TERMINOLOGY

CONTENT:

ABBREVIATIONS

(Tables under construction)

UBK Universal-Bézardkompass:
- Siehe Spezialartikel über Bézard
- See specific chapter about the Bézard compass
- Voir le chapitre spécifique consacré à la boussole Bézard
DDR - Deutsche Demokratische Republik
- English: GDR (German Democratic Republic, Former East Germany)
- Français: RDA (République Démocratique Allemande = ancienne Allemagne de l'Est)
DBGM - Deutscher Bund - Gebrauchsmuster
- Registered Trade Mark (Federal Republic of Germany, FRG)
- Marque déposée (République Fédérale Allemande, RFA)
DRGM - Deutsches Reich Gebrauchsmuster
- Registered Trade Mark (IIIrd Reich i.e. Nazi Germany)
- Marque déposée de l'Empire Allemand (IIIe Reich, Allemagne nazie)
DRP (a) - Deutsches Reichs-Patent (angemeldet): Patente bis 1945
- German Patent (a = applied for): until 1945
- Brevet allemand (a = déposé) : jusqu'en 1945
GST - Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik
- Youth sportive association in the former GDR
- Organisation de jeunesse sportive en ex-RDA
KVP - Kasernierte Volkspolizei (Vorgänger der NVA)
- Military police (predecessor of the NVA)
- Police militaire (ancêtre de la NVA)
... ...
MFR
MFR's S/N		 - Manufacturer, Manufacturer's serial number
- Fabricant, no. de série du fabr.
- Hersteller, Hersteller-Serien-Nr.
NVA - Nationale Volksarmee der DDR
- Armed forces of the former GDR
- Forces armées de l'ex-RDA
VEB - Volkseigener Betrieb (staatl. Unternehmensform in der DDR)
- Government owned company type in the former GDR
- Entreprise nationalisée en ex-RDA

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GLOSSARY

Dictionary and Definitions - You will also find more information about some of the following terms in the online encyklopedia Wikipedia.

