The Day Vichy Radio Accidentally Announced the End of the War

During the war, the dullest radio station was undoubtedly that of the Vichy regime : the Radiodiffusion nationale. Vichy radio has always had very few listeners. It is constantly criticized for the monotony, the lack of variety in its programs, the slowness of its news bulletins, the bias in its commentaries, and the discretion shown regarding major domestic and international events, states a summary of reports from prefects in the Zone libre (“Free” Zone) as early as 1941.

Beyond its dull programming, the Radiodiffusion nationale also broadcast Anglophobic, nationalist, and antisemitic propaganda. There was little to laugh about. Except on one occasion…

Vichy Radio : More Zazou Than Expected ?

On Wednesday, October 12, 1943, at 6:28 a.m., La Marseillaise opened the day s broadcasts. Then an announcer declared : Ladies and gentlemen, the war is over. The first news bulletin followed without mentioning the announcement in any way. For good reason : it was apparently a blunder by an announcer who believed the microphone was not yet live. It s a much more zazou station than people generally imagine, joked Paris-Soir, using the term for the rebellious and eccentric youth culture of the era.

According to both the newspaper and Time magazine in New York, the announcement sparked a wave of reactions. The announcer is naturally facing extremely serious sanctions for spreading false news, and the investigation continues to determine whether the operator s blunder involved anything more than accidental carelessness, reported Le Petit Parisien.

La Marseillaise Replaces the Marshalist Anthem

October 11, 1943, was the day chosen by the Radiodiffusion nationale to replace its opening music with La Marseillaise, while still keeping the opening notes of the Pétainist anthem Maréchal, nous voilà ! as the introduction to its news bulletins.

Since Monday, October 13, 1941, Maréchal, nous voilà ! had served as the signature tune of Vichy Radio. Before that, the French State’s radio service used the Marche des rois, then attributed to Lully.