User:MinorProphet/Draft subpages/German Army WWII radios

5-Watt transmitter type 'c' (5 W.S.c), used by the German army in WWII, often in conjunction with...

Torn.E.b (Tornister Empfanger typ b) portable receiver, known in combination as a FuG 9 (Funkgerät 9)

This draft began life as an offshoot of User:MinorProphet/Draft subpages/WW2 Maybach gearboxes#Other vehicles that used the dreaded SRG.

My intention is to concentrate not on the radio sets and the vehicles they were installed in: but instead on the different arms-of-service which used the radio sets to communicate, and how they were brought together to create a military efficient fighting force.

This idea was engendered by the multiple radios installed in the → Sd.Kfz. 143 {Draft} (mea culpa), which used the Maybach SRG 32 8 145 pre-selector gearbox, a mechanical/industrial disaster if I ever saw one.

For example, all the reconnaissance vehicles in an armoured division used (i fink) the Fu.sprech.a, a short-range (2 miles) transceiver, and almost certainly a second set to communicate back to eg battalion HQ or other arm-of-service e.g. tanks. Find out! Yes, this seems to be the case. Or this just a time-wasting snare and a delusion?

A: Yes. The whole subject appears to be exceptionally complex. There are various hugely detailed books and websites dedicated to this topic, and you are already deep in the rabbit-hole, from which there is no escape. On the other hand, there is lots of readily available info, mostly written by obviously knowledgeable people, which is a big plus. And plenty of pix, even on Commons.

On the other hand, my idea of showing how the various units of an armoured division kept in touch (from HQ through battalions down to eg infantry platoons and artillery spotters) is not so well catered for. Most sites (as I foresaw) concentrate on the technical details of the radio sets themselves, organising them by type (FuG, transmitter/receiver, Feld.Funksprecher, Torn., etc.) Similarly, books and articles on armoured vehicles are concerned with technical details such as weapons, armour and engines (yay!); books on armoured divisions concentrate on their battles; books on armed forces show how individual battalions were formed and re-allocated from division to division; books on guns slaver over muzzle velocity and ammo types: but how e.g. the artillery managed to shoot exactly 'there' rather than any other spot in support of a tank attack via their comms appears to be of secondary or even tertiary importance. Hmmm.

Oh, and don't forget Elektron, from which the precision-cast casings were made, although everyone calls it a magnesium-aluminium alloy...

Wikitable(s) to follow. Y

Attempted overview of radio comms in armoured divisions

Army HQ

Panzer Group eg Panzergruppe West in 1944 - FuG 11, 12 ----? to talk to Generals of Divisions

Armoured Divisional HQ

• Signals in general (Nachtrichten)
  • Fixed eg HQ;
  • Mobile - Staff cars, 4- & 6-wheeled trucks & towed radio trailers
  • Field - Infantry
  • Armoured units
  • Telephones
• Reconnaissance - Armoured cars (4-, 6-, 8-wheeled) - Half-tracks - Lynx
• Tanks
  • Ornery tanks
  • Command vehicles/tanks (Befehlswagen, Pz I and III mostly, + Panthers) eg Gr. Panzerbefehlswagen (Sd.Kfz. 266–268)
  • Assault guns (Stugs etc.)
  • Tank recovery and repair - FAMOs - workshops
• Infantry - motorised troops/Panzergrenadiers
  • Organic infantry/Panzergrenadier artillery (le.- and s.I.G)
• Divisional artillery
  • Field artillery - towed motorised - self-propelled (Hummel, Wespe etc.)
  • Anti-tank artillery - towed motorised (Pak 37 etc.) - self-propelled (Marders, Panzerjägers etc)
  • Artillery Observers - mobile, half-tracks and Panzerbeobachtungswagen III (Sd.Kfz. 143) + Panther?
  • Flak - fixed - Mobile flak (Half-tracks, Flankpanzers etc.) - normally Luftwaffe crews; Army from late 1941 to mid '42
• Tactical Air Co-operation - Luftwaffe - + tank commanders?
• Engineers - Pioneers (O pioneers!)

Ok. Various categories - Others have been here before me, but bloggers, alas:

• Feldfunksprecher, walkie-talkies, front-line infantry/Panzergrenadiers on the ground
• Tornister, some carried as backpack, again front-line troops, some in FuGs in mostly command vehicles
• FuGs - in tanks (FuG 5), and in Stugs (FuG 15*, FuG 16, and FuG 17 (Torn) }
• FuGs in armoured cars, all types
• FuGs in BefehlsPkw Pz I and III (and Panther) command vehicles [FuG 6, FuG 2*], for tank/Stug company commanders; Beobachtungswagen 143 for artillery observers [FuG 8 and FuG 4*, FuSpr.f to battery commander, and Torn.Fu.g to Panzergrenadier troops]. Panzerbeobachtungs IV - FuG 8, 4* & FuSpr.f. Also GG 400 generator for FuG 8, only usable when stopped.
• FuGs in 250 and 251, some for recce? some for artillery observation, talking to the above troops; and some for mobile command posts for generals
• FuGs not installed in Sd.Kfz. at all, but in Kfz. trucks, trailers and HQs. eg FuG 9, for comms between division and brigade. See last photo in

Maybe re-arrange under vehicle categories, again... or not

Possible re-arrangement of sections...

• Start with Tables 3 & 4, transmitters & receivers. Extract other info from Table 2.
• Tornister backpack portables (needs making) and Feld.Fu.spr., radio telephones.
• Not every type of radio was fitted in an armoured vehicle.
• Table 1, FuGs
• Overview of command hierarchy - top-down? The same vehicle (eg Sd.Kfz. 250), but fitted with different radios, could be allocated to a full general commanding an entire Army Group, or to a 2nd lieutenant in a reconnaissance company. Thus, grouping by vehicle type (eg Sd.Kfz number) may be misleading: perhaps more relevant to consider the unit's job, and who they reported to.
• Attempt to group radio sets with shared frequency ranges together. Possibly arrange FuG table by seniority - Division commanders with 100-watt transmitters don't often need to talk to platoon leaders in a Panzergrenadier company, or individual self-propelled guns with a radio range of a few kilometres. These frequencies were very carefully allocated.
• Lots of communication took place by telephone or telex (Hellschreiber).
• Important to realise that in non-Panzer divisions (ie 80% or more of the entire German army), everything moved by horse or foot, even the radios. See also German Army Organizations: Infantry Division Signal Battalion (motorized), late 1941 through mid-1942. Even colonels of infantry regiments had a horse allocated to them, (check!) Yup: and not even motorcycles but bicycles were standard means of locomotion.

Use of radio by artillery regiments in Panzer divisions

Sooo... There are seven rows in #Test: Table 2 relating to radio sets used by the artillery in some way.

• "Organization and Identification of German Artillery Units" from Tactical and Technical Trends from Lone Sentry is a US publication from 1942 which attempts to make sense of the entire artillery command. May be nonsense.
• Leo Niehorster has an very informative page on Artillery Regiment (motorized) / Panzer Division, late 1941 through mid-1942, which includes all the Panzer divisions, their artillery regiments (+ Fla-battalions), and their Observation batteries. Lots to be going on with. Tessin (better source, have got) will confirm or deny.

Use of radio by reconnaissance battalions in Panzer divisions

Niehorster also has:

• Organization of Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Panzer Division
• Organization of Motorized Signal Platoon of an Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
• Organization of Armored Car Company

All of which is also relevant.

Defensive battles on the Chir river, Dec. 1942

According to General von Mellenthin in Panzer Battles:

"Orders were exclusively verbal. The divisional commander made his decision for the next day during the evening, and he gave the necessary orders verbally to his regimental commanders on the battlefield; then he returned to his main headquarters and discussed his intentions with the chief of staff of the 48th Panzer Corps. If approval was obtained the regiments were sent the wireless message: "no changes," and all the moves were carried out according to plan. If there were fundamental changes, the divisional commander visited all his regiments during the night and gave the necessary orders, again verbally. Divisional operations were conducted from the forward position on the battlefield. The divisional commander had his place with the group which was to make the main effort; he visited the regiments several times a day. The divisional headquarters was somewhat farther back and did not change its location during operations. There information was collected and collated, supplies were handled, and reinforcements sent on their way. Communications between the divisional commander and his staff were maintained by R/T; there were few opportunities to make use of the telephone.

• Mellenthin, F. W. von (1971) [1956]. Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War. Translated by H. Betzler. Edited by L. C. F. Turner. New York: Ballantine Books.

Allocation of Signals troops in 1943

Make proper table...

Source: (Krause 2000, p. 21).

Explanation of abbreviations:

• 4-spg = 4-s.pferdgezogen '4-horse-drawn'
• ber. = beritten, 'ridden', 'mounted'
• Geb. = Gerbirgstrupp, 'mountain troops'
• gp = gepanzert, 'armoured'
• Lw., Mw., Ukw. = Langwelle, Mittelwelle, Ultrakurzwelle 'Medium/Long/Ultra-short wave', (ie VHF)
• mot. = motorisiert, 'motorised' (ie in trucks, not armoured)
• Pz. = Panzertrupp, 'armoured troops'
• verst. = verstärkertrupp, 'amplifier detachment'

In 1943 the various signals detachments were allocated by strength of their transmitters: kleine Funktrupps used 5- to 30-Watt sets, mittlere Funktrupps used 70- to 200-Watts, and große Funktrupps had 500 to 1500 Watt transmitters.

