In the process of writing Foxhole Radio, I accumulated files of notes regarding early army radio, especially on what would have been considered portable equipment for field use. These letters, diagrams, manuals, and photographs cover 1897 through the First World War, from spark sets through the first vacuum tube transmitters and receivers and the earliest radio telephones.

Rather than simply let all of this languish in file boxes and computer hard drives, I organized it all chronologically, and, as these things do, it began to take a life of its own. It soon became a sort of field guide to these early sets.

Mostly based on contemporaneous records, U. S. Army Radio: portable transmitters and receivers 1897-1918 covers an overlooked area of tactical communications. It is hoped that it will inspire further research and future volumes on related communications topics from the same period, especially the development of aircraft communications, radio telephony, and early radio development in other military services.

U.S. Army Radio is available through Amazon in both paperback and eBook formats.

To commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Anzio (which was yesterday), the Paperback edition of Foxhole Radio is on sale for $12.95 at Amazon, and the Kindle edition is $7.95. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, now’s the time! https://www.amazon.com/Foxhole-Radio-ubiquitou…/…/0578536587

A model of an unusual foxhole radio design from the army newspaper Stars and Stripes, 1944. Did it work? Not nearly as well as a “standard” foxhole radio, which is already barely audible. It would have been difficult to hear anything with this set on the Anzio beachhead.

Foxhole Radio is now available for purchase on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble, and available for order at most bookstores. Thank you to everyone whose contributions, support and interest have made this possible. I am very happy with how the book turned out and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed working on it. If you are a bookseller, thanks for taking a look, and Foxhole Radio is available through Ingram, ISBN 978-0578536583.

Please like the Foxhole Radio page on Facebook for announcements about the book release date and other foxhole radio related info!

From a 1944 Beachhead News, an Army one sheet newspaper printed on the Anzio beachhead in 1944.

Many years ago, in the primordial days of the internet, I posted a short article about crystal radios. In it I mentioned “foxhole radios”, which were very basic sets utilizing a razor blade and pencil lead for a detector. I didn’t think much more about it until I was contacted by a few WWII veterans who built or saw sets like this. Their stories were so interesting that I was inspired to look for more. It turns out these little receivers were everywhere. I found more stories, and many more (very generous and patient) veterans to interview. Pretty soon I realized I may have the makings of an interesting book. The little radios would be the unifying theme, but the real story would be the stories of the veterans and their experiences. I started with a few simple questions:

1. Why were there so many similar radios all over Europe and the Pacific?
2. Why a razor blade?
3. What were they listening to?
It turns out these weren’t such simple questions, and they have lead me through years of complex twists and turns. I even found a WWI scratch built radio in the process.Here I will post bits and pieces from my travels, interesting foxhole radio related tidbits, and requests for things I am still looking for.