The Nuts and Bolts of Tanks: Means of Communication
The Russian Dahl’s Explanatory Dictionary explains the Russian word «бессвязный» meaning “unconnected”,
as “something that has no strength, unity, sense, and consistency.”
These words accurately convey the importance of communication for all types of military forces, including armoured vehicles.
Communication is what transforms scattered combat units into a cohesive force, united in pursuit of a single battle mission.
Similarly, the crew of a single tank must be able to communicate if they are to survive and fight effectively.
Communication among the crew of an early tank was quite difficult.
Human voices were drowned out in the noisy interior of the vehicle, so if some crew members were isolated from the others,
it was almost impossible to speak to them, even by shouting.
Tankers often communicated with simple gestures, touches, or even kicks.
For example, when a commander of a T-34 showed his fist to the loader, this meant that an armour-piercing shell should be loaded,
while a palm with splayed fingers meant a high-explosive shell.
A kick to the driver’s left or right shoulder specified the direction the vehicle should turn, and so on.
Some tanks had another way of sending commands: a set of signal lights at the positions of the driver, gunner and other crew members.
Of course, these lights could send only the simplest messages, but at least it was something.
For voice communication, some early tanks were equipped with voice tubes like the ones used on ships.
These were bulky and not very effective, and were soon superseded.
As tanks began to be equipped with radio systems in 1930s, the tank intercom telephone was invented.
Basically, this was just a telephone system to which some or all key crew members were connected.
Those who were not connected to the intercom system received gesture commands.
When tankers used the intercom telephone system, they could hear each other’s voices over the headphones built into their helmets.
A special device — a laryngophone — was used to transmit the voice.
Unlike a standard microphone, this device uses the mechanical vibration of the skin near the throat,
where the vocal cords are located, to capture the voice.
Compared to a microphone, a laryngophone has a much lower quality of sound reproduction,
but has the ability to transmit voice communication in the deafening environment of a tank in combat.
That’s why larynghophones are still used in tanks, aircraft and noisy industrial plants even today.
Communication between tanks, headquarters and other military units was even more difficult.
The radio sets of World War I were rudimentary and too massive to be mounted on a tank.
So other ways of communications were used.
For example, runners were used to pass messages and carrier pigeons were used to deliver messages to headquarters.
Perhaps because British tanks were designed and built under the administration of the British Admiralty, they used a system of semaphore signals.
A basic flag code was used, with flags of a particular colour meaning a particular action.
These methods were very limited in their effectiveness.
Just imagine how hard it was to make out a flag on the turret of a command tank in the heat of battle,
with exploding shells, smoke, and dust all around.
It was not until radio sets became compact enough to be mounted in the hull or turret of a tank
that effective communication between tanks really became possible.
Some radio sets could both send and receive signals, while others could only receive.
At first, the transmitting radio sets were mounted only on the tanks of tank unit commanders, of at least platoon or company command level.
Later, regular vehicles became equipped with them.
In the armed forces of a number of European countries,
every tank unit included special tanks with two or three radio sets with different broadcasting frequencies.
The first vehicle radio set in the Soviet Union was the high-frequency 71-TK radio set built in 1931.
It weighed 60 kg and, ideally, could provide voice communications between tanks 15 km apart while on the move and 30 km apart when stationary.
Additionally, in telegraph mode—using Morse code—this radio set had a broadcast range of 50 km.
Radio sets of the 1920s and 1930s required large antennas.
Because of this, the radio-equipped tanks of that time had a distinctive exterior appearance.
This is the Soviet radio-equipped T-35 tank.
The structure on its turret is an antenna.
Due to its appearance, this type was known as a “handrail antenna.”
Antennas of this type could also be mounted on the tank hull.
Antennas also came in the rod type; their appearance is more familiar to us, but compared to a handrail antenna, a rod antenna is more fragile.
During travel through rough terrain, rod antennas would often be affixed in a travelling position.
Today, almost every combat vehicle is equipped with a radio set.
Moreover, tanks unite with each other and with their headquarters to form a tactical network.
This integration is possible because of their onboard computers using secure links.
The development of communication systems continues.
Time will tell what future systems will be like.