Feindsender

Feindsender (German: "enemy radio station") is a term used during the Dritte Reich to describe programs produced by radio stations of the enemies of the then German Reich like Great Britain 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 was the "law about extraordinary radio measures" ( _de. "Verordnung über außerordentliche Rundfunkmaßnahmen“"), introduced on the 1st of September 1939. 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 would be arrested if caught again. The recording or distribution of such broadcasts were punished with incarceration a concentration camp or even with the death penalty.

Soon the 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 "Feindsenders" during that time.

Estimates of how many Reichsbürgers listened to such "Feindsenders" vary.

Despite the punishments, even in Nazi Germany, there were several radio stations which were considered state-disobedient.Fact|date=June 2008

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 Feindsenders

*BBC
*Vatican Radio
*Radio Moscow
* Gustav Siegfried 1