Technology 1920-45

The period of and between the 20^th century's world wars is absolutely abundant with fascinating and important technological developments and innovations in the chemical, electrochemical, broadcasting, electronics, aviation, medical, and other sciences and industries. Much of it is the basis for today's "modern" technology. This includes, of course, the Hellschreiber. That same period is also rife with corporate and industrial intrigue, collusion, syndication, working both sides of "the war", etc. Plenty of material for thrilling novels and movies!

On this page, I will eventually briefly highlight some of the areas, that do have a link to the Hellschreiber - however remote, circuitous or convoluted the link may be - via the companies involved or with their competition. It is well beyond the scope of this page and this website, to go into great detail, however interesting it may be. The list of references will point to further reading.

[Tube/valve - history & industry]
[Integrated tubes]
[Telecom systems & equipment, radio & electronics]
[Cartels]
[Electro-chemical industry, light metals]
[War & politics]
[Miscellaneous]

Note that there is already material about the manufacturing and components supplier companies on my Feld-Hellschreiber "Components and Construction" page.

Latest page update: September 2018

Ref. 1: tube/valve general history and industry
Ref. 1A: "Röhrenentwicklung ab 1920", pp. 218-229 in "Radios von gestern", Ernst Erb, M.u.K. Hansa, 2^nd ed. 1998, 456 pp.
Ref. 1B: "Massenproduktion im globalen Kartell - Glühlampen, Radioröhren und die Rationalisierung der Elektroindustrie bis 1945", Günther Luxbacher, Verlag für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften und der Technik, 2003, 490 pp., ISBN 978-3-928186-68-1
Ref. 1C: "Die Gegenspieler in Europa: Philips und Telefunken", in "Radiokatalog - Band 2: Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz", Ernst Erb, Verlag für Technik, 2006, 400 pages
Ref. 1D: "Röhrenhistorie 1: Zeitgeschichte - Technologie - Codierungen - Lexikon" [history of radio tubes/valves], Wolfgang Scharschmidt, 616 pp.
Ref. 1E: "Röhrenhistorie 2: Firmenportäts" [history of radio tubes/valves - companies], Wolfgang Scharschmidt, 379 pp.
Ref. 1F: "Die internationale Stellung Telefunkens" [international position of Telefunken], Carl Schapira, pp. 52-59 in: "25 Jahre Telefunken 1903 – 1928; Festschrift der Telefunken-Gesellschaft", Fritz Schröter, Ernst Zechel, Otto Nairz (editors), Berlin, 1928, 328 pp.
Ref. 1G: "Historie – Das Röhrengeschäft von Telefunken. Vertraulicher Rückblick von 1922 bis 1969", H. Maier [incl. cartel contracts between Telefunken, Philips, Loewe, Lorenz, TeKaDe, Tungsram]
Ref. 1H: "The Lieben Valve: a German "universal amplifier"", Oskar Blumtritt, 2004 IEEE Conf. on the History of Electronics CHE2004, Bletchley Park, UK, June 2004, 10 pp. [incl. discussion of the Lieben Consortium]
Ref. 1I: "The history of Tungsram 1896-1945", Karloy Jeney, History Committee of Tungsram, 1990, 282 pp. [Tungsram, Philips, INRACO/Poebus, RCA]; also excerpted as pp. 39-46 in "Röhrenhistorie Band 2. Firmenporträts", Wolfgang Scharschmidt, ISBN: 978-3-939197-29-4 , 600 pp. See note 1
Ref. 1J: "Why not Europe? Sources of economic growth - Tungsram's positioning strategies on the world market in the interwar period", Mária Hidvégi, European Science Foundation / GlobalEuroNet, Summer School 2007 Final
Ref. 1K: "Zur Entstehung der elektronischen Technologie in Deutschland und den USA. Der Beginn der Massenproduktion von Elektronenröhren 1912-1918", [Birth of the electronics industry in Germany and the USA, beginning of mass production of radio tubes], Hartmut Petzold, in "Sozialgeschichte der Technik" , Vol. 13 (1987), Nr.3, pp. 340-367 of "Geschichte und Gesellschaft - Zeitschrift für historische Sozialwissenschaft", Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht Publ.

