Biography

THIS CALL SIGN IS QRV 4th OF MAY 2016
(on air between 09:00 and 16:00 UTC
QSL manager is PA0ONH
In Memory of Englandspiel
On 4th May 2015, PA54ES will be transmitting from The Hague in The Netherlands.
The radio station will be positioned at the monument called “Englandspiel” which represents the fall of Icarus.

Under the code name PA54ES (the number of casualties of the “Spiel”), radio amateurs remember the tragedy of espionage and counterespionage.
Together with Thijs Taconis, journalist Huub Lauwers was parachuted in occupied Netherlands with the mission to send messages to England.
The first message was sent from the Hague on 3rd January 1942. They were arrested on 6th March 1942 by Hermann Giskes who was under the orders of Joseph Scheieder.
At first, Lauwers refused to cooperate with the Germans but he ended up working with them to save Taconis’ life.

All agents had a security code; the Germans knew about this. Lauwers persuaded Scheieder that his send code was “stip” instead of stop.
His real security check was to send a mistake every 16th word. Lauwers warned London by beginning his messages with CA and ending with UGHT for CAUGHT!.
Later, he sent this word in complete uncoded form. London played deaf. They kept parachuting agents which resulted in 54 casualties.
In all likelihood, this “Englandspiel” was more of a “Germanygame” for the British.

Under this misconception, the invasion of 6th June 1944 could take place. The D-SS tanks were too far away to attack. On 1st April 1944, the game was over. In an uncoded message, Giskes thanked London for the cooperation and extended a welcome to all agents who wished to come to The Netherlands.
Lauwers survived the war. He was liberated from concentration camp by the Russians.His morse key was in due course safely preserved by Joop, PA0JHK.
(BY PA0ONH)

The crew 2015: PA0ONH Niek
PD2RVK Rody
PA7MB Marcel
PD1ODE Jeroen
PA7RL Ronald
WE SEND QSL-CARD'S VIA BUREAU ONLY via PA0ONH

Equipment

TS-940