The Glenn Miller propaganda recordings The Wehrmacht Hour / 1944

In April of 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower's Psychological Warfare Division began transmitting multilingual radio programs from the American Broadcast Station in Europe (ABSIE). Between October 30 and November 20 of that year, Major Glenn Miller and the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces occupied what are now known as the Abbey Road Studios in Westminster at the heart of London's West End, and recorded enough material for six complete programs specifically aimed at German-speaking audiences. This is the Glenn Miller Orchestra at their very finest, recorded under optimum conditions (the sound quality is superb) and performing a perfectly balanced blend of swinging dance tunes and lush mood music, sometimes sweetened by a string section. What makes this portion of the Miller legacy so unique is the German announcer Ilse Weinberger, Miller's own diligent attempts to convey greetings (and propaganda) in German, and vocals by Irene Manning and crooner Johnny Desmond, smoothly enunciated in German as well.