Ref. 2: tubes-within-tubes, integrated tubes/valves, world's first integrated circuits (1929s!):
Ref. 2A: "Die neuen Mehrfachröhren" [integrated tubes/valves, the first ICs], Funk Bastler (Fachblatt des funktechnischen Vereins zu Berlin / des deutschen Radioclubs zu Berlin und des süddeutschen Radioclubs zu München), 1926, Heft 4, pp. 537-540
Ref. 2B: "Tubes within Tubes" [Loewe "Mehrachröhre"], G.C.B. Rowe, Radio News, July 1926, pp. 30-31 + September 1926 “Tubes within Tubes”, C.G.B. Rowe, Radio News, July 1926, 30-31, plus addendum from Radio News, September 1926.
Ref. 2C: "Beschreibung und Gebrauchsanweisung des Loewe Ortsempfängers mit Mehrfachröhre" [radio receiver with integrated tubes], Loewe Radiofrequenz G.m.b.H., 10 000 11. 26, 1926, 4 pp.
Ref. 2C: "Die Loewe-Dreifach-Röhre" [triple-tube], Bruno Wienecke [a personal account by the first employee of Dr. Loewe], Funkgeschichte (Gesellschaft der Freunde der Geschichte des Funkwesens e.V.), Heft 57, 1987, pp. 29-32 See note 1.
Ref. 2D: "Die Mehrfachröhre", Eugen Nesper, Walter Kunze, Fischer-Druck G.m.b.H., 1928, 99 pp.
Ref. 2E: "Die Mehrfachröhre und ihre Verwendung im Selbstbau: Vom Erfinder authorisierte Darstellung durch Dr. Funk eingerichtet", Heft 4, Rufu-Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H., 1926, 80 pp.

Ref. 3: Telecommunication systems & equipment, radio technology, electronics technology
Ref. 3A: "German World War II communications receivers; Parts I-IV" (Hellschreiber on pp. 1-3), Dick Rollema, PAØSE, CQ Magazine, 8/1980, 12/1980, 5/1981, 8/1981
Ref. 3B: "Telecommunications and Equipment in Germany during the period 1939-1945", A.C. Lynch, R.J. Halsey, R.L. Bell, J.W.H. Freebody, J.H. Combridge, W.T. Gemmel, C. Floyd, British Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee (BIOS) Surveys Report No. 29 (Final Report No. 29), His Majesty's Stationary Office, 1950, 55 pp. Source: Foundation for German communication and related technologies.
Ref. 3C: "Receiver and Transmitter Development in Germany 1920-1945", Arthur Bauer, PAØAOB, IEE Int'l Conf. on 100 Years of Radio, London, September 1994
Ref. 3D: "German WW II Radio Equipment", Dick Rollema (PA0SE), Radio Bygones, Nr. 65, June/July 2000, pp. 8-12 See note 1
Ref. 3E: "Telefunken WW II Superheterodyne Receiver E52 'Köln' – Part 1 & Part 2", Dick Rollema (PA0SE), Radio Bygones, Nr. 78, August/September 2002, pp. 14-18, Nr. 79, 10/11 2002, pp. 24-30 See note 1
Ref. 3F: "German Army Wireless Equipment - A critical survey of the mechanical and electrical features", W. Farrar, The Royal Signals Quarterly Journal (New Series), Volume 1, Nr. 2 & 3, April 1947, p. 62-66
Ref. 3G: "Contributions to the Antenna Field During World War II" [primarily microwave], L.C. Van Atta, S. Silver, Proc. of the IRE, Vol. 50, Issue 5, May 1962, pp. 692-697
Ref. 3H: "The significance of German electronic engineering in the 1930s" Arthur Bauer, PAØAOB, presented at the 2004 IEEE Conference on the History of Electronics (CHE2004), Bletchley Park, UK, June 2004.
Ref. 3I: "Maxwell, Hertz, and German Radio-Wave History", A.J. Schwab, P. Fischer, Proc. of the IEEE, Vol. 86, Issue 7, July 1998, pp. 1312-1318
Ref. 3J: "A History of Some Foundations of Modern Radio-Electronic Technology", J.H. Hammond, E.S. Purington, Proc. of the IRE, Vol. 45, Issue 9, Sept. 1957, pp. 1191-1208; also "Discussion of "A History of Some Foundations of Modern Radio-Electronic Technology", Proc. of the IRE, Vol. 47. Issue 7, July 1959, pp. 1253-1268
Ref. 3K: "The Circuit Centennial" [history of the printed circuit board, starting 1903], Ken Gilleo, Emerging Technologies (ET) Trends (e-magazine), 28 April 2003
Ref. 3L: "History of tuning" [tuning of radio circuits], K.R. Thrower, Proc. Int'l Conf. on 100 Years of Radio, 5-7 Sept. 1995, IEE Conf. Publ. No. 411, pp. 107-113
Ref. 3M: "Johann Philipp Reis, 1834 - 1874 - 1934" [inventor of the telephone, well before Bell, but could not get a patent in Germany], in "Elektrische Nachrichten-Technik (E.N.T.), Band 11, Heft 1, Jan. 1934, pp. 1-3
Ref. 3N: "Anfänge der Halbleiterforschung und -entwicklung Dargestellt an den Biographien von vier deutschen Halbleiterpionieren" [beginning of semi-conductor R&D, German pioneers], Kai Christian Handel, PhD thesis at RWTH Aachen, June 1999, 260 pp. [pdf]

