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   MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard SCR-511 DISCUSSION; by Lenox Carruth, & Dennis Starks MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part II by Dennis Starks MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part III by Dennis Starks MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part IV, by Dennis Starks MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part V, by Dennis Starks POGO STICK DEBATE; Bill Howard, & Dennis Starks POGO STICK DISCUSSION; Hue Miller, and Dennis Starks SURVIVING EQUIPMENT, AND INFLUENCES ON IT; by Brian Scase ******************************************** MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard Dennis, Here is my contribution to the SCR 511 article. Bill Howard SCR 511/ BC 749* ÍPogo Stick RadioÎ My first contact with the pogo stick radio was back in 1948 or 49 when visiting a BryÌs surplus store in Asbury Park, New Jersey. They had the TG 5 Telegraph sets and the BC 746 Tuning units. Had no idea what the tuning unit was for but it had some neat parts in it. I convinced my parents to buy the TG 5 which sold at the time for $4.95 and the tuning unit for $3.95. Intrestingly enough the last time I saw a TG 5 advertised for sale was for $125.00 and the tuning units were still about $3.95!! My next contact with the set was almost 40 years later when a local wildlife rescue service/ marine outboard mechanic/ Relic collector called me up and said he had some radio stuff was I interested. I went down and looked at a Morse Code trainer with a chest of paper tapes, a coverless power supply for what turned out to be a Type 19 set, all for about $30.00 As I was about to leave, he said he had some sort of radio antenna did I want it for another $5.00. He got it down from the rafters and when I got it home, it turned out to be the BC 749. When I got home I got out my TM 11-487 and looked It up. It turned out to be the SCR 511. The radio, as first conceived was made up of the BC 749 and the T 39 Chest Unit. There was also the PE 157 Power Supply and the FT 338 mount. I then went to the three volume series on the Signal Corps in WW II to find out a little of itÌs history and background. The set was originally developed for the Horse Cavalry and by the start of WW II, Horse Cavalry had been phased out. It was designed to be carried mounted on horseback, like a Guidon* and was called the guidon Radio. It was supposed to be used by sticking the spike post into the ground and then transmitting*. The set was connected to a T 39 chest unit which housed the batteries and a microphone that came out in a sort of rubber horn. The horse was replaced by the 4 x 4 Jeep so these radios were Íre-designedÎ for use in the jeep. A special power supply unit the PE 157 was developed which mounted on the firewall of the jeep. This allowed the set to be conected to the power supply and then either a mike and headphones could be used or the telephone hand set could be used by plugging them into the PE 157. Presumably the jeep could be stopped and the set stuck in the ground or possibly the vehicle metal frame could be used as a ground. The power supply ran from a 2 volt storage battery, the BB 54 which could be recharged from the 6 or 12 volt vehicle battery. I then began the hunt for the rest of the set. I was fortunate to get the chest unit in almost brand new condition which led me to the conclusion that these were not issued in any great numbers as the firewall power supply was probably a better set up. I also picked up the PE 157 and the firewall power supply mounting base, the FT 338. Both showed a great deal of wear and tear. The radio itself, does look like a antenna with a really big loading coil. It is, however, the complete transmitter and receiver. The little plug in unit which I dismanteld for parts back in 1949 was the tuning unit. It consists of two crystals, a capacitor, a coil and several other components. These were marked with the frequency and you could also see the freq on the crystal through the window. To make it easier to change the frequency in the dark, these tuning units were marked with bumps which could be read by finger touch in the dark, sort of like braille for a blind person. The set covered 2 to 6 MC and spare tuning units were kept in a chest that came with the radio. It had a range of 5 miles and was designed for use by the signal corps, the Engineers, the Cavalry and the Infantry. These sets were made by Galvin and for the most part, my experience has been they did a lousy job of painting them. Most that I have seen had most of the paint chipped or flaked off, mute testimony to hard useage and/or a poor paint job*. Accessories that are known to be part of this set are the PE 157, the FT 338 mount, the microphone, the headset and Case CS 131, which contained spare vibrators, VB 8 and VB 9, Cord CD 618 and the spare tube kit. This is a re-tubing kit, which I was lucky to find in mint contition. The final item was the TM for the set. TM 11- 245 on this set provides a list of all the available tuning units which could be used, some of which are still available from FAIR RADIO. The TM dated July 30, 1943 lists 30 different firms as being involved in the manufacture of components for this set. Even their addresses are given. As of July 1943 there were at least two versions of this set, the SCR 511 A and the SCR 511 B and SCR 511(*) Which shows they were possibly planning for a third or fourth version*. There is a supplament to the TM which indicates that certain sets are wired differently than other sets. The SCR 511 A Sets in contract Order No. 2658-CHI-42 and with certain serial numbers are wired in one way while those with other serial numbers are wired another way. The highest serial number listed was 2436, so we can speculate that there were at least that many in the A series and probably double that number in the B Series. An interesting thing about the tuning units for these sets was discussed in an article in Electric Radio. It was called ÍIVOÌs FLEAPOWER TRANSMITTERÎ He had taken the tuning unit, removed the RF coil and added a tube socket and replaced the two crystal holders with one. With careful rewiring, it was made into a transmitter about the size of a pack and a half of cigarettes. Would fit in your coat pocket! I was inspired and built one and surprisingly it worked quite well. William L. Howard THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Ed), * BC 749 should be BC-745 * A Guide on, for you dummies, is a Flag or banner. * The SCR-511 was NEVER meant to be stuck in the ground for operation, many surviving examples will show damage from this practice. The testimony of WW-II Signals Instructor's, and field service personnel stress their dismay at their inability to get this across to their students, or troops. The physical design of the set, including it's pointed base, was to allow it's use with pre-existing horse TACK, I/E the leather guidon straps, and foot stirrup. None the less, this was done, and in part, along with it's appearance, contributed to one of the radio's nick names,"Pogo Stick". The PE-157 was indeed an attempt to update the set for use by a modern mechanized cavalry. * The lousy paint job found on components of the SCR-511 was not the fault of either the paint or the job. Rather it is the result of trying to make paint stick to Galvanized metal, an art still studied today. * It is common practice in all military equipment manuals to use (*) in the text to denote all variants of given item when the text applies to all the variants inclusive. This is usually outlined in the forward of each manual. In the next chapter of MYSTERY RADIO, the SCR-511, we will delve more into the intended purpose of the set, what it was actually used for, the long