The Wireless Set No. 19 was a Second World War mobile radiotransceiver designed for use by armoured troops of the British Army. First introduced in 1940, the No. 19 began to replace the pre-war Wireless Set No. 11. Two modified versions were introduced, Mk. II in 1941 and Mk. III in 1942. An improved version from Canada was introduced in 1942 for use primarily with other forces. In British service, the No. 19 was replaced in the post-war era by the Larkspur radio system. Canadian-built No. 19s saw continued service for many years with a variety of users.
Designed for use in tanks and armoured vehicles, the radio provided three communication channels:
The A set provided longer range communications within the squadron or regiment.[1]
The B set or "troop set" provided short range communication between tanks in a troop.[1]
The IC channel provided internal communication between crewmembers inside the tank.
A rear-link tank in the HQ unit would join its A-set to a wider network, and relay relevant messages to the commander on the B set. This would extend a squadron net to the regiment, or a regimental net to the wider brigade/division.[2][3]
Operation
A series of control boxes and junction boxes provided distribution within the vehicle. The wireless operator and commander could select the different sets. The driver and loader were on the IC only.
In normal use the three channels were mixed onto the IC for monitoring. The commander or operator could then select the A or B sets to remove them from the IC and allow push-to-talk. A warning lamp would light if both were on the B set, leaving the A set unmonitored. Later control boxes allowed the commander or operator to rebroadcast A onto B or vice versa for message relay.
The other crew members could only use the IC. The driver's control box incorporated a push button to activate a buzzer, allowing the commander's attention to be brought back to the IC if a situation requiring his attention arose.
A high power version of the 19 set was also developed, allowing longer range use of the A set, liaising with primary command. Command and link/relay vehicles had provision to operate two A sets, one of which could be a high-power variant.
Later in the war, the importance of co-operation with infantry added a Wireless Set No. 38 alongside, with new control boxes to operate both radios together. Initially the standard infantry 38 set was used with its own separate battery and ancillaries, but later the WS 38 AFV was developed specifically to complement the 19 set in a vehicle setup.
Specifications
The set was designed to allow MF and HF communication between tanks.
Mk II and Mk III complete - 27×10×13.25in (68.6×25.4×33.7cm) Sender/receiver - 17.5×8.25×12.25in (44.5×21.0×31.1cm); supply unit - 6×8.25×12.5in (15.2×21.0×31.8cm)
In 1942, the No. 19 Mk II was produced in Canada by Northern Electric, Canadian Marconi and RCA Victor. The British design was improved and interchangeability of components such as the valves, was instituted.[6] A majority of Canadian sets used English/Cyrillic front panel lettering, the result of a Lend-Lease contract to the Soviet Red Army.[7]
Post-war, forward area battle group radio traffic carried by Wireless Set No. 19 nets was progressively migrated to low-band VHF using a more modern generation of radios known as the New Range, later to become known as Larkspur. This employed FM and replaced the No. 19 in this role from 1954. As a result, the No. 19's VHF 'B' section was abandoned and removed when sets were overhauled. The Royal Armoured Corps No. 19 sets were mostly replaced in the mid-1950s with a militarized version of the PYE PTC-202 known as the C12 as an interim measure, which were subsequently replaced with the C13 from 1960.[8] An additional RF amplifier for the No. 19 (Amplifier, RF No. 2) increased the daylight operational range up to about 45 miles (72km). The experimental Wireless Set No. 19 TH (built for the Dutch Army) featured increased frequency coverage up to 12MHz.
Post-war, the Canadian No. 19 MK II and III was used in the Danish and Italian Army, and some Canadian No. 19 MK III sets were used by the British Army.[citation needed]
The No. 19 Mk III in a simplified configuration was still on issue to British cadet units as an operational training station as late as the mid-1970s.[citation needed]
Today the Wireless Set No. 19 is collected, restored and operated by vintage amateur radio enthusiasts.[8][9]
↑ The Armoured Regiment; Military Training Pamphlet No.41, July 1940
↑ Signal Training (all arms) Pamphlet no.7; RT Procedure Part III - Appendices, 24 May 1945, Appx. B Net Calls in RAC Regiments and A tk batteries (SP) RA.