Ref. 4: cartels
Ref. 4A: "Webs of Power - International Cartels and the World Economy", Kurt Rudolf Mirow, Harry Mauerer, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1982, 525 pp., ISBN 0395305365
Ref. 4B: pp. 11, 40, 208, 211, 212, 215, 219-212, 225 in "Cartels; challenge to a free world", Wendell Berge, Washington, D.C., Public Affairs Press, 1944, 266 pp.; also reprinted by Beard Books, 2000, 276 pp. The book can be previewed in full here.
Ref. 4C: pp. 289-293 in "The Worldwide History of Telecommunications" [cartels RCA, Marconi, Cable & Wireless], Anton A. Huurdeman, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002, 656 pp, ISBN 0-471-20505-2
Ref. 4D: "Innovations in the European Economy Between the Wars", Francois Caron, Paul Erker, Wolfram Fischer (eds.), Walter de Gruyter Publ., 1995, 330 pp., ISBN 3110135825. Most of his book is accessible via Google Books here.
"The extension of technical systems", Peter Temin, pp. 33-36
"Innovation and Radio Industry in Europe during the Interwar Period", Pascal Griset, pp. 37-64
"The Choice between Competition and Cooperation: Research and Development in the Electrical Industry in Germany and the Netherlands, 1920-1936", Paul Erker, pp. 231-253
Ref. 4E: "The Evolution of European Industrial Technology in the Interwar Period", John Cantwell, pp. 277-320
Ref. 4F: "Behavioral Rules in R&D Strategies: German and Dutch Electrical Equipment Enterprises between the Wars", Renato Giannetti, Mauro Lombardi, Business and Economic History, Vol. 24, no. 1, Fall 1995, pp. 206-217
Ref. 4G: "Geschlossene Gesellschaft? Die säkulare Entwicklung der Konzentration in der deutschen Elektroindustrie", Dorothea Schmidt, Prokla 113 - Zeitschrift für kritische Sozialwissenschaft, Vol. 28. nr. 4, Dec. 1998, pp. 529-556
Ref. 4H: "Transnational Corporations in Electrical Industry", Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jan. 20, 1979), pp. 103+105-106

