To put the 1937 price level in perspective: the KdF-Wagen (progenitor of the ubiquitous VW "Käfer" ("beetle")), designed by Ferdinand Porsche, sold for under 1000 Reichsmark (RM) around that time. That represented 35 weeks' gross wages for an average factory worker. The average month's pay for a young "party" bureaucrat was about twice as high, and big-city teachers made something half way between the two. At Radio Mende, white-collar employees received an average monthly salary of 384 RM (169 RM for women), and managers received an average 1197 RM per month. Ref. 10. The salary of apprentices ranged from 20 RM/month (first year) to 54 RM after four years. During the war, the standard 48-hour work week was increased to 60 hours (56 for women). Standard vacation varied between 6 and 18 days a year, based on age and seniority. Ref. 11. In 1945, apprentices at Krupp's steel works near Essen made 24-60 RM/month (year 1-4), and draftswomen (!) 140-160 RM/month. Ref. 12.
 

Hourly wages in the electronics industry of Saxony 1926-1943

(source: ref. 10 )

 

Monthly wages at the Ford Werke (Ford Motor Company in Germany) during WW2

(source: ref. 13; wages for non-German workers, such as prisoners of war and east-European civilians, were up to 75% lower and varied with age, gender, productivity)

 

For the more fortunate, the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster could be had for a mere 22000 Reichsmark. That is, the price of 22 KdF cars. Officially, the KdF cars were sold via the Kraft durch Freude ("Strength through Joy") savings program, but none was ever delivered to the 350 thousand participants. Only several hundred were ever manufactured. They were delivered to high-ranking military and party officials...

 

.   

         1939 KdF-Wagen                                   1937 Mercedes Benz 540 K Special Roadster 

 

 

The Swiss army also acquired Hellschreiber equipment from Siemens-Halske. In 1940/41, they bought 30 "Presse Hell" Hellschreibers (models T empf 12 and T empf 14). The equipment was used in type A, B, and C mobile communication units ("Stationen"), ref. 4:

 

 

G1,5K "Stationswagen" in 1940 (2nd production series)

(source: p. 83 in ref. 9)

 

Early "Stationen" (serial numbers 1 - 6) had slightly different equipment from later units (serial numbers 15 and above).

 

Hellschreiber workstation in a "Funkwagen"  -  serial number 1 - 6

(1: "Handlocher", 2: "Rohrsummer", 7: "Hellschreiber", 8: "Lochstreifengeber", 10: Lorenz  "Allwellenempfänger")

Hellschreiber workstation in a B-Station "Funkwagen" - serial number 15 and above

(4: "Handlocher", 6: "Rohrsummer", 7: "Hellschreiber", 8: "Lochstreifengeber", 17: "Empfangstatsgerät", 18: Zelweger "Allwellenempfänger", 19: Hellschreiber)

 

The Hellschreiber was first introduced in 1937/38 on the C-Stations, then in 1939 on the B-Stations (cf. p. 14/30 in ref. 9). Early versions of the "Stationen" (serial numbers 1-6) comprised a "T empf 12" Hell-printer,  a "T sum 3a" tone oscillator, a "T verst 16a/b/d" amplifier, and a Lorenz model EO509 15 kHz - 20 MHz "Allwellenempfänger" radio receiver. For stations with serial numbers 15 and above, the system comprised a "T empf 14" Hell-printer,  a "T sum 5a" tone oscillator, a "T verst 18a" keying device, and a 100 kHz - 60 MHz AM/CW "Allwellenempfänger" receiver type E41, made by the Zelweger company of Uster/Switzerland. All systems included a keyboard tape puncher ("Handlocher"), and a Hellschreiber punch tape reader/sender ("Lochstreifensender").

 

The book price for a complete system was 13300 Swiss Francs (≈65000 euros early 2011, ref. 3). This included:

	Hellschreiber: 2335 SF  (≈ €11400)
	Lochstreifengeber; 6930 SF  (≈ €33875)
	Rohrsummer (oscillator): 548 SF  (≈ €2670)
	Schreibverstärker (amplifier): 520 SF  (≈ €2640)
	Netzverteiler (switch box for audio and electrical power): 120 SF  (≈ €590)

 

These Hellschreiber systems were used until 1944, when it was decided that Hellschreiber communication was not dependable enough for (Swiss) military operations, though it was shown that this was primarily caused by shortcomings of the Lorenz EO 509 receiver, by improper equipment operation (no operator training whatsoever, cf. p. 71 in ref. 9) and tedious Swiss operating procedures (cf. pp. 15/16, note 52 on p. 30, and note 12 on p. 50 in ref. 9). In 1948, the Hellschreibers were replaced with high-speed Morse telegraphy printers (cf. p. 16 in ref. 9).

 

Hellschreiber field-system "36" in 1941 (with  T empf 12 "Presse Hell" and Lorenz EO509 radio)

(source: p. 80 in ref. 9)

 

 

The Swedish army bought both mobile and office Hellschreiber systems. The mobile systems comprised a Hell Feldfernschreiber (“Hellskrivare för fältbruk”), two lead acid batteries, and a keying device. The "desktop" systems comprised a "Handlocher" tape puncher, a "Lochstreifensender" tape reader/sender, and a "Presse Hell" printer.

 

Early 1941, Siemens-Halske quoted a price of 42400 Swedish Crowns to the Swedish Air Force, for eight Feldfernschreiber systems, similar to the systems already delivered to the Swedish Army (ref. 5). This is equivalent to about 10537 euros per system, at the end of 2010 (ref. 6). A price of 10200 SEK was quoted for each office system (≈ €40888).

 

The 1944 book price for a Feld-Hell system of the Swedish Army was 6100 SEK (≈ €12128). Ref. 7.

 

 

 

In May and June of 1941, the Japanese Vice Minister of War, Rikugun Jikan, was in Berlin to negotiate purchases of goods and manufacturing rights. On 7 June 1941, a military attaché message ("air wire / radio telegram") was sent from Tokyo by Hszry  (War Office Senior Adjutant) to Rikugun. The message comprised a shopping list of Lorenz and Siemens-Halske equipment, including a Siemens-Halske Feld Fernschreiber (two, if availability permits). Ref. 8.

 

Unfortunately, no pricing information is included in the available messages...