Use F11 on your keyboard to switch between "normal view" and "full screen" (without browser toolbars)
 

The update notifications of all pages of this website are now listed here.

There is a number of interesting markings on the Feld-Hell machine and its carrying case. First of all, there are up to seven "Typenschilder" (labels, plaques, asset tags) on the various units that make up the Feld-Hell system: the electronics box, the motor-generator, the keyboard-character-drum unit, and the base-unit. The latter unit is the "Unterteil" that comprises the gearbox and the paper trays. These plaques typically indicate the serial number, year of manufacture, and a drawing number.

As the Feld-Hell was manufactured for the Wehrmacht, the machine and its carrying case normally have one or more Waffenamt acceptance stamps. Stamps have often been removed post-war by the new owners of the equipment. This may have been done in compliance with laws against the (public) display of Nazi symbols, or to avoid any suggestion of support of the associated ideology. The removal often leaves - still visible -  rub marks where the stamps used to be.

An other characteristics of interest is the color of the various units of the Feld-Hell set. The standard military colors are shades and hues of drab (e.g., "feldgrün", "olivgrün"), and light & dark blue-gray ("dunkelgrau"). Original colors are compliant with the official color palette ("Farbtabelle") of the Reichs-Ausschuss für Lieferbedingungen (RAL; Committee of the German Reich for Terms and Conditions of Sale). The 1925 table comprises 40 colors, later expanded to 210. Note: today's RAL color numbers do not correspond to those from WWII with the same number. Some post-war owners have felt it necessary to repaint their Feld-Hell machine - few have managed (or bothered) to accurately recreate the original color. One also comes across Feld-Hells that have been repainted in completely different colors. For some reason, shiny dark neon green appears to have been popular in Finland. Due to maintenance and repair, many Feld-Hell sets have had one or more units replaced. As a result, the set may have a mix of colors.

The discussion below is based on photos and other information that I have on surviving Feld-Hell sets.

	If you own, or have access to, a Feld-Hell machine, please provide me with all info on the labels ("Typenschild") of the various sub-units, as well as stamps and other markings, etc. I have illustrated the information that I am looking for here (also see image below). You can contact me here.
	The information that I have collected so far (January 2012, 98 machines) is in this spreadsheet.

A discussion on the Feld-Hell production volume, based on my database of  Feld-Hell serial numbers and years of manufacture, is on this page.

[Markings on the electronics box]    [Markings on the Motor-Generator]     [Markings on the base-unit]      [Markings on the carrying case]      [Waffenamt stamps]     [Miscellaneous markings]      [References]

©2009-2010 F. Dörenberg. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be captured, reproduced, stored, transferred, or translated, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.
 

MARKINGS ON THE ELECTRONICS BOX

The electronics of the Feld-Hell set  are housed in the "electronics box" ("Verstärker- und Anschlußsatz" = "Amplifier & Interconnect Unit"). It has the following markings:

	Plate on the front face,
	Plate on the rear cover,
	Legends around the switches, the volume control, and on the rectangular connector block for phone line, radio receiver, and electrical power.
	Waffenamt acceptance stamp, usually placed right below the equipment plate to the left of the main switch. In very few cases, the stamp is placed just above that plate.

The "Typenschild" is located at the lower left-hand corner of the front face of the Electronics Box.

Variations of the "Typenschild" on the Feld-Hell electronics box
 

Through 1936 (1937?) these tags show the following information:

	serial number ( "Nr.")
	the 2-digit year of manufacture ("Jahr"),
	drawing number

After 1936 (1937?), the plate is expanded to:

	serial number (Fabrikationsnummer, "Fabr. Nr.")
	designator (Bezeichnung, "Bez.")
	drawing number (Zeichnung(s)nummer, "Zchg. Nr.")
	operating voltage (Spannung, "Spanng.")
	the 4-digit year of manufacture ("Baujahr").

The designator  "Typen-Bildschreiber", "Typenbildschreiber",  "Feldschreiber", "Feldfernschreiber".

Variations of "Zeichnung Nummer" (Zchg. Nr.; drawing number) on box plaque: ("T Bs" = ?)

