[Milsurplus] Why No Keying Bugs - individual keying characterstics

[C Whitaker]

de WB2CPN
After WWII I was stationed with a few of the CW
operators who had operated the South Atlantic circuits
which ran between Wash, DC, and Africa during the
invasion of Africa, and later the invasion of Italy.  These
guys were definately high speed CW operators, and had
to maintain a high speed in order to be assigned to the
high speed nets.  As far as I know the Army Air Corps,
or whoever they were at the time, didn't provide bugs.
Each man had to get his own, and they weren't all by
Vibroplex.  A few were foreign made, and looked like a
small kitchen match box with paddles.  Belem, Brazil, was
a major station, as was Dakar on the other side of the
ditch.  Also, Hue, prior to and during WWII the Air Corps'
Air Communications Service (ACS)  had a CW detachment
at every Air Corps facility, and at many of the contractor-
operated training  fields.  We were all over, and there's
lots of pictures of all this.   There wasn't really that much
teletype equipment available, and it was hard to maintain.
73  Clete