During WWII, it was vitally eccential for any partipisant to be able to rapidly set a reliable telephone connection in a field situation.
In Wehrchmacht, it used to be done by the transmission units "Nachrichtentruppen".

German Cable Drum with long-distance field cable (the "Feldfernkabel", or "FF-Kabel"), had weight of 70 kg., and was to storage, transport and laying of the 250 meters of telephone line.

It consisted of the drum core, the two outer disks with rubber bandage, and another disk as an intermediate wall, separating the larger space for the cable from the smaller space used to accommodate the plugs and equipment.

A pair of FF-Kabel Drum is available separately as the Leadwarrior Lw35207 kit.

Connecting multiple cables was possible over a distance of 50 km.
It could be increased up to a maximum of 120 km. by the use of intermediate device amplifying the signal, so called "Verstärkerspule" or "Pupinspule" (from the name of his hungarish inventor, Mihajlo Pupin).

Such a device was supplied wit each FF-Kabel Drum.

The "Verlegewagen" (Laying Cart) - was used for carrying and laying of the FF-Kabel.

Verlegewagen comprised a frame, an axis and two removable wheels.

It also could be used in a static position, once the frame standing on its sliding extensions.

Then, it was possible to roll up or unroll the cable, using the wheel fitted with its folding handle as a crank.