Published 1/9/09
Lord Haw Haw's M7 for sale in Britain
The M7 capsule from a Neumann microphone, used by famous war-time traitor 'Lord Haw Haw,' is to go under the hammer. 'Lord Haw Haw' was the moniker given to William Joyce, a fascist who fled England just before the beginning of WWII. Joyce quickly become a chief propagandist for the Third Reich, and his broadcasts were famous for opening with the words "Germany calling". By sending falsified, pro-nazi news he intended both to erode allied morale, and to persuade British soldiers to defect. His nick-name arose from his distinctive nasal delivery, which earned him much derision in Britain at the time.
The microphone capsule was discovered by a former soldier, Gunner Cyril Millwood. Mr. Millwood 'acquired' the capsule, its case, and a selection of annotated scripts, while raiding a Hamburg based radio studio in 1945, during the last few days of the war. The microphone and papers were stored in his attic and bequeathed to his daughter, who, since his death, has decided to put them up for auction.
The historical capsule bears the serial number 123, and was designed to fit the Neumann CMV3a 'bottle' condenser microphone, which was powered by a separate unit. CMV stands for Condensator-Microfon-Verstärker (condenser microphone amplifier), with this model and its subsequent revisions considered to be amongst the finest microphones of their time. The CMV3a version was introduced in 1932, along with the M7 capsule, and was the first microphone to incorporate a gold-sputtered PVC diaphragm. Capsules were connected to the mic body with a bayonet mechanism, which allowed alternative polar pattern capsules to be used, such as the M8 figure-of-eight and M9 omnidirectional capsules.
The basic M7 capsule has been in continuous production since its inception, and was used in many classic Neumann mics, including the U47 and M49. It's fair to say the M7 technology has influenced virtually all modern capacitor capsule designs. This particular unit is housed in its original black leatherette, red-flock-lined fitted case, and appears to be 'sold as seen'.
Military Auctioneers & Valuers, Steven and Sally Bosley, i will be auctioning the find, along with a collection of 'Haw Haw's' papers, on the 2nd of September 2009, with the lot expected to fetch at least £4000. If that's a little out of your price range, BLUE Microphones make an updated version of the original Bottle mic today, albeit without the same historical interest!
For a product demonstration, 'Haw Haw's' last recording made using the capsule, on the day of Hitler's death, can be heard here. Hugh Robjohns
www.bosleys.net
The M7 capsule from a Neumann microphone, used by famous war-time traitor 'Lord Haw Haw,' is to go under the hammer. 'Lord Haw Haw' was the moniker given to William Joyce, a fascist who fled England just before the beginning of WWII. Joyce quickly become a chief propagandist for the Third Reich, and his broadcasts were famous for opening with the words "Germany calling". By sending falsified, pro-nazi news he intended both to erode allied morale, and to persuade British soldiers to defect. His nick-name arose from his distinctive nasal delivery, which earned him much derision in Britain at the time.The microphone capsule was discovered by a former soldier, Gunner Cyril Millwood. Mr. Millwood 'acquired' the capsule, its case, and a selection of annotated scripts, while raiding a Hamburg based radio studio in 1945, during the last few days of the war. The microphone and papers were stored in his attic and bequeathed to his daughter, who, since his death, has decided to put them up for auction.
The historical capsule bears the serial number 123, and was designed to fit the Neumann CMV3a 'bottle' condenser microphone, which was powered by a separate unit. CMV stands for Condensator-Microfon-Verstärker (condenser microphone amplifier), with this model and its subsequent revisions considered to be amongst the finest microphones of their time. The CMV3a version was introduced in 1932, along with the M7 capsule, and was the first microphone to incorporate a gold-sputtered PVC diaphragm. Capsules were connected to the mic body with a bayonet mechanism, which allowed alternative polar pattern capsules to be used, such as the M8 figure-of-eight and M9 omnidirectional capsules.
The basic M7 capsule has been in continuous production since its inception, and was used in many classic Neumann mics, including the U47 and M49. It's fair to say the M7 technology has influenced virtually all modern capacitor capsule designs. This particular unit is housed in its original black leatherette, red-flock-lined fitted case, and appears to be 'sold as seen'.
Military Auctioneers & Valuers, Steven and Sally Bosley, i will be auctioning the find, along with a collection of 'Haw Haw's' papers, on the 2nd of September 2009, with the lot expected to fetch at least £4000. If that's a little out of your price range, BLUE Microphones make an updated version of the original Bottle mic today, albeit without the same historical interest!
For a product demonstration, 'Haw Haw's' last recording made using the capsule, on the day of Hitler's death, can be heard here. Hugh Robjohns
www.bosleys.net