These detachments possibly didn't use the FuG sets as such?, but equipment with similar capabilities

Funktrupp           Varianten         Funkgerät                  Stärke

Radio detachment    Variants          Transceiver, or            Unit       Radio set
                                      Sender   /  Receiver       strength     combo
                                                                             
Tor. Fu.Tr.  b      ber,mot,Geb       Torn.Fu.b1                 2-5     General use 
             c      mot               Torn.Fu.c                   3      Reconnaisance
             d      ber,mot,Geb       Torn.Fu.d2                 2-3     Infantry 
             f      ber,mot,Geb       Torn.Fu.f                  3-5     Artillery
             g                        Torn.Fu.g                   2      Pz.Grenadiers
             h ?                      Torn.Fu.h                       see #Feldfunksprecher
             k      ber,mot,Geb       Torn.Fu.k                  3-5         
                                                                             
kl. Fu.Tr.   a      mot               5 WS.       2 T.E.b         8       2 x Torn.E.b
             b      mot,Geb           5 WS.       Torn.E.b       4-11     [FuG 9]-ish
             c      4-spg*,Geb         20 WS.d     Ukw.E.f1       5-8      like [FuG 7]-ish
             d      mot,Pz            30 WS.a     2 T.E.b         8          
             e      4spg,mot          30 WB.a(*)  T.E.b          4-7      FuG 20, 22-ish
             f      mot,Pz,verst      15 WS.E.b   T.E.b          4-8      [FuG 24]-ish
                                                                             
m. Fu.Tr     a      mot,Pz            80 WS.a     T.E.b, Mw.E     8       [FuG 8]-ish
             b      mot,Pz            100 WS.     T.E.b, Lw.E     8       [FuG 11]-ish           
             d                        200 WS.     T.E.b, FuHE    10           
             a/f    mot,Pz            80 WS.e1    15 WS.E.b,      8           
                                      2 T.E.b                                  
             b/f    mot,Pz            100 W.S.    15 WS.E.b       8           
                                      Lw.E.a      T.E.b                       
                                                                             
gr. Fu.Tr.   a      mot               1.5 kW S.a  2 Lw.E.a,      23           
                                      Kw.E.a      T.E.b                       
             b      mot               1 kW.S.b    LW.E.a,        23           
                                      2 Kw.E.a    T.E.b                       
                                                                             
Fu.Peil Tr.        (Lw/Mw)            Fu.P.E.a/b  T.E.b          10           
                   (Kzw)              Fu.P.E.c    T.E.b           7 

Kl. Funk Truppe e :  spello? 30 WB.a = 30 WS.a?

Torn.Fu.b1, c & f.  Torn.Fu.b1, a portable transceiver first introduced in 1936, made by Lorenz. The b1, c and f models had different frequencies, allocated to general, reconnaissance & artillery. 
Torn.Fu.d2
Torn.Fu.d2 pix
Torn.Fu.g. "It is used by the battalion to company, company to platoon and lower echelons. It can be used in stationary positions or on the move." 

Which looks like 19 categories with 23 radio types/combinations, indicating almost every type of activity and armoured vehicle, involving communications between: reconnaissance; artillery; troops & armour on the ground; air support; and higher levels of command through company, battalion, regiment, brigade and division. That's a fairly succinct way of putting it, i fink.

Plus, of course flash- and sound-ranging units, and the Fu.Peil units = Radio Direction Finding (RDF) = Intelligence. The Germans didn't manage to crack/compromise very many Allied codes/ciphers - Rommel's advance towards Egypt was one exception - diligent RDF allowed organised traffic analysis, which the Germans were very good at - their interpretation of routine daily signals allowed them to piece together an often almost exact idea of Soviet troop dispositions.

See also List of German abbreviations

Radio trucks

Kraftfahrzeug Nummern (Kfz.) - Kfz. Numbers at kfz der Wehrmacht - search for Funk

• Funkkraftwagen (Kfz. 2)
• Funkkraftwagen (Kfz. 14) - only 30 made
• Funkkraftwagen (Kfz. 15) 15/1 through /7
• Funkkraftwagen (Kfz. 19) 6-wheeler - roof antenna
• Sammlerkraftwagen (Kfz. 42) & Nachrichtenwerkstattkraftwagen (Kfz. 42) Battery charging or Signals workshop
  • Anhänger (1 achs.) für Sammlerladegerät D (Sd. Ah. 23) - battery charging trailer

• (leichter) Funkkraftwagen (Kfz. 61) & Peilkraftwagen a (Kfz. 61) 9 m Kurbelmast - extendable radio mast, 10 m Steckmast and Dachantenne - roof antenna
• Fernschreibkraftwagen (Kfz. 61) Telex truck
• Schlüsselkraftwagen (Kfz. 61) Code truck carried 8 Enigma machines...
• Funkkraftwagen (Kfz. 61/) with bulky roof antenna
• Lichtmeßstellenkraftwagen (Kfz. 63), Schallmeßstellenkraftwagen (Kfz. 63), Schallmeßgerätkraftwagen (Kfz. 63), Vorwarnerkraftwagen (Kfz. 63) & Vermessungsgerätkraftwagen (Kfz. 64) all used the same body
• Meßstellen- und Gerätkraftwagen (Kfz. 63) - The Kfz. 63 were exclusively used by the observation batteries and battalions of the artillery
• Funkmastkraftwagen (Kfz. 68)
• Befehlskraftwagen (Kfz. 72), etc... artillery observer etc. vehicles
• Fernschreibkraftwagen (Kfz. 72) & Fernschreibkraftwagen (Kfz. 72/1) Telex truck with 10 metre Steckmast - rods on lh side
• Funkhorchkraftwagen a (Kfz. 72) radio interception truck - Kurbelmast with winding handle at rear
• leichter Funkraftwagen (Kfz. 72), Funkberichtigungskraftwagen (Kfz. 72) & Schlüsselkraftwagen (Kfz. 72) - earlier vehicle replaced by Kfz.61
• Fernschreib-Vermittlungskraftwagen (Kfz. 72) - Telex truck
• Funkbetriebskraftwagen (Kfz. 72) - 10 m Steckmast
• Funkmastkraftwagen (Kfz. 301) - bloody great big radio mast

Keep going - plenty more...

Lists of German Army radio sets

Radios by frequency (derived from Table 1)

Note that a * indicates receiver only

• 100–6970 Khz: ........ FuG 9, 11, 1*
• 835–3000 Khz: ........ FuG 12, 4*
• 1120–3000 Khz: ...... FuG 8, 10
• 3000–7500 Khz: ...... FuG 19
• 19997–21472 Khz: .. Fu.Spr.f.
• 23000–24950 Khz: .. FuG 16, 17, 15*
• 27200–33300 Khz: .. FuG 5, 6, 13, 2* (Tanks); frequency included in range of FuG 18, 25000–77100 Khz
• 42100–47800 Khz: .. FuG 7, 3* (Luftwaffe)

• FuG 14 and FuG 18 etc., listening only, signals intercepts etc, equivalent of Official Secrets Acts etc. but just as important.

Nomenclature of radio sets

German: Funkgerät means 'radio apparatus, or equipment.' When abbreviated as e.g. FuG 7, or simply Fu.7, this generally refers to a specific, widely-used combination of transmitter and receiver, although some were receivers only.

• Transmitter (Sender): 10 W = Watts; S = Sender; letter (e.g. a, b, d1) = Type
  • Example: 20 W.S.c = 20-Watt transmitter type 'c'
• Receiver (Empfanger): Lw=Long wave, Mw=Medium wave, Ukw=Ultra short wave (VHF), Torn=backpack (Tornister); E = Empfanger; letter (e.g. a, b, d1,) = Type
  • Example: Ukw.E.h = VHF receiver type 'h'

In this article, named receiving-only devices are denoted by a (*) for clarity, as in FuG 4*.

Numerous variations in spelling and spacing of abbreviations are found: e.g. "20 W.S.c" or "20-W.S c": or "Ukw.E.b", "UKW.E. b", "FuG 7" or "Fu7". Individual authors tend to adopt a particular style.

The sub-type names of some sets are easily confused in certain typefaces, where number '1' in "UKw.E.d1" looks like letter 'l', as in mis-spelled "UKw.E.dl".

The various types of transmitters and receivers could be also combined in other ways, which did not have specific names. There were other types of radio sets used by the German forces, including transceivers such as portable Feldfunksprecher (field two-way radios) and short-range Tornister, portable backpack sets used by eg the infantry, also carried in radio trucks and trailers for Signals detachments.

