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World War II Battlefield
Communications
GORDON L. ROTTMAN
ILLUSTRATED BY PETER DENNIS
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
elite • 181
World War II Battlefield
Communications
Gordon L. rottman
Illustrated by Peter dennIs
Consultant editor Martin Windrow
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
First published in Great Britain in 2010 by Osprey Publishing,
Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 0PH, UK
44-02 23rd St, Suite 219, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
Email: info@ospreypublishing.com
© 2010 Osprey Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study,
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Print ISBN: 978 184603 847 1
ebook ISBN: 978 1 84908 285 3
Editor: Martin Windrow
Design: Ken Vail Graphic Design, Cambridge, UK (kvgd.com)
Typeset in Sabon and Myriad Pro
Index by Alison Worthington
Originated by PPS Grassmere, Leeds, UK
Printed in China through World Print Ltd.
10 11 12 13 14
987654321
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the memory of William L. “Bill” Howard, LTC,
US Army, Ret (July 31, 1941–May 7, 2008) who established the William L. Howard
Ordnance Technical Intelligence Museum, Largo, FL (presently closed, but to be
reopened). Bill possessed a love for the study and collecting of communications
equipment, and freely shared his knowledge with others. The museum’s still-
active website is: http://www.wlhoward.com/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author is indebted to William Howard and Mindy Rosewitz of the
US Army Communications-Electronics Museum, Ft Monmouth, NJ.
ARTIST’S NOTE
Readers may care to note that the original paintings from which the
color plates in this book were prepared are available for private sale.
All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the Publishers.
All enquiries should be addressed to:
Peter Dennis, ‘Fieldhead’, The Park, Mansfield, Nottingham NG18 2AT, UK
The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence upon this
matter.
THE WOODLAND TRUST
Osprey Publishing is supporting the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland
conservation charity, by funding the dedication of trees.
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
Many of the photos in this book come from the Imperial War Museum’s huge
collections which cover all aspects of conflict involving Britain and
the Commonwealth since the start of the twentieth century. These
rich resources are available online to search, browse and buy at
www.iwmcollections.org.uk. In addition to Collections Online, you can
visit the Visitor Rooms where you can explore over 8 million photographs,
thousands of hours of moving images, the largest sound archive of its kind in the
world, thousands of diaries and letters written by people in wartime, and a huge
reference library. To make an appointment, call (020) 7416 5320, or e-mail
mail@iwm.org.uk.
Imperial War Museum www.iwm.org.uk
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Differences in US & British terminology
American
Signal Corps (SC)
radio (key)
or
radio-telegraph
radio
or
telephone (voice)
radio-teletype
spiral-four cable
antenna
vacuum tube
simplex
field wire
wire reel
communication officer
message center
messenger
courier
British
Royal Corps of Signals (R Sigs)
wireless-telegraphy (W/T)
wireless-telephony (R/T)
teleprinter
quad cable
aerial
valve
superpose
cable or line
cable drum
signal officer
signal office
runner
dispatch rider (D/R, “Don-R”)
Abbreviations
AM
CP
CW
FM
GMT
HQ
IDL
MC
Mhz
OP
RDF
SCR-
WS
XO
amplitude modulated
command post
continuous wave (i.e. Morse code communication)
frequency modulated
Greenwich Mean Time
headquarters
International Date Line
megacycle
megahertz
observation post
radio direction finding(er)
Signal Corps Radio (US)
wireless set (UK)
executive officer (second-in-command)
Frequency measurement
During World War II most countries used megacycles (MC) for
frequency measurement; in 1960 this standard was changed to
megahertz (MHz). British and Empire/Commonwealth forces
measured wavelength in meters.
300,000 divided by kilocycles = meters
300,000 divided by meters = kilocycles
Front cover:
Eastern Front, January 1944: a forward observer for an
artillery battery of PzGren Div “Grossdeutschland” using a
Fernsprecher 33
field telephone. (Sipho)
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
MEANS OF TACTICAL COMMUNICATIONS
Field telephones radios Visual signals: flare and smoke projectiles – smoke grenades and
candles – signal flags – marker panels – signal lights – arm and hand signals Messengers
audible signals
4
6
UNIT COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
united states
britain and empire/Commonwealth
soviet union
Germany
Japan
20
COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURES
Phonetic alphabets Morse code times and dates documents: security classifications –
message precedence Message center operations Communications countermeasures
38
SIGNAL UNITS
divisional units Infantry regimental and battalion signal elements: united states – britain and
Commonwealth – soviet union – Germany – Japan
50
UNIT COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
CONCLUSION
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
57
61
62
64
© Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
WORLD WAR II BATTLEFIELD
COMMUNICATIONS
INTRODUCTION
the German
Tornister Funkgerät
“Cäsar” and “Dora” models were
externally similar and both
man-portable, the main
difference being in frequency
coverage and weight. this set,
mounted in a Kfz 2
Nachrichtenkraftwagen
(signals
car) by an artillery unit of 17.
Panzer division, is probably a
20kg (44lb)torn.Fu.c rather
than a 17kg (37.5lb) torn.Fu.d2.
Military communications – (“commo” or “comms”), signals (“sigs”), or in
the German term
Nachrichten
– describes a wide range of means to transmit
orders, information, and requests between headquarters and units. The varied
means to accomplish this included radios, field telephones, telegraph,
teletype, pyrotechnic signal flares, colored smoke signals, signal flags,
ground–air signal panels, heliographs, signal lamps, messengers (human
or animal), and more.
The services provided by an army’s communications branch personnel were
equally widely varied. Besides operating all of these varied means they had
to develop, maintain and repair equipment; provide communications
equipment, supplies and related items to other organizations and units; lay
4
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