	24a-32
	24a-32a1
	24a-32a2
	T typ 58 d (which is actually not the drawing number but the "Bezeichnung" ("Bez.), the S-H type designator)

Manufacturer's markings on box plaque:

	none - presumably Siemens-Halske
	Siemens-Halske logo (entwined S-H)
	Siemens-Halske logo + "SIEMENS"
	Mende logo (triangular)
	Mende "Fertigungskennzeichen" manufacturer's code ("bl")

Siemens-Halske outsourced the manufacturing of some Feld-Hell parts and subassemblies. As shown in the photo above, some of the "electronics boxes" were made by Radio H. Mende & Co. GmbH in Dresden (ref. 15). This is indicated by the triangular Mende logo to the right of the serial number. In my database, the earliest Feld-Hell with a Mende-built electronics box, has serial number 0053 and dates back to 1935. Later Feld-Hell units made by  Mende no longer bear the company logo, but have the Fertigungskennzeichen  ("secret" manufacturer's code) "bl". These two- and three-digit codes were introduced by the Waffenamt starting in 1940, and eventually had codes for over 9000 manufacturers (ref. 104). The Rudolf Hell company had the code "cmw" (ref. 20).

Outsourcing may have been to optimize production capacity utilization at both small and large companies, or geographical distribution to reduce vulnerability during a potential war situation. Note that the Heereswaffenamt (and the Technische Amt of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), the German Air Ministry) fully controlled contract awards to prime suppliers ("Leifirmen", "Lieferer") and sub-contractor companies ("Unterlieferanten"). This covered development and production, system assembly, subassembly, spares parts production, and manufacturing under license. Cf. top of  p. 19 and bottom of p. 49 in ref. 1. Licensee companies received all required design documentation, and paid license fees.

The rear of the Electronics Box has a removable cover, that provides access to a large circuit board. This cover also has a plaque.

Plaque on the rear cover of the Feld-Hell electronics box
 

Typenschild with T.Typ 58 Tz 170,  Nr. 1337, 1942.

Rear cover other box has: Siemens & Halske, Type T.typ 58 Tz.30, Nr. 10023, T.Sk.42505/1. Front of associated electronics box only has dwg number T Bs 24a-32, serial number, and year

Variations. Consistency of S/N etc. with plaque on front of box.

"Tz." = "Teilzeichnung" = detail drawing

"T.Sk." = "Teilskizze" = detail sketch (TBC)

There is a round 12-pin connector ("Zwölffachsteckdose", "Steckerbuchse", "Anschlußbuchse") located at the lower right-hand corner of the Electronics Box. The connector provides access to the contacts of the character-drum to a CW transmitter, the constant 900 Hz tone, 12 Vdc and 165 Vdc. Accessories such as a keying device ("Tastgerät") and a remote-control box ("Anrufgerät") can be connected. The connector has a brown or black bakelite insert. I have seen at least one Feld-Hell machine with a white insert. The rectangular connector block above the round connector also comes in brown and black bakelite.

There are basically four configurations:

	round connector with wire-retainer for the mating male connector (the latter are rather hard to find),
	round connector with a pivotable cover,
	no round connector - a square plate covers the hole in the front face of the electronics box,,
	no round connector, and no hole in the front face of the box.

Note that the 1941 Feld-Hell manual states that older Feld-Hell versions have a plate that covers the connector and inserts a pin into the center switch-contact of the connector.

The 12-pin connector of the Feld-Hell electronics box
 

It appears that the connector was eliminated some time during 1944. This probably reflects the fact that raw materials became increasingly scarce as the war progressed. Also, the majority of field operations may not have required the interfaces that are provided by the connector. Some of the 1944/45 machines only had a single paper tape cassette installed, and no mounting hardware for the second tray.

There is a toggle switch on top of the electronics box. It is labeled "Sammler – Netzgleichrichter": "accumulator/battery – mains transformer-rectifier unit". In the "Netzgleichrichter" position, a 5 Ω resistor is placed in series with the 12 Vdc power input when the main switch is in the "Bereit" position. This is to support an older model Feld-Hell-specific external power supply that had poor voltage regulation. According to the 1941 Feld-Hell manual (line item 44), "newer" Feld-Hell versions do not have this switch. I have not yet been able to confirm this.

