Baseball Commentary on WVTB, 1944
New Guinea Christmas Day Olympics, December 25, 1944, sponsored by the 360th Service Groups Special Services at A.P.O. 713, Unit 1, against the 868th
T/5 John G. Dietrich #3527395, Announcer
Sgt. Robert L. (Sandy) Sanders #16155543, Engineer
Broadcast on station WVTB, Nazdab, New Guinea.
This rare recording contains 18 minutes of commentary on a baseball game.
See our photo story of this game:
John Gordon Dietrich [1919-1992] served in Papua and New Guinea 1942-1945, joining the radio section of Special Services in 1943. He helped establish and operate AFRS-2 [later known as WVTB] at Nadzab in New Guinea.
After WWII, John became a reporter for United Press in Columbus OH, and later [1965] became copy editor at The Louisville Times, a position he held until retirement in 1985.
This material about John’s service with AFRS-2 and WVTB through the courtesy of Ruth Dietrich, his wife.
We recommend Brass Button Broadcasters for a light hearted and informative look at AFRS history since the first broadcasts in Alaska way back in 1941.
Brass Button Broadcasters: A Lighhearted Look at 50 Years of Military Broadcasting