Antennae. German terms for antennae and masts are: Bügelantenne (clamp or frame); Dachantenne (roof of a radio truck, of lighter construction than the frame in eg command tanks and armored cars); Drahtantenne (wire or cable); Kurbelmast (winch, or cranked); Mast (mast or pylon); Stabantenne (rod); Sternantenne (star); Rahmenantenne (frame, mattress).

Table 1: German Army radios

The main purpose of this table is to show which units could inter-communicate on which frequencies.

Lots of pics and text at

• Veselÿ, Alois (2004). "Maly prúvodce nèmeckou radiotechnikou ll.svètové války" [Guide to German radio technology of World War II] (PDF). Amaterske Radio (in Czech). LIII (1).

Main source: NB! Was "Most data in first 5 columns from Handbook on German Military Forces, Chapter 8, p. VIII–42, Figure 50, except where noted." NBB! You may need to compare this current list with the previous one - eg FuG 12 appears to use Mw.E.c, not Torn.E.b...

German Army Radio sets

Name	Transmitter	Frequency range (Mhz)	Receiver	Frequency range (Mhz)	Range Key/Voice (Km)	Aerial
FuG 1			Torn.E.b	0.1 - 7.1		2-m rod
Receiver only. Range depends on strength of transmitter - e.g 10 Watts, 30 Watts. Compatible with FuG 9.
FuG 2			Ukw.E.e	27.2 - 33.3	range	2-m rod
Receiver only. Additional receiver in command tanks and relay devices. Compatible with FuG 5.
FuG 3			Ukw.E.f (Torn.)	42.1 - 47.8		2-m rod
Receiver only. Compatible with Luftwaffe FuG 17 (i fink) and FuG 7
FuG 4			Mw.E.c	0.84 - 3.0		frame wire star
Receiver only. Radio half-track, Signals troop. Compatible with FuG 8 and FuG 11
FuG 5	10 W.S.c	27.2 - 33.3	Ukw.E.e	27.2 - 33.3	6 (4) - 4 (2.5)	2-m rod
Most tanks, ie Panzer I to VI and captured tanks (Beutepanzer); Radio 1/2-track.                      Good annotated diagram with FuG 2:
FuG 5 for Luftwaffe	10 W.S.m	40.3 - 47.0	Ukw.E.m	40.3 - 47.0	range	1.4-m rod
For voice communication with Luftwaffe, eg reconnaissance and dive-bombers.                      Funk-Schützenpanzerwagen, ie Radio armoured half-tracks, Sd.Kfz. 250 & 251.                      Early set for Luftwaffe comms - replaced by FuG 7.
FuG 6	20 W.S.c	27.2 - 33.3	Ukw.E.e	27.2 - 33.3	RANGE 10 / 8	2-m rod
Command tanks (Befehlswagen). Compatible with FuG 5 and FuG 2, but with greater range.                      For tank company commanders to communicate with local units and battalion HQ.
FuG 7	20 W.S.d	42.1 - 47.8	Ukw.E.d1	42.1 - 47.8	50 / 50 RANGE	1.4-m rod
Radio SPW; Command tank. Standard ground-to-air communications.                      Compatible with FuG 3 receiver and Luftwaffe FuG 17
FuG 8	30 W.S.a	1.12 - 3.0	Mw.E.c	0.84 - 3.0	50 / 15 RANGE	Frame Wire Star
With 8-meter winch mast and star aerial, range was 145/50 km (93/31 miles)                      Radio-SPW; command tanks. Range overlaps FuG 9, 10 & 11. Compatible with Torn.Fu.g, carried by Panzergrenadiers to communicate with command tanks and Radio-SPWs, and FuG 11 and FuG 4*
FuG 9	5 W.S.c	0.95 - 3.15	Torn.E.b	0.1 - 7.1	10 - 36 mi	8-m winch roof Star
Used by kleiner Funktrupp b. "In divisional and regimental nets of the German army; it may be employed for both vehicular and ground operation." Compatible with FuG 11 and FuG 1*.
FuG 10	30 W.S.	0.95 - 3.15	Torn.E.b	0.1 - 7.1	50 / 15 RANGE	8-m winch Star
Command tanks?, radio troops, armored cars. Compatible with FuG 8
FuG 11	100 W.S.	0.2 - 1.2 (5 bands)	Mw.E.c	0.1 - 7.1	80 / 20 RANGE	9-m winch Star
With 9-meter winch mast and umbrella aerial, voice range 200/70 km (124/43 miles)                      Armoured cars, mittlerer Funktrupp b. "Administrative control set for large areas, eg Panzer Group commanders to Divisional generals. It can be used in vehicles or as a fixed station. Division command set use possible." Compatible with FuG 8 and FuG 4*.
FuG 12	80 W.S.a	1.12 - 3.0	Torn.E.b	0.1 - 7.1	80 / 20 RANGE	Frame Roof 8-m winch Star
Radio-SPW, armoured cars.
FuG 12a	80 W.S.a	1.12 - 3.0	Torn.E.b	0.84 - 3.0	80 / 20 RANGE	Frame Roof 8-m winch Star
Radio-SPW, armoured cars. Same as FuG 12, but listening on a different frequency
FuG 13	20 W.S.c	27.2 - 33.3	Ukw.E.e (2x)	27.2 - 33.3	Range 4 / 2	2-m rod
Same as Fu 6. but with 2x Ukw.E.e receivers - probs. listen to other units and eg HQ, like Stug IIIs. Standard tanks, apparently?
FuG 14			10 Torn.E.b 2 Fu.H.E.b 3 Kw.E.a 2 Fu.H.E.c 2 Fu.H.E.d 2 Fu.H.E.a	0.1 - 71 0.875 - 3.75 0.98 - 10.2 3.75 - 28.5 24.5 - 61.0 75 - 875	range ?	10-m mast Draht (wire or cable)
Multi-radio setup. Installed in Sd.Kfz. 250/3, communications intercept station. "Gerätesatz der Horchkompanien (Nahaufklärung)" (short-range reconnaissance) = Radio direction finding = RDF
FuG 15			Ukw.E.h	23.1 - 25.0	range?	2-m rod
Receiver only. Sturmgeschütz III / IV. Only radio fitted in first 330 or so Stugs Ausf. A to D, then supplemented by FuG 16, and FuG 17 (Torn.Fu.h) (Compatible with FuG 16 for use with Sturmartillerie [self-propelled artillery] - were there any other StuG-type vehicles with these radios?)
FuG 16	10 W.S.h	23.1 - 25.0	Ukw.E.h	23.1 - 25.0	range 4 / 2	2-m rod
Sturmgeschütz from Ausf. E onwards; command vehicles etc. of Sturmartillerie units (eg radio Sd.Kfz.250/251, le.Beobachtungskraftwagwen Sd.Kfz. 253)
FuG 17	0.1 W.S (?)	23.1 - 25.0	Torn.Fu.h	23.1 - 25.0	6 / 2.5	Rod
Voice only portable set, not installed permanently in the Stugs.(ref Handbook) Same frequency as FuG 15*, 16 and Fu.spr.h.
FuG 18	20 W.S.b (4x)	25.0 - 27.1	Ukw.b1 (4x)	25.0 - 27.1	RANGE	5-m mast Star 5x 2-m rod
Multi-radio VHF setup. Possibly used by artillery sound-ranging units (Schallmeßtrupp)
FuG 19	15 W.S.E.b	3.0 - 7.5	Transceiver S/E-Einheit	3.0 - 7.5	20 / 60 mi RANGE	8-m winch Roof Rod Star
Commander's SPW; Radio troop. Range probably only with rod aerial fixed at top of 8-m mast. "This unit is used by the artillery division commander down to the lower units." Same transmit frequency as FuG 25.
FuG 20	30 W.S.a	1.12 - 3.0	Torn.E.b	0.1 - 7.1	range	Clamp or frame 8-m winch Star
Radio armoured cars; Signals troop
FuG 21	225 W.S.F.41	2.5 - 7.5	Kw.E.a	0.98 - 10.2	range	winch star
mittlerer Funktrupp d (mot.)
FuG 22	30 W.S.a	1.12 - 3.0	Torn.E.b	0.1 - 7.1	range	8-m winch Star
Armoured Signals troops; kleiner Funktrupp d
FuG 23	-	-	-	-	-	-
No info. Not the same as de:FuG 23 (Direction-finding equipment used by Luftwaffe}
FuG 24	15 W.S.a or 15 W.S.b	3.0 - 7.5	Torn.E.b (2x)	0.1 - 7.1	range	8-m winch Star
Signals troops. Same transmit frequency as FuG 19.
FuG 25	Funkstation R 3 and Torn.E. b	2.5 - 27.5 0.1 - 7.1	zus. Lo 70 K 39	3.0 - 17.6		8-m winch star clamp or frame
Radio SPWg(?) Signals troops. Overlapping receive frequency with FuG 19
Fu.Spr.a		24.11 - 25.01 (10 bands)		24.11 - 25.01 Check!	2 miles	1.4-m rod
Armoured cars, 250s assigned to Recce companies, eg Sd.Kfz. 250/9 ? - By 1944, old and outdated but still in use.
Fu.Spr.d		23.11 - 24.01 (10 bands)		23.11 - 24.01 Check!	range	1.4-m rod
Panzerjäger-Sf. (self-propelled tank hunters)
Fu.Spr.f	Fu.Sprech.f	19.99 - 21.47		19.99 - 21.47 Check!	- / 5 miles	1.4 or 2 Meter Rod
Voice-only, self-contained compact transceiver. Introduced in c1942. Installed in recce armoured cars etc., to communicate with artillery mobile OP observation vehicles Beobachtungswagen (tank-types, half-tracks) which also had one installed.
?	20 W.S.g	39.6 - 45.0	Ukw.E.g	39.6 - 45.0
Communication from Luftwaffe to Army
?	10 W.S. (10x) (FM)?	25.0 - 27.1	Ukw.E (FM)	25.0 - 27.1
Sound-ranging troop (Schallmeßtrupp)

