"This Is the American Forces Network": The Anglo-American Battle of the Air Waves in World War II [Hardcover]

Patrick Morley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275969010 | ISBN-13: 978-0275969011 | Publication Date: January 30, 2001

During World War II, radio broadcasts were fundamental to the morale of the allied troops. When Americans attempted to establish their own network, the Armed Forces Network (AFN), the BBC initially resisted. This documented account of the disputes between Britain and the United States in regard to the airwaves illustrates how, despite the tensions and with the intervention of General Eisenhower and Winston Churchill, the relationship succeeded. It details the political machinations with which the BBC attempted to thwart the development of the AFN and the strategies by which the Americans established and operated the network. It was not long before the AFN captivated a wide British audience and introduced it to the American big bands, such as the Glenn Miller orchestra, and entertainers like Jack Benny and Bob Hope. The tensions and compromises between the two broadcasting networks reflected the disagreements and concessions characteristic of the overall Anglo-American alliance. This lively chronicle of the frictions between the BBC and the AFN, and the portrait it paints of wartime Britain will appeal to a number of audiences, from scholars of the history of broadcasting, to wartime music buffs, to those interested in the politics of World War II, and to the veterans who served in the war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“...interesting and useful insights....”–Choice

“Morley has done a useful and solid job of rescuing a story worth telling.”–Communication Booknotes Quarterly

About the Author

PATRICK MORLEY is a former journalist whose career extended over 40 years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275969010
• ISBN-13: 978-0275969011
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,904,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Look at a WWII Battle, June 20, 2001

By 

Trent Christman (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: "This Is the American Forces Network": The Anglo-American Battle of the Air Waves in World War II (Hardcover)

Not all battles of World War II were fought in the bloody battlegrounds of Europe. Some of the loudest were fought in the boardrooms, pubs, Whitehall seats of power and the Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces in London.

Patrick Morely, a longtime BBC staff members re-creates these battles, their losses and their victories, in his book "This is the American Forces Network" and subtitled "The Anglo-American Battle of the Air Waves in World War II".

This air battle didn't involve Hurricanes, Spitfires, Henkels and ack ack. At sometimes friendly, sometime not, swordspoints were the brash young Yanks who were landing by the hundreds of thousands on English soil. Lonely and away from home they wanted American radio. "Nevah," said the staid BBC. "Try our world-class radio," they said. "You'll like it."

They tried it. They didn't like it. Somehow a snail-paced broadcast of a 5 hour cricket match failed to titilate the Yanks who wanted to know who was winning the World Series. Nor did Sunday vesper services adequately replace Jack Benny in their hearts and minds.

The book masterfully traces the laborious formation and eventual birth of the American Forces Network. With awesome scholarship and detail, it manages to enlighten and amuse the reader while untangling the path through the bureaucratic minefields.

As some obscure English writer once said, "All's well that ends well." It won't spoil the ending to know that British broadcasting may well have been pushed a bit into a more modern era of broadcasting as its listeners turned their dials to the brash, informal offerings of the Yanks.

It's an interesting journey and one which ended well. The BBC continues to be one of the world's premiere services. And AFN, which began as the BBC's baby brother 70 years ago is now a world-straddling giant broadcasting to Americans overseas in more than 140 countries.

The book will be of great interest to those who suffered through the blitz and, particularly, to the millions of Americans who have served overseas in the years since who found AFN and its familiar programs a source of home news, familiar voices and favorite music.