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[ca. 1939-1945] (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
1 compass : bakelite ; 6 cm in diam.
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An AK 39 (Armbandkompaß 39) wrist compass used by pilots and aircrew in the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
Notes area
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Donated by the Hill Family in 2019.
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Compass scanned as TIF file October 2025.
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General note
The compass was designed to be worn on the wrist although it could be attached to pieces of equipment. It was used to help pilots and aircrew calculate their position if they crash landed or were forced to abandon their aircraft. It was likely issued to pilots and aircrew in the Luftwaffe by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, the German Ministry of Aviation.
General note
Between October 1942 and May 1945, Cameron Hill was captured as a prisoner of war by the Axis Powers, held in custody, and sent to POW camps in Libya, Italy, Austria, Prussia, Poland, and Germany.
In the early months of 1945, Cameron Hill was forced to march westward across Germany along with many other Allied prisoners of war during the final stages of the Second World War. On May 2, 1945 Cameron was near the town of Kittlitz when a patrol of vehicles of the British Second Army arrived and liberated the Allied prisoners of war. The remaining German troops surrendered their weapons, equipment, and vehicles. In his wartime log, Cameron wrote on May 3, 1945 that he picked up a forfeited German rifle and compass. It is possible that the compass Cameron Hill referred to in his wartime log is this German Luftwaffe AK 39 FL 23235-1 compass.
For more information about Cameron Hill's wartime log, please refer to SCA195-GA424-4-24.
Physical description
The compass features a clear bakelite rotating top panel with a black stripe and a red circle in the centre. In addition, there are two black bakelite tabs on each side of the top panel. The top panel rotates to align directional headings. In addition, the compass has a black bakelite bottom plate. The bottom of the plate is marked with the AK 39 designation and the Luftwaffe Flight requisition number Fl 23235-1.The interior of the compass is filled with liquid and a floating clear bakelite panel with a directional arrow, numerical markings and cardinal points. The compass also has a black leather wrist strap with an adjustment buckle and corresponding buckling eyelets.
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Described by NM in May 2019.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Sources
Information about material in this file was, in part, gathered from the following sources:
Hill, Barbara Jean. From Kitchener to Cairo : One Airman's Story as a WWII Prisoner of War. [Publisher Not Identified], 2017. p. 6, 66-67. Call Number: G24433