{{table row counter|id=Table1|ignore=1}} = 32

Possible improvements for layout of Table 1

|- Next row
|col 1 Equipment<cs>number
|col 2 Transmitter<cs>/Receiver<cs>name
|col 3 Frequency<cs>range (Khz)
|col 4 Aerial
|col 5 Range<cs>Key/Voice (Km)
|Old col 6 Notes → colspan="7"

|col 6 Used by <!- new column ->
|col 7 Vehicle <!- new column ->

|- class="expand-child" style="border-bottom: 3px solid silver;"
| colspan="7" <!- Must be total no. of cols ->  |Text of previous 'Notes' column

|- Next row

Radio sets used in armoured vehicles

Not all radio sets listed in Table 1 were installed in AFVs: According to this list from the US Handbook, the following sets were installed - a (*) indicates a receiver only:

• Fu. 2*, 4*, 5, 6, 7 (Luftwaffe), 8, 12, 14 (Sd.Kfz.250/3) 15*, 16, and Fu.Spr.f. (i fink in 251s at least) = 11
  • Check against WWII Radio Equipment, 'Gepanzertes Fahrzeug/Panzer Funkgeräte' section which has 15 entries...
• Not installed: 1* (=Torn.Fu.g), 3*, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 19 = 9

On the other hand, #More radio info in AFVs: NB! May be incomplete or wrong! shows that all FuGs from 4 to 13 were installed in something, plus Fu.spr.a, d & f; and Torn.Fu.g in (i fink) most standard 250s and 251s except specific vehicles used/crewed by signals troops etc.

Source: Handbook on German Military Forces, Chapter 8 p. VIII-21 (re-arranged by equipment number from original order)

     Vehicle                                 Radio
Fighting tanks, all types            Fu.5 and Fu.2; or 
                                     Fu.5 only.

Commander's tank                     Fu.8 and Fu.5; or
                                     Fu.7 and Fu.5.

Self-propelled antitank              Fu.8 and Fu.5; or
(light and medium chassis)           Fu.5 only.

Self-propelled antitank              Fu.8 and Fu.5; or
(heavy chassis)                      Fu.7 and Fu.5; or
                                     Fu.5 and Fu.2.

Antitank-assault guns                Fu.8 and Fu.5; or 
                                     Fu.5 only.

Armored OP vehicles (artillery)      Fu.8, Fu.4, and Fu.Spr.f. or
                                     Fu.8 and Fu.4

Assault guns (artillery)             Fu.8, Fu.16, and Fu. 15; or 
                                     Fu.16 and Fu.15; or 
                                     Fu.16 only.

Assault guns (in armored formations) Fu.5 and Fu.2; or
                                     Fu.5 only.

Anti-aircraft tanks (Flak panzer)    Fu.5 or Fu.2 only.

Lynx (recon.) & 8-Rad armored cars   Fu.12 and Fu.Spr.f.; or 
                                     Fu.Spr.f. only.

Wasp and Bumble Bee (Wespe & Hummel) Fu.Spr.f. only.

Armored cars                         Fu.Spr.f. and Fm.22 ← this may be an invention

Armored cars (except 8-Rad) and      Fu.Spr.f. only.
semi-tracked vehicles with armament

Self-propelled heavy infantry gun    Fu.16 only.

Installation in Sd.Kfz. 250 and 251

Aaaargh, of the monster variety.

Sd.Kfz. 250

Beware: From Spielberger Halbketten, with seemingly garbled info:

• leichte Funkpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz. 250/3) (can we believe Walter J.?):

I = Fu.7 and Fu. 18
II = Fu.8, Fu.5, and Fu.Spr. f
III = Fu.8 ,Fu.4, and Fu.Spr. f
IV = Fu.8 and Fu.Spr. f
V = Fu.12 and Fu.Spr. 12

• leichte Beobachtungspanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz. 250/5) (also known as leichte Aufklärungspanzerwagen) , pics at Also Spielberger Stugs

I = Fu.5 and Fu.Spr. f  (Spielberger says Fu.12 and Fu.Spr.f)
II = Fu.8 SE 30 and Fu.4

• Munitions Transportkraftwagen (pics + radio details(?)

10 W.S.h and 2 Ukw.E.h, and Torn.Fu.h, same as Stugs which they replenished, towed an ammo trailer with upright rounds

End of Spielberger.

The Sd.Kfz. 250 had two command variants, the /3 (le.Fu.Pz.Wg) and the /5 (le.Beob.Pz.Wg.)

By 1943 the 250/3 had three different radio sets issued to Pz.Aufklärungs-Abteilung (armoured reconnaissance battalions):

one with  FuG 7 + Fu.Spr.f  (assigned to HQ) (Luftwaffe co-operation)
two with  FuG 8 + Fu.Spr.f  (HQ Reconnaissance company), and two per battalion
nine with FuG 12 + Fu.Spr.f (ie 3 per company i fink)

The Fu.Spr.f was used by artillery troops in the field from 1943 to communicate with their (mobile) Observation Posts, Beocbachtungswagen. See #Feldfunksprecher

And by August 1944:

250/3 I    FuG 12, Fu.Spr.f 
250/3 II   FuG 7, FuG 1*, Fu.Spr.f 
250/3 III  FuG 8, FuG 4*, Fu.Spr.f 
250/3 IV   FuG 8, FuG 5, Fu.Spr.f  (tanks)

Also a Torn.Fu.g was installed at the front of the radio rack, and a Fu.Spr.f fitted in front of the co-driver. Good pix:

The leichter Beobachtungspanzerwagen, Sd.Kfz. 250/5 was assigned to artillery observers by July 1942.

By August 1944:

250/5 I  - le.Beob.Pz.Wg (command vehicles)
250/5 II - le.Aufkl.Pz.Wg. (with FuG 12 and Fu.spr.f) (reconnaissance vehicles)

Seven le.Beob.Pz.Wg were originally assigned to towed artillery batteries in Panzer divisions, but with the advent of self-propelled Wespe and Hummel, a single one was assigned to each battery.. This was because the Wespe and Hummel all had FuG 8s installed. See table-thing in the section above. Armoured car 'c' companies (Pz.Sp.Kp.c) were assigned nine le.Aufkl.Pz.Wg. vehicles, renamed from le.Beob.Pz.Wg. (with good pix of the radios.

The 250/6 le.MunitionsPz.Wg was originally assigned to transporting ammo for artillery units in Panzer divisions, but they appear to have been used exclusively in Sturmartillerie companies, ie Stug III, adapted for either short or long-barrelled versions. Consequently the FuG 16 was installed, the same as the Stugs. The sender (really?) was installed in front of the co-driver, and the receiver on his right - with pics.

The /8 with 7.5 Kanone 51 gun had a Fu.spr.f with headphones and throat mic.

The /9 (le.SPW mit 2 cm Kw.K auf Hängelafette) was assigned to Pz.Sp.Kp.c (armoured car company 'c') with one Fu.spr.f between two vehicles, and a 250/5 le.Beob.Pz.Wg. with FuG 12 and Fu.spr.f.

The 250/12 le.Messtrupppanzerwagen was created for the sound- and flash-ranging batteries of a panzer division. Assigned in five differently-equipped versions to the battery commander, advanced warning vehicle, platoon leaders of sound-ranging and flash-ranging sections, and flash-ranging vehicle. J&D say a FuG 8 SE 30 was installed. The 250/12 was no longer in production after January 1944.

Sd.Kfz. 251

The Germans cunningly re-numbered many of the Sd.Kfz. 251 variants from around January 1943, creating a vast mess for later historians, including the editors of the WP article. Often abbreviated m.SPW, or m.MTW (Mannschaft-Transport Wagen)

Until 30 May 1941 there were only 8 numbered variants of the 251:

251/1 - m.Schützenpanzerwagen
251/2 - m.SPW mit Granatwerfer (Gr.W) [mortar carrier]
251/3 - m.SPW für I.G  [for towing infantry guns]
251/4 - für I.G Munition (I.G.Mun) [munitions carrier]
251/5 - Pionerere m.SPW (Pi) (Pionierezüge der Schützeneinheiten) [pioneer platoons with infantry]
251/6 - m.Kommandopanzerwagen (Führerfahrzeug mit Funkeinbauten)
251/7 - m.Pionerepanzerwagen [for pioneer battalions] in April 1940, one 251/6 was issued to each of the Panzer divisions 2 through 10.
251/8 - m.Krankenpanzerwagen [ambulance]

A version with six 28 cm rockets (schwere Wurfgerät) (but without variant number) was being delivered by March 1941.

