TS4SAC 1935 Saarland

As a consequence of the outcome of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles the Territory of Saar was occupied and administered by France from 1920 to 1935 under a mandate of the League of Nations. After these 15 years a plebiscite under control of the League of Nations was held in the territory on 13 January 1935. 90.5% voted to join the German Reich. Only 0.4% preferred to become part of France. It was also possible to vote for the status quo. The political pro-Nazi coalition "German Front" agitated in the run-up to the plebiscite, and they were strongly supported by Nazi propaganda. However, the Territory of Saar was not invaded.

Following the referendum, the Territory of Saar was integrated into the German Reich on 1 March 1935.

An interesting reflection of this situation is shown on the QSL card of EZ4SAK in the Les Nouvelles DX QSL Gallery (http://lesnouvellesdx.fr/galerie/galerie2.php?page=vyoldqsl&pfx=9S&indic=8). The QSO with another station in the Saar territory was made on 16 December 1934, and the operator - August Anthes (later D4BYT and D4PYT) - added the following comment: "Noch 26 Tage" ["only 26 days remain", which can be completed to: "until the referendum"], and he does not hesitate to greet with "h hi" [which stands for "Heil Hitler"].

TZ4SAC seems to have been a kind of club station used by different operators. However, at the time of the QSO (7/7/1935) Saarbruecken already belonged to the German Reich. The card was signed by D4QET which was Alfred Woerner, formerly TS4SAX and EZ4SAX, later in the 1950's licensed as 9S4AX, until he became DL8AX after another plebiscite in 1956 when the majority of the people in Saarland voted for joining the Federal Republic of Germany on 1 January 1957.

The 2 early QSL cards from Alfred Woerner (D4QET, EZ4SAX) displayed in the QSL Gallery of Les Nouvelles DX (same link as above) show that he still sent out his old EZ4SAX QSL in 1937, whereas he already used his new call-sign for Germany - D4QET - in 1935.

QSL courtesy of W8KPB / NG6W
Info courtesy of Norbert Maibaum (DL SWL), Bonn, Germany