Type 3, MK2 (B2) (Berit) British WW-II clandestine radio

SOE OPERASJONER I OKKUPERT NORGE – BRUK AV RADIOSETTET B Mk 2 (Beritsettet)
Berit-settet er av mange ansett for å være det ultimate agent-radio settet. Erfaringer fra bruk under krigen viser imidlertid det var heftet med noen svakheter.
Hemmelige sabotasje – og etterretningsoperasjoner som under krigen ble gjennomført av britiske SOE i Norge hadde behov for å kommunisere med ledelsen i Storbritannia. Det var ofte håndplukkede nordmenn som ble rekruttert på frivillig basis og utdannet til telegrafister.
I juli 1941 ble det opprettet et norsk frittstående kompani, (NORIC 1) som en del av SOE, bestående av norske menige og offiserer. Enheten er i Norge mest kjent som Kompani Linge etter krigen. Telegrafistene inngikk i denne enheten.
Det var stor mangel på egnet agent-radioutstyr i begynnelsen av krigen. Skjulte grupper skulle bygges opp i alle land som ble okkupert av tyskerne.
SOE utviklet og produserte derfor eget utstyr blant annen Berit-settet fra begynnelsen av 1943. Utviklingen var basert på gjenbruk av løsninger fra radioamatørvirksomhet. Produksjonen skjedde i en fabrikk i Stonebridge Park.
Tilgang på godt egnede elektroniske komponenter var begrenset.
B Mk 2 ble det mest vanlige settet som ble anvendt i SOE operasjoner.
Settet ble levert i to versjoner. En i koffert og en i to metallbokser som ga bedre beskyttelse mot slag og fuktighet. Sette veide hele 15 kg og trakk uforholdsmessig mye strøm for å være et godt agentsett.
Mange SOE operasjoner hadde omfattende problemer med å klare å etablere samband til ledelsen («Home-station») i Storbritannia. En del fikk samband en kort periode, men fikk raskt tekniske problemer. Andre fikk aldri samband.
Grunnen er sammensatt, men var i hovedsak knyttet til dårlige valg av frekvenser, rot med sambandsplanene og teknisk svikt.
Koffertversjonen var dårlig egnet for feltforhold. Det oppstod oftere teknisk svikt med disse.
Alle meldinger som skulle sendes ble chiffrert ved hjelp av «One time letterpad» og «silkeduk» for at tyskerne ikke skulle kunne avlytte og lese innholdet i meldingene. Dette var en tidkrevende jobb som fordret stor nøyaktighet om ikke feil skulle oppstå.
At settet trakk uforholdsmessig mye strøm medførte også store utfordringer for telegrafistene. Det var sikrest å operere fra batteri fremfor nettspenning. Ladning av batterier var svært utfordrende i praksis under feltforhold. Batteriene måtte ofte fraktes til et sted det var tilgang til strøm. Ble man da stanset i en kontroll oppstod det et stort problem det var vanskelig å snakke seg ut av. Veien til forhør med innlagt tortur hos Gestapo var kort.
Det var en annen svakhet som utgjorde en sikkerhetsrisiko, nemlig at sette kunne peiles også under mottaking. Dette var svært lite opplyst.
Det er hevdet at det ble levert ca 70 sett til Norge under krigen.
Berit settet ble også brukt i det norske forsvaret i mange år etter krigen.

SOE OPERATIONS IN OCCUPATED NORWAY - USE OF THE RADIO SET B Mk 2 ("Berit")

The “Berit” set is considered by many to be the ultimate agent radio set. However, experience from use during the war shows there were some weaknesses.
Secret sabotage and intelligence operations carried out by British SOE during the war in Norway needed to communicate with the UK management. There were often hand-picked Norwegians who were recruited on a voluntary basis and trained as telegraphists.
In July 1941, a Norwegian independent company (NORIC 1) was established as part of SOE, consisting of Norwegian soldiers. The unit is in Norway most known as “Kompani Linge” after the war. Telegraphists were part of this unit.
There was a great lack of suitable agent radio equipment at the beginning of the war. Hidden groups were to be built up in all countries occupied by the Germans.
SOE therefore developed and produced its own radio equipment. Among other “Berit” sets that came in early 1943. The development was based on design from radio amateur activities. Production took place in a factory in Stonebridge Park.
Access to well-suited electronic components was limited.
B Mk 2 became the most common set used in SOE operations.
The radio was delivered in two versions. One in suitcase and one in two metal boxes that provided better protection against impact and moisture. The radio weighs as much as 15 kg and uses a lot of power to be a good agent set.
Many SOE operations had extensive problems managing to establish connections to the "home station" in the UK. Some got the radio connection to work for a short period, but quickly got technical issues. Others never got in touch with "home station".
The reason is complex, but was mainly related to poor choice of frequencies, clutter with connection plans and technical failure.
The suitcase version was poorly suited for field conditions. Technical failure with these occurred more often.
All messages that were to be sent were ciphered using "One time letterpad" and "silk cloth" for the Germans not to be able to intercept and read the contents of the messages. This was a time-consuming job that required great accuracy if errors did not occur.
The fact that the set consumed a great deal of power also posed great challenges for the telegraph operators. It was safest to operate from battery rather than mains voltage. Charging of batteries was very challenging in practice under field conditions. The batteries often had to be transported to a place that had access to electricity. If you were stopped in a control, a big problem arose it was difficult to speak out of. The road to interrogation with the torture at the Gestapo was short.
It was another weakness that posed a security risk, namely that putting could also be reflected during reception. This was very little enlightened.
It is claimed that about 70 sets were delivered to Norway during the war.
The “Berit” set was also used in the Norwegian defense for many years after the war.

Here we see the cables that connect power supply to transmitter and receiver.

Coils and crystals for the transmitter.

Receiver.

Receiver.

Transmitter

Transmitter

Transmitter

Here we see the Power. The vibrator is to the right of the image.

The boxes for the transmitter, receiver and power.

Here we see the suitcase without radio.

The messages sent on the radio were encrypted. Here are some information about this.

Silk cloth that was used for the encryption.

Original code book