standing impact it made on history, and ask the question, What happened to them? More input is still needed as related to the set's airborne use, and postwar fate. Dennis ******************************************** SCR-511 DISCUSSION; by Lenox Carruth, & Dennis Starks Regarding Bill's excellent article on the SCR-511: Inspection of the radio shows that it is a very close relative of the BC-611. Many of the parts appear identical and the circuit is similar although several tubes were eliminated in the newer design of the BC-611. The radio was popularly known as the "Horsey-Talkie" or the "Pogo Stick." You are correct in that it was NEVER designed to be stuck in the ground. The manual is quite clear and quite repetitive about this. It was really a brilliant solution for its time to the problem of horse cavalry using a radio while mounted and even while in motion. It could be operated with one hand leaving the other hand free for horsemanship. Many people think that this radio saw little combat but this is not true. The three-volume Signal Corps history has numerous examples of this radio being used in the North African invasion (operation Torch) and in Sicily and Italy. Of course, by the time of the Normandy invasion, it had been replaced by the more convenient SCR-536 (BC-611). I recall no reference to its being used in the Pacific. Its lack of waterproofing and moisture and fungus proofing would have been disasterous in tropical climates. (Not that the BC-611 was much of an improvement in the waterproofing area!) The problem with paint flaking off is, apparently, due to the expedient of not using a primer. This is the same reason that paint flakes off of Command Sets, BC-654s, and some other WW-II equipment. They never expected it to last more than a few months much less 55 years! Much material of the time was not primed - just given a color finish coat. Lenox Carruth, Jr. carruth@swbell.net --------------------------------------------------------------- Lenox, You are quite correct in your observation of the BC-745, & BC-611 common components, and they do share a common lineage. They were both designed by Galvin, originally prior to the our entrance into WW-II. Your are also correct in regard it's multiple nick names, and extensive use during WW-II. We are only partially aware of just how extensive that use was. There is evedence that places it in use after Normandy, & in the hands of airborne troops. Your statement of "brilliant solution", also deserves merit, this "solution" would be thrown in the face of frustrated designers 20 years later. You are however incorrect in regard MFP preparations, & use in the Pacific, it's use in this theater too was extensive. Non-MFP'd BC-611's & BC-745's were in use in the Pacific, the life expectancy before the anti-fungus prep was 36 hours, after the prep was extended to 30 days. Also the Pogo Stick was not replaced by the BC-611, they were both designed, and adopted at exactly the same time, but with entirely different intended roles, and accual use. Rather than spoil the story, I'll let you hang on that one for awhile. Suffice to say, all the above will be expanded on in PART II. Paint sticking on Command sets, is more due to their aluminum construction, BC-654's on the other hand were as you say, primed and I've not noticed that affliction with any of mine. Your again correct of the life expectancy in combat of these radios, a little trivia, by 1945 the combat casualty rate of the BC-611 was 6000 a month in the ETO alone. So, as you say, why waist a nice paint job an a radio that was only expected to survive 30 days. Can we now see why there was such a huge supply of surplus after the war? Dennis *********************************************** MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part II by Dennis Starks FORWARD, The BC-745, alternately known as the SCR-511, "Guidon Radio", "Pogo Stick", and "Horsie Talkie", is one of those radios like the BC-474/SCR-288 that I like to refer to as "historically neglected". Although it saw widespread use throughout most of WW-II, and in most of the theaters of battle, many of the experts will state,"it was only really used for training". I've found that these experts often use this line when they don't know the real story, in an attempt to hide their ignorance. In this chapter on the BC-745, I will attempt to dispell the above myth, document the known origins, and history of the set up to it's entrance into WW-II. The final chapter will document the set's contributions to history, explain it's demise, and present the questions that cause it to be a MYSTERY RADIO. For a technical description of the set, see part one of this series,(Ref.#1). IN THE BEGINNING, As the story goes, shortly before WW-II, Galvin(later to become Motorola) toured Europe. He came home with the distinct impression that war was brewing, and with this in mind set to developing radio equipment that might be used in such a conflict. Out of this far-sightedness came several designs that would indeed serve this nation, and it's allies extensively. These included the BC-611, BC-745, and in a later form, the BC-1000. But this is not the beginning of our story fore Galvin, in the case of the BC-745, was just expanding on an idea that had already been realized. The idea of a Horse Cavalry Guidon radio was first manifest in the early 1930's a likeness of which can be found in Ref.#2. Here, only the antenna is carried as a guidon, the radio proper, was carried much like a saddlebag. It is possible from descriptions in Ref.#5, that early variants of the BC-745 took a similar form. By late 1935 other Horsie Talkies had been either developed or existing equipment modified for this use. The SCR-203, was specifically designed for mounted use. While it was operable when in motion, this practice was limited do to it's long, rather fragile antenna. Also it's size, and output power better qualified it for use at higher echelons. The SCR-194/195 was modified for use by the mounted scout. The radio was slung from a canvas bag on one side of the saddle horn, the battery on the other. The first field testing reports on the BC-745 where submitted by the Cavalry Board, Ft Riley Kansas, on Nov. 25, 1941, almost one year after the Signal Corps and the Cavalry had agreed on a new short-range radio. February of this same year saw the initial order of 3500 BC-611's(Ref.#5). By mid 1942, production of the BC-745 had begun, while December 1941 saw the emergency diversion of the first 300 BC-611s to the Dutch East Indies.(Ref.#6) A popular misconception is held that the BC-611 was designed/adopted to replace the BC-745. As can be seen in the preceding paragraph, this was not so, and in fact the BC-611 was in production before the BC-745. Actually, the development of the BC-611, BC-745, BC-1000, and others began about the same time. Each borne out of Galvin's pre-war trip to Europe, each having a completely different intended role in life. The BC-611 for Airborne troops, the BC-745 for the Horse Cavalry, and the BC-1000 for Infantry, as history, and this article will show, this wasn't to be. The adoption dates of the BC-611, and BC-745 are about the same. Adoption of the BC-1000, it's prototypes being AM, was held back for a couple years pending a re-design at the Signal Corps insistence to use FM. As will be seen later, the demise of the BC-745 was mainly the result of the completion, adoption, fielding, and extreme battlefield success of this new FM radio set. WHO USED IT? WHERE? AND WHEN? As we all know, by the unset of WW-II, the Horse Cavalry was all but extinct. But here was a radio set that had just gotten into production, at a great expence in both time and money. Quantities were just starting to appear in the field. But now what to do with it? The emergency had begun, industry was tooled up for it's production, and the supply channels in place. It could take over a year to re-gear for production and suport of another type. So the Guidon Set had to find a use elsewhere, it did, to it's glory, and to that of all who used it. After it had become common knowledge that this would be a mechanized war, with few applications for horses, the text books were re-written. All the period manuals, and official historic documents would change their wording to conform to the Horsie Talkie's new purpose in life. They would all now include these basic lines taken from Ref.