[Milsurplus] Signal Corps History - The Green Books

[Ken Kinderman]

I have 2 of the 3 hard cover volumes of the US Army History of World War 2
Technical Services, The Signal Corps (the so-called “green books”). I would
be willing to give them away to the first taker, but first I am looking to
trade for one, possibly two, ART-13 calibration booklets, the ones that tuck
into the slot (with the sleeving-covered chain, if possible)?

These books are Volumes 2 and 3 in the series, covering December 7, 1941 to
July 1943 (“The Test”) and mid 1943 to 1945 (“The Outcome”). I traded away
the first volume (“The Emergency”, covering pre- December 7) for a
not-too-bad ARC-5 transmitter rack.

They are OUT OF PRINT and are no longer available from the Government
Printing Office. In fairness, I should say that all 3 volumes are now
available as CD’s from the GPO, but nothing beats thumbing through the pages
and the photos of the hard cover volumes:

- A guy up on a pole in a snowstorm in the Ardennes repairing a line

- General Sun Li-Jen (whoever he was) using an SCR-300 on the Stilwell Road
in Burma

- A guy in a hut (no rank visible) checking a BC-779 with a BC-221 at Gen.
Stilwell’s HQ in Burma

- A bunch of guys with grins, hunched on the floor building waterproof
wooden boxes at the “Processing and Packing School” in New Caledonia. (Keep
‘em busy!)

- Training in the use and splicing of that new communications miracle,
Spiral 4

- Some guys in the field earnestly tweaking the knobs on a BC-191 with no
receiver in sight, no power cord, no antenna connected, no meter readings,
and the power switch turned off.

- A discussion by one Colonel Marks: “It is reported that the SCR-522 is
installed in some manner in tanks. By whom, in what tanks, and how many is
not known”. A Col. Williams continues: “… these tanks were in communication
with fighter bombers immediately overhead as the advance (on St. Lo in
Normandy) took place… The speed and magnitude of the breakthrough at St. Lo
and the successful exploitation were due greatly to this close air-ground
communications.” This was in direct contravention to the “proper channels of
command” that required requests for air support to go back upstream to HQ,
then on to the ATC center, then back down to the AAF flyers.

- Much discussion of all the equipment groups we know and love;
channelizing, crystal vs. “tunable”, overly complex radio and wire networks.

And on and on… great reading, and a great opportunity to dispel many myths.

Anyway, the books are here and ready to go out... but first, does anybody
have one or two ART-13 calibration booklets?

73,
Ken, W2EWL