File 34 - German Luftwaffe AK 39 FL 23235-1 compass.

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

German Luftwaffe AK 39 FL 23235-1 compass.

Level of description

File

Reference code

SCA195-GA424-5-34

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • [ca. 1939-1945] (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

1 compass : bakelite ; 6 cm in diam.

Archival description area

Name of creator

(1920-1988)

Biographical history

Cameron "Cam" Clare Hill was born on November 17, 1920 to Britton L. Hill and Grace Mildred Huff in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was raised alongside his two siblings; Lewis Eugene Hill (1909-1976) and Margaret Elizabeth Hill (1911-1990).

Cameron and his ... »

Scope and content

An AK 39 (Armbandkompaß 39) wrist compass used by pilots and aircrew in the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War.

Notes area

Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by the Hill Family in 2019.

Related materials

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 ... »

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 ... »

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, ... »

Access points

Genre access points

Control area

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Described by NM in May 2019.

Language of description

  • English

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

... »

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