World War II Collection

The World War II collection includes vintage broadcasts and recordings of the era. The American men and women serving in WWII exclusively heard many of the recordings in this collection through the AFRS (American Forces Radio Service). The AFRS was a short-wave radio broadcast originally established to inform and educate Americans living and working overseas. In the 1940's it expanded to include entertainment for the Armed Forces, and included such shows as Kraft Music Hall. Later AFRS produced its own original series such as Bring em Back Alive, Sound Off, Voice of the Army, Your Navy Show and many others.

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There also are four disks of news coverage from various networks. Organized from American, German, and British broadcasters, this comprehensive survey of news radio from the Second World War. The collection begins with the rise of Nazi Germany in 1932, through the Allied victory in Japan in 1945. This is an extraordinary collection will interest amateur and professional historians alike.

Patriotic radio shows and celebrities from WWII helped to rally public support for the war. Special shows specifically related to wartime support are collected on four disks. This features many well-known radio shows and celebrities of the 1940's including Fibber McGee & Molly, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, and many more.

The final disk in the WWII Collection is a compilation of Public Service Announcements (PSA) and commercials during the Great War. This includes commercial to buy wartime bonds, saving paper, sugar rationing. There is also a public service announcement for the well-known Victory Gardens suggesting that consumers are urged to help save metals and food to help the soldiers abroad.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

The newly updated World War II collection includes vintage broadcasts and recordings of the era including:

• Disk 1: News 1932-1941
• Disk 2: News 1941-1942
• Disk 3: News 1943-1944
• Disk 4: News 1944-1945
• Disk 5: Rare AFRS Recordings (shows for the troops)
  • Allied Expeditionary Forces
  • At Ease
  • Bring 'Em Back Alive
  • Here's to Veterans
  • Home Front
  • I Sustain the Wings
  • Sound Off
  • Sports Reel
  • Swingtime
  • Uncle Sam Presents
  • Voice of the Army
  • Your Army Air Force
  • Your Navy Show
• Disk 6: Sampling of Homefront Programming 1
  • Aldrich Family
  • An American in England
  • Arch Oboler
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Ben Bernie
  • Bergan & McCarthy
  • Big Town
  • Bing Crosby
  • Bob Hope
  • Burns & Allen
  • Cavalcade of America
  • Chesterfield
  • Dimes for Invasion
  • Don Winslow
  • Easy Aces
  • Everything for the Boys
• Disk 7: Homefront Programming 2
  • Fibber McGee & Molly
  • Fred Allen
  • Great Gildersleeve
  • Hop Harrigan
  • Hour of Charm
  • It's That Man Again
  • Jack Benny
• Disk 8: Homefront Programming 4

  • Jimmy Durante
  • Jungle Jim
  • Kay Kyser
  • Lux Radio
  • Media Network
  • Sad Sack
  • Screen Guild Theater
  • Terry & The Pirates
  • The Free Company
  • This is Your FBI
  • Top Secret
  • Truth or Consequence
• Disk 9: Misc Recordings including:

  • Commercials & PSA
  • D Day Misc Recordings
  • On a Note of Triumph (Norman Corwin)
  • Misc speeches from Adolf Hitler, Lord Hawhaw, and much much more...

For additional WWII news reports, see also: Robert Arden News Commentaries.