Radio-Sende-Spiel [Radio transmission game], a Nazi propaganda board game
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 12.750 inches (32.385 cm) | Width: 18.875 inches (47.943 cm)
Creator(s)
- Ebu Spiele (Manufacturer)
Archival History
The board game was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2006.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
Funding Note: The acquisition of this collection was made possible by The Abraham and Ruth Goldfarb Family Acquisition Fund.
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Playing board for a Nazi propaganda game, Radio-Sende-Spiel: Ein luestiges Wuerfelspiel fuer vier Personen [Radio Station Game: A funny dice game for four people.] The game is based upon the sending of radio messages between transmission towers of the German Armed Forces within Germany circa 1942, thus Czechoslovakia and Poland are shown as part of Germany. The player's goal is to make it around the board while avoiding enemy or foreign radio stations. Radio transmissions are monitored by enemies of Germany. Cities outside German boundaries, such as London, Paris, Bucharest, and Moscow, are marked with red dots with question marks and must be approached with caution. The starting place is Stuttgart and the goal is Berlin.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Game board of light brown cardboard covered on the exterior with green tweed patterned paper and on the game side with smooth, glossy, white paper. It separates in half vertically, with a cloth netting center seam; it folds closed for storage. The graphic board design features a green outline of Germany, a dotted green line outline of Poland, and nearly 2 dozen cities marked by drawings of linked radio towers, famous buildings, and numbers; for example, Paris-Eiffel Tower, London-London Bridge, Rouen-Cathedral, Budapest-Buda Castle. Most cities have blue dots, but a few, London, Paris, Beromunster, Bukarest, Moskau, and Leningrad, have larger red dots. Black dots mark the trail, connected by black or red lines. Players advance by rolling die to move around the board. Start is Stuttgart and the goal is to reach Berlin, marked by the Brandenburg Gate and the text, ZEIL / Deutschland-sender. At the top is the name, RADIO-SENDE-SPIEL, in black ink, and, für 4 Personen, in blue ink.
Subjects
- Popular culture--Germany--History--20th century.
- War and society--Germany--Board games--Specimens.
- Radio in propaganda--Germany--Board games.
- Nazi propaganda--Germany.
- Board games--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Propaganda--Germany.
Genre
- Toys
- Object