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Wells-Gardner
& Company in World War Two
Chicago, IL
1925-Current
This page updated 11-27-2021.
The Wells-Gardner Electronics Corporation of
today began in 1925 as the Wells Radio Manufacturing Company. It
was started in Chicago by Albert Wells and Frank Dillbauer. In 1926 George
Gardner joined the company as an owner and it became Wells-Gardner and
Company. Before World War Two the company built radios. After
the war, it not only built radios but televisions as well. The
televisions were built for Montgomery Ward, Gambles, and W.T. Grant.
As Japanese imports began to replace American-built televisions and
radios, Wells-Gardner was able to find a niche in producing monitors for
arcade games. It was the only company to produce monitors for the
Pac-Man games in the 1970s. Since that time, the company made a
successful transition into making flat screen monitors for arcade and
gambling games. The company survived almost a century by
adapting to new products for new markets. Most companies have been
unable to do this.
The Wells-Gardner & Company won the
Army-Navy "E" award three times during World War Two.
The company received its first award in 1944 for building radio
receivers and transmitters under budget and returning the cost savings to
the U.S. Government.
Wells-Gardner World War Two Products:
Military receivers and
transmitters. The company built BC-348 radio receiver for the
United States Army Air Corps and RBL-4 radio receivers for the U.S.
Navy.
This Wells-Gardner-built Model CWQ-46230
radio receiver is on display at Vermilion County War Museum in Danville,
IL and is one of several World War Two radios on display. It is
part of the Model RBL-4 which also included the CWQ-10124-A mounting
base. Author's photo
Both the Model RBL-4 and Type CWQ-46230 have
the same serial number of 43. The receiver was accepted by the
U.S. Navy on April 28, 1944. The unit appears to have never been
put into service. If so, this is essentially a brand new unused
unit. Author's photo
The BC-348 receiver was used with a BC-375
transmitter for airborne long range air-to-ground radio communications
in large and medium bombers and transports. Together the two
radios were identified as the SCR-287. There were 102,508 SCR-287
sets built from 1941 through 1944 by four different companies.
Wells-Gardner made an estimated 40,000 of them. The aircraft in
which they were used were the B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26, B-29, C-46, C-47,
and C-54.
Each of these aircraft had a dedicated radio operator.
In the B-17, the BC-348 air-to-ground
receiver was located on the radio operator's desk. Author's photo.
This Wells-Gardner BC-348 is part of the
large collection of radios at the Indiana War Memorial in downtown
Indianapolis. The Memorial has re-created an entire U.S. Navy ship
radio shack. The BC-348 was grouped separately with several other
non-naval radios adjacent to the radio shack. Author's photo.
It is serial number 10123. Author's
photo.
The B-29 Enola Gay had a BC-348 in its radio
room on its bombing run to Hiroshima. Author's photo.
Author's photo.
One of the most famous B-17s is the Memphis
Belle. It carried a BC-348. Author's photo.
Author's photo.
The B-24 Witchcraft has a Wells-Gardner
BC-348 in its radio room. Author's photo.
The Martin B-26 Marauders of World War Two
were equipped with BC-348 receivers. Author's photo.
The B-25 medium bombers came with BC-348
radios. Author's photo.
Transport aircraft like the C-46,
C-47, and C-54 aircraft shown in this and the next two photos had BC-348
receivers. Author's photo.
Author's photo.
Author's photo.
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