[Milsurplus] Merrill's Marauders comms

[Hue Miller]

Unfortunately the historian's memory has come down the river of time
substantially scrambled. The PRC-1 of course did not have legs; nor was
it really rugged enough to survive jungle use. The TRC-10 packaging of
essentially the same radio WAS rugged enough, but there is no "shelf
for the telegraph key"; in fact, the front cover attaches to the top of
the radio to provide some minimal rain shield. I believe the TRC-10 was
one radio provided to the Philippine Guerilla; a book I cited previously
has the author complaining that the handcrank had to be cranked at
a steady speed on both transmit AND receive: you only need to do
that where the receiver is powered by the handcrank, and the TRC-10
fits that, as well as the Navy's MBM, also supplied to the Philippines.

I am not convinced that the Marauders used anything other than the
good old BC-654 - or should I say, "284 Set". It seems to me, so-called
memories are partially mistaken, here.

The V-100 radio (built by Pilot Radio; never seen in USA ) WAS supplied
to CBI forces; don't recall where I read this but I'm sure I still have the
book. Citing the references will probably have to wait until I'm no longer
a fulltime worker. The same book stated the V-100 radios WERE TAKEN
APART by the CBI forces who received them; parts were used to build
smaller radios in wooden boxes. Hey, I didn't just make this up: says 
so right in the book. AND, dig this, which I mentioned before here with
nary a ripple, I was watching one night some History Channel doc,
something like "Transportation in the China-Burma-India", and damn if
they didn't show a few seconds of a scene with this small radio, but
rear view of it, no front view; and this in a documentary on DC-3's,
trucking, etc. 

Slightly off main topic: the Philippine Guerilla (movement) seemed to 
be using a disparate collection of equipment types. You have the 
Australian 3BZ, ATR-4, and the large RAF 100 watt radio for the main
base; as well as the MBM, TRC-10, plus not a few totally local-built
radios. One short paragraph I recently saw in a QST recounted a 
Philippine-built radio powered by a US military handcrank generator
brought in by submarine. I wondered why the generator brought in
as separate item - I suppose that could happen - come to think of
it, it's possible that it was a "special ordered" by the users.
-Hue Miller