The "Sammler - Netgleichrichter" switch on my 1938 Feld-Hell
 

Language. Legends around the switches and connectors. Attached with screws. the language of the switch-legends on the Electronics box, and the color of the various units. Obviously the primary language is German, but some legends were replaced with tags in the language of the occupied country where the machine was used. However, this replacement may have been done post-war, as machines continued to be used by the radio corps of the reassembled local armed forces. or "Telescrittore SH". Specifically made for the Italian "market, as the inscriptions in the bakelite connector block are also in Italian..

"telescrittore campale Siemens - Hell"

Aus - Bereit - Ein <==> escl. - pronto - inc. (escluso / incluso)

Verstärkung <==> amplif. (amplificazione)
Tonseib 900 <==> filtro 900
Ohne / Mit <==> escl. / incl. (escluso / incluso)

La Lb/E <==> same
Emfänger <==> ricev. (ricevitore)
Mithören <==> ascolto

If you own, or have access to a Feld-Hell machine with other markings on the Electronics Box, please feel free to send me photos and info. You can contact me here.

MARKINGS ON THE MOTOR-GENERATOR

All Motor-Generators have a plaque on the front. Some also have one on the back.

Label on the front (L) and back (R) of the Feld-Hell Motor-Generator

All front plaques provide the same parameters:

	the designator "G | Mot-EU". "G" stands for "Generator" and "Mot" for Motor. "EU" stands for "Einankerumformer". That is, a "single-rotor converter": the windings of the motor and of the generator of this DC-DC converter are wound on the same rotor.
	serial number
	year of manufacture
	motor voltage / generator output voltage: 12/180 V. Note that, per the 1941 manual (ref. 14), the nominal generator voltage is 165 V with max 15 mA (i.e., 2.5 W)
	4,5/0,025 A. Per the 1941 manual, the average total current drawn by a  Feld-Hell set is 2.5 A (Motor-Generator plus  tube heater filaments)
	"mech 5 W" = mechanical dissipation/power. note: 25 mA x 180 V = 4.5 W. Note that the 1941 Feld-Hell manual (line item 93) states that the mechanical dissipation is 4 W.
	"3600 U/min", the nominal rpm.
	manufacturer's marking: none (exception: one with colored Mende logo; unknown if has S&H plaque on back)

Colored Mende-logo above front plate of a 1941 Feld-Hell motor-generator

(note: no serial number or year of manufacturing on the plate!)

The rear plaque, if present, shows the following:

	manufacturer: Siemens-Halske
	equipment type: "T typ 58" is the Siemens-Halske designator for the complete Feld-Hell set. "Tz. 187" is "Teilzeichnung 187", i.e., "detail drawing 187".
	serial number

Note that in the photo above, the front and rear plaque of the same (!) Motor-Generator have a different serial number. I have no explanation for this.

Consistency of S/N and year between electronics boxes and M-Gs?

Some machines (still?) have an MG and eBox with the same serial number; however, their plates may indicate a year of manufacturing that is as much as two years apart. Some MGs have a second serial number on the rear plate, usually a very high number (over 10 thousand), which may match up with the serial number on the rear plate of the base unit.

If you own, or have access to a Feld-Hell machine with other markings on the Motor-Generator, please feel free to send me photos and info. You can contact me here.

MARKINGS ON THE BASE-UNIT

"Unterteil" = "base unit = gearbox + paper trays. It is the base for the M-G and the keyboard + character-drum.

Some have plaque on the front (very few units), some on the back, some on both (TBC), most have neither.

The plaque on the front of the unit is located on the spring-loaded lid of that covers the paper trays.

	drawing number reference
	serial number
	year

Dwg #, w.g., T Bs/24a-32: "T.Bs." =  “Typen-Bildschreiber” (not "Teilbeschreibung" / detail description.

1940

Label on the front of the Feld-Hell "Unterteil"

All plaques on the back of the unit carry the name of the manufacturer, Siemens & Halske, and three fields:

	Type
	Nr.

