"JERRY'S FRONT"

Evening Star, Issue 25172, 11 May 1944, Page 7

"JERRY'S FRONT"

NAZI PROPAGANDA BROADCASTS HEW ZEALANDERS HIGHLY AMUSED (N.Z.E.P. Official News Service.) BARI, May 8. From the time the enemy radio scornfully reported the departure from the Do,minion of "simple country lads," German propaganda has scored a melancholy " blob " against the New Zealanders, and enemy news bulletins are treated as an amusing fantasy. Enemy propaganda has in many ways mirrored the enemy's fortunes —first, floods of invective, then wheedling attempts to split Allied sympathies. Now it appears to be aimed at persuading the world that the Germans are not such bad chaps after all, presumably paving the way towards post-iirmistice forgiveness and iforgetf.ulness. The New Zealanders and other Allied troops in Italy have directed towards them a radio programme called ' Jerry's Front,' apparently broadcast from Rome. The appeal is slanted mainly to Americans, the programmes assiduously featuring the American type of radio serial, sandwiched between jazz. The propaganda comes in with news flashes, which are super-imposed -on music, and are always followed by a record, the title of which makes somo satirical commentary on the news. For instance, announcing King Victor Emmauel's decision ■to abdicate in due course, ' Jerry's Front ' followed up with the tune ' Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone.'

Similarly, every nisht is given a list .of names of Allied soldiers taken prisoner, •followed by a lusty version of 'Hail! Hail! .the Gang's All Here.' The station also delights in criticising high Allied 'officers, with caustic two-minute commentaries, complete .with sound effects, but the enemy propaganda bureau still fails to grasp the mentality of the English-speaking peoples.