Today on Gus’ Gear, I present the final chapter of communications. I do not have many examples of telephone or telegraph equipment from the Great War, so I am throwing in a couple of items that many people do not really think of when discussing types of communication.
As this is a forum that is dedicated to WW1 German History, I will start with my only bit of German telephonic communication. This is a telephone handset used with German field telephones, manufactured by Siemens & Halske. Ernst Siemens was an artillery officer in the Prussian Army in the early 1800s, he learned about telegraphy during his service and developed a telegraph device that did not require the used of Morse code. In 1847, he and Johann Halske started Telegraphen-Bauenstalt von Siemens & Halske. They repaired telegraph equipment and manufactured Siemens’ new telegraph. It was logical for them to expand into the telephone business when Alexander Graham Bell came to Europe with his new communication device. Siemens & Halske made improvements to Bell’s design that Bell incorporated into his design. By the beginning of the Great War, Siemens & Halske were major suppliers of telephone and telegraph equipment to the German military.
Tore has examples of complete German field telephones that he has posted in the past, hopefully he will add some additional information here.
This is a United States Signal Corps 1917 model A field telephone. It has a hand crank dynamo on the right side to ring the receiving phone. The hand set is hung on a hook on the front of the phone when in use, and is stored in side the case for transport. When the hand set is removed, the hook raises and makes contact to open the line
This shows the telephone with the hand set partially inserted for storage inside the case. Instructions for wiring the telephone are in the lid.
This is a U.S. Army Signal Corps Service Buzzer, model of 1914. This is a standard telegraph unit, with a key to transmit Morse code. The circle at the lower right on the lid is covered with a thin leather to make it possible to operated the key with the box closed to keep the device clean in the field. Bruce recently posted photos of an example of the same device that he has in his collection,. His has Canadian Army markings as Canada purchased many of these telegraph units at the beginning of the war.
This photo shows the buzzer with the case open and the head phone plugged into the socket on the left of the case. This also had the capability to receive audio transmissions by switching the small lever just visible in the center front of the case (just above the buckle). The telegraph transmission key is visible at the front right of the unit.
Now we will drift away from electronic communications to a more ancient form of communication. This is a rather rough example of the U.S. Regulation Bugle. Mostly used for Reveille and Taps, it was also used to transmit other signals during battle. The Nez Perce Indians learned during the war between the United States Army and part of the Nez Perce Tribe, that the Bugler was an important part of the chain of command, and they successfully targeted the Bugler during one of the engagements during the conflict of 187
Another signaling device, an Austrian Boatswain’s pipe, used by Alfons Bartsch in the K.u.K. Kriegsmarine. Used to signal commands when verbal commands can not be heard. A trench whistle would be a good thing to include here as well, but as I have not yet added one to the collection, I will have to rely on one of our other members to post any examples they have.
I would be happy to post some examples of my German communications equipment. My grandfather was a Master Signal Electrician in the 314th Field Signal Battalion, 89th Div., A.E.F. He used some German equipment as he was attached to the outpost company that moved forward with the infantry. He preferred the German equipment to the French. I will need advice as to how to post photos here.