DEUTSCH ENGLISH FRANÇAIS
Anlegeplatte, Richtkante Ruler (side ruler) réglette latérale
Jungendienst - Paramilitärische, Pfadfinder-ähnliche Jugendorganisation im III. Reich. Der so genannte Jungendienst-Kompass war von der Fa. Emil BUSCH (Rathenow) speziell für diese Organisation entwickelt worden. Widmung des gleichnamigen Buchs durch Reichspäsident von Hindenburg (1933) :
"Auch das Spiel des deutschen Jungen von heute muß schon Dienst am Vaterland sein!"		 Paramilitary, boy scout type youth organisation in the former Nazi-Germany (IIIrd Reich). The german word DIENST means service in the sense of serving the nation. The BUSCH (Rathenow) Jungendienst marching compass was especially developed for such activities. Organisation de jeunesse paramilitaire en Allemagne pendant les années 1920-1930. Le terme DIENST signifie service au sens de servir la patrie, comme service militaire. La boussole de marche BUSCH (Rathenow) avait été spécialement développée pour ces activités.
Taschenuhrgehäuse mit Klappdeckel. Kann federbelastet sein (öffnet nur bis 90 Grad) oder ohne Feder (öffnet bis 180 Grad). Hunter-type case. There are two systems: spring hunter and snap hunter. The spring hunter opens by depressing a push-button. A snap hunter has no spring, the lid must be opened manually and opens and closes with a “snap” lock. The benefit of the snap cover case is that there is no possibility of straining the hinge pin. The compass case can comfortably be opened to a 180 degrees without a problem. A half hunter has a window with a magnifying glass. Pocket compasses without cover are called open-face. Savonnette
Boîtier de montre de gousset à couvercle articulé. Existe avec ressort (ouverture limitée à 90 degrés) et sans ressort (ouverture à 180 degrés).
Gehäuse (für große Schiffskompasse) binnacle habitable (pour compas de marine)
Anhänger (an einer Taschenuhrkette) charm (on a pocket watch chain) breloque accrochée à une chaîne de montre de gousset
Sockel gegenüber dem Nullpunkt des Neigungsmessers base in front of zero talon à l'aplomb
Hut cap chape
Diopter vane pinnule
Kimme rear sight cran de mire
Korn, Grinsel (AT) foresight guidon
Kompassstand, Kompasssäule binnacle habitacle de compas de marine (?)
Dosenlibelle level (round) niveau a bulle (sphérique)
Strich (1) rhumb rhumb
Strich (2) angular mil millième
schräg, mit Fase bevel biseau
Glas crystal verre
Fallmessplatte measurement plate for
dip angle inclination
of rocks		 plateau de mesure de la pendance
Messplatte (Zubehör, s. Bézard- bzw. MOM- Kompass) ruler, distance measuring ruler (accessory of the Bézard and the MOM marching compasses) réglette graduée pour estimation des distances (accessoire des boussoles Bézard et MOM)
Nivellierlatte gauge (or gauging) rod stadia - Instr. de mesure des distances, formé d'une mire graduée, observée par un instrument d'optique muni d'un réticule.
Kristallglas pebble verre en crystal
Kettenglied fetter link maillon de chaîne
Höhenwinkelmesser altazimuth éclimètre
Einschwingdauer stabilisation time durée de stabilisation
Lünette (oft drehbar gelagert, auf der ein Teilkreis gedruckt oder eingraviert ist ring, bezel (often rotating, on which the divisions are prited or engraved) lunette (souvent rotative sur laquelle est gravé ou imprimé un limbe)
Markscheiderkompass, Hängekompass miner's compass, to be hung on a string boussole de mineur (suspendue)
Messtisch Plane table Planchette (pour levé topographique)
Quadrant(-enteilung): Unterteilung des Kreises in vier Viertel von jeweils 90 Grad. Nord und Süd befinden sich jeweils bei Null Grad bzw. Ost und West bei 90°. Manchmal sind Ost und West vertauscht(s. LIETZ) quadrant: division of the circle in four quarters of 90 degrees each. The zero is always alocated at North and South, the 90° figure is located on West and East. Sometimes, East and West are swapped
(see LIETZ)		 quadrants : division du cercle en quatre quartiers de 90° chacun. Le zéro est situé au niveau du nord et du sud tandis que l'est et ll'ouest sont à 90°. Parfois, le spoints cardinaux Est et Ouest sont intervertis(voir LIETZ)
Ansteckkompass
(s. Definition und Exponate)		 pin-on compass
(see definition and displayed items		 boussole à agrafer
(voir définition et instruments exposés)
Röhrenlibelle level (tube) niveau à bulle (tube)
Teilkreis divisions on the limb limbe, cercle divisé
Tourist / Turist tourist  / hiker (see below) excursionniste, randonneur
Trieb drive mécanisme d'entraînement
Kastenbussole Trough compass (also called plane table compass or declinator):
A trough compass consists of a long, narrow rectangular box, covered with glass. Inside the box, at its centre, there is a magnetic needle resting on the pivot. At the extremities of the trough compass, there are (sometimes but not always) graduated scales with zero at the centre and marking up to 5° on either side of the zero line. The trough compass is used for marking the magnetic north line on the drawing sheet of the plane table. In this case, the magnetic needle point to 0° - 0° of the graduated scale and a line drawn parallel to the edge of the trough compass is along the magnetic meridian. A trough compass is also used to orient the plane table with respect to the magnetic meridian.		 Boussole déclinatoire : boussole servant à orienter une carte pour levé topographique. Il se fixait sur les planchettes pour levé topographique.
Définition extraite de l'Encyclopédie Larousse :
Le déclinatoire est solidaire d'une planchette (...). Pour décliner l'appareil, on fait tourner la planchette jusqu'à ce que l'aiguille vienne entre les repères. Dans ces conditions, la graduation zéro de l'appareil ou le quadrillage de la planchette fait un angle donné avec le nord magnétique, et, dans l'étendue d'un petit levé, cet angle restera constant ; l'orientement du zéro se conservera parallèle d'une station à la suivante.
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TOURIST - The original meaning

The word tourist (written Turist in German) designated in English and other European languages before WW II (and also until its fall in 1989 in the former East-Germany - GDR, see medals below) an ambitious hiker, who knew how to use a compass in a landscape without direction panels! The German word Skitour still designates today cross-country skiing.
In its catalogue for compasses for the late 19th century, the BARKER company offered a "HEIGHT RECORDER for Alpinists Automobilists, Aeronauts, Cyclists, Tourists, etc.". (See picture of the same item made by the German company LUFFT in the Thirties in the category MARCHING compasses and the instruments made by "S" C. Stockert).

In the former Soviet Union, East-Germany (GDR) etc., young sportsmen were awarded specific medals (see Wikipedia in German language : Leistungsabzeichen für Jugendliche in der DDR). The Junger Tourist was not at all a young tourist as we understand it today! He or she was someone who could perform a several technical tasks like any girl or boy scout, from putting up a tent to orientate herself or himself with a compass to recognise animals and flowers etc.

(Picture at left: pub sign in Northern Bavaria "THE TOURIST")

Touristen-Abzeichen
(Tourist medal)
 Young tourist medal
(early version, brass)


The initials JP (building a torch) stand for Junge Pioniere, members of the state's communist youth organization. 		Young tourist medal
(late version, aluminum)

 Young tourist medal (USSR)
- see also cardinal points/Russian-

Mark (V, VI or 1, 2 etc.)

