Communications Revolution

Modern warfare demanded instant communication across vast fronts. France's prewar reliance on visual signals and mounted messengers proved immediately obsolete. The transformation of military communications drove civilian technological advancement for decades.

Telephone networks expanded exponentially. The army laid 50,000 kilometers of telephone wire by 1918. Sophisticated switching systems connected front-line units to headquarters. Women telephone operators, the "demoiselles du téléphone," maintained these vital links under bombardment. Their courage and skill proved essential—one operator at Verdun maintained communications for 72 hours without relief.

Wireless technology advanced rapidly. French scientists developed portable radio sets allowing communication with aircraft and forward units. The E10 radio, weighing 60 kilograms, provided reliable communication over 50 kilometers. Radio interception units monitored German communications, while coding sections protected French messages.

Optical communications persisted where electrical methods failed. Heliographs flashed messages using sunlight. Signal lamps blinked coded messages at night. Carrier pigeons, seemingly anachronistic, proved remarkably reliable—the pigeon Vaillant delivered crucial messages from besieged Verdun despite wounds.

The humble field telephone epitomized communications transformation. Prewar models, heavy and unreliable, gave way to portable instruments manufactured by thousands. By 1918, platoon commanders communicated directly with artillery batteries—coordination impossible in 1914.