The first field ("Type")  T.typ.58Tz.28, or 11 T.typ.58 Tz.28, or T.typ.58 Tz. 206, or T.typ.58. Tz. 170

The third field is either empty, or contains the year of manufacturing, or further indication (i.e., in addition to drawing number in the first field) of the drawing number, e.g., T.Sk.4205/2 or 11 T.Sk.4205/2,

Label on the back of the Feld-Hell "Unterteil"

"Tz." = "Teilzeichnung" = detail drawing

"T.Sk." = "Teilskizze" = detail sketch (TBC)

Consistency of S/N and year between electronics boxes and MGs in database?

If you own, or have access to a Feld-Hell machine with other markings on the base-unit, please feel free to send me photos and info. You can contact me here.

MARKINGS ON THE CARRYING CASE:

The Feld-Hell machine is normally kept in a backpack carrying case ("Tornister"). When operating the set, the base-unit is partially pulled out to make the keyboard fully accessible.

The lid of the carrying case has a similar designator. Multiple languages?

"Tornister" carrying case: type designator, WaA, S/N. Probably fewer lids then surviving carrying cases.

	Designator on the front of the lid,
	Serial number on inside of lid,
	Serial number / asset number on top of the case (possibly  non-standard).

If you own, or have access to a Feld-Hell machine with other markings on the lid, please feel free to send me photos and info. You can contact me here.

Equipment designator on the lid of the Feld-Hell carrying case

Markings on the inside of the lid of the Feld-Hell carrying case

Asset number tags on the Feld-Hell carrying case

WAFFENAMT STAMPS

The term "Deutsche Wehrmacht" (or "Wehrmacht" for short) refers to the combined armed forces of Germany during the period 1935-1946. To be more precise (ref. 12):

	The 6 March 1919 "Law of the Creation of the Provisional Reichswehr“ ("Gesetz über die Bildung einer vorläufigen Reichswehr") dissolves the "Heer", and forms a Provisional “Reichswehr”, to protect the national borders, and to maintain law and order.
	Per §1 of the "Wehrgesetz" (defence law) of 23 march 1921, the "Reichswehr" consists of the “Reichsheer” (Army) and the "Reichsmarine" (Navy). It also abolishes conscription (compulsory military service).
	Per § 2 of the "Wehrgesetz" of 12 May 1935, the Wehrmacht consists of the “Heer”, “Kriegsmarine”, and “Luftwaffe”; § 1 of that law reintroduces conscription.
	The Wehrmacht surrendered unconditionally on 8 May 1945. However, some units (e.g., in Norway, and forces used for police activities under Allied command) remained active until the end of August 1945. The Wehrmacht was officially abolished a year later, 20 August 1946, by “Kontrollratsgesetz No. 34” of the Allied Control Council.

The Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht had a special agency, the Heereswaffenamt: the Army Ordnance Office (cf. ref. 1, 2, 3, 15). Its main responsibilities included the research & development, specification, testing, industrialization (procurement, logistics), and acceptance of weaponry, ammunition, and equipment ("Waffen", "Munition", "Gerät"), as well as the assessment of enemy weaponry. Ref. 1, 2. The office was dissolved at the end of April 1945. Heereswaffenamt is usually abbreviated to He.Wa.A, HWA, WaA, Wa. A, or Wa.A. The predecessor of the Waffenamt was the Waffen- und Munitionsbeschaffungsamt.

All weaponry, ammunition, and equipment delivered to Wehrmacht was subject to pre-delivery testing, inspection and acceptance. For communications equipment, this went down to the level modules and subassemblies ("Baugruppen") that were field-replaceable. These activities were the responsibility of the Heeresabnahmewesen, the Army Acceptance Organization. Acceptance inspections were performed according to "Abnahmebedingungen" (acceptance conditions), prepared by the respective "Waffenprüfämter" (e.g., WaPrüf 7 for telecommuniations equipment), the weapons test departments, or by the combined "Acceptance", "Chief Engineer", and "Development & Test" sections (cf. p. 20 in ref 1). Inspections were either performed on each individual item, or on samples.

