Field telephones are

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

s used for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

communications. They can draw power from their own

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

, from a

telephone exchange telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a telecommunications system used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It interconnects telephone subscriber lines or virtual circuits of digital syste ...

(via a central battery known as CB), or from an external power source. Some need no battery, being

sound-powered telephone A sound-powered telephone is a communication device that allows users to talk to each other with the use of a handset, similar to a conventional telephone, but without the use of external power. This technology has been used since at least 194 ...

Field telephones replaced flag signals and the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

as an efficient means of communication. The first field telephones had a battery to power the voice transmission, a hand-cranked generator to signal another field telephone or a manually-operated telephone exchange, and an electromagnetic ringer which sounded when current from a remote generator arrived. This technology was used from the 1910s to the 1980s. Later the ring signal was operated by a pushbutton or automatically as on domestic telephones. Manual systems are still widely used, and are often compatible with the older equipment. Shortly after the invention of the telephone, attempts were made to adapt the technology for military use. Telephones were already being used to support military campaigns in British India and in British colonies in Africa in the late 1870s and early 1880s. In the United States telephone lines connected fortresses with each other and with army headquarters. They were also used for fire control at fixed coastal defence installations. The first telephone for use in the field was developed in the United States in 1889 but it was too expensive for mass production. Subsequent developments in several countries made the field telephone more practicable. The wire material was changed from iron to copper, devices for laying wire in the field were developed and systems with both battery-operated sets for command posts and hand generator sets for use in the field were developed. The first purposely-designed field telephones were used by the British in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

. They were used more extensively in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, where all infantry regiments and artillery divisions on both sides were equipped with telephone sets. By the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the use of field telephones was widespread, and a start was made at intercepting them. Field telephones operate over wire lines, sometimes commandeering civilian circuits when available, but often using wires strung in combat conditions. At least as of World War II, wire communications were the preferred method for the U.S. Army, with radio use only when needed, e.g. to communicate with mobile units, or until wires could be set up. Field phones could operate point to point or via a switchboard at a command post. A variety of wire types are used, ranging from light weight "assault wire", e.g. W-130 —— with a talking range about , to heavier cable with multiple pairs. Equipment for laying the wire ranges from reels on backpacks to trucks equipped with plows to bury lines.

United States Army

File:EE8 fiel telephone in use.jpg, Soldier uses an EE-8 field telephone File:TA-312.agr.jpg, TA-312 field telephone File:TA-312offhook.agr.JPG, TA-312 with handset off hook File:Telephone Set TA-312 PT Manual.jpg, Telephone Set TA-312 Manual File:Field telephone switchboard - Fort Devens Museum - DSC07183.JPG, Field telephone switchboard on display at the Fort Devens Museum *EE-8,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

era through

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. *TA-1 4 mile range self powered no batteries *TA-43 *TA-312 *TA-838,TA-838
/ref> includes touch-tone key pad. Torture of POWs According to the Army's Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files, field telephones were sometimes used in Vietnam to torture POWs with electric shocks during

interrogation Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful inf ...

Soviet Union

File:Soviet military field telephone 8.jpg, Russian УНА field telephone File:ПОЛЕВОЙ ТЕЛЕФОННЫЙ АППАРАТ ТАИ-43.jpg, Russian ТАИ-43 field telephone File:TA-57.JPG, Russian TA-57 field telephone *УНА "Unified unit" (Унифицированный аппарат) *ТАИ-43 field telephone set (Полевой Телефонный Аппарат) *ТА-57 field telephone set (Полевой Телефонный Аппарат)

Royal Norwegian Defence Forces

File:Faltapa m37.jpg, L.M. Ericsson M37 field telephone *TP-6N Developed in Norway for the armed forces early 1970s. *TP-6NA Versions of TP-6N A to C *M37 Swedish field telephone used by the Norwegian Civil Defence. This phone is fully interoperable with the EE-8, TA-1, TA-43 and TA-312 series of US Field Phones. *EE-8 A part of The

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...

(from its enactment, officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) The EE-8* was used in USA from World War II to late seventies, and in Norway from World War II until the TP-6 could replace it. *FF33 This phone was widely used from mid 1950s until it was replaced by TP-6 (after the EE-8) FF33 was left by the Germans when World War II ended, but was not used immediately due to political reasons. * Mod 1932 Developed by

Elektrisk Bureau Elektrisk Bureau or EB was a Norwegian manufacturer of telecommunication equipment. It was founded in 1882 and lasted until 1993 when it became part of Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). The company was located at Billingstad in Asker. History In 1882 ...

for the Norwegian forces, approved in 1932 (as the 1st std. field telephone), but never made in great numbers, due to bureaucracy and the start of World War II. Based on a model made for the Turkish Army by Elektrisk Burau.

Finnish Defence Forces

File:P-78-kenttäpuhelin.jpg, P 78 field telephone File:Kenttäpuhelin P 90 Lippujuhlan päivä 2013.JPG, P 90 field telephone *TA-57, made in the Soviet Union *P78, made in Sweden by L.M. Ericsson *P90, made in the UK by Racal Acoustics Ltd. *ET-10, made by

Terma A/S Terma A/S is a Danish weapon and aerospace manufacturer for both civilian and military applications, and is owned by the Danish company Thrige Holding A/S. It is Denmark's largest company within the aerospace and weapon industry, employing approx ...

German Armed Forces

File:Feldfernsprecher FF33.JPG, FF33 (''Feldfernsprecher 1933'') File:Feldfernsprecher.jpg, FF OB/ZB * FF33 (Wehrmacht) * FF OB/ZB (Bundeswehr, ''Feldfernsprecher Ortsbetrieb / Zentralbetrieb'')

Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer)

File:SFT800-1.JPG, SFT800 * SFT800, made by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

References

External links

* Gordon L. Rottman (2010): "World War II Battlefield Communications (Elite)", Osprey Military, .
TA-312 Field PhoneEE-8 Field PhoneNorwegian mod. 1932 Field PhoneComprehensive collectors page about field telephones worldwide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field Telephone Military communications Telephony equipment