#3,4: "Used by Signal Companies, Engineer Companies, Cavalry, Infantry: Parachute, Mountain, Amphibian, and Airborne." Indeed it would be used by all these contingents, and more. Yes even the Parachute, and Airborne! With this new lease on life came a new nick name, "Pogo Stick", derived jointly from it's physical appearance, and the method by which it was set up for operation (stuck in the ground). The later, much to the dismay of it's service, and support personnel. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com References; #1) MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.14/98 #2) Military Intelligence, a Picture History, by John Patrick Finnegan. #3) TM 11-227, Apr.1944, Radio Communications Equipment; Signal Communications Directory. #4) TM 11-487, Oct.1944, Electrical Communications Systems Equipment #5) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Emergency, by Dulany Terrett #6) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Test, by Thompson, Harris, Oakes, and Terret #7) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Outcome, by G.R. Thompson, and Dixie Harris #8) TM 11-245, Radio Set SCR-511, 30 July, 1943. #9) QST, Sept. 1944, The U.S.Army Signal Corps. #10) Post WW-II mystery manual, date and history unknown, cover missing. #11) History of the Squad Radio, by Marvin W. Curtis ECOM-4451, Nov. 1976 #12) SCR-511 DISCUSSION; by Lenox Carruth, & Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.15/98 ********************************* MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part III by Dennis Starks TRIAL IN COMBAT, As with many of the other radios that had just entered service with the U.S. Army, the Pogo Stick made it to the troops just in time to participated in the U.S.'s first major campaign. Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa in November 1942. It, along with the BC-611, 620, & 659, went ashore with the first assault waves. Naval contingents at the same time, carried their TBX's, and TBY's. Once on the beaches, they were the first radios on the air, making initial contact, providing directions for following waves, and directing Naval gun fire. In this capacity the BC-745 as with other radios that performed this function, was referred to as a "Beach Master's" radio. By all accounts, it performed most admirably. As successive waves came ashore, and the first progressed inland, so too did the BC-745. Followed up quickly by the larger more powerful sets, the SCR-284, and 288(remember this one? It too was just supposed to have been used only for "training"). The Pogo Stick was found to work so well that it was moved up in the ranks. Though originally only intended to be used no higher than at company level, it also served at the battalion level where the longer ranges required were not thought possible of the little radio. But remember, it had 10 times the output power of the BC-611, a slightly more efficient antenna system, multiple power supply options, and the added ability to drive a loud speaker(when used with the PE-157). Heres just one account: "The 18th Infantry, part of the 1st Infantry Division, used SCR-511's for it's regimental command net. The regimental commander and each battalion commander had a set, and they were never out of contact during the battle for Onan." "Other units declared that the SCR-511, though good only while it's batteries lasted, provided a very successful link between ship and shore." (Ref.#6, Capt R.W. Green, Com Officer 18th Infantry Regiment) It should be noted here, that because of the improper loading of the invasion ships, signals equipment could not be off-loaded in order of it's importance, or need. For two days(D plus 2) besides performing it's normal tactical and intra-battalion duties, the SCR-511, was the sole communications link between the above division and it's offshore support. Operation Torch was a learning experience in every avenue of warfare. Ideas, doctrine, equipment new and old, and of every type, would either fail and be discarded, pass with glory, or require a major revamp if continued in use. The SCR-511 was no exception to this test. Though it served with distinction, above and beyond it's design intent, basic flaws did surface that would eventually add to other factors to spell it's demise. The next major offensive was Sicily, here again the Pogo stick was among the first radios ashore, and on the air. Every company commander was expected to carry either it or the BC-611. It's duties were much the same as those in North Africa, but the clock had started ticking. Some of the task formerly assigned to it were being relegated to the FM portables, BC-620, and 659. But we also see a new application for the now vulnerable Pogo Stick, one where the available FM sets (the SCR-300 has not yet entered the field) could not compete in terms of range and portability. One that would keep it in service even after it was overshadowed in other applications. The Airborne! Yes, they jumped out of airplanes with these things. It must have been like riding a mechanical bull with a mouth full of toothpicks. The FM sets in the field at the time were far too heavy, and bulky for an individual solder to jump with, also they lacked the range of the BC-745, one mile as apposed to five. While they were accompanied by their little brothers, the BC-611's, it could not provide a link to higher echelon, and support units. So again, the Pogo Stick was first on the seen. Besides other data, in Ref.#9 two photos survive to illustrate the airborne use of the SCR-511. While it's true that wartime publications such as this should be highly suspect in regard to their accuracy, in this case we have supporting evidence. The first is a combat photo with the caption,"U.S. Paratroopers advancing in Sicily after landing at Gela". A Pogo Stick is sticking out of the ground, and the squad taking cover under a tree(this was not a "put up", "propaganda" photo). The second depicts an airborne signalman in full jump gear demonstrating his jump stance, he is holding the BC-745 out in front of him at almost arms length. A similar picture exist from a Free French magazine published in England just prior to "D" Day, here the soldier is described as a French Commando. An interesting point about this second photo of Ref.#9, is that the caption includes a list of the soldiers equipment as follows, "helmet, jump suite, boots, .45-cal pistol, trench knife, *machete*, M-1 rifle, 200 rounds of ammunition, bayonet, six air-ground liaison panels, and SCR-511". The M-1 rifle is actually an M1A1 carbine, concealed, folded up in a canvas jump bag. The soldier is standing in the sand, and the trees in the background look tropical. The presents of a machete, especially as this one looks like an Australian cavalry sabre, would all indicate that this was in the Pacific theater. The machete/sword, is of particular interest, these were issued as an expedient to U.S. troops do to a shortage of machetes. Both the M1A1 Carbine, and it's bayonet were introduced in the later part of the war. Also included in the soldiers inventory is a "Trench Knife", sadly though, it is not visible in the photo, as it too could have helped to place, and date the location of the photo. While the BC-745 continued to serve throughout the rest of hostilities in Europe, the appearance of the "New Baby" in the family, the SCR-300, and with the attention always drawn by a new baby, it's exploits rather than those of the Pogo Stick now filled the reports of official annals, and wartime promotional propaganda. Almost completely overshadowing the continued contributions made by the SCR-511. Or until our story continues! Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com References; #1) MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.14/98 #2) Military Intelligence, a Picture History, by John Patrick Finnegan. #3) TM 11-227, Apr.1944, Radio Communications Equipment; Signal Communications Directory. #4) TM 11-487, Oct.1944, Electrical Communications Systems Equipment #5) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Emergency, by Dulany Terrett #6) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Test, by Thompson, Harris, Oakes, and Terret #7) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Outcome, by G.R. Thompson, and Dixie Harris #8) TM 11-245, Radio Set SCR-511, 30 July, 1943. #9) QST, Sept. 1944, The U.S. Army Signal Corps. #10) Post WW-II mystery manual, date and history unknown, cover missing. #11) History of the Squad Radio, by Marvin W. Curtis ECOM-4451, Nov. 1976 #12) SCR-511 DISCUSSION; by Lenox Carruth, & Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.15/98 #13) MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part II, by Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 6/98 **************************** MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part IV, by Dennis Starks WAR IN EUROPE WINDS DOWN, Operation Overlord, the cross channel invasion of Europe begins the end of hostilities in this theater. At the same time, the saga of the Pogo Stick begins to fade. The new SCR-300 FM set had been stockpiled in preparation for this offensive, and sufficient quantities were on hand for all combatants, U.S. and Allied alike. Even though the SCR-511 was still with the troops and still fighting on, all eyes now are trained on the infantry's newest tool of war. No longer would the Pogo Stick be featured in after action reports, instead we must look deeper to find the needed references to prove it was still in service. Places like area commander's supply and logistic reports, orders for batteries, etc. Here, the BC-745 is listed many times, usually along with intense frustration on the part of area commanders do to the extreme shortages of all their "Mighty Mite" radios, and repair parts. On the other hand, reports of the Army's new "Handie Talkie" (SCR-300) now filled official and civilian reports. It success is constantly compared to existing equipment, both Army and Navy, foreign and domestic. Even the other FM portables will feel the pinch of this new kid on the block. But at least they will survive. However deserving the praise was that was given to this new little radio set, it was all blown way out of proportion. But it was good! And it would change the worlds concept of a front line tactical radio, and set the stage for ALL such equipment to this day. SERVICE IN THE PACIFIC, As the war in Europe begins to wind down, the worlds attention shifts to the problems in the Pacific. The Pogo Stick was here too. Before VE Day, or even operations Overlord and Torch. And here too it made a significant impact with it's users. Used much the same way as it had been in the North African, and European Theaters, the SCR-511 had so far been about as good a portable radio as they could get. Here, not even the Navy was exempt from it's use, in early June 1943, a hurried transfer of equipment from the Americal Division Pacific, to the Navy took place that consisted of 8ea SCR-284's installed in Jeeps, 2ea SCR-299's, and 20ea SCR-511's. What was this ergent transfer of equipment for? We can only guess. One thing is for sure, this quantity of medium and long range equipment would supply a fair sized force, and this does not include equipment that had been transferred shortly before. By the end of 1943, the SCR-300 would make it to the theater in sufficient quantities to start making it's impact on operations. In a letter dated 31 July 1943, from Brig.Gen. Ankenbrandt, Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Army Pacific, to Brig.Gen. Lanahan, Chief Signal Officer Allied Expeditionary Force Europe, Speaking of the SCR-511: "We received a report through Navy channels that this type set is no longer in production and is being replaced by the SCR-300", "If such is the case, I would like to render a protest right now, because VHF sets (such as the SCR-300) do not work well in dense jungle operations and a set of the portability, frequency range, and power of the 511 is definitely required for this type operation." (Ref.#7) But we know the Pogo Stick remained in service long after this if by no other evedence than it's manuals which are dated July 1943, order dates on surviving equipment of 1943(there could be a years difference from the order date to the delivery date), and MFP(anti fungus preparation) stamps dating into late 1944. We know also that at least to some extent, the radio survived to be used after the war as will be seen later. DOWNFALL OF THE HORSIE TALKIE, Regardless of the sentiment of it's using troops, several factors combined to contribute to the death of this odd but heroic little radio. It had served under the most adverse of conditions, in capacities it had never been designed to undertake, but it had served well. It's time had just come, through no fault of it's own, but it is easy to see why. First was it's distinctive silhouette, and high physical profile. This from reports submitted from the campaign in Northern Italy: "carrying the SCR-511 bestowed a special hazard, for [the Germans keep a sharp lookout for radio antennas and shell every one they see]"(Ref.#7) But this was not the first experience with this problem. In North Africa, even users of the relatively low profiled BC-620 and 659 had to adopt extraordinary measures to keep from falling prey to this practice. Forward observation post, and beach parties had to dismount the transceiver from it's normal position atop it's battery box. They then tethered the two together end to end, and would drag them through the sand with a rope. But with the BC-745 there was no simple answer, the operator was required to expose himself to enemy fire to simply transmit, as it's PTT switch was located high up on the radio, and there was no provision for remote control. Second, the general demise of HF/AM as used for short range communications, combined with the extreme frequency congestion, and interference. You must realize the multiple thousands of frequencies are required for the offensive operations of any army. Multiple contingents of each the Navy, Artillery, Armor, Aircraft, Infantry, Airborne, Engineers, Support, etc, all must compete for limited frequency spectrum. Then when we consider a multi-national force, it's hard to comprehend the extent of their difficulties. VHF/FM reduced this problem both by expanding the frequency spectrum, and by virtue of the Capture Effect inherent with FM. The latter reduced interference, and allowed units to share frequencies with little ill effect. Whatever advantages HF/AM had, whether in the jungles or on the beach, they were rendered impotent in light of the above. Many other similar radios developed before, during, and after WW-II would suffer the same fate for the same reasons. Third, the fragile war-industry machine back home, and the fact that the maker of the BC-745, was also the parent company of the BC-611, and the SCR-300 which had stolen the lime light. It would be near impossible for this relatively small company and it's contractors to keep up production of all these radio sets. Also the immensely complicated logistics problems associated with the support of any item of combat equipment in the field would be greatly simplified by eliminating the SCR-511, which could be supplanted in most if not all applications by other equipment still in the system. To name just a few, the BC-1000, 620, or 659 could replace it in it's short range roles, and the SCR-694 was now available, which could better serve when longer ranges where necessary as required by Airborne, Mountain troops, or Battalion and above command levels. But the Pogo Stick had left it's mark. Twenty years later, design engineers feverishly trying to develop a new squad radio would have it thrown in their face's by impatient "old school" commanders that still had the old Guidon Set fresh in their minds. (Ref.