The organizational structure of the Heereswaffenamt was adapted over time (cf. section "B. Gliederung" in ref. 1, ref. 15), evolving with pre-war rearmament, sustenance of the war, and Wehrmacht politics. Through the early phases of the war, the procurement, testing, and acceptance organizations where hierarchically below  the Chef-Ingenieur (WaChefIng, Chief Engineer, responsible for state-of-the-art designs and manufacturing). Later on, the latter was placed at the same level as those organizations. Army telecommunications equipment ("Nachrichtenmittel") were handled by the "Waffen und Gerät" (W.u.G.) office. A final reorganization attempt was made in February of 1945, when the Amt was already being dispersed from Berlin to northern and southern Germany. The Heereswaffenamt was supposed to be changed into Wehrmacht-Waffenamt. This only took effect on paper, though the Amt now actually did report to the Chef der Heeresrüstung rather than the Oberbefehlshabers des Ersatzheeres. The dissolution of the Wehrmacht-Waffenamt took place over the period April 27 - May 2, 1945, on orders of the Chef der Wehrmachtrüstung. Ref. 18.

Position of the Heeresabnahmewesen within the structure of the Heereswaffenamt
 

The Abnahmewesen comprised several hundred Heeresabnahmestellen (army acceptance / inspection stations, ordnance detachments) throughout the Reich. They were organized into:

	supervisory offices ("Inspizienten") in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad), Breslau, Berlin, Dresden, Hannover, Erfurt, Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Münster, Stuttgart, Spandau, Wien (Vienna), Radom (100 km south of Warsaw/Poland), Prague, and Brussels.
	regional offices ("Bezirke")
	units ("Kommandos") in Italy, Norway, Ukraine, and the Balkan.

The Abnahmestellen were typically inspection stations that each covered multiple equipment suppliers and factories. They were often co-located with the factory of a major manufacturer, but not staffed by employees of that manufacturer. Note that the acceptance identification number does not represent an individual inspector, nor a specific inspection station. It belongs to a particular chief inspector, and all of his subordinate inspectors used the same number. If he moved to a different location, then the number moved with him. Ref. 17.

Over the years, the Abnahmewesen of the army had mushroomed to an estimated staff of over 25000 individuals. Ca. 1942/1943 it was decided to change the acceptance process, and release a significant part of the acceptance/inspection staff for frontline duty. This reorganization was based on transferring the authority and responsibility for the acceptance of Wehrmacht goods to qualified personnel at the supplier companies. This is referred to as Betriebsabnahme (BA, ref. 8). With this process, it was the individual inspector who had an identification number, rather than the Abnahmestelle. Hence, a BA acceptance stamp (typically placed in an octagon) could have an inspector number with as many as five digits. Telefunken/Berlin appears to have used a variation on the BA scheme, by using the marking "W.ab" or "W. Ab." - but without an inspector number. W.ab presumably stands for Werksabnahme, which basically means the same as Betriebsabnahme.

The Reichskommissariat für die Luftfahrt (the Reich’s Aviation Commissariat) was created in  February of 1933. Two months later, it was changed into the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM, ref. 15), the German Air Ministry. The official (and short-lived) purpose of the RLM was planning and development of civil aviation. The following month, the RLM was expanded with the Luftschutzamt (the Aerial Defence Dept.), and grew in importance and influence. In 1935, the Abteilung Flugtechnik (the Aeronautical Dept.) of the Heereswaffenamt was transferred to the RLM. Hence, the RLM had its own acceptance organization, the "BAL", subordinate to the Technisches Amt of the RLM.  According to Luftwaffe service regulations, this stands for Bauaufsichten des Reichsluftfahrtministerium (the Administration for the Supervision of Construction, ref. 8, 13), in short "Baufaufsicht Luft". Some literature states that B.A.L. stands for Bauaufsichten der Luftwaffe, Bauaufsichts-Leitung, "Beschaffungs-Amt für die Luftwaffe" (air force procurement agency), or "Bauleitung der Luftwaffe". The latter was actually a civil organization for the  construction of Luftwaffe infrastructure such as airfields, and radar installations.

