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

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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.