The word Mark (or the abbreviation 'Mk') followed by a figure (or the figure alone) appears on numerous pocket and marching compasses from the early 20th century until now.
We have no evidence of pocket compass numbers below Mk. V.
It seems that the first occurrence was a Mark V pocket compass (example: F. BARKER & SON, Short & Mason) with a Singer's pattern card. It was followed during the first World War by a Mark VI design for which there is a precise contemporary description.
The Swiss author Paul Dériaz wrote in 1917 among other books about compasses a manual called in the modified English translation 'The PRISMATIC COMPASS and how to use it'. Here is the description of the Mark VI pocket compass in this booklet:
"This compass is of the watch type with a dial 1 9/32" diameter and has recently been improved. It differs from the Mark V in that the dial is graduated every five degrees instead of points of the compass and figured every 20 degrees." (He was referring to the Singer's patent design with only 32 points and half points, i.e. only 64 possible angle values in the whole).
"Also the North point is marked by a radium-painted luminous arrow, the E. S. and W. points by luminous letters and every intermediate 30 degrees by luminous dots. Instead of the lubber mark a black hair line is drawn across the glass, near the ends of which are radio-luminous marks, one being arrow-shaped. This instrument is accurate within three degrees."

(Examples of Mk VI pocket compasses: DENNISON , LONGINES, W. TERRASSE, PLAN and an unsigned wrist-top compass).

At about the turn of the century, a much more precise prismatic system was introduced and called VERNER'S pattern. The oldest one known was numbered Mk IV (see Newton & Co.) and soon followed by Mk V and Mk VI (see examples on the website www.compasscollector.com). The next higher figure was Mk VII (example: see  Ed. KOEHN). This instrument was equiped with a plunger on its side with which the card's movements could be slowed down. In addition, it featured on the opposite side a card locking lever. It was quickly followed by the Mk VIII (fig. left), the only difference between them consisting in "a knife-shaped clip fixed to the lid so that the act of closing the lid causes the knife to engage in the groove of the sliding screw, and so automatically lifts the dial."  
(Quoted after The prismatic Compass)

In 1930 F. BARKER & SON developed a new compass equiped with a fluid damped rose which was called Mk II. Soon after this, in 1932, the model Mk III was reated and remained in use until the end of WWII. Many manufacturers like T.G. Co. Ltd (GLAUSER) but also C.K.C, E.A.C. etc. also produced Mk III compasses. However, when the serial number contained the letter 'B', it meant that these instruments were in fact manufactured by Barker and these other companies were only pretending being a concurrence.

In the last WWII year, GLAUSER produced a square-shaped dry compass called 'MARK 1'  made of black bakelite and in the 1970's a cylindrical liquid damped compass called 'Mk.4'.

From the first moment on, Barker gave their compass versions the number of the year during which they were developed (Mk-71, Mk-72, Mk-73 etc.). The last development was the Mk-88.
NOTE: For more details concerning all the Barker models (e.g. pattern 42, Mk IX, Mk X) and their chronology, please visit the excellent website 'www.TRADEMARKLONDON.com' (see also LINKS/F. BARKER).
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Poles - North Pole Wandering

The rotation axis of the Earth defines the geographic North and South poles. This theoretical line can be "seen" at night in the sky: it goes past the Polar star (by approximately half a degree). The magnetic poles are created by the Earth's molten iron core.
The discrepancy between both was discovered by Colombus but since he had an immense confidence in his compass, he thought, the stars had changed place. The angular difference between both is called declination. This angle is being measured since the 16th century. Ancient recordings made in Paris and London (see list below) show that the magnetic pole as seen from Europe apparently moved within 25 degrees  West and 5 degrees Est. This information appears on maps (direction and rate of change at a defined moment). It is also taken into account on compasses: either by means of a small arrow besides the geographic North mark (see MORIN) or of an adaption device (see HUET). In vast regions near the magnetic pole like North America, the need for adaption is far greater and compasses usually feature a range of approx. 32 deg. West to 32 ddeg. East (see LIETZ). As seen from Europe, both poles are currently located almost on the same line, i.e. the declination  equals zero (half a degree in Paris) while it still was approx. 10 deg. West during WW1 (see NOTE in the cover of a compass).
The magnetic North pole's position was first discovered in 1831 by James Clark Ross and Roald Amundsen observed in 1904 that this location had changed. The Canadian Government has been measuring the pole's position regularly since 1948. The magnetic pole keeps moving North and will go past the geographic North pole and reach the island of Severnaya Semlya in 2050 based on the current speed and rate (see the  drawing on the IPGP's website).
Some measurements made in Paris or London in the last centuries:
- 1580 : East(no value).
- 1618 : 3° 3'  West.
- 1814 : maximum West 24° 34'
- 1874 : 17° 30' West.

For more information, go to WIKIPEDIA / North pole or visit the official website of the Canadian Governement.
To compute the magnetic declination at your present position, use the following calculator.
Example: London, February 2010 : 2,6 östl., um 0,7 jährlich zunehmend.
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