THE EIFFEL TOWER

______Yes, France found itself defeated ONCE AGAIN in 1940. While real men like DeGaulle left in order to carry on the fight, the collaborationists went to Vichy and tried to create their own little fascist state. The Germans occupied northern France and hung a sign on the Eiffel Tower that read: "Deutschland Siegt Auf Allen Fronten" ("Germany is victorious on all fronts").
______Remarkably enough, the Germans had a more practical use for the Eiffel Tower. Television was in its infancy in the 1930s, but a few experimental broadcasts were made before World War II. Most notably, during the Berlin Olympics, when Hitler went "live" all over the Fatherland and appeared in the primitive sets distributed around the country.
______In 1942 they began using the Eiffel Tower to broadcast television programs for German soldiers garrisoned in Paris or convalescing in one of its many hospitals. Some 1,000 sets were in private residences as well, which makes you wonder about French tastes in television.

______From 1942 until their retreat in 1944, the Germans broadcast live programs, mostly cabarets, newsreels and short films from their transmitter on the Eiffel Tower. No doubt Triumph of the Will was a frequent favorite and documentaries on how well the war was going against the Soviets.
______The service continued right through the period of the Allied invasion and didn’t come to an end until 18th August 1944. Regular television transmissions resumed under French management on 1st October 1944.

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