In principle, all items (Waffen, Munition, Gerät - weapons, ammunition, equipment) accepted by the Wehrmacht received an Abnahmestempel (acceptance stamp) or a Prüfstempel (inspection/test stamp). Hence, this also applied to communications equipment, such as radios, modules and sub-assemblies (Baugruppen), tubes and other components, and accessories. The Abnahmestempel is either a Waffenamt, BAL, or BA stamp - in each case with the number of the Abnahmestelle. Hence, the Hell Feldfernschreiber also bears acceptance stamps. In principle, an acceptance stamp is placed on all of its field-replaceable units: the Motor-Generator, the Amplifier & Interconnect Unit (the electronics box), the printer box, the base unit (gear box and paper trays), the Keyboard/Character Drum unit, and the tubes (valves). Usually the carrying case (Tornister) and the accessories box also have an acceptance stamp.

Note that scrupulous traders sometimes add bogus acceptance stamps to equipment, in an attempt to increase their market value.

The Waffenamt ink stamps consist of the standard eagle-above-swastika symbol, the abbreviation "Wa. A." (or WaA, Wa.A.), and the identification number of the chief-inspector.

One of several Wa. A. 577 Waffenamt Abnahmestempel on my Hell Feldfernschreiber
 

 Wa.A. 548 stamp on the motor-generator of a Feld-Hell machine

 Wa.A. 548 stamp on the printer of a Feld-Hell machine

 Wa.A. 448 stamp on the motor-generator of a Feld-Hell machine

 Wa.A. 38 stamp on a Feld-Hell electronics box made by Mende

 Wa. A. 38 stamps on a Hell Feldfernschreiber accessories box
 

 Wa. A. 130 stamp on the inside of the lid of a Feld-Hell carrying case

 Wa. A. 130 stamp on the inside of the lid of a Feld-Hell carrying case

 Wa.A. 584 stamp on the inside of the lid of a Feld-Hell carrying case

The BAL stamp comprises the abbreviation  "BAL" and a number. Both are usually placed inside an octagon, but sometimes inside a  circle. The appendix of ref. 8 (pp. 31-35) provides the specifications for BAL steel marking punches (for weapons), rubber stamps, lead seal presses, branding irons, documents stamps (rubber, and embossing), and accredited inspectors.

Specification for BAL-inspector stamps (top: marking punch, bottom: rubber stamp)

(source: p. 33 of ref. 8)

                 
"BAL 391" stamp on the printer and electronics box of a Feld-Hell machine

"BAL 391" stamp on the motor-generator of a Feld-Hell machine

Faint "BAL 767" stamp on 12-pin connector of a Feld-Hell electronics box

The round connector at the lower right-hand corner of the amplifier box mates with a plug that has 11 signal pins and a keyed center pin. The connector and plug are actually borrowed from the Luftwaffe. They carry an Fl-number (Fl. 32620-1 for the "Steckerdose" socket and -2 for the "12-pol. Stecker" plug). So it is not surprising to find a BAL acceptance stamp on the connector. This implies that the connectors were accepted prior to installation in the amplifier box, and acceptance of the latter.

The full listings of the WaA numbers and their identifiers were lost during bombing raids in 1944 and 1945 (as was the majority of other Wa records). Listings available today, are typically incomplete , often inconsistent, and only covers weaponry and ammunition. However, ref. 17 contains a reconstructed listing for communications equipment.

So far, I have observed the following acceptance stamps on Hell Feldfernschreiber sets, carrying case, and accessories:

	WaA 38 was used on goods from a large variety of  companies such as Radio H. Mende & Co. G.m.b.H. (ref. 15), Sachsenwerk in Niedersedlitz and in Radeberg (electronic components, radar and radio equipment such as 10 W.S.c. and UkwE.e, e.g. for AEG/Berlin), Metall- und Holzwarenfabrikation Vereinigte Eschebach'sche Werke AG (furniture, enclosures for radio equipment), Alfred Luscher Accumulatoren Fabrik (ref. 9), Stahn & Co. (Feldfernsprecher = field telephones), and Max G. Müller, Fabrik für Lederwaren und Heeresbedarf, in Nürnberg (Max M. Müller, Leather Goods and Army Necessities Factory, Nuremberg). WaA 38 also appears on radio equipment, such as Torn. E. b receivers, and  5W.S.c transmitters ("5 Watt Sender").
	WaA 130. Per ref. 2, this number is associated with products from Wilep IBB Industriebürsten GmbH in Berlin-Pankow. That company also made pioneer tools.
	WaA 239. I have not yet been able to identify this number.
	BAL 391. This number is associated with Siemens-Halske in Berlin, in particular for Hell Feldfernschreiber.
	WaA 448. I have not yet been able to identify this number.
	WaA 548. I have not yet been able to identify this number.
	WaA 577. This number is associated with Siemens-Halske, probably in Erlangen. It also appears on TornFu.d2, TornFz.d2a, and Fprüf.c.
	WaA 584. This number is associated with several companies in Berlin: "Dr. Seibt AG - Spezialfabrik für Rundfunkgeräte" (radios such as 5.W.s., 5.W.S.b., 10.W.S.c.; 1910-1931: "Dr. Georg Seibt, Fabrik für elektrische und mechanische Apparate"), Baco-Apparatebau ("Wechselgleichrichter" (DC-DC converters), resistors), Varta (batteries), and Pfalzgraf (batteries).
	BAL 767. I have not yet been able to identify this number.

