[Milsurplus] Why Germany lost the war

[Mike Morrow]

Ray wrote:

> http://www.cdvandt.org/index.htm
> 
> ...good links on ... items like the Koln 52 receiver. I would propose that
> the Telefunken E52 was possibly one of the best receivers ever produced at
> that time. equal if not superior to things like the BC-342/348...

The E52 was one of a proposed series of GROUND STATION receivers:

E51 LEIPZIG   0.04 to 1.6 MHz  5 bands    2 MHz 1st IF / 0.13 MHz 2nd IF
E52 KOELN      1.5 to  25 MHz  5 bands    1 MHz IF
E53 ULM        24  to  68 MHz  5 bands    4 MHz IF
E54 KULM       60  to 150 MHz  unkmown    unknown

Apparently, only E52 and E53 were ever acquired by the Luftwaffe.

Comparing the fixed ground-station limited-production E52 to the BC-342-* or the BC-348-*, each produced by the tens of thousands for ground and air mobile service, seems to me a bizarrely mismeasured and very unfair comparison.  It is akin to saying that the BC-779-*, BC-1004-*, or RBB/RBC are better-performing receivers than a BC-348-*.  Sure they are...where's the surprise?

IMHO, overall, Germany electrical science and technology as applied to their war effort was pointedly and repeatedly inferior to that of the Allied nations, especially that of the British.  How many U-noats were lost while the Germans had not a clue that airborne centimetric sea search radars were even possible?  Or that their Enigma could be broken?  One could continue with many other examples, like US-developed FM tactical ground radio.

I have some German aircraft radio units from the FuG 10 and FuG 17 sets.  They are magnificently built mechanically...but they are not world-class technology electrically for the era.

Mike / KK5F