Show M 4 1 A o 2 Radar Saved Britain Britain- 4 q H Remodel Industry 4 Electronics Proves of Great Value to American American Amer Amer- ican can Air and Naval Forces Duren During Present War t B By BAUKHAGE I k News New Analyst and Commentator W TU U Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C y r This Thu i Is lJ the first ol oJ two too articles by t. t Mr Ur retE soma of o othe the remarkable achievements of o radar and explaining how hote it operates operate Little by little the world Is learning learn- learn big ing more of the secrets hidden in that magic letter five-letter word which spelled backward or forward means the same thing but whose real meaning is still a mystery I mean R-A R R A D R. A-R. I have written It down that way because Us its It derivation Is one mystery mystery mys mys- tery that we can reveal Before It went Into classification which Is what they say In the army when they mean something cant can't be mentioned mentioned men men- in public r radar ldar was an Important Important important Im im- but little known copyrighted copyrighted copyrighted copy copy- righted commercial label It is re really llly four words in one Radio Direction and Ranging Early in the war there were some stories printed about a German Gennan airplane airplane airplane air air- plane which had a television camera In it which could send back pictures of the territory beneath it Shortly thereafter all mention of such an apparatus stopped and the dark mysterious career of radar be be- gan Radar and television are not the same sume thing but there are similarities similarities similarities simi simi- and i If we can believe that actors In a studio In the RCA building building building build build- ing In New York can be seen out In Westchester county by people sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting around a television set we can believe that another little gadget can register the presence and location location location loca loca- tion of a distant object like a plane or a warship and i If 11 it is moving tell which way it is going and how fast Radar Will Soon Be Industries' Industries Marvel As I 1 s said lid we knew the Germans had been working on such a device early in the war This is how radar was wa born In this country Back In 1932 two scientists scientists' observed observed ob- ob v served that something happened r to a radio wave when it hit the wide side aide of ot a building and also when a 4 ship went across its path Research continued but the war sent radar Into hiding On November 14 1942 a Jap battleship slipping through the sea near the Solomon c X islands was suddenly struck by a t salvo of shots from an American ship eight miles away The Japs Japsi 7 i went down to Davy Jones' Jones locker without knowing what hit them They never saw the American ship i which fired the shots Nor did the s Americans ever see the Japanese warship except as it appeared as a at at t t I I. I n 1 vi x i I E Radar Finds Military l Targets I little blip of light on a tin tiny y screen Radar did it itOn On a winter day I sat In a room at the Willard hotel in hi Washington London was trembling under the terror of night bombing Sitting at ata a table before us was an officer of the ROY Royal ll air force After a few general general general gen gen- eral remarks he made what was to tous tous tous us an astounding statement namely namely namely name name- ly that defense against daytime bombing had been perfected and a method of ending the effectiveness of night attack would soon be in operation The tid tide had been turned in the I battle of Britain and though we didn't know it then radar had donetha done that tha t too Between these two events was another another another an an- 1 other one we dont don't like to talk too much about Over in the Hawaiian A Islands on December 7 1941 19 Joseph Lockard though not supposed sup posed to be on duty at the time was listening to a detector an apparatus which strangers weren't Verent allowed to approach in those days Lockard detected an airplane I about 30 miles away He reported it t to his superior but that gentleman gentleman gentleman gentle gentle- man knowing American planