BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme

The Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme headquarters was atBroadcasting House inLondon.
Country	United Kingdom
Headquarters	Broadcasting House,London, England
Owner	BBC
Established	7 June 1944 (1944-06-07)
Dissolved	28 July 1945; 80 years ago (1945-07-28)
Language	English
Replaced by	BBC Light Programme

TheBBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme was a national radio station duringWorld War II in the mid-1940s.

Upon the outbreak ofWorld War II on 1 September 1939, theBBC had merged its two nationwide radio stations – theNational Programme and theRegional Programme (which were begun broadcasting on 9 March 1930) – into a singleBBC Home Service. On 7 January 1940, this was supplemented by a station aimed at theBritish Armed Forces serving at home (untilDunkirk inFrance andBelgium), theBBC Forces Programme.

With the arrival of troops fromUnited States andCanada in the run-up toNormandy landings (also known as 'D-Day'), the Forces Programme was replaced by a service more tailored to new audience as theGeneral Forces Programme, which also broadcast onshortwave for service people in theAsian theatre of operations. WhenOperation Overlord, theAllied invasion ofoccupied Europe began, it was felt by the Allied governments that a joint service of entertainment, news and information for the fighting troops would be a better use of resources than providing separate services fromAmerican Forces Network andCanadian Broadcasting Corporation stations.

This combined station, called theAllied Expeditionary Forces Programme was fully operated by the BBC on behalf of the Allied forces, began broadcasting on 7 June 1944 (shortly after 'D-Day') with 514 metres (583 kHz) providing a service dominated bycabaret andswing music.

The station closed soon afterVictory in Europe Day on 28 July 1945 when theBritish Forces Network, AFN and CBC had established their own services in theareas each force was occupying. The following day,BBC Light Programme began.

• Martinsen, Svenn (2004)."Armed Forces Radio Stations".Radio Northern Star. Archived fromthe original on 14 March 2006. Retrieved15 February 2006.
• Millward, David (5 June 2004)."Morale-raising radio from the depths of Broadcasting House".The Daily Telegraph. London.ISSN 0307-1235.
• Grace, Alan (1997).This Is the British Forces Network: The Story of Forces Broadcasting in Germany. London:Alan Sutton Publishing.ISBN 0-7509-1105-0 – viaGoogle Books.

• WWII Radio
• Radiomusications by Transdiffusion
• The BBC at War

• BBC history
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• Radio stations established in 1944
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• 1944 establishments in the United Kingdom
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• 1940s in the United Kingdom
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• American Forces Network
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