The 251/3 was fitted with a FuG 12 and FuG 19 with frame aerial, and from 1942, a Fu.sprech.f with 1.4-meter rod aerial.

By August 1942 more variants had been specified but not necessarily produced:

251/1 1 - 2x light MG
251/1 2 - 2x heavy MG
251/2 to /8 - unchanged
251/9   - 7.5 cm K
251/10  - 3.7 cm Pak
251/11  - not defined, later m.Fernsprecher Pzw. [telephones]
251/12 to /15 - radio versions, never built

The remaining variants weren't specified for issue until early 1943.

• 251 Role versions, Piet van Hees. Hugely detailed list of various versions of the 251, including radios. There are so many variants and possibilities that my general idea of showing distribution of radios in a division seems almost unfeasible. He says that the initial radio versions at start of the war were the 251/6 (Funk). NB! The original 251/3 was for towing infantry guns (I.G), and the 251/4 towed the ammo trailer. The /6 often had an Enigma machine installed. See Guderian pic just below. HOWEVER, this must be a 251/6, since the radio vehicles weren't re-numbered until January 1943.

Heinz Guderian in an Sd.Kfz. 251/3 with an Enigma machine, France, May 1940. Which FuG was used to send the encoded messages?

• Some 251s were re-numbered from early 1943, and the 251/3 (previously for towing various infantry guns) became the 251/3 m.Kdo.PzWg, the command version.

• Table of radios used in 251s - approx. 25 lines for all the different 251/x variants, but not every single type, eg no 251/3/V. Also, "All 251's have the standard Fu.Spr.f" which is good to know, somehow... Except from November 1943, the 9 251s in a Panzergrenadier company 'c' weren't allocated a Fu.spr.Ger.f.

• Spielberger, in his Halbkettenfahrzeuge des Deutschen Heeres gives the following information:
  

mittlere Funkpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz. 251/3): NB Spielberger seems to be wrong, both the salvaged Geyr rack below and SdKfz 251 Ханомаг история создания и применения.pdf Восточный фронт - Panzer History (Moscow, 1996), p. 12 say it was the /IV variant that carried the FuG 11 and FuG 12...

• Sd.Kfz. 251 versions has the "251/6 m Kdo Pz Wg" (mittlerer Kommando Panzerwagen), command or radio variant, specfying a "Kdo.Fu.Tr. with 9 meter pole antenna and frame", fitted with a FuG 11 and FuG 12. BUT! The 100 W.S. had Freq.of 0,2 - 1,2 MHz (200-1200 Khz), only? used in the FuG 11, compatible with the MW.E.c, Freq. 830 - 3000 kHz. (Koch 1999, pp. 46–7) may well be wrong, Handbook Ch. VIII does have MW.E.c - as usual, vast amounts of misinformation. Yech ptui.

So Jentz & Doyle, in Panzer Tracts 15–3 list 5 sub-variants from January 1944:

251/3 I    FuG 8, FuG 4*
251/3 II   FuG 8, FuG 5, FuG 4*    [the tank formation radio]
251/3 III  FuG 7, FuG 1*, Fu.Spr.g [for air-ground co-ordination]
251/3 IV   FuG 11, FuG 12          [command version]
251/3 V    FuG 11                  [another command version]

This had expanded to seven by August 1944:

251/3 I     FuG 8, FuG 4*, Fu.Spr.g
251/3 IIa   FuG 8, FuG 5, FuG 4*, Fu.Spr.g
251/3 IIb   FuG 12, FuG 5, FuG 4*, Fu.Spr.g
251/3 III   FuG 7, FuG 1*, Fu.Spr.g
251/3 IIIa  FuG 12, FuG 7, Fu.Spr.g
251/3 IV    FuG 11, FuG 12
251/3 V     FuG 11

• The re-numbered 251/4 towed 7.5 cm le.I.G, 15 cm sIG 33, 5 cm Pak 38 7.5 cm Pak 40, and acted as ammo carrier as well, carrying eg 120 rounds of 7.5 cm ammo.

• The original 251/6 Kommandopanzerwagen had a FuG 12 and FuG 19, and a Fu.sprech.f added by early 1943. The /6 was phased out by the /3 at the same time. The 251/11 m.Fernsprecher Pzw. (telephones) carried a FuG 5 radio (same as tanks) but on p. 39 they say it only had a Fu.spr.f. Apparently the specialised radio 251/12 to /15 were never made.

• The mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz. 251/18) was specified in March 1944, replacing the old original 250/5 and 251/5. The 251/18 had four subvariants, with the following radios installed:

251/11 I    FuG 8, FuG 4*, Fu.sprech.f
251/11 Ia   FuG 8, FuG 4* 
251/11 II   FuG 8, FuG 5
251/11 IIa  FuG 8, FuG 5, FuG 4*

• Interesting diversion: Geyr radio rack1.pdf. Salvaged and restored radio rack used by Gen Geyr von Schweppenburg - Sd.Kfz. 251/3/ = Kdo.Fu.Tr. - Fu.11 and Fu.12. The radio troop is marked in a Kstn as a “Kommandofunktrupp 100/80 Mw (gp)" [gp = gepanzert] and the vehicle is listed as a Sd.Kfz 251/3. A clear diagram shows placement of sets - FuG 11 (80 W.S. facing backwards, + Mw.E.c below facing sideways) and FuG 12 (Torn.E.b above, on the left, and bloody great 100 W.S on the right.)

https: //sites.ph9.com/RemcoCaspers617/upload/editor/files/Geyr%20radio%20rack1.pdf
Blacklisted site

More radio info in AFVs: NB! May be incomplete or wrong!

(Order re-arranged from original post) - Removed unnecessary details MinorProphet (talk) 19:04, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

Source: Fred Koch Waffen-Arsenal 178 Funkgeräte in gepanzerten Fahrzeugen der Wehrmacht, p. 10

• Fool!! To do a decent job of this task, you will need to cross-check every single one of these entries (you have access to most of the Reliable Resources™.) LITERALLY EVERYONE makes mistakes: some cannot afford technically proficient proofreaders; some think they don't need them; even respected authors can churn out absolute garbage. There is no absolute answer, no unassailable truth. Beware.

Funkgerät Spez. 976 Ba: ,,Neubaufahrzeug" und Schützenpanzerwagen Sdkfz 251/3 vielfältiger Einsatz in der Truppe

FuG 4*: Panzerbeobachtungswagen III und IV, im gepanzerten Beobachtungswagen sowie in den Schützenpanzerwagen (Sdkfz 250/5, Sdkfz 251/3 und Sdkfz 251/5) (Koch p. 33)

FuG 5: (Ornery tanks) Standard-Panzerfunkgerät der Wehrmacht

FuG 6: Kompanieführer mit Pz 35(t), 38(t) and Kleinen Panzerbefehlswagen I 265, Gr.Bef.Wg. Pz III 267 at company level (Kompanie-Ebene) (Koch p. 30)

FuG 7: (Ground to air + FuG 3) Kleinen Panzerbefehlswagen (Pz. I) und Panzerbefehlswagen III, IV, und V und Schützenpanzerwagen Sdkfz 250/3 und Sdkfz 251/3 (Koch p. 32)

FuG 8: Pz.Beobachtungswagen III 143, + FuSpr.f + Torn.Fu.G (Koch p. 33)

FuG 9: Schützenpanzerwagen [Funk] Sdkfz 251/6 - earlier radio versions of 251/3

FuG 10: Leichter Panzerspähwagen 223, Panhard P 204(f) (p. 38)

FuG 11: Schützenpanzerwagen Sdkfz 251/3, schweren Panzerfunkwagen Sdkfz 263 (pp. 39, 40), Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (Fu) 232 (p. 39)

FuG 12: Mw.E.c and 80 W.S.c from 1943 - Lynx & armoured cars (Koch p. 33)

FuG 13: Like FuG 6 (Befehlswagen?) but with 2nd receiver - Tank company commanders (p. 41)

Fu.Spr.a Panzerspähwagen (4-, 6-, 8-Rad) (p. 43), Lynx (p. 36)

Fu.Spr.d Armored vehicles of Feldartillerieeinheiten (Sf) und einigen Panzerjägereinheiten (p. 43)

Fu.Spr.f: Panzerfahrzeugen der motorisierten Infanterie,(p. 33, 43) Panzergrenadier- und Heeres-Artillerie (Sf.)- aber auch einzelne Panzerjägereinheiten" (p. 43)

Torn.Fu.g: - 250/3 Funk-SPW (SchutzenPanzerwagen = 251) & Mannschaftwagen - Feld.Fu.b1/b2 (from 1941, weighed 2kg, 'Feldfunksprecher'),

(modellbaufreunde.ch)

