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Colonel Britton,
in charge of the "V-army"
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On 14 January 1941 Victor
de Laveleye, a Belgian refugee working for the BBC,
shortwaved the following announcement to his countrymen:
" I am proposing to you as a rallying emblem the
letter V, because V is the first letter of the words 'Victoire'
in French, and 'Vrijheid' in Flemish: two things which go
together, as Walloons and Flemings are at the moment
marching hand in hand, two things which are the
consequence one of the other, the Victory which will give
us back our freedom, the Victory of our good friends the
English. Their word for Victory also begins with V. As
you see, things fit all round....". Within weeks of
de Laveleye's broadcast chalked V's began appearing on
walls in Belgium, northern France and Holland, where
Flemish broadcasts of radio Belgique, a conspirator in
the V campaign, had a loyal audience.
| Editors of the
Belguim section of the BBC,
Radio België / Radio Belgique |
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De laveleye thought the V symbol would deal a psychological blow to German morale, and he was right. In his first broadcast he said that "the occupier, by seeing this sign, always the same, infinitely repeated, [would] understand that he is surrounded, encircled by an immense crowd of citizens eagerly awaiting his first moment of weakness, watching for his first failure." In May 1941 the BBC, buoyed by early reaction to the "V" campaign, circulated a paper on "broadcasting as a new weapon of war." The paper outlined a plan to "cause riots and destruction in every city in europe." Shortly after that, what would become the "V committee" met for the first time to set up plans "to encourage, develop and coordinate British broadcasts to enemy occupied countries about action against the Germans." The BBC choose Douglas Ritchie, a BBC assistant news editor, to make life miserable for the Germans. Posing as "Colonel Britton,"
Ritchie's broadcasts, heard on the English service for Europe, became a regular feature dealing with items of localized interest in the occupied countries. The program had a good following in Holland, where one in ten listeners tuned in the BBC. The broadcasts were so popular everywhere that there was a danger listeners would be incited to commit acts of sabotage. That caught the attention of British intelligence, which had been carefully nurturing German resistance since the hostilities began. Ritchie was beginning to trespass on their territory and they resented it. but that's another story. At first the V committee endorsed "gentle" disruptive activities in the occupied reich. Listeners, for example, were encouraged to travel more often to upset the transport system. They were also encouraged to consume more food & harass the organizers of the rationing system, who were already harassed to the gills. On 27 June 1941 the morse ...- was broadcast, followed by the opening theme of Beethoven's fifth symphony. The following day the V sound tapped out on drums became the station identification & interval signal throughout the BBC's European service. Announcers also explained how common sounds could be made into a V. School teachers, for instance, could call pupils to order by clapping their hands in a V rhythm. Likewise blacksmiths could tap V's on their anvils, and trains could toot the V. In mid-july, radio Moscow broadcast a talk in Russian about how people in occupied Europe "not only see the V sign but hear it on the knock on the door, the whistles of railway engines, the pealing of church bells." All Europe had responded to the BBC campaign, and the Germans went on the defensive. on 7 July 1941, e.g., radio Hilversum, now in nazi hands, reported that records of Beethoven's 5th had been broadcast "in error." On 20 July 1941 Colonel Britton instructed listeners in Paris to stage a "quiet knocking" demonstration. The day before a message from Churchill put the British government's stamp of approval on the V campaign and gave heart to listeners throughout occupied Europe: "The V sign is the symbol of the unconquerable will of the people of the occupied territories and a portent of the fate awaiting the nazi tyranny. So long as the people of Europe continue to refuse all collaboration with the invader.....etc." the quiet knocking campaign was a success and the Germans were duly rankled by it. In September 1941 listeners were told to organize themselves into "V radio groups." These groups were given instructions on the building of frame aerials to improve reception and shown ways to defeat enemy jamming....