Basic Information

The basics

A genuine First World War German field telephone handset. Only the handset is available, the other components of the field telephone kit are not present.

This particular field telephone handset was made by Zwietusch & Co. It has a wooden earpiece and a leather (or possibly fabric/fibre?) grip as well as a metal body. Comes with a working hanging hook.

Item Condition

So you know what to expect

Considering it is more than one hundred years old, this WWI field telephone handset is in fairly decent condition. However there is some wear and tear, such as patina and scratching on the wood, metal and leather (or fibre?) parts of the handset. 

There are also some spots of rust in places, a crack in the wooden component mounted on the side, some tears in the leather (or fibre?) grip and the handset has clearly been detached from the rest of the components. 

Otherwise, this antique collectable military field gear is in good condition considering its age.

Item Date

Timeline origin

First World War.

Historical and Contextual Information

For your own interest

This German field telephone handset would have been used to communicate with allied units in the field or in the trenches. They might have been used to report progress, request reinforcements, warn of an ambush or hostile movement etc. It was a vital piece of WWI equipment.