Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Flea Market/Yard Sale/Antique Store/Thrift Store Finds => Topic started by: dsk on July 28, 2018, 01:38:47 PM

Title: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on July 28, 2018, 01:38:47 PM
I observed an ad for a lot of 6 field telephones and a field exchange, Not many pictures, and not any detailed description, but I knew someone living in that area so I got it picked up and payed.

Not 100 % sure what I got but here they are in the back of my car + some from the ad.


I hope this will be attractive to swop against a SB22PT, witch is wat I actually not have, and wish I had. (Used the SB22PT  when I served)

dsk

Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: AL_as_needed on July 28, 2018, 04:40:53 PM
wow nice find! Not sure if they are all original or period correct, but they still look like they are in great condition. Going to set all of them up?
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: Number, please! on July 28, 2018, 10:18:36 PM
Ganske gode, meget interessant!  Great find, Dag.
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: shadow67 on July 28, 2018, 10:48:36 PM
My sister in law lives in Germany and gave me one of those phones for Christmas a few years ago. It is in working condition. I have tested it with a couple of D cells and wired it to another magneto phone.
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: Sargeguy on July 28, 2018, 10:55:56 PM
Those do not look military. German military equipment of the period did not have the manufacturer's name on it, instead they used a three letter code.  This was to hide the whereabouts of factories involved in war production. For example, Swarovski binoculars were marked  "cag".
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: rdelius on July 28, 2018, 11:55:36 PM
Those appear to be the real thing. Later production was more likely to have factory codes but earlier  before the war started did not. These are FF33? sets introduced in 1933? The German railroads might have used them to .Look for the eagle acceptance stamp on the handset where the hang up loop is.This might be ground off after the war or  captured and reissued (Chech).This design inspired similar sets to  be built in soviet block countries and China.Looks like a good deal and worth more than a common SB22 by itself
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on July 29, 2018, 03:40:48 AM
I am sure these are real. The Norwegian forces used these for at least 35 years after the war. They has been used in war and piece peace. They have had a kind of maintenance to be kept in working order. Officially they were out of service since about 1980, but since you never get enough of new equipment in the forces they were kept in use in fixed installations like fortresses etc for some time.  They are all in working condition, but I have to look at them before l tell you anything more.

dsk
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: AL_as_needed on July 29, 2018, 09:12:54 AM
Can field phones be modified to connect with POTs? I know they cannot dial out but more as an extension set.
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on July 29, 2018, 02:51:26 PM
That is a question I can answer pretty well:
These field telephones needs an additional unit for that purpose, you may make the adapter yourselves by having a suitable box with a ringer capacitor (1uF will be fine) in series with the phone, on the c.o. side of the capacitor you need a switch (hook-switch or on/off for a suitable holding coil across the line) and a coil. The coil could typical be a relay with a coil having a DC resistance between 100 and 400 ohms. (approx)

On the other hand US telephones like EE-8, Ta43/tp and TA-312/tp are made for CB too. So are lots of other field telephones too.

dsk
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on July 29, 2018, 03:51:19 PM
I will use lots of time on these to find out what I have got, and the oldest phone dated 1937 is a type with a circuit abandoned in 1939. Never seen a LB telephone with such circuit, but it works OK.

As you see of the picture of the handset it has wear and tear, but the capsules and cord is new. The Norwegian forces did the maintenance as long as they could get parts, and the the handset shows that it could be close to the end.


The 2 pictures of the inside of the phone may interest some, and the fact that it has only 1 capacitor (and the soldering on the induction coil) proofs it is an pre 1939 version.



dsk
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on July 29, 2018, 04:19:04 PM


The next I loooked at is a 1940 made by Vereinigte Bayerische Telephonwerke AG München 25, Hofmannstr. 51

The photo shows that now the gongs are galvanized steel.

dsk
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: Sargeguy on July 29, 2018, 05:11:05 PM
I thought they might be Swiss or something but the inspection stamp indicates that these were used by the military. 
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: 19and41 on July 30, 2018, 04:36:19 PM
I have 3 field phones that are Mfr. stamped and Waffenamt stamped as well.  I think the coding system was primarily for arms and military exclusive equipment, to get by the Versailles restrictions.
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on August 06, 2018, 02:28:19 PM
Back from holiday, here is a list of the 6 phones:
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on August 06, 2018, 02:32:45 PM
Her are 2 interesting links regarding the German war telephones

http://www.rkk-museum.ru/vitr_all/exhibits/docs/FS_FF-33.pdf

http://der-fernmelder.de/info/hersteller-feldfernsprecher-33/

Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on August 06, 2018, 04:57:20 PM
Now, I can say more about the field exchange too, The main unit is made by Ferdinand Schuchhardt, Berlin in 1937, during its long life the wooden box has been replaced with one from A&R Kammerer in Munic made 1939.  Another repair has been to replace the indicators, or at least the numbering, because it is numbered from 31 to 40 instead of 1 to 10.

Now I have tested it and everything works!


dsk
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: 19and41 on August 06, 2018, 05:07:02 PM
Nice looking unit!  I wish you luck with finding an SB-22.  I can't believe those things go for so much.  The ones in service in the units I served in were so beaten up and old, they had about 3 to 4 mm of paint on them to try to make them look presentable.
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on August 07, 2018, 07:02:05 AM
Have not found any here in Norway, This one is the cheapest I could see on eBay: https://goo.gl/v96k4j (https://goo.gl/v96k4j)
With shipping from Poland, and tax + VAT I may end up with about $330, and that is more than I like   8)

dsk
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: 19and41 on August 07, 2018, 08:26:13 AM
Here's the only one I have seen here.  Quite high. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/263323268238
Title: Re: WWii German field exchange and 6 Field telephones
Post by: dsk on August 13, 2018, 03:32:51 AM
 ;D  I just discovered that the numbering plate has to faces, so by turning it 180 deg. I got it right, and that will probably say; the indicators do not have to have been changed.   :D


dsk