#11) So the next time someone tells you "the BC-745 was only used in training," you can tell them with total confidence, "Your full of shit!" Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com References; #1) MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.14/98 #2) Military Intelligence, a Picture History, by John Patrick Finnegan. #3) TM 11-227, Apr.1944, Radio Communications Equipment; Signal Communications Directory. #4) TM 11-487, Oct.1944, Electrical Communications Systems Equipment #5) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Emergency, by Dulany Terrett #6) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Test, by Thompson, Harris, Oakes, and Terret #7) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Outcome, by G.R. Thompson, and Dixie Harris #8) TM 11-245, Radio Set SCR-511, 30 July, 1943. #9) QST, Sept. 1944, The U.S. Army Signal Corps. #10) Post WW-II mystery manual, date and history unknown, cover missing. #11) History of the Squad Radio, by Marvin W. Curtis ECOM-4451, Nov. 1976 #12) SCR-511 DISCUSSION; by Lenox Carruth, & Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.15/98 #13) MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part II, by Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 6/98 #14) MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part III, by Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 7/98 ***************************** MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part V, by Dennis Starks THE MYSTERY, With all the information that has been presented on this radio in the previous four chapters, you might now be wondering, what's the Mystery? Well I have a LOT of questions. We'll start in reverse order of importance. #3). Most, if not all HF/AM voice radios that were built, regardless of their size or intended purpose, were supplied from the factory set up for operation on 3.885mc. Much the same as VHF/FM equipment for the following 30 years would be supplied on 51mc. This is the reason that the most common frequency found in the BC-611 today is 3.885mc, and for the PRC-6, PRT-4, PRR-9 etc. 51mc. The BC-745 wasn't, not only that, but it was not supplied with a standard channel module (BC-746) for that frequency. It is true that a channel module could be built up using BC-611 parts, but this does not make sense. Also, only a few of the channel/frequencies that were standard for the BC-745 were compatible with the BC-611. Here we have two radios that were always used in conjunction with each other, and in some applications, interchangeable in their use, so why? #2) As can be seen in all the available historic documents and photos, the BC-745 was most often used with the T-39 chest unit for portable operation. Of the items of rare equipment today, this T-39 is of the rarest. Only a handful are known to exist. The radio set had the added ability to be used with the PE-157 vibrator supply for vehicular, semi-fixed, or semi-portable operation. The PE-157 used the very common BA-54 2 volt wet cell battery. The mystery? PE-157's today are relatively common, far more so that what the radios themselves are. But this is in total contrast to virtually ALL other surviving equipment, of every type, be it Signal Corps, Navy, ground or airborne, where the power supplies are much rarer than their companion radios. Why so many power supplies, and so few radios? #1) And the biggest mystery, what happened to the Pogo Stick after the war that would account for it's extreme rarity today??? Only very few could be found on the surplus market boom of the postwar years, and fewer still would make it into the hands of MARS members. The normal explanations do not apply! Normally the smaller radios that were built in higher quantities, used at the lower echelons are the ones most common today. There are more BC-611's than BC-284's, or BC-1306's. There are more TBY's than there are TBX's. There are more PRC-6's than PRC-10's or GRC-9's. More SCR-274's, TCS's than BC-375's, TCK's. And more PRC-25's than VRC-12's, the list goes on. The BC-745 was also a low man on the Totem Pole, built in relatively large quantities. To illustrate this chain of command as it applies to quantity of radios, refer to Ref.#15 and the list of equipment transferred from the Army to the Navy: 2ea SCR-299's, 8ea SCR-284's, 20ea SCR-511's. This equipment was obviously acquired for the express purpose of outfitting a particular fighting force, including spares. Note that there are ten times the radios used at the lowest echelon(SCR-511), as compared to those at the highest(SCR-299). An additional note, though unrelated to the current topic. We can surmise that the above force was most likely of fair size having at least 10 companies, and 4 Battalions. As I am not familiar with troop count versus command sizes of this period, and they differed between Army and Marines, I can't speculate on just how large this force was. But it would be interesting if one of you historians out there could extrapolate this force size, and the date this equipment was transferred, to come up with the possible campaign all were involved in. It could possibly have been a joint Army/Marine/Navy one requiring some compatibility in equipment. There is the viable argument that radios that were not in production at the wars end are harder to find today than those that were. This is true, but these examples can be found, it's just a little "harder". Other radio sets that didn't survive production until wars end, yet are relatively common today include: TBY, TBX(2-7), BC-222, 322, 223, 654, etc. Of these the BC-654 is the best example as none were built after the introduction of the BC-1306, it's decline began about the same time as the SCR-511, yet it also remained in widespread use till the wars end, exactly as the story goes for the BC-745 and BC-1000. If logic were used, the BC-654 should be rarer than the BC-745 as it was a higher echelon radio, thus fewer were fielded. But it's not, and for some reason, logic does not apply here! To compound the mystery is a manual that I have in my library(Ref.10). Sadly, the cover is missing so we can not properly date it, or confirm it's origin. But it was printed sometime between 1947 and 1950, most likely by one of the Signal Schools. It contains descriptions, condensed operating, and installation procedures, and some excellent pictures, of all the common radio equipment in use at the time. What makes the manual significant is that among other radios it covers, the following are included: SCR-506, GRC-9, SCR-536, SCR-511, and SCR-619. NOTE, there is no SCR-694, or SCR-284! Most significant is that this manual includes the GRC-9, and not the SCR-694/BC-1306, the later being a viable radio long after WW-II. And although design of the GRC-9 began before the end of WW-II, the earliest known examples are dated 1949, and government printed manuals long after this. Also the SCR-619 appeared VERY late in the war, and there is much speculation as to whether or not it ever saw service. Then in the company of all this confusion is the Pogo Stick. What's it doing here?? Obviously well after WW-II!! Did the BC-745 survive WW-II in sufficient quantities to go on and serve in the Korean War as many others did? Then these quantities used up? If this is the case, we will probably never know for sure. As this is the most neglected period of history in the entire history of this country, to our great shame! Did the U.S. give away all the remaining sets as postwar lend lease to an ally as was the fate of many MANY thousands of other radio sets? If this is so, it was not to NATO, as all these examples have turned up on surplus markets in the last 15-20 years. The post Korean War years saw many more thousands of U.S. WW-II vintage radios diverted to Southeast Asia, and the French. But the SCR-511 was not among them. The commonality, rarity, or fate of any item of radio equipment can almost always be explained one way or another, but this is not the case with the Pogo Stick! To my mind, a hero has passed without proper acknowledgement, and this bothers me! Perhaps this series of articles will bring some more information to light. I sincerely hope so. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com I don't remember which radio was to be next featured as a MYSTERY RADIO, so you all pick one. #10) Post WW-II mystery manual, date and history unknown, cover missing. #15) MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part IV, by Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 9/98 **************************** POGO STICK DEBATE; Bill Howard, & Dennis Starks Dennis, Have read each segment as it came along but just printed out all 10 pages and re-read them. I have some thoughts on your questions in last part. The radio is made of metal hence has stood up well despite hard useage. The chest unit however is made of bakelite/fibreboard(?) composition material with a rubber horn sticking out. I assume that with some hard useage, such as a belly flop during incoming artillery, the chest unit was damaged. If it survived the war, the rubber probably was in such bad shape that the entire unit was sent to the dump. For a HAM trying to make use of the set, the power supply was more practical than the chest set.. The chest unit, while it makes a nice publicity photo probably did not get as much use as the jeep mounted power supply. The radio is not a "neat little thing" as was the BC 611. I can visualize HAMs of the late 40s and 50 trying to make use of the BC 611 but not the the pogo stick set. It is just too cumbersome to dragging around. Even the BC 1000 was easier to take to a field day.. I can remember looking at a 1948 (?) ARRL Handbook which had the plans for building a Handi talkie that looked like the BC 611 but used 955 tubes (2 I think) I mention this to show the mentality of HAMs in 1948/50s. Your mystery manual sounds like it may have been a commo class text book for the Armor School or Possibly the Artillery School. Think all the radios that you mentioned were used by Armor or Cavalry units while the ones not mentioned were infantry radios and were probably covered in a similar book put out by Fort Benning. Are there any markings like ST on any of the pages? Stands for Special Text, generally associated with student hand out texts. I think there is a spare parts chest which housed the extra tuning units, spare tubes, manuals, etc. Have you ever seen one of these? I would like to find one, with or with out contents. I suspect there are others who want them in addition to me. THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 --------------------------------------------------------------- Bill, Your thoughts on the T-39 chest unit do have some merit, and would account for the disappearance of some units. Not all of them! While it is true that the chest unit was made of some relatively mild materials, this did not hinder the survival of other sets that were made in even far fewer quantities. Like the MAB(Bakelite), DAV(plywood), RBZ(phenolic and plastic). It's also true that the rubber horn/mic piece did not weather time very well, about 2/3rds of the surviving examples do not have the horn, or it has deteriorated. Also, the U.S. Government does not send ANYTHING to the dump, they auction it off. Go to an auction some time, you'll find mountains of bold tires, bad batteries, spent ink cartridges, what do you think they do with all those crushed, torched, or ground up radios? They auction them off. Things have not changed in 50 years. Regard the chest unit being less desirable than the PE-157 power supply by the troops. NOT! ALL the official, and non-official documents stress the use of the chest set, and this only makes sense. Need I recap? "Other units declared that the SCR-511, though good only while it's BATTERIES lasted, provided a very successful link between ship and shore." (Ref.#6, Capt R.W. Green, Com Officer 18th Infantry Regiment) "a set of the portability, frequency range, and power of the 511 is definitely required" You think I make this shit up? I didn't write this stuff, those Army Officers did who had first hand experience with the radio set! Read the damn references for yourself, that's why I list them all. One of the primary advantages of the Pogo Stick was it's portability, in fact, this is what kept it in service. With the PE-157, this portability went to shit. Did the airborne trooper have one of these 21 pound dandies in his back pocket along with a supply of wet cell batteries to power it(5lbs each)? I think not. Where was the Jeep on the mountain top in Italy, where they couldn't even get mules to tread? While I have no doubt the PE-157 did see wide spread use, especially after Normandy as this was a more mechanized offensive, it was a luxury item, and not the primary method of operating this radio. The PE-157 is not a 6 or 12 volt power supply, it's a 2 volt power supply, and without the BA-54 wet cell, it will not operate the radio. The vehicular source is only used to charge the BA-54, which in turn has a limited life span. If you got no vehicle, you got no radio. The very same is true of the BC-728(which used the same power supply, and cabinet as the PE-157), and the Navy TBY. As for the "nice publicity photos" the T-39 supposedly provided. Virtually all the surviving WW-II vintage combat photos,( now read that very closely again,"VIRTUALLY ALL, COMBAT PHOTOS"), show the T-39 chest unit hanging either from the radio or the operator, no where is there a PE-157. I went out of my way to illustrate the difference between a propaganda photo, and one taken in combat! I/E if it had not been fact, and I had not the proof, I would not have said, or written it! The PE-157 was not more practical than the T-39 unless you had the dash of a Jeep to prop your feet up on. In short, your wrong! While the Navy traditionally has embraced the idea of wet cell batteries, and vibrator power supplies to operated there portables. The Army has on the other hand done everything to avoid them. To this degree they went from using three BA-54's in a CH-591 battery box for the portable operation of the BC-1335/SCR-619 latewar, to the use of a multi cell battery and a modified BC-1335 with a new battery box(CY-740/PRC) after the war. Was this reverse evolution? Typically, discrete dry cell batteries are more efficient than inverter power supplies. As for the Pogo Stick not being a "neat little radio" perhaps you'd prefer to get between 1 and 6 of your buddies to help you carry any but a couple of the radios that took it's place! Lets see, SCR-509 or 609(two man carry, at 50lbs), or the SCR-284(4-6 man carry at 180lbs), the SCR-694(4-5 man carry at 150lbs), SCR-300(one man carry, 24lbs), SCR-619(one man carry appox 40lbs). Or would you rather have that horrid 18 pound weight of the Pogo Stick including spares? Looks