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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1411.PDF
FLIGHT JUNE 26TH, 1941.. a RAD I OLOCAT1O N INFORMATION BUREAU :and intricate system of Radiolocators*, requires an enormous number of radiomechanics, radio operators, telephone operators and operations room staff.(Top) Girl operators of the W.A.A.F. plotting the course of enemy aircraft.(Bottom) A telephone switchboard at a Royal Air Force station. Relays ofoperators keep up a constant service ready for any air battle which may start. v Stages of Radiolocation were even mo*e apparent. Our sorely overworked fighters had no need to maintain standing patrols. They could rely on the vast Radiolocator system to tell them in plenty of time when the enemy were coming and from what direction. This was of such incalcu- lable help to them that independent observers from the Dominions have stated categorically that the Battle of Britain was won by the Fighters of the Royal Air Force and Radioloca- tion." From this description can be imag- ined Fighter Command receiving warning of the Germans taking off and making up their big formations before turning to attack England. It is possible to tell where they are and roughly how many. Early Experiments The man who can claim the most credit for the success of Radiolocation is Mr. R. A. Watson Watt, Scientific Adviser on Tele-Communications at the Air Ministry and later at the Ministry of Aircraft Production. His early training was in meteorology, but for a number of years he was Super- intendent of the Radio Research Stations of the Department of Scien- tific and Industrial Research. It was he who devised the crude initial experiments which were carried out on an old lorry near Daventry in March, 1935. Mr. Watt, and the country at large, was fortunate in ,ving a team of brilliant scientists •to develop the idea to its present stage. They got together a team of clever young men and worked for many months in absolute secrecy till they were able to show that Radio- location was a proved reality. As war became imminent their efforts were intensified; and so urgent did the need for Radiolocation become that, with their own hands, they made the first series of Radiolocators to give warning of the approach of German aircraft. Some of them— unkind people say they were made of string and sealing wax—were in use till quite recently. It was not long, however, before the vital importance of Radiolocation was realised, and the cleverest radio manufacturers of Great Britain brought all their resources to bear on evolving numer- ous types of Radiolocator by mass- production. From that day to this, Radiolocators have been pouring off the production lines in ever-increasing quantities. This is one of the few cases in this war where production has outstripped the number of men available to main- tain and service them in the field. Sir Philip Joubert at his conference, and Lord Beaverbrook in a broadcast to Canada and the United States of America, both stressed the need for radio technicians to maintain Radio- locators of various types in all three fighting services. Any fit man over Z8—there is no upper limit—who hasthe necessary technical qualifications will be accepted by the service which he chooses, and a certain number of women are also required as operators. Service Requirements The Royal Navy require 2,000 men and 300 women, and the Royal Air Force and Army between 7,000 and 8,000 men and 3,000 women each. The technical requirements are: Knowledge of the Morse code is not necessary, but applicants should have a good practical knowledge of modern superheterodyne receivers and of ser- vicing and fault-finding. They should preferably have some experience on short-wave receivers, and should have mastered at least the elementary basic principles of radio transmission and reception—otherwise they will be unable to assimilate the special course of instruction which will be given to them. Men who have had experience —at least two years—of servicing the better* types of radio receivers are specially suitable—as long as they have some theoretical knowledge. It should be noted that there are a large number of "radio engineers" and "radio service men" who have little or no real knowledge of radio, but are able to follow the very minute instructions given in the set manufac- turers' service manuals. Such men are unsuitable for this trade, unless they have real knowledge of their own. Keen amateurs who have spent some years making and operating their own sets are eligible—provided that their knowledge is practical as well as theoretical and that they can use tools. Applications to join this branch can bo made at the Combined Recruiting Offices in any district.
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