Also, Koch, Waffen-Arsenal 178,

• p. 8 - 250/3 of a battalion adjutant, FuG 8 and 4*
• p. 9 - Stug III, FuG 16 in a table says it's a command tank...
• p. 11, pic of 251/6 with frame and 5-meter mast, and 263 Panzerfunkwagen
• p. 12, Panzerspähwagen 233, FuG 9
• p. 13 - Panzer I,
• p. 15 - Kl. Befehlswagen 265 (184 built) FuG 6 & FuG 2 [command tanks]
• p. 16 - Gr. Befehlswagen 266, same radio kit [command tanks]
• p. 17 - Möbelwagen, FuG 5 & 2 - also original Tech Data sheet, saying "UKW-Fz5", "UKW-Fu2" - hmm
• p. 18 - Flammpanzer II - FuG 2* only
• p. 22 - Pz 35 & 38 - FuG 5
• p. 25 - Hotchkiss 735 (f) and T-34 747 with FuG 5
• p. 35 - Saurer 128 Pz.Beobachtungswagen Sd.Kfz 254
• p. 36 - 250/5 as leichter Beobachtungswagen FuG 4 & 8: 250/5 as leichter Aufklärungs Pz.W. FuG 12
• p. 36 - 251/3 as Mittlere Funk-Panzerwagen co-operation between Panzer- and Panzergrenadieren, and Artillery, FuG 4, 8, and sometimes FuG 5 (longer range than FuG 4)
• p. 40 - Puma Panzerspähwagen 234/2 - FuG 12 and some Funk.Spr. (?)
• p. 41 - Stug III - FuG 15* (receiver only), Stug III command vehicles - + FuG 16: Company (Zug) to Battery (ie Battalion?)
• p. 42 - Stug III, Ausf. E: FuG 16, + FuG 5 and 2* (ornery tank) in independent battalions & tank regiments (p. 42)
• p. 44 - From 1942, Fu.Sprech geräte were substituted for the older Funkgerätesätze (FuGs) - pic of 5cm Pak 38 on Panzer I - does it have a number??
• p. 44 - Marder II (7.62cm Pak(r) on Pz II 132) with a radio (self-propelled AT)
• p. 45 - Elefant Panzerjäger as command vehicle, with probs. Funksprecher: and a Wespe Sdkfz 124. "Although the Panzerjäger vehicles (tank hunter (ie self-propelled anti-tank) switched to Funksprecher kit from 1942, the self-propelled artillery continued with FuG 5 & 2, and command vehicles with a FuG 8."
• p. 46 - Table of FuGs etc.

Haha! This is almost the same as https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/Funkgeraete.htm, except eg FuG 5 is described as "Funk-Schützenpanzer" [wagen], Koch says a "Funk-SPW": ie a radio 251 or possibly 250...

There are many differences between this table and the Table 1 (from US German Army Handbook) - maybe best to go with this... yech

Test: Table 2

Radios by frequency (derived from Table 1)

Note that a * indicates receiver only

• 100–6970 Khz: ........ FuG 9, 11, 1*
• 835–3000 Khz: ........ FuG 12, 4*
• 1120–3000 Khz: ...... FuG 8, 10
• 3000–7500 Khz: ...... FuG 19
• 19997–21472 Khz: .. Fu.Spr.f.
• 23000–24950 Khz: .. FuG 16, 17, 15*
• 27200–33300 Khz: .. FuG 5, 6, 13, 2* (Tanks); frequency included in range of FuG 18, 25000–77100 Khz
• 42100–47800 Khz: .. FuG 7, 3* (Luftwaffe)

Sources:

• "Performance characteristics and specifications of two-way radio sets used in the German Army ground forces" (Figure 53, pp VIII-47 to 49) Handbook, Chapter 8. Contains 20 rows, some will match up with existing rows, eg transceiver 15 W.S.E.a. , some won't.
• "Performance characteristics and specifications for German ground radio transmitters" (Figure 54, pp VIII-50 to 52) Handbook, Chapter 8. Contains 15 rows, eg Transmitter 20 W.S.b. , others won't

Indeed, 8 out of 20 lines match up with Table 1, but all seem to be involved in some way in eg an armoured divison. Not all radio sets were installed in AFVs.

Table 2: More info on German Army Radio sets

Transmitter /Receiver name	Frequency range (Khz)	Range Key/Voice (Mi.)	Used by	Notes
Torn.Fu.a2	33800–38000 /3380–3800 mhz	9 / 4	From infantry regt. (brigade) to battalion, and from battalion to corps.
Torn.Fu.b1	3000–5000 / 3000–6700	25 / 10 miles	Short range comms by all arms except infantry.	Same as Torn. Fu. f. except for freq. of sender.
Torn.Fu.c.	1500–2300 / 1500–2300	15 / 7	Artillery observation
Torn.Fu.f	4500–6700 / ?		From field artillery troops to their Observation Posts
Torn.Fu.g.	2500–3500 / 2500–3500	15 / 8	As a pack set on the move or as a ground station
Torn.Fu.k.	4500–6700 / 3000–6700	15 / 7	To replace Torn.Fu.b1. in artillery units	Very similar to Torn.Fu.bl. except for frequency range
Transceiver Feldfu.a1.	120000–156000 / 120000–156000	11	Infantry	Also abbrev. as Fu.spr.a1 ?
Transceiver Feldfu.b	90000–11000 / 90000–11000	3-4 / -	Short range patrol set, used by infantry in forward areas - voice only	Like Feld.fu c. but covering a different frequency range
Transceiver Feldfu.f	28000–33000 / 28000–33000	-	Troops supporting armored fighting vehicles
Transceiver Fu.sprech.a	24010–25000	2	Inter-communication between armored reconnaissance cars, voice only
Transceiver Fu.sprech.d.	23110–24010
Transceiver Fu.sprech.f.	19997.5–21472.5	Voice 2	Intercommunication between self-propelled guns	[Fusprech.f.] Almost same as Fusprech.a. except that the Fusprech.a. has a receiver fire control
Transceiver 15 W.S.E. 469A	3000–5000 / ?	60 / 20	For fire control in artillery units.
Transceiver 15 W.S.E.a	3000–7500 / 2 bands	60 / 20	From artillery division down to lower formations	[FuG 19]
Transmitter 5 W.S/24b-104	9500–31500	36 / 10	Regimental and Divisional nets - for vehicular or ground use
Transmitter 8 W.S.	1000–3000		Regimental command and reconnaissance nets
Transmitter 10 W.S.c.	27200–33300	4 / 2.5	Armored vehicles, generally tank units. Usually in Commander's tank	[FuG 5] Similar to 10W.S.b. but different frequency range. 10W.5.b.[?] frequency range is 23-24.95 mhz
Transmitter 20 W.S.b.	25000–27000		By sound ranges in artillery units	Very similar to 20.W.S.c.
Transmitter 20 W.S.c.	27200–33300	3 / 2	Tank formations generally	[FuG 6] [FuG 13] [Similar to 20W.S.a. but which has a frequency range of 42.1-47.8
Transmitter AKS 25	3000–6000	50/15	In infantry divisions and artillery regiments
Transmitter 30 W.S.a	1100-3010 (3 Bands)	50/16	Small signal units and signal troops in armored corps / In tank division and tank brigade radio sets especially in liaison operations with reconnaissance cars and tanks	[FuG 8] Compatible with transmitters 80 W.S.a and 100 W.S., and receivers Mw.E.c, Torn.E.b and Lw.E.a. This set is identical with the 80W.S.a. as regards its circuit.
Transmitter 30 W.S. /24b-120	950–1680	25 / 10	Armored cars and other, vehicles and reconnaissance nets of division troops
Transmitter 70  W.S	3000–16667	36/	Used by all reconnaissance units within command nets
Transmitter 80 W.S.a.	1120–3000 (3 Bands)	125 / 45	Tank division to tank brigade, especially in liaison operations with reconnaissance cars and tanks.	[FuG 12] Compatible with transmitters 8 W.S.a, 30W.S.a and 100W.S, and receivers Torn.E.b and Mw.E.c. Later replaced the 30 W.S.a in the German Army.
Transmitter 100 W.S.	200-1200	200 / 70	Administrative control set for large areas. Can be used in vehicle or as a fixed station	[FuG 11]
Transmitter 120	42100–54000		Army corps and HQ
Transmitter 1000 W.S.b.	1090–6700 (4 Bands)	700 / 150-300	Army and corps staffs, also used for liaison as ground set to Luftwaffe

{{table row counter|id=Table2|ignore=1}} = 27

Test: Tables 3 & 4 - Transmitters & Receivers

To have two or more tables side-by-side, i fink this is the idea for each table:

<div style="display:inline-table; vertical-align:top;">
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
 |- 
 |}
 </div>

Yep!

Source for various tables at Lexicon der Wehrmacht:

• Empfänger table:
• Sender table:
• Tornisterfunkgeräte
• Feldfunksprecher table:
• Geräte in Fahrzeugen und Panzern:

The 10 W.S. c and d; the 20 W.S. c and d; and the 30 W.S.a and 80 W.S.a were developed for use in armoured vehicles.

