Field telephone

Field telephones are

Field telephones operate over wire lines, sometimes commandeering civilian circuits when available, but often using wires strung in combat conditions.^[5] 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.^[6] A variety of wire types are used, ranging from light weight "assault wire", e.g. W-130 —8.5 kilograms per kilometre (30 pounds per mile)— with a talking range about 8.0 kilometres (5 mi), to heavier cable with multiple pairs. Equipment for laying the wire ranges from reels on backpacks to trucks equipped with plows to bury lines.^[7]

War in Ukraine

During the

During the Battle of Bakhmut Ukraine's forces made heavy use of field telephone as "Russian technologies aren't able to track or block field phones." One commander told the BBC that: "This technology is very old - but it works really well." and it's impossible to listen in".^{[8][9][10][11] [12][13]}

United States Army

• 
  Soldier uses an EE-8 field telephone
• 
  TA-312 field telephone
• 
  TA-312 with handset off hook
• 
  Telephone Set TA-312 Manual
• 
  Field telephone switchboard on display at the Fort Devens Museum

• EE-8, World War II era through Vietnam War.^[14]
• TA-1 4 mile range self powered no batteries
• TA-43
• TA-312^[15]
• TA-838,^[16] includes touch-tone key pad.

Torture of POWs

According to the Army's

• 
  Russian УНА field telephone
• 
  Russian ТАИ-43 field telephone
• 
  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

• 
  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 (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 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

• 
  P 78 field telephone
• 
  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

German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht)

• 
  FF33 (Feldfernsprecher 1933)
• 
  FF OB/ZB

• FF33 (Wehrmacht)
• FF OB/ZB (Bundeswehr, Feldfernsprecher Ortsbetrieb / Zentralbetrieb)

Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer)

• 
  SFT800

• SFT800, made by Siemens AG

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Field telephones.

• Gordon L. Rottman (2010): "World War II Battlefield Communications (Elite)", Osprey Military,
  ISBN 1-84603847-2
  .
• TA-312 Field Phone
• TP-6 Norwegian Field Telephone Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
• EE-8 Field Phone
• FF33 Field Phone
• Norwegian mod. 1932 Field Phone
• Comprehensive collectors page about field telephones worldwide