Page 113 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

CHAPTER SIX

to begin and maintain a connection and moreover, they
generateted high error occourrence at reception with a not
perfectly transparent atmosphere or when distance exceeded
a few kilometres. In fact, it was often necessary to verify the
transmission accuracy at the end of each word or of each
group of word, further reducing the transmission speed in
comparison with that achievable by electrical telegraphy
transmission. Furthermore, they did not guarantee secrecy
as generally emit a quite wide beam of light.
All the media mentioned above had some advantages but
also serious drawbacks which triggered the success of wire
telephony and telegraphy, on the Austro-Italian as well as
on other fronts. On the contrary, the diffusion of wireless
telegraphy occurred slowly because of technical and
operating difficulties partially overcome along the conflict
thanks to a relevant technological advance.

elecTrIc TelegraPhy and TelePhony

Telecommunications on physical conductors - namely
electrical telegraphy and telephony - had been extensively
applied by all Armies even before the World War I, as they
6.3 A 100 mm Faini equipment were considered as the fastest connection tool also across
long distances, especially on communication channels
exclusively available to the Armed Forces. The Italian army introduced electrical telegraphy
during the second Independence War and when WWI began, it was equipped with approximately
3
250 robust and portable Morse field devices (picture 6.4).
The more recent field telephones relied on simple technology and had demonstrated satisfactory
performances also on battlefields (picture 6.5) . Yet, at the beginning of the war, in the Italian
4
Army there were less than 250
field telephones in operation,
provided only to high
commands.
Both those techniques obviously
required connection lines and
5
shared the same shortcomings,
namely vulnerability under
enemy artillery fire as well
as potential exposure to
disturbances and interferences
due, for instance, to induction
generated by energy conductors
6.4 A field telegraph equipment (Museum of Communication, Rome)

3 C. Colavito, Telegrafi e Telegrafisti del Risorgimento, op. cit.
4 Captain Anzalone, Engineer Corps, had patented an appliance particularly fit for field use (see picture 6.5).
5 The overall length of lines in the Italian Army network did not exceed, in May 1915, about 1.500 kilometres.

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