3: German Army radio transmitters

Name	Frequency range (Mhz)	Date
5 W.S.	0.9 - 3.1	1932
10 W.S.c	27 - 33	1940
10 W.S.h	25 - 27	1940
20 W.S.b	25 - 27	1937
20 W.S.c	27 - 33	1937
20 W.S.d	42 - 47	1937
30 W.S.	0.95 - 1.67	1932
30 W.S.a	1.1 - 3	1939
80 W.S.a	1.1 - 3	1940
100 W.S.	0.2 - 1.2	1933
1000 W.S.b	1.1 - 6.6	1935
1500 W.S.a	0.1 - 0.6	1934

4: German Army radio receivers

Name	Frequency range (Mhz)	Date
Torn.E.445Bs	0.1–7 Mhz	1930–1939
Torn.E.b	0.1–7 MHz	1937
Lw.E.a	72–1500 kHz	1938
Kw.E.a	1–15 MHz	1940
Mw.E.c	830–3000 kHz	1940
Ukw.E.b	25–27 MHz	1938
Ukw.E.c	27–33 MHz	1937
Ukw.E.d	42–48 MHz	1938
Ukw.E.e	27–33 MHz	1939
Ukw.E.f	42–48 MHz	1942
Ukw.E.h	23–25 MHz	1941

{{table row counter|id=Table3|ignore=1}} = 12

{{table row counter|id=Table4|ignore=1}} = 11

Feldfunksprecher

Source: German 'Feldfunksprecher' radio telephones of WW2 - Feldfunksprechers(1).pdf

blacklisted site: https: //sites.ph9.com/RemcoCaspers617/upload/editor/files/Feldfunksprechers(1).pdf

• A is for - Funksprecher a1
• B is for - Feldfunksprecher b, b1, b2
• C is for - Feldfunksprecher c
• D is for - Kleinfunksprecher d

The list in Krause 2000, p. 42 has various errors.

Table 5: Feldfunksprecher radio telephones

Name	Frequency range (Mhz)	Power (W)	Date	Range	Notes
Fu.Spr.a1	120–156		1938–1939		Pre-production. Also called FeldFu.a
FeldFu.b	90–110	0.15	1941–1945	1.2 km	Four FeldFu.b assigned to every infantry company. (p. 26)
FeldFu.b1	90–110		1944 Q1	1.2 km
FeldFu.b2	90–110		1944 Q4	0.8 km	p. 13
FeldFu.c	130–160	0.15	1941–1941	0.5 km	Disappointing range - cancelled
kl.Fu.Spr.d	32–38		1944-12	2–4 km	Overlapping frequency with: FeldFu.f         (27.2 - 33.3 MHz) FuG 5 (tanks) (30.2 - 33.4 MHz) Torn.Fu.d2      (33.8 - 38 MHz) (p. 34) Little evidence it ever saw service.
FeldFu.f	28–33	0.15	1943–1945		Designed for Panzergrenadiers to communicate with FuG 5 in tanks.
FeldFu.h	23.1–24.9	0.10	1941–1945		Designed for infantry to communicate with FuG 16 in Stug. III / IV.

{{table row counter|id=Table5|ignore=1}} 8

See Pz Tr. 15-1-81 for report on unreliability of Fu.spr.a radios - FuG 5s were installed (unofficially?) in the Recce battalion's vehicles. Also p. 5-1-83 for more on radios and the qualities needed for a Spähtruppfunker. And p. 15-1-84, need for intercoms and FuG 5 radios in the 250/9 Recce vehicle to talk to tanks. (2nd Pz.Sp company, Pz.Aufkl.Abt 23), March to April 1944. The 250/9s seem to have replaced previous wheeled armoured cars.

FeldFu c

Tornister K pic - make Tornister table...!

Ground-to-air: Army–Luftwaffe communications

Background

Fliegerverbindungsoffizier (abbreviated "Flivo"), 'Air Force Liaison Officer', or 'Forward Air Controller' He controlled small teams of 3 to 12 Luftwaffe personnel who operated with the forward ground troops of the Heer and the Waffen-SS, especially Panzer spearheads during offensive operations, to coordinate direct air support at the front. These Flivo teams existed right from the beginning of the war and played a vital role in the successful application of combined arms warfare on all fronts.

At a higher level: Flivo, Luftwaffedata.co.uk

3. Liaison (Handbook, Chapter X-14)

"Liaison between the Army and Air Force for both army cooperation and tactical reconnaissance is provided by specially trained Air Force officers known as Flivos (Fliegerverbindungsoffiziere). The German Air Force support is requested by the Army units through their superior commands. The armies transmit the request to the competent headquarters authority where a German Air Force liaison officer (Flivo) is stationed. Such headquarters are generally those of Army groups. German Air Force Signal Liaison officers (Fliegerverbindungsoffiziere (Ln)) are stationed with Army corps headquarters and in some particular cases with division headquarters. A German Air Force Liaison Officer is specially assigned to Army Headquarters for the purpose of directing close cooperation between the Army and German Air Force reconnaissance units (Fliegerverbindungsoffiziere (Aufklärung)). For the control of the close support missions, which as a result of these requests are ordered by the German Air Force Command (Fliegerkorps or Luftflotte HQ), special German Air Force officers are stationed at the front line. These control officers (Fliegerleitoffiziere) direct the flying formations to their targets by radio from advanced observation posts on the ground."

Lots here: [NB! Extensive quoting, because very concise and well-written, needs a précis making somehow...]

Richthofen "established four subordinate teams called Air Signal Detachments (Luftnachrichtenverbindungstruppe), whose purpose was to support Army requirements by working closely with the armored commander. Two of the four units used an armored car equipped with radios. Their success in Poland led to their widespread and successful use in France."

" The Flivo (Signals) ran two radio sets and served as a liaison. A Flivo (Reconnaissance) served as the liaison to reconnaissance units. Ground Control Officers, of which there were two types, Attack and Fighter, were experience pilots that also attended specialized training to conduct direct support missions. Ground Control Officers operated from tanks or armored vehicles near the front line and served as the direct link between aircraft and troops on the ground. The Ground Control Officer controlled strikes, directed mission changes, and updated aircraft with the latest ground intelligence. Radio provided the direct two-way link between the Ground Control Officer and the aircraft. The Ground Control Officer had to know the scheme of maneuver and the friendly line location, which proved problematic in a rapidly moving battlefront.

For the Russian campaign, the detachments became known as Air Signal Liaison Detachments, now comprised of an Air Signal officer, a driver for the armored vehicle, and four dedicated radio operators to ensure 24-hour operations. Each Corps had its own Air Signal Liaison Detachment. Its primary purpose was to keep the Air Corps apprised of the ground situation to include targets and enemy and friendly positions. As discussed earlier, they could not conduct air strikes. To deal with special situations on the Russian Front, the Luftwaffe created Gefechtsverbaende. These units worked extremely close with spearhead units at the Schwerpunkt of operations to control bombers, dive-bombers, and fighters in their efforts to help the Army breakthrough the enemy."

"An example of a typical Tank Liaison (Panzer Verbindung) operation on December 12, 1942, near Medjez el Babi in North Africa best demonstrates the control process. The air liaison tank was located next to the staff tank and mobile radio van. The liaison managed radio messages to and from Panzer Headquarters and Fliegerfuehrer in Tunis. When the ground commander needed air support, the liaison officer passed the request to Fliegerfuehrer with the location and type of target, estimate of force required, and any air or ground opposition. The Panzer Headquarters listened on the same communications network. Once the Stukas took off, the Fliegerfuehrer notified the liaison officer via radio and shortly thereafter, the Stuka and liaison talked [directly] to each other about the target. Once over the target area, the liaison directed the aircraft to its target via radio using code words that changed daily. If necessary, the liaison redirected the Stuka. Post mission reports followed to assess the effectiveness of the mission."

"An increasingly critical air situation on the Russian front resulted in the establishment of fighter control under forward air control detachments for fighter forces, using Benito and EGON. There were six fighter control units (Jaegerleitzuege) using railway cars for mobility and integrating radar, ARS, and the radio interception service. These fighter control units usually operated in a defensive manner due to aircraft shortages and need to support ground operations. 13 However, theater size precluded covering the area with an adequate aircraft reporting service. 14

• [14] Gallei cites Paul Deichmann, German Air Force Operations in Support of the Army, 1999, NY, Ballantine Publishing Group 0-8041-1695-4,

p. 162. borrow on archive.org, OR original USAF Historical Studies No. 163, (June 1962)

From say, late 1943 and certainly into 1944, a growing lack of fuel and the attrition rate of pilots meant that the Luftwaffe was increasingly unable to support the army in tactical operations. How about the above?

Deichmann, pp. 148-9 details how von Richthofen organised air support teams for the armoured divisions in the Soviet Union. He says several times that there simply weren't enough aircraft to give support to every division or even army.