The Wireless Set Number 11, or WS No. 11, was a radio set designed for the British Army in 1938. It was designed to replace the 1933 Wireless Set No. 1 which had been found inadequate for a number of reasons. Like the No. 1, it was designed to be used in fixed locations like regimental field headquarters, as well as in vehicles and tanks.
The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war.
The Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during World War II. More than 8,000 Valentines were produced in eleven marks, plus specialised variants, accounting for about a quarter of wartime British tank production. The variants included riveted and welded construction, petrol and diesel engines and increases in armament. It was supplied in large numbers to the USSR and built under licence in Canada. It was used by the British in the North African campaign. Developed by Vickers, it proved to be strong and reliable.
Crusader, in full "Tank, Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader", also known by its General Staff number A.15, was one of the primary British cruiser tanks during the early part of the Second World War. Over 5,000 tanks were manufactured and they made important contributions to the British victories during the North African campaign. The Crusader only saw active service in Africa but the chassis of the tank was modified to create anti-aircraft, fire support, observation, communication, bulldozer and recovery vehicle variants.
The Sherman Firefly was a medium tank used by the United Kingdom and some armoured formations of other Allies in the Second World War. It was based on the US M4 Sherman but was fitted with the more powerful British 76.2 mm (3.00 in) calibre 17-pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon. Conceived as a stopgap until future British tank designs came into service, the Sherman Firefly became the most common vehicle mounting the 17-pounder in the war.
The Cruiser tank Mk V or A13 Mk III Covenanter was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. The Covenanter was the first cruiser tank design to be given a name. Designed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as a better-armoured replacement for the Cruiser Mark IV, it was ordered into production in 1939 before pilot models were built. Problems with the design became apparent only after production was under way.
The Humber armoured car was one of the most widely produced British armoured cars of the Second World War. It supplemented the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car and remained in service until the end of the war.
AEC armoured cars are a series of British heavy armoured cars built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) during the Second World War.
The Ordnance QF 2-pounder, or simply "2 pounder gun", was a 40 mm (1.575 in) British anti-tank gun and vehicle-mounted gun employed in the Second World War.
The Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during the Second World War.
The Marmon–Herrington armoured car was a series of armoured vehicles that were produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during World War II. They were also issued to RAF armoured car companies, which seem never to have used them in action, making greater use of Rolls-Royce armoured cars and other types.
The Vickers Medium Mark II was a British medium tank built by Vickers during the interwar period of the First and Second World Wars.
The Humber scout car was a British light scout car used in the Second World War. It entered service in 1942 and continued in production until 1945. Designed for reconnaissance, and liaison between armoured units, it provided protection only against light arms fire, so was not a front line vehicle. More importantly it was small and fast and could quickly evade trouble. It became the shape format for the post war Ferret armoured car which began production in 1952.
Larkspur was the retrospectively adopted name of a tactical radio system used by the British Army. Its development started in the late 1940s with the first equipment being issued in the mid-1950s. It remained in service until replaced by Clansman in the late-1970s although some elements of Larkspur were still in service well into the 1980s. It was widely exported to British Commonwealth armies and other friendly nations.
The British Army made extensive use of a variety of combat vehicles during the Second World War. This article is a summary of those vehicles.
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers, is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers during frontline battlefield operations.
Fitted For Wireless (FFW) and Fitted For Radio (FFR) were British Army designators for vehicles equipped to carry radio equipment. Although many of these vehicles were dedicated 'radio vans' and had complex and expensive radio sets installed, the intention was also that general purpose vehicles could be issued in 'FFW' state with the low-cost but time-consuming cabling and equipment mounts already prepared. The actual sets themselves could be installed later, if a new radio vehicle was required owing to damage or breakdown.
The Wireless Set No. 38 was a High frequency (HF) portable man-pack radio transceiver used by the British Army during World War II. Designed by Murphy Radio, it was a five-valve set covering 7.4 to 9 MHz and powered by a large dry cell battery carried in a separate haversack. An armoured fighting vehicle variant was also developed for use alongside the Wireless Set No. 19 in armoured vehicles to allow direct communication between tank commanders and infantry. In 1945, a Mk. III version was produced housed in a sealed diecast metal enclosure.
The history and development of tanks in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps can be broken down into smaller categories: their origin during World War I; the interwar period; World War II; the Cold War; and the modern era.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