Location of various acceptance stamps on the Feld-Hell

If you have information on WaA 577, WaA 548, WaA 584, WaA 239, BAL 391 or BAL 767, or your Hellschreiber has acceptance stamps other than the ones discussed above (or at a different place), please feel free to send me photos and info. You can contact me here.

RV 12 P 4000 tubes used in the Feld-Hell also have Waffenamt stamps: WaA 89, 338, 617, 745, and 836. A discussion of these stamps (and other markings) is on this page.

One unusual, nonstandard marking is the "Eschebach 1941" stamp on the inside of the lid of a Feld-Hell carrying case. That same lid has a WaA 38 stamp. WaA 38 is linked to numerous companies, including Metall- und Holzwarenfabrikation Vereinigte Eschebach'sche Werke AG (VEWAG) in Dresden and Radeberg. VEWAG was started in 1867 by Carl Eschebach, as a plumbing company. The factory in Dresden was sold off in 1931. The Eschebach factory in Radeberg made all sorts of wooden and metal office furniture, kitchen and bathroom furniture and appliances, enameled and galvanized household items,  as well as enclosures for radio equipment. The latter included carrying cases and lids (Tornistergehäuse, ref. 19).

An Eschabach factory stamp and WaA 38 stamp on the inside of the lid of a Feld-Hell case

Another unusual marking is the magenta "MT 3" stamp on the base of some motor-generators; the stamp also appears on the inside (bottom, rear) of the electronics box of the same machine.

