(Louis Meulstee’s web site)
Libuse calls London – Operation Silver-A
The Libuse calls London project commemorates 75th Anniversary of activity of SILVER-A
group, dropped to Protectorate Böhmen und Mähren (occupied Czechoslovakian territory),
during WWII from Great Britain. The mission of three Czechoslovak soldiers dispatched
by The Czechoslovak Government in exile and trained by British SOE, was dropped together
with two other groups – ANTHROPOID and SILVER-B during the night of 28-29th December
1941. SILVER-A was one of the most successful operation of Czechoslovak Ministry
of Defence in exile. The group which consisted of Commander 1Lt Alfred Bartos, SSgt
Josef Valcik and radio-operator L/Cpl Jiri Potucek, successfully accomplished all
the given tasks. They managed to re-establish radio connection between the Czech
resistance movements and Czechoslovak Government in London, which was interrupted
for months, built own extensive resistance network and made contact with most important
resistance figures such as Staff Cpt Vaclav Moravek. The SILVER-A group also contributed
to successful assassination of SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, carried out
by Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis of ANTHROPOID mission on 27th May 1942.
„LIBUSE“ Transmitter
The transmitter of the SILVER-A group, known under a code name as LIBUSE, operated
by L/Cpl Jiri Potucek, has been in Czechoslovak literature wrongly defined as Mk.III.
The LIBUSE set consisted of a Mk.VI transmitter and receiver mounted in one wooden
box and transported in a suitcase intended for a Mk.III. However, the Receiver proved
to be highly inefficient already in Great Britain and for this reason the LIBUSE
set was supplemented by commercially produced receiver SX24 Skyrider Defiant by American
company Hallicrafters.
The Mk.VI was developed and produced in Great Britain for MI6 and SIS in Section
VIII, Whaddon Hall, Little Horwood. Production of this type was under way during
1941 and 1942. The production numbers remain unknown, but surely did not exceed several
dozen pieces of all variations. According to its production design and capacity the
sets were divided into four variations marked from A to D. The set supplied to SILVER-A
group was a Mk.VI variation C.
The main objective of the „Libuse calls London“ project is the re-enactment of the
transmission of LIBUSE transmitter on the genuine date, time and place where Jiri
Potucek, the SILVER–A radio operator transmitted from at the turn of March/April
1942. This event will take place on Fish Farm near Lazne Bohdanec town on 1st April
2017. Couple of years ago, the owner of the company Rybnicni hospodarstvi s.r.o,
Mr. Adolf Vondrka found the original antennas in the loft of the Fish farm headquarters
building. These antennas are still partly in the original set-up on the beams as
left by Jiri Potucek during WWII.
This project is a collective event held by Rota Nazdar association and Czechoslovak
Unity of Legionnaires. During the event on 1st April 2017 the visitors will be able
to see re-enactment presentation of Czechoslovak Army in Great Britain 1940-45, period
vehicles, field kitchen, field ambulance, weaponry etc. The main stress however will
be put on the live display of the special equipment of the missions dropped to occupied
Czechoslovakia and the radios used by these agents. The whole day the transmission
on a modern amateur radio set will take place under a special call sign OL75SILVERA
An exact functional replica of the LIBUSE transmitter which is actually a British
Mk.VI variation C set, was made for this event using as many original parts as possible.
This replica Mk.VI set will also be used in connection with the original antennas
in the loft during the night of 1st April 2017 and the transmission will hopefully
be received by original Receiver Hallicrafters SX24 at nearby Pardubice town.
Original photo of the LIBUSE transmitter taken by Gestapo after the capture of the
SILVER-A group. Note the Mk.III suitcase.
Operation of our replica Mark VI C on the original agent wire antenna left behind
in the loft by the radio-operator during WWII, will start on 31st March from 22:00
CEST (20:00 UTC) and will continue till 9am on 1st April (see timetable below)
QRG XO: 3553 kHz, QTH: "Na Sadkach" Lazne Bohdanec, Czech Republic, loc.: JO70ub,
OP: Vráťa, OK1KT.
TIME TABLE here (in czech only):
http://www.memorial-ok1wc.cz/files/OL75SILVERA/Rozvrh.php
After
the operation of the replica set, a modern YAESU FT920 will start on 1st April. Using
an Inverted V dipole on 40m and 80m.
80m will be active till 9am CEST. Band 40m (7MHz) will be active the whole day. Who
will want to connect with us, then probably on the 40m. They will go both SSB and
CW. The operation under our special call sign OL75SILVERA will continue till 14th
April 2017 so plenty of time for all to connect. All the operation will be done by
licensed Czech radio amateurs who cooperate with us on this event.
Text and information Duan Klavik
Functional replica of the Mk.VI transmitter which will be used during the first day
of the Libuse calls London project operating on 3553kHz with the special call sign
OL75SILVERA