Ref. 5: electro-chemical industry, esp. light metals
Ref. 5A: pp. 2, 39, 44, 49, 60, 140, 141, 187 in "Die elektrochemischen Werke in Bitterfeld 1914 - 1945: ein Standort der IG-Farbenindustrie AG", Dirk Hackenholz, LIT Verlag Münster, 2004, 422 pp.
Ref. 5B: "Magnesium and Its Alloys Recent Developments in Great Britain", J. L. Haughton, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol. 31, no. 8, August 1939, pp 969–971
Ref. 5C: "Magnesium castings aid Britain's industrial recovery", Partridge, G.B. , Production Engineer (Journal of the Institution of Production Engineers), Vol. 28, Issue 7, July 1949, pp. 334-349
Ref. 5D: "Chemische Fabrik Griesheim - Pioneer of Electrochemistry", Dieter Wagner, Journal of Business Chemistry, Vol. 3, Issue 2, May 2006, pp. 31-38
Ref. 5E: "Die Entwicklung der Magnesiumindustrie in Deutschland 1829-1943"", Band 3 of "Die Entwicklung des Leichtmetallausbaues im Vierjahresplan mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Zeit des großdeutschen Freiheitskampfes ab 1939", Eberhard Neukirch, Reichsamt für Wirtschaftsausbau, Fachgebiet Aluminium, Leichtmetall, Magnesium, 1943, Bundesarchiv, Bestellsignatur R 3112/150b
Ref. 5F: "Report of the Investigation of I. G. Farbenindustrie A. G.", Prepared by Division of Investigation of Cartels and External Assets, Office of Military Government, U. S. (Germany), November, 1945
Ref. 5G: "Metallersparnisse durch Keramik-Teile mit aufgebrannten Belägen" [Hescho metal-deposit inductors], pp. 109-110 in Funkschau, 16. Jg., Nr. 10/12, October/December 1943
Ref. 5H: "Historical review of the German dye cartel", pp. 3-13 in "German Dyestuff Industry", pamphlet "Miscellaneous Series No. 126" U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1924, 63 pp. (1924 price: 10 ¢, 14 ¢ w postage)
Ref. 5I: "History until 1945" and "History since 1945", respectively by Kurt Harbodt and Robert E. Brown; Chapter 1.1 and 1.2 in "Magnesium technology: metallurgy, design data, applications", Horst E. Friedrich, Barry L. Mordike (eds.), Springer Verlag, 2006, 677 pp., ISBN 3540308121 See note 1. Accessible via Google books here.
Ref. 5J: "A Note on Magnesium Alloy for Castings: The Properties and Practical Processes in the Production of Magnesium Alloy Castings with Special Reference to Elektron", E. Player, Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 1, Iss. 5, 1929, pp. 175-178

Ref. 6: war, politics
Ref. 6A: "The role of the First World War in the rise of the electronics industry", F. Nebeker, Engineering Science and Education Journal, Vol. 10, Issue 5, October, 2001, pp. 189-196
Ref. 6B: "Reich of the Black Sun" [German WW2 atom bombs], Joseph P. Farrell [pdf]
Ref. 6C: "Science, Technology and Reparations: Exploitation and Plunder in Postwar Germany", John Gimbel, Stanford Univ. Press, 1990, 280 pp., ISBN: 0804717613. Pages 14, 56-62 are here.
Ref. 6D: "Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler", Antony C. Hutton, G S G & Associates Publ., June 1976 (reprint), 162 pp., ISBN 0945001533
Ref. 6E: "Forschung als Waffe - Rüstungsforschung in der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft und das Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Metallforschung 1900-1945/48" [R&D as a weapon], Helmut Maier, Wallstein Verlag, 2007, 2 volumes, 1232 pp., ISBN 3835301098
Ref. 6F: "German Research in World War II: an analysis of the conduct of research", Leslie Earl Simon, J. Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1947, 218 pp.

Ref. 7: miscellaneous
Ref. 7A: "Helmut Hoelzer's Fully Electronic Analog Computer", James E. Tomayko, IEE Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 7, nr. 3, July-Sept. 1985, pp. 227-240 [17 MB]
Ref. 7B: pp. 82-90 in "Integrated and Modular Systems for Commercial Aviation", Frank Dörenberg, presented at UCLA “Modular Avionics” short course, February 3-7, 1997

Note 1: due to copyright reasons, this file is in a password-protected directory. Contact me if you need access for research or personal study purposes.

External links last checked: January 2016