcasting stations on the
air in Europe during World War 2. Most
of these mysterious and enigmatic radio stations were established by the
British and the Americans, though Germany and Russia also had their small share
of clandestine voices in the radio spectrum.
At one stage for example, in May 1940, the British were on the air with
a total of 48 clandestine stations, all from the same set of studios at Woburn,
some forty miles north from London.
Right
towards the end of the year 1940, the British authorities began a series of
clandestine radio broadcasts beamed to several countries in Europe in their own
languages. These broadcasts were on the
air from the covert radio station in Palestine, Sharq al Adna, with its studios
in Jerusalem and the transmitters on the Mediterranean coast near Jaffa.
The
initial broadcasts of this surreptitious programming specifically beamed on
shortwave to Bulgaria in the Bulgarian language were inaugurated in August 1941
under the title, Radio Free Bulgaria. It
is probable that the Bulgarian programming was carried by all four shortwave
transmitters in parallel as was the usual procedure adopted by Sharq al Adna. However, because the transmitter power was
rated at only 7½ kW, the coverage into Bulgaria was inadequate, and a stronger
signal was needed.
At
this stage, the British authorities were establishing another covert radio
operation in Cairo Egypt for the purpose of broadcasting surreptitious
programming across the Mediterranean to the many countries in and near southern
Europe. The broadcasts in the Bulgarian
language from Sharq al Adna Radio were transferred to Radio Cairo early in the
year 1942, and at least four transmitters carried the programming. These transmitters were:-
Cable
& Wireless Abu Zaabal SUV 10
kW
Shortwave
SUW 10 Shortwave
20
620 kHz mediumwave
BFBS Cairo JCJC 7½ Shortwave
It
is true that the 10 kW power level in use by the shortwave transmitters near
Cairo was only a little more than the 7½ kW in Palestine, yet the signal
reception in Bulgaria was indeed significantly improved. Perhaps it was the location as well as the
antenna beams at Abu Zaabal that provided an enhanced signal into
Bulgaria.
These
clandestine radio broadcasts from Radio Free Bulgaria, and its associated
title, Radio Vasil Levski, came to an end in mid January 1944.
On
July 2, 1943, another British clandestine operation beamed towards Bulgaria was
inaugurated under the name, The Voice of New Europe. This station pretended to be a German
operation, with the station in Germany itself.
However, though the exact transmitter location is these days unknown, yet
it is quite clear that it was not located in Germany. This station was on the air for exactly one
year and two weeks; the final broadcast was aired on July 15, 1944.
In
March 1944, after the allied forces had fought their way into Italy from the
south, clandestine programs were broadcast from the powerful prewar Italian
station located at Bari on the peninsular east coast. Freedom Radio, as this station was called,
was on the air in six languages, including Bulgarian.
The
well known American shortwave station in Europe, Radio Free Europe made its
inaugural broadcast from a mobile facility at Lampertheim in Germany on July 4,
1950. Subsequent transmitter bases were
established elsewhere in Germany, and also in Spain and Portugal.
Programming
in the Bulgarian language, under the title Radio Free Bulgaria, went on the air
from Radio Free Europe during the following year, 1951, on August 11. These transmissions were looked upon at the
time as being clandestine.
During
the 1950s, two shortwave stations were on the air in Greece with covert
programming beamed into Bulgaria. These
two stations were located in a large American military encampment at Kiphisia,
a dozen miles north of Athens.
Radio
Goryanin (The Mountain Man) was inaugurated on April 1, 1951 with half hour
broadcasts in the 6 MHz band. The exact
frequency was changed every few minutes to avoid jamming transmissions. The broadcasts from Radio Goryanin were on
the air for 11½ years and the closing broadcast took place on November 30,
1962.
A
similar clandestine station located at the same American base in Greece was
noted on the air in the 7 MHz band during the year 1956. This station identified on air as Radio
Christo Botev, in honor of an early Bulgarian hero.
It should be said also,
that the German authorities established their own subversive radio broadcasting
stations during the same era. For
example, Radio Danube was on the air to Bulgaria in the Bulgarian language,
claiming to be located in Bulgaria itself.
However, it is known that this clandestine operation was centered in
Vienna Austria.
Another
similar German station was on the air during the war years under the slogan,
Radio Military Transmitter. This
station, also on the air in the Bulgarian language, claimed to be located in
Bulgaria, though it is known that the actual location was in Belgrade,
Yugoslavia.
Perhaps
we can close this topic today with information regarding jamming transmitters
in Bulgaria. Back in the year 1951, a
whole network of small low power (mainly shortwave) transmitters was
established throughout Bulgaria, usually nearby to the larger cities.
Then
thirty years later for example, it was noted that Bulgaria was already jamming
broadcasts on shortwave in the Bulgarian language from several international
broadcasting stations, including Deutsche Welle, Vatican Radio, Radio Free
Europe, as well as the Voice of Greece and the Voice of Turkey. However, Bulgaria ended jamming transmissions
against most of these international broadcasters in their language, on December
21,1988.
(AWR Wavescan/NWS 246)
