HEADQUARTERS TENTH AIR FORCE

U. S. ARMY

Special Service Section

A.P.O 216,

5 December 1944

SUBJECT : Report of Tenth Air Force Special Service Broadcasting Station for Entertainment and News of Armed Forces Personnel.

TO : Historical Officer, Headquarters Tenth Air Force, APO 216

1. On the first of January 1944, Captain Huley E. Bray, Special Service Officer for the 5320th Air Defense Wing (Provisional), flew to New Delhi to request a radio station be made available to broadcast American entertainment and news to our troops in the Assam Valley. Radio reception from all India and other short wave stations was not good in the valley and even when clear and in English did not appeal to the “G.I.”. Delhi’s answer was that 50 watt stations had been requisitioned for use in the Theater and permission was being requested from the India Government to permit the American Army to set up entertainment broadcasts. (This permission was secured five months later).

Captain Bray returned to Kanjikoah, Assam and at breakfast on Monday, January 10, 1943, asked Captain Harry Rice, Commanding officer of the 330th Signal Company about the possibility of finding radio equipment somewhere in Assam that could be used for broadcasting from Kanjikoah - at least in a one hundred mile radius. Two hours later Captain Rice returned with Captain Grumitt of the 51st Fighter Control Squadron stating that they had a 400 watt 410 number Signal transmitter available but that it would be used on the fighter net during the daytime and could be for entertainment and news after six each evening that their assigned frequency of 4775 Kilocycles was available. The British Officer’s loaned a 14’ x 15’ room on the end of their basha for the studio. Captain Rice had his 330th Signal Company (Wing) was assigned by Captain Rice to carry out the electrical assignment. At this point Brigadier General John F. Egan, Commanding General of the 5320th, approved. Colonel Larew, Wing Signal Officer, approved. Captain Bray stated that such a station was needed for the following reasons: To guarantee radio reception; to furnish American news coverage and American programs; to broadcast during evening hours when most men could listen; to furnish reception not only to troops in the valley but men in our isolated oil stations as well, and to discourage listening to Japanese propaganda broadcasts.

At six this same day, Station “AAF, The Voice of Special Service”, as Captain Bray called it for lack of other suggestions, went on the air for two hours broadcasting popular records, using an old Special service hand wound B-Kit turn table for a record player. Records were donated by various organizations in the area. Microphone was furnished by the 2nd Platoon, 18th Special Service Company, as well as Corporals William Morgan and William Garvey to turn records, wind turn table, prepare programs and announce. Captain Bray announced this first evening and thereafter acted as a relief. The worst minute of this first broadcast was when Captain Bray announced, “The next selection would be “Entr’acte music from Cavelleria Rusticate” with “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle” by the Merry Macs coming up instead.

Violation of security was guarded against by non-reference to location, units or names.

Thereafter a two hour program from seven to nine continued nightly. Transcriptions prepared by the Armed Force Radio Service in California were gathered up from surrounding units. These were the best and popular transcribed American programs prepared especially for broadcasting which had been distributed to units with instructions to convert B-Kit transcription players in order to use them. These records are 15 inches in diameter and thirty-three and one-third Revolutions Per Minute type. The Enlisted Men’s mess hall at Kanjikoa was wired by Sergeant Desjardins as an audience studio and called “Studio A”. From here the “Sing Patrol Orchestra” with Major Melvin Douglas as guest artist were introduced to the Assam Radio listeners by Captain Bray with a live “G.I.” audience in attendance. A recording of the Army Air Force Song was used to sign on and off each night. This Station “AAF” became the first “G.I.” station in the China Burma India Theater.

It seems that a few complaints reached the Theater Signal Officer by Communication organizations who were quite surprised finding an entertainment station on a fighter frequency which hadn’t been used before and the following story was published in the CBI Roundup:

“Mixed Air Nets Spell Doom of G.I. Station - A brief and hectic existence came to an end last week when Radio Station AAF went off the air after two weeks of operation in the great north woods of Assam. The station, set up and operated by a Special Service unit to entertain troops in the area played recordings two hours nightly on an unassigned frequency, and not “by authority of the Federal Radio Commission”.

