Flashlight TL-122-C WW2 period

[Sabrejet]

Here's an example of the classic TL-122-C angle-headed flashlight, widely issued and used during WW2. Despite its age, it lit up first time when I loaded it with a couple of Duracells! This plastic bodied version replaced the earlier brass bodied type. It was manufactured by the United States Electric Manufacturing Corporation under the USA LITE brand. The switch was dual function being either on/off or intermittent by pressing the small button for signalling purposes. For this purpose a selection of coloured gels is provided. The modern version of the TL-122 is essentially similar to its predecessor...if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sabrejet

[Sabrejet]

 

 

Sabrejet

[artu44]

Here my complete set of WWII era TLs: TL122A,B,C,D. The plastic of B model smells real bad so they changed to C model which is identical.

[Sabrejet]

Here my complete set of WWII era TLs: TL122A,B,C,D. The plastic of B model smells real bad so they changed to C model which is identical.

 

 

Hi artu44. Very nice collection..thanks for sharing.

 

Sabrejet :thumbsup:

[justinwjolly]

I had a TL122D flashlight that i had picked up for 5 bucks and it worked, then a friend offered me 25 for it and i sold it to him. have kind of regrated it every since then and seeing your collection Artu kind of makes me wish i had not sold it even more lol.

 

-Justin

[MattOravik]

Has anyone ever seen a white version of one of these? I saw one at an antique store a few years ago but didn't buy it because I had no idea if it was military or not. It looked exactly like the WWII model and I believe it was even marked USA Lite. But no other markings.

 

-Matt.

[Durandal]

I have a "clear" model in my collection, which I guess could be considered white; It has a red lens ring. If you want to see some pics i can post them up.

 

There's a thread about these lights on here somewhere that has lots of examples...

 

I've been collecting these lights for a quite a while now and actually have examples all models (A,B,C and D. I'm missing a couple with the plastic switches) produced by all manufacturers that I'm aware of, if anyone is interested in pictures.

 

Has anyone ever seen a white version of one of these? I saw one at an antique store a few years ago but didn't buy it because I had no idea if it was military or not. It looked exactly like the WWII model and I believe it was even marked USA Lite. But no other markings.

 

-Matt.

[Sabrejet]

Hi Durandal. Sounds like a really unusual model...feel free to join in the thread if you have some pics.

 

Sabrejet :thumbsup:

[willysmb44]

Thanks for posting this, as I now know I had a D model as a kid. I think my Uncle had given it to me. I clearly recall it not having the shields on each side of the switch, but it having the extra bottom cap for the lenses and the frame for the lens area to put the filters into but that this cap had a flat bottom to it, so it wasn’t the newer model. For years I had no clue which model that was until now. Sadly, I haven’t seen it in probably 30 years and it has never turned up at the old house, so I guess it got thrown away at some point.

I picked up a really nice condition C model the final time I was at Military Marketplace a few years back. I know it works because I tested it but had only bought it for the heck of it, I’m now realizing how much these are going for. The funny thing is that I must have had a dozen at least of the modern variant when I was active duty. I swear every time we got back from the field, I’d find one rattling around inside a Humvee or laying in the motor pool. I gave many of them away and still have at least 3-4 of them around the house. We never used them with anything but the red lens. I remember hearing the NCOs yelling at the enlisted guys to, “Turn out them %$#@ing pumpkin lights!” because not all of us had night vision gear at the time.

[boyt44]

I've seen a TL 122 flashlight that look exactly like US ones,but are marked "Boy Scouts", made by USALite,I believe. I've posted this photo before, but here is my 1st model TL122A with a set of sept. 1944 USALite batteries. I have no idea how these batteries have survived all this time without swelling, but there they are.

 

 

[artu44]

I've seen a TL 122 flashlight that look exactly like US ones,but are marked "Boy Scouts", made by USALite,I believe. I've posted this photo before, but here is my 1st model TL122A with a set of sept. 1944 USALite batteries. I have no idea how these batteries have survived all this time without swelling, but there they are.

I bought one of these BS real cheap just to have it. Note nickel finish on some parts.

[autorifle]

Here is the very first model the TL122

 

[Durandal]

Hi all,

 

Here is the white bodied light I was mentioning. It is actually semi-transparent. It's made by GITS and is marked 122 on the side of the head. I believe it to be a civilian model.

 

I've also included a picture of some July, 44 dated batteries. I was lucky enough to get these with one of the flashlights in my collection. They are in great condition, and one of them actually still has a charge, believe it or not!

 

[Durandal]

Also, as mentioned above, here is a picture of what I believe to be a complete set of US TL-122 series lights representing every model made by each manufacturer.

