Technically, most of the V-Discs produced were a little bigger
than the regular 78 rpm records of the time. Those were 10
inches in diameter, where Lt. Vincent made the V-Discs 12 wide.
This allowed him to place two songs on each side of the disc,
for a total of 4 songs. As you listen to the music at left, you
will notice that most songs are really two, combined into one.
In a case like this you're hearing either Side A's two songs, or
Side B's, depending on the recording.
All told some 905 V-Discs were produced. On our player at left
we have 60 of them reproduced, plus an extra bonus track from
Marlene Dietrich thrown in for good measure.
As to distribution of the V-Discs to the various combat
theaters, in most cases small radio stations were set up at the
permanent camps in the war zone. Broadcasts from these stations
could usually be picked up for miles around. To make the whole
thing work, each camp was sent a “buddy kit” consisting of a
phonograph, microphone, public-address amplifier, and records
that could be played over the air.
To bring some pizzazz to the effort, the War Department produced
a number of original shows to broadcast. These too were put on
V-Discs. One of the more famous was “Command Performance,” which
featured the top stars of the day. Among them were Bing Crosby,
Dinah Shore and Bob Hope.
Other shows were recorded off-the-air in the United States and
duplicated on V-discs.
When the war ended, many overseas Army camps remained, and so
V-disc production continued. Overall, production lasted until
1949, when disc distribution was replaced by broadcasts from the
Voice of America stations around the world. By then technology
had moved on, and magnetic tape took the place of 78 RPM
recordings.
During the six years that V-discs were in production, over 8
million records were shipped overseas.
Enjoy the music we have for you at left. And thank you for visiting our
website.
