Signal Corps of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS

Standard of the Nachrichtentruppe

Lieutenant's epaulette in the lemon yellow corps colour

The Nachrichtentruppe, in the sense of signal troops, were an arm of service in the army of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, whose role was to establish and operate military communications, especially using telephone and radio networks.

By order of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht dated 14 Oct 1942, it was part of the combat arms of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS until 1945.

The colour allocated by the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in 1935 to their signal corps was lemon yellow. By contrast, the corps colour of the air force signal troops of the Luftwaffe was brown.

Postwar development

Both the lemon yellow corps colour and the name Nachrichtentruppe were retained by East Germany's army, the NVA, until 1990.

On the other hand, the German Bundeswehr changed the name to Fernmeldetruppe, but kept lemon yellow as the corps colour.

Background: First World War and Reichswehr

Signallers with light army field wagon in the First World War

The precursor of the German Signal Corps was the Telegraph Corps formed in 1899 as a separate arm of service. Telegraph battalions, fortress and army signal units were not combined into the signal corps, the Nachrichtentruppe, until 1917, during the First World War.^[1] In addition to radio and telephone communications, the newly developed teleprinters, carrier pigeons and heliographs were used for messaging. During the First World War, radio telegraphy took on increasing importance. For example, in 1915 teleprinters were first used by the air force, for artillery observation. In 1916, the first signallers equipped with mobile radios were operating on the front line.

Gallery

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  Signaller in armoured radio vehicle Sd.Kfz. 250/5

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  Signallers in Lapland

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  Signaller on operations, Warsaw Uprising 1944

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  Enigma cypher machine of the 7th Panzer Division, Eastern Front, 1941

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  Radio being repaired, 1943

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  Female telephone operators manning an exchange, France 1944

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  Taking down a radio message, Warsaw 1944

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  Field cable section with German paratroopers, France 1944

References

1. Imperial Decree "Formation of the Signal Corps" dated 18 July 1917; see Hans-Georg Kampe: Military Communications in Germany, accessed on 20 May 2012

Sources

Literature

• Hans-Georg Kampe: Die Heeres-Nachrichtentruppe der Wehrmacht 1935–1945. Dörfler-Verlag, 2003. ISBN 3-89555-098-1.
• Albert Praun, Hella Praun: Albert Praun – Ein deutsches (Soldaten-) Leben 1894–1975. Kastner-Verlag, 2004. ISBN 3-937082-22-0.

External links

• Hans-Georg Kampe Employment and end of the Army Nachrichtentruppe of the Wehrmacht, accessed on 20 May 2012
• History of the Development of Military Cable Communications in the Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr 1896–1965 accessed on 21 May 2012
• Museum of Military Technology, accessed on 21 May 2012