to me like it beats all the others hands down. As for Ham desirability, all the other portables were FM, a mode that had not as yet been accepted by them, and the SCR-300 would not even approach a ham band. Nor was it cheep(the primary factor in any ham's purchase) by the standard of the time, or in comparison to other surplus radios, the average cost at the time was $40.00. Neither was it available in quantities, remember, the BC-1000 was still a viable military radio for years after WW-II. Most were retained in military inventory, or shipped to allied countries up till at least 1960. The SCR-536/BC-611 is not even included in this competition because, as has been stated and proven, it neither replaced the Pogo Stick nor did it compete for available jobs, they had completely different intended purposes. As for ease of carry, I can think of no other easier way to carry anything than slung over the should, just as the soldiers rifle was. The back pack harness of the SCR-300 on the other hand was a bitch to get in and out of. In fact, it too was carried over the should whenever possible. All the failings of the BC-745 were dually noted in the article, it is not by mistake or omission that it didn't include your argument. I fail to see way you continually relate Ham desirability of the BC-745 to it's lack of availability today, as the radio disappeared from history before the Korean war. Which was also before the real surplus boom of the early 50's. As was stated also in the article: "Only very few could be found on the surplus market boom of the postwar years, and fewer still would make it into the hands of MARS members." This evidence is based on hundreds of vintage surplus radio catalogs in my library, and hundreds more adds from various vintage publications. Were the BC-745 can be found only once or twice. If the BC-745 wasn't available, then the Ham community could not possibly have influenced it's fate. To further argue the Ham desirability of any item of surplus, as it applies to todays surviving examples, this is just what that equipment did, SURVIVE! For the most part they are not the ones we have to thank for the existence of equipment today. To the contrary, if a radio was popular, or useful, it was indeed utilized, usually butchered to fit the Ham's need. Then after obsolescence either disposed of, or cannibalized for parts. Indeed many radios, and or their accessories were specifically purchased because of it's parts count and desirability. I know, I am a Ham! Those radios that did survive the hands of it's Ham owner, did so because the Ham couldn't figure out what to do with it, or lacked the time or expertise to make use of it. While it is no longer pertinent to our discussion, I'll comment on your reference to the 1948 QST construction article of an HT that resembles a BC-611. I have that article, as well as hundreds of others. In every case, the project in question is VHF, or UHF, and not HF. While it is most certainly true that the BC-611 had a most appealing design that captured the eye of all those that have ever seen it. The fact remains that it was an HF handheld with extremely limited range, even less than that speculated to by it's designers. From all the personal accounts of those who used it, it was pretty much worthless. The most favorable response I have ever received from a veteran that used it was, "it was good for talking from the bottom of the hill to the top", and believe me, I have talked to thousands of veterans on the subject of their radios. I could elaborate on the wheres and whys of the origins of the radios in our collections today, but it is not within the subject mater of discussion, and already I've strayed too far. I agree with your assessment of my mystery manual being produced as a text for training. But not necessarily for an Armor or Artillery school. I only listed the radios included in the manual that would illustrate it's postwar origin and the presence of the SCR-511. The list is as follows: SCR-506 SCR-499 SCR-510 VRC-3 GRC-9 SCR-211 SCR-609 SCR-619 SCR-536 SCR-508 SCR-610 SCR-511 SCR-528 SCR-628 SCR-399 SCR-509 SCR-300 and a host of wire line equipment, training films, film strips, Parts Lists, Field Manuals, and Technical Manuals. As can be seen, it does not discriminate between Infantry, Armor, or Artillery sets. It list all the front line tactical radios of it's day, of those listed three are either postwar, or extreme late war. Also there is no ST or anything like that remaining on any of part of it. I ask you, does this, or does this not indicate the existance of the SCR-511 in army inventory, and use, after WW-II? If it does, that was my point. Sorry you didn't get it. While I'd love to have this manual reproduced for general distribution, it's of an oddbal size, 9 x 13 inches which has defied attempts to copy it. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com *********************************** POGO STICK DISCUSSION; Hue Miller, and Dennis Starks dennis, i just mention this: years ago, maybe 20, i was talking to some guy who told me about different equipment going overseas to foreign militaries. i don't know if he was full of horseshit or not, may well have been, most likely so, but i mention this just in case..... we were discussing G & G's SCR-583, and he said they went to the Mexican army. told me a lot of gear went to Yugoslavia ( and i last year heard from a Bosnian refugee who said he owned a BC-348 and R-390 both from a surplus store in ( former ) Yugoslavia. ( gear now in bombed out house in Sarajevo ). this same person also told me that the Pogo sticks had been sent to Africa and i think he said the Congo, this in the 60s, or even 70s, definitely not earlier than the 60s. does this sound too much like horseshit? hue ----------------------------------------------------------- Hue No it don't sound like horse shit to me, especially as a similar story has been found to be true too many times in the past. I do not discount rumors until I can either prove them wrong or find out another reason. But then I don't use them as source material ether. The distinct possibility of the Pogo Sticks being shipped overseas, is exactly that, possible, and this is why it was included in the parting comments of the article. I can tell of numerous similar stories, here's a couple. Though the BC-1000's and BC-728's were available after the war, never in significant quantity. By the early-mid 50's all had dried up on the surplus market completely, and by the late 60's they became collectable, between 1970 to about 1990 they became highly sought after collectors items. Then over a thousand BC-1000's were re-imported into the country via surplus NATO stocks, then most if the collector crave was satisfied. The BC-728's came back from Italy in the late 70's. GRC-9's from Europe in the early-mid 80's. The same is true of BC-620's, and 659's in the mid 70's. By far the largest supplier of quantities of surplus radios in the last 20 years has been Europe. While quantities have from time to time surfaced through U.S. Government channels, it's not been with any regularity. The last large batch's of radio's to come home where 1500 BC-611's mostly Greek, and an unknown(but large) quantity of PRC-6's from Israel. Other rumors of equipment going to the places you mention, and at about those times, have been circulating for some time, concerning other types as well. Though I do not think your dates, and places would fit for the Pogo Stick because it disappear either just before, or immediately after Korea. I believe this because it drops from history about this time. Also the end of Korea marked the beginning of massive lendgives to France and Southeast Asia, but the Pogo Stick did not show up here. I/E if the Pogo Stick could have possibly held out to the 60's or 70's some of them