• Summaries of careers of many Luftwaffe officers: Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries by Henry L. deZeng IV and Douglas G. Stankey. Search for Flivo, plenty of hits in each document, from Armee Korps down to Panzer divisions and infantry regiments

• Possible arrangement of assignments for Liaison officers in N. Africa: Rommel's desert command group WWII Forums but not in fact much substance.

"Read von Mellenthin's Panzer Battles, Heinz W. Schmidt's With Rommel in the Desert NB! - Very good read... and The Rommel Papers."

See also Armored Warfare in World War II. Conference featuring F. W. von Mellenthin, Generalmajor (retd.), German Army. May 10, 1979

Vehicles/radios

FuG 7: (Ground to air + FuG 3) Kleinen Panzerbefehlswagen (Pz. I) und Panzerbefehlswagen III, IV, und V und Schützenpanzerwagen Sdkfz 250/3 und Sdkfz 251/3

See #Sd.Kfz. 250:

By 1943 the 250/3 had three different radio sets issued to Pz.Aufklärungs-Abteilung (armoured reconnaissance battalions):

one 250/3 with FuG 7 + Fu.Spr.f  (assigned to HQ) (Luftwaffe co-operation)

And by August 1944:

250/3 II with FuG 7, FuG 1* + Fu.Spr.f 

In addition a Torn.Fu.g was installed at the front of the radio rack, and the Fu.Spr.f fitted in front of the co-driver.

See #Sd.Kfz. 251: One of the 5 sub-variants of the 251/3 from January 1944:

251/3 III  FuG 7, FuG 1*, Fu.Spr.g [for air-ground co-ordination]

• Panther Sd Kfz 268 Panzerbefehlswagen “Flivo” FuG 5 & 7 - only 40 built? Some may have FuG 7 replaced by FuG 8 like normal command tank?

Sources?

• Gallei, Francisco M. (2014). The Roots of the Command and Control of Air Power: An Appraisal of Three Air Forces Through 1945 (PDF) (D.Phil. dissertation). Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Air University.

Sources from WP Manfred von Richthofen

• Hooton, E.R. (2007a). Luftwaffe at War; Gathering Storm 1933–39. Vol. 1. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-903223-71-0. p.90

• Hooton, E.R. (2007b). Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West. Vol. 2. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-85780-272-6.

• Corum, James (2008). Wolfram von Richthofen: Master of the German Air War. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1598-8. pp 58-60

Queries - maybe move to Talk?

General re draft

May be best to concentrate (hah!) on the dedicated Transmitters and Receivers section, currently tables 3 & 4, and build up two as comprehensive as possible lists, complete with re-usable refs eg from Kriegfunker.com who has lots, and which can be used in all the other tables.

Known groupings of FuGs and other sets

• Tanks & command vehicles - FuG 2*, 5, 6, 8, 13, FeldFu.g (27.2-33.3 Mhz)

• Stugs & command vehicles - FuG 15*, 16, 17, Torn.E.h, FeldFu.h, FuSpr.d (23.1-25 Mhz)

• Armoured cars - wot?

• Luftwafffe co-operation - FuG 3*, 7, (42.1-47.8 Mhz), and FuG 5 for Luftwaffe (40.3-47.0 Mhz) Flivo in Luftwaffe Sd.Kfz. 251/6 with 10-meter mast.

• High-level command - FuG 11, 12 - Used 100- and 80-Watt senders, 8 or 9 metre mast, divisional commanders, earlier Sd.Kfz. 251/6, later 251/3/IV (0.1-7.1 Mhz)

• FuG 1*, 9, 10, 20, 22, 14 (all Torn.E.b) - (all used 0.1-7.1 Mhz)

• Artillery - Which? Lots

• Sound ranging - FuG 14, 18 - Possibly Sd.Kfz. 251/12, /13, /14, previously in 6x4 trucks

FuG 19, 24 (3.0-7.5 Mhz), FuG 25 (3.0-17.6 Mhz)

Sd.Kfz. 253

Spielberger Stugs p. 207 - 4 radio sets, apparently 2 similar receivers, 2 different transmitters. Wot? Wot? Well, could be 2 similar receivers over one massive double-width transmitter

Sd.Kfz. 253 refs https://web.archive.org/web/20131104075533/http://www.achtungpanzer.com/leichte-gepanzerte-beobachtungskraftwagen-sdkfz253.htm, which is dire.

Lots at https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/sd-kfz-253/, says a FuG 6 and FuG 2. "The Sd.Kfz.253 was used together with StuG units." But Stugs always and only used FuG 15, 16, or 17s...

Replaced by 250/5.

Pic of 250/5, with 1 sender & 2 receivers apparently.

• Sd.Kfz.250/5.I: Fu 6 + Fu 2, later Fu 8, Fu 4 and Fu.Spr.Ger.f – destined for artillery units
• Sd.Kfz.250/5.II: Fu 12, later Fu 12 + Fu.Spr.Ger.f – destined for reconnaissance units.

Also, 253 replaced by 251, eg

• Sd.Kfz.251/18.I: Fu 4, Fu 8 and Fu.Spr.Ger.f (This is just Funk Sprecher Gerät.f, ie Fu.spr.f)
• Sd.Kfz.251/18.Ia: Fu 4 and Fu 8
• Sd.Kfz.251/18.II: Fu 5 and Fu 8
• Sd.Kfz.251/18.IIa: Fu 4, Fu 5 and Fu.Spr.Ger.f)

Quoted sources by tanks-encyclopedia.com:

• Standard Catalogue of German Military Vehicles, by David Doyle, copyright for the Polish edition, 2012, Vesper, Poznań
• Kolekcja Wozów Bojowych magazine, nr. 62: Sd.Kfz. 252 Leichte Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen, Oxford Educational sp.z o.o.

Aha! http://homepage.eircom.net/~nightingale/sdkfz253.htm "Radios: FuG 15* & FuG 16." ... "The radio aerial on the right-hand side folded forward into a protective channel when not in use. The Sd Kfz 253 served with Sturmgeschütz Batterien 640, 659, 660, and 665 in France in 1940 and later with other assault artillery batteries in Russia." This at least makes sense, with same radios as Stugs used. But still only 3 boxes in total.

See also

• Wireless Communications of the German Army in World War II
• Luftwaffe radio equipment of World War II
• User:MinorProphet/Draft subpages/Panzer Artillery Regiments

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

"Particulars of radio equipment used in German armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery and armored half-tracked vehicles" - chapter in https://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/pdf-hell/article-hdbk-TM-E-30-451.pdf, p. 352

The above is the complete US handbook, transcribed for HTML at eg https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Germany/HB/HB-8.html .

WWII GERMAN RADIO EQUIPMENT - Kriegsfunker.com

§§ Hidden ref

• Bauer, Arthur O. (11 October 2008). "Some hardly known aspects of German military communications during World War Two" (PDF). The Defence Electronics History Society. Retrieved 11 November 2024.

• Lloyd, Lee; Balkwill, Brian; Johnston, Alasdair (2008). Tiger: A modern study of Fgst.Nr. 250031. The Research Squad. ISBN 978-0-9556422-1-0.

• 15-1 Jentz, Thomas L.; Doyle, H. L. (2008b). leichter Schuetzenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.250) Ausf.A & B - History of Production, Variants, Organization and Employment in Action from 1941 to 1945. Panzer Tracts 15-1. Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts. ISBN 0981538207.

• 15-2 Jentz, Thomas L.; Doyle, H. L. (2005). mittlerer Schuetzenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.251) - History of Variants, Production, Organization, Issue, Tactics and Employment in Action from 1939 to 1942. Panzer Tracts 15-2. Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts. ISBN 0977164314.

• 15-3 Jentz, Thomas L.; Doyle, H. L. (2006b). mittlerer Schuetzenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.251) Ausf.C & D - History of Production, Variants, Organization and Employment in Action from 1943 to 1945. Panzer Tracts 15-3. Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts. ISBN 9780981538242.

• Koch, Fred (1999). Funkgeräte in gepanzerten Fahrzeugen der Wehrmacht. Waffen Arsenal 178 (in German). Wölfersheim-Berstadt, Germany: Podzun-Pallas-Verlag. ISBN 3790906697.

• Krause, Helmut (2000). Tragbare Funkgeräte der Wehrmacht. Waffen Arsenal 184 (in German). Wölfersheim-Berstadt, Germany: Podzun-Pallas-Verlag. ISBN 3790907057.

• Müller, Werner (1992). Bodenfunkmessgeräte der deutschen Luftwaffe bis 1945. Waffen Arsenal 132 (in German). Friedberg/H, Germany: Podzun-Pallas-Verlag. ISBN 3790904228.]

• Spielberger, Walter J. (1993a). Die Halbkettenfahrzeuge des Deutschen Heeres 1909-1945 (in German). Illustrated by Hilary L. Doyle and Uwe Feist (4th ed.). Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart. ISBN 3879434034.

• Spielberger, Walter J. (1994). Sturmgeschutze: Entwicklung und Fertigung der sPak (in German). Illustrated by Hilary L. Doyle and Uwe Feist (2nd ed.). Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart. ISBN 3613013568.