"MT 3" stamp on the base of a Feld-Hell motor-generator

	Ref. 1: "Aus der Rüstung des Dritten Reiches (Das Heereswaffenamt 1938-1945); ein authentischer Bericht des letzten Chefs des Heereswaffenamtes“, General Emil Leeb (last chief of the Heereswaffenamt), Wehrtechnische Monatshefte (Zeitschrift für Wehrtechnik, Wehrindustrie und Wehrwirtschaft, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Wehrtechnik), Beiheft 4, May 1958, 70 pp.  [62 MB !]
	Ref. 2: "Das Heereswaffenamt", Claus Espeholt, December 2009
	Ref. 3: "Das Heereswaffenamt und die KWG im "Drittem Reich" - die militärischen Forschungsbeziehungen zwischen 1918 und 1945", Burghard Ciesla, pp. 32-76 in "Gemeinschaftsforschung, Bevollmächtigte und der Wissenschafttransfer - Die Rolle der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft im System kriegsrelevanter Forschung des Nationalsozialismus", Helmut Maier (ed.), Wallstein Verlag, 2007, 613 pp., ISBN-10: 3835301829
	Ref. 4: Section II "System of Supply within Germany" and Section III "System of Supply of the Field Army" of Chaper VI "Supply, Evacuation, and Movements" in the "Handbook on German Military Forces", U. S. War Department Technical Manual TM-E 30-451, 15 March 1945; also reprinted by Louisiana State University Press, 1995, 670 pp., ISBN-10: 0807120111
	Ref. 5: "Deutsche Fertigungskennzeichen bis 1945“, Michael Heidler, Vogt-Schild Deutschland, 2007, 506 pp, ISBN/ISSN: 3-9811018-5-5; Signatur: 2000/Gesch. 777.881
	Ref. 6: "Liste der Fertigungskennzeichen für Waffen, Munition und Gerät“, Pawlas Verlag, 1977, 782 pp. Note: this publication contains listings of Army and Luftwaffe Abnahmestellen, but the associated numbers do not correspond to the numbers found on acceptance stamps.
	Ref. 7: "Forschung als Waffe - Rüstungsforschung in der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft und das Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Metallforschung 1900-1945/48" [research as a weapon], Helmut Maier,  Wallstein Verlag, 2008, 2 volumes, 1235 pp., ISBN 3835301098
	Ref. 8: "Dienstanweisung für die Bauaufsichten (BAL) des Reichsluftfahrtministeriums", Teil 1, "Aufgabengebiet", 1 August 1940 (supersedes issue of 1 April 1937), Luftwaffen Dienstvorschrift 61/1 (L. Dv. 61/1), 33 pp.; source: cdvandt.org
	Ref. 9: "Der Sammler 2B38 als Stromquelle für die mobile Funktechnik der Deutschen Wehrmacht" [battery for mobile radios of the Wehrmacht], Max Schindler, update of October 2010, 14 pp.
	Ref. 10: "Radiokatalog Band 1", by Ernst Erb, M+K Computer Verlag AG, 1st ed.,1998, 400 pp, ISBN-10: 3907007212
	Ref. 11: "Rundfunkindustrie in Dresden - Radio Mende und Funkwerk Dresden", Waldemar Ueberfuhr, March 2007, 3 pp.; Appendix 5.1 to "VEB Robotron-Meßelektronik "Otto Schön" Dresden".
	Ref. 12: "documentArchiv.de - Der historischen Dokumenten- und Quellensammlung zur deutschen Geschichte ab 1800"
	Ref. 13: "Bauaufsichts-Leitung des RLM (BAL) in Rüstungsfirmen. Monatsmeldungen 1941-1942", Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Bestand RL 3, Generalluftzeugmeister, Archivalienverzeichnis, Signatur 4376-2427
	Ref. 14: "Der Feldfernschreiber", document D 758/1 of the Oberkommando des Heeres, Heereswaffenamt, Amtsgruppe für Entwicklung und Prüfung, Berlin, 1 April 1941; this is the official original manual in German for model T typ 58 (a.k.a. model 24a-32, a1, a2, based on drawing numbers). "The Feldfernschreiber", annotated translation of "Der Feldfernschreiber" by me, Frank Dörenberg, N4SPP, update 2 May 2009.
	Ref. 15: "Die Fertigung von Nachrichtengerät bei Radio Mende 1939 - 1945", Werner Thote, Funkgeschichte, Heft 117, 1998, pp. 46-51 [incl. manufacturing info about Torn.E.b, and salary levels] ((used with kind permission from the author and the publisher: Gesellschaft der Freunde der Geschichte des Funkwesens e.V. (GFGF))
	Ref. 16: Fig. 27 (p. 67), 28 (p. 68), 30 (p. 82) in "German Research in World War II: an analysis of the conduct of research", Leslie Earl Simon, J. Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1947, 218 pp.
	Ref. 17: "Abnahmestempel auf Funkgeräten und Bauteilen" [acceptance stamps on radio equipment and components], Werner Thote, Radiobote, Jg. 5, Heft 29, Sept-Oct 2010 pp. 21-27  (used with kind permission from the author and the publisher: Gesellschaft der Freunde der Geschichte des Funkwesens e.V. (GFGF))
	Ref. 18: "Heereswaffenamt - Amtsgruppen und Abteilungen im Heereswaffenamt", Bundesarchiv Bestand 4.2.2.2.6.1.2.1,  (Bestellsignatur RH 8 I)
	Ref. 19: "Unbekannte Fertigungskennzeichen“, Werner Thote, "Radiobote", Jg. 3, Heft 16, July-August 2007, pp. 20-24  (used with kind permission from the author & the publisher: Interessengemeinschaft für historische Funk- und Radiotechnik)
	Ref. 20: "Übersicht Deutsche WaA-Herstellerstempelungen"

©2009-2011 F. Dörenberg

   top of page