would should have previously found their way to France, Vietnam, Cambodia, Teiland, Laos etc. But they didn't. Unless a large previously unknown stock of them turned up in some depo, which has of course happened with other equipment so is not totally out of the question. BTW, the BC-348 was being cloned by Russia in the post WW-II years. Dennis ******************************* SURVIVING EQUIPMENT, AND INFLUENCES ON IT; by Brian Scace Dennis & Bill: I'd like to make a couple of observations which may or may not temper the debate a bit. Where do these radios really go before we see them? You can bet that if a peice of military gear is solid, useful, and servicable, you probably are a lot lower on the food chain than you would like to think. The following will happen to it under normal circumstances. First, the item is offered up within the Government for inter-agency transfer. If use within the government is not found, then it is offered to state and local government agencies. After that, it is offered for sale. At this point, let's talk military hardware. The good stuff that may be obsolete to us is available for other allied nations. The quantity must be worth it as well as the amount of logistical support for the item. Hence, SCR-300s might go to the Koreans along with (and this is important) the stuff to keep them in repair, but a less successful, less numerous, and less supported "equivalant" will not. The refuse is then offered for sale to arms dealers and surplus people. We end up with the few, the weird, the P.O.S. like MABS along with an understandably skewed sense of significance based on"survivability" to us at the bottom of the pond. It would be helpful for the historian to remember that HAMs are insignificant consumers of surplus radio gear compared to the armed forces of the world. As far as "the government never throwing anything out" nothing could be further from reality. We could not hope to absorb all the radio and electronic gear that has been scrapped in the last 50 years had it been made available to us. Realize that hundreds of thousands of tons of military hardware, both used in the Pacifac and unused stockpiles for the invasion of Japan, were bulldozed into the sea, buried, or burned after the war. It was not economically sound to bring it all back for collectors 30 years later. Naval ships regularly go to the breaker with ship's stores still aboard. Aircraft are scrapped with the avionics. Compare the numbers of production of a useful item that enjoyed widespread acceptance, like our SCR-300, with the estimated number of examples in collections and two things become apparant. One is the insignificance of the collector market in the overall scheme of things military (lucky for us or this junk would be worthless!). The other is the widespread fate of the vast majority of this hardware. Where is it? You're driving it or drinking out of it. Remember also that, if it was good it got used up. If it was a failure for whatever reason, it lanquished unused until disposed of, like our beloved MAB. The failures have a better chance of falling into our hands than the successes! Don't let the number of survivors dictate the significance of an item until you have considered this. Look at production figures, photos, after-action reports, narratives, and the LACK of survivors ratioed against the number made as a truer picture of success of military hardware. Brian Scase ------------------------------------------ I agree totally with most of the points you rase. One that I don't is the fate of surplus equipment on the domestic front. And it was these that affect the availability today. While what you've said is true of equipment that is on the other side of the would, it is not of that found in this country. Also I have watched several warships being towed off to meet their fate at the hands of Shick. In every case, all their electronics and weapons were first removed. Most of the other points, I think I tried to express myself, but you have done a little better job of it. Dennis **************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Hey Dennis, that series on the Pogo Stick was really good. The first time I ever saw (or even heard of) one was at last year's Military Radio Collector's Group meeting in San Luis Obispo, CA. Most of what I know about my radios (mostly 50's FM ground-pounder stuff) is what I read in the repair manuals, so it's nice to learn more about the history of something for a change. Mark J. Blair Thanks alot for the sentiment. I need it! The history of this equipment is of the utmost importance, otherwise why have it? Because it's green? Nothing wrong with 50's ground pounder stuff. Everybodies got to start some place, and thats where I started.(The Navy kept catching me on the other stuff). I did not start out with an express interest in WW-II or any other specific type of equipment, other than what I could actually use. Now look at me, a total lost cause! Dennis ******************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Special Event Reports, & War Time Photos/Films, >and the SCR-511(Pogo-Stick) which would tend to show Marine Corps use in >early WW-II. History CH had one of the WWII documentaries going and managed to get a kwik glimpse of a "Horsey Talky" stuck in the sand during a Marine landing on some Island. The only thing about some of those shows is that they have been edited from a pile of footage and whats on the screen doesn't always match the story. A friend said there were several shots of GIs carrying the radios in the documentary on the Italian campaign but I have not seen that one. Pretty darn good narrative Dennis! Have had similar things happen hauling boats, hardwood, trucks, and even radios. Going thru deepest LA in a dying VW Camper FULL of Mil BoatAnchor and realizing the Randall .45 got left home is a real workout for the adrenal gland. Couldn't stop for gas anywhere without a long down hill to pop start the thing. Poor old Westfalia was loaded shoulder deep back to front with TCS stuff including AC supply bunch of GRC-9 with pwr supplies, RBSs etc . Sure didn't want to have to walk away from the load in places where English was a second language. Ed Zeranski This is a private opinion or statement. home email: ezeran@cris.com ed) the subject of the dubious origins of printed photos and films, as they were combined with captions, and subject matter, came up during our series "Mystery Radio, the SCR-511". They can still be valuable provided they are closely inspected by multiple authorities expert in varied fields. I/E closer inspection of the other equipment in the seen might prove far more valuable than the caption. In the case of the BC-745(Pogo-Stick) we had an Airborne trooper that was supposedly in the Mediterranean, but the presents of an M1A1 carbine showed that this was late war. The identification of such things as uniforms, knives, and other ancillary equipment also help correctly determine dates, places, and services. A photo in my library of Signal Corps origin has the caption that reads "Army Signalman disembarks ship for marine assault with Walkie Talkie on his back". The photo is actually of a Marine, and the "Walkie Talkie" is a TBY! So record those History Channel shows, and use you VCR to closer inspect the goings on in each clip. ******************************************** (The preceding was a product of the"Military Collector Group Post", an international email magazine dedicated to the preservation of history and the equipment that made it. Unlimited circulation of this material is authorized so long as the proper credits to the original authors, and publisher or this group are included. For more information conserning this group contact Dennis Starks at, military-radio-guy@juno.com) ***********************************************