 

Please let me know if you are aware of any lights that are missing!!

 

Enjoy!

 

[Sabrejet]

Great collection Durandal...thanks for sharing! That's what I love about this forum...there's always someone out there who does themed collecting...and often the most unusual things! (For example, I bet there's someone out there who only collects G.I. cutlery!)

 

Ian :thumbsup:

[rambob]

Durandal, A VERY nice flashlight collection you have there!! When I saw it I was reminded that I never aquired the TL-122-D to complete my TL-122 flashlight grouping. So I went to EPay and with great luck I won this beautiful example made by BRIGHT STAR for a reasonable $26. It still works great and still has a red lens in the storage cap. My question is, what colors of lens were issued with this light and do the white disks with M-384 printed on them act as some kind of protection sandwich for the red lens to keep it from getting scratched or are they for some other purpose.

 

Bob

[rambob]

Here is the right side.

[Durandal]

Great looking light, rambob. A prime example! I notice that it even has the rubber washer around the base, which in my experience is often badly degraded or missing altogether.

 

I've often wondered the same thing about the filters and the white spacers, unfortunately I haven't been able to find any official sources that answer the question.

 

Here is the right side.

[Old Marine]

I was reading this interesting post and that is quite a collection you have there Durandal. It's great to see all the variations.

 

Anyway, speaking of variations I found this photo in the LIFE archive. The caption only said that this was taken on the convoy on the way to North Africa. It looks like the Lt scrounged up every flashlight he could find and he seems to checking them for serviceability and logging them in.

 

He has quite an array of flashlights there, Army and Navy issue as well as a few civilian ones. I guess any and all of these might have been used by the troops.

 

 

[Durandal]

Very interesting picture!!! Any idea of the date on it?

[Old Marine]

Flashlight photo LIFE

 

Durandal,

 

here is the link to that photo. It is in the LIFE photo archive on Google. The photo was take on a convoy to North Africa in March 1944.

[drwitte]

I have a brass one of these and it still works!

[UPNATM]

I have a brass one of these and it still works!

 

 

In my opinion the Tl-22a's alway work better then the b's.

 

Here is a pic of my little collection.....

 

[ccyooper]

Super old post but today I was cleaning up some flashlights and saw this post.  Durandel if you are still with us, I think you are missing the B and C micro lights, LOL.  Here are some of my boxed lights WW1, Tl-122A-D, and a few miscellaneous all with various BA-30 and civilian batteries, none are dated later than use before 1946.  The A-1 Aerial lamp has Red and Amber lens in an Amber box with 3 BA-42 batteries all dated 1943.  

 

[Blacksmith]

Great ol’ topic, with some really nice collections.  
 

In response to the question from @rambob and @durandal, here’s what I remember:

 

While I don’t know that we ever had a formal “block of instruction” about flashlights, there was commonly-held knowledge about the various lenses in the base cap.

 

The red one is the easiest, and is for tactical night use (read, not searching for the coin that rolled under your bunk, thereby interrupting the Friday night game of “quarters”).   Having personally used one for nighttime map reading in mission areas, I can attest to its effectiveness.  
 

We did train on maintaining night vision - closing your “firing eye” if exposed to unfiltered light at night, vehicle blackout drive, and using filtered light sources.  All of these became very practical in FTXs, at NTC, and on deployment.

 

I only ever used the red lens, and it stayed in my flashlight.

 

As far as the other lenses, I recall there being:

 

White opaque:  This was a diffuser as we knew and used it.  I won’t use the right language of light science, for conversational purposes, but it changed the ‘shape’ of the emitted light from a beam to a ball.  Think:  less like a laser, more like a torch.  I guess more of a glow.  I think it was supposed to be for map reading as it spread the light out, but I didn’t use it.  We experimented with all the lenses in the barracks, which is how I learned that I was a red lens only guy.  
 

Blue:  Never used it, but would speculate that maybe it was used when employing ‘active’ night vision (?).  I recall reading that blue light was differentially visible with IR.  We didn’t use flashlights when using powered night vision, so I can’t personally confirm.  
 

The rest: There is also a clear lens with concentric corrugations, that disperses the light differently as well.  Again, I never used it beyond our highly-scientific barracks testing.

 

@ccyooper, thanks for bringing this one back up.

 

And for anybody with a flashlight TM, or better technical knowledge, please feel free to fix anything I typed here.  
 

Thank you.

 

Edit:  I just opened the base cap on a Fulton MX-99I/U in my office (not one that I carried) and it has (1) clear corrugated lens, (1) opaque white lens, and (3) red lenses.  The poor blue lens is nowhere to be seen.