Consequently, the boys in charge of the fledgling received almost daily complaints from local military nets whose frequency they were blocking. Each time they obligingly changed frequency, but only to encounter new troubles. The last time it was some major from China, in apoplectic rage, screaming over the phone, “Will you guys get the hell off the air? I’ve got messages to send to Station XYZ and all my operators can pick up is Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas”.

A representative from Theater Special Service appeared at Kanjikoah during Captain Bray’s absence and the Radio Station went off the air for two days (January 22nd and 23rd). Captain Bray reported this to the Wing Commanding General who did not recognize this out of channel request from Theater Special Service. AAF went back on the air. During these two days of non-broadcasting British Assam tea planters as well as “G.I.s” missed the station.

Continuing to operate the station were men in the studio from the 18th Special Service Platoon and men at the transmitter alternated nightly from the 51st Fighter Control and the 330th Signal. Sergeant Desjardins was always trouble shooting and was mainly responsible for keeping the station technically on the air and in improving fidelity of equipment. For several weeks, the pickup head on the record player made by Sergeant Desjardins was weighted down by a match box.

In April 1944 a representative from the Armed Forces Radio Service, Army Service Forces, War Department, a Major Jackson requested for the Theater that Captain Bray supervise the more powerful station on a standard broadcast band frequency of 1355 Kilocycles to be called Station VU2Z. General Egan approved Captain Bray’s service in his off duty time for the project.

Colonel Ewert, assistant to Major General Osborn, Head of the Morale Services Branch, visited Kanjikoah and approved Station AAF to receive forty two hours weekly of the Armed Forces transcribed programs of the best United States Radio programs shipped each week by air from the States.

Captain Bray contacted Brigadier General Cranston, Commanding General of Services of Supply Base Section No. 2, for his cooperation in promoting a larger station, as well as Colonel Callahan, Commanding Officer of Air Service Command in Assam. A 1000 watt high fidelity broadcast transmitter was located and found to be operated by Army Airways Communications as a Homing Beacon for Air Transport and Tenth Air Force planes from China, twenty four hours daily. This was a constant tone on a 610 Kilocycle frequency identified about every forty five seconds by VG in code. Captain Bray requested use of this transmitter from six till midnight nightly for Station AAF and suggested that the planes then could home in on “music” as they used to do in the old days in the States. AACS was agreeable providing Air Transport Command approved. Captain Bray then flew to Calcutta to see Brigadier General Hardin, Commanding General, Air Transport Command. It seemed that the idea was all right with General Hardin providing his Colonel commanding Air Transport Command in Assam agreed. This colonel did not concur. Captain Bray returned to Assam. The following day a Colonel Baker had assumed command of ATC in Assam. Captain Bray approached him and from then on had the “green light”.

About one hundred feed behind AACS office at ATC operations at Chabua Air Field was decided as location for the studio. The transmitter lay three miles across air field to which an underground cable was available. It was felt wise with the approaching monsoon to have line free from nature’s interference. This cable had its outlet at ATC operations, therefore the reason for the present location of the studio.

Captain Bray selected the location, coordinated the selection with ATC, AACS, SOS, ASC and Tenth Air Force (5320th Air Defense Wing was part of Tenth Air Force). AACS furnished a new amplifier, mikes and miscellaneous equipment, Service of Supply erected a wood floor and wire sided building with British tent roof. Air Service Command Headquarters, 5397th Provisional, issued a PE 75 generator for power. Thirty sixth Special Service Company furnished a Sergeant Baker and Corporal Quinn to staff the station. Tenth Air Force furnished Captain Bray’s services as supervisor and a Sergeant Stutz. On May 8th, 1944, Station “AAF” the Voice of Special Service” made it’s last two hour nightly broadcast from Kanjikoah on 4775 Kilocycles and came back on the air at Chabua as Station “AAF the Armed Forces Radio Station” on 610 Kilocycles. It was necessary to make station identification to let “Hump planes” know that they were on the homing “beam”, “Victor George Station AAF:. Thus Station AAF pioneered by the Special Service Section, Tenth Air Force, became at that date the most powerful “G.I.” entertainment broadcast Station in China Burma and India.

Source: *Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Tenth Air Force, Organization History for the Month of December 1944

Report of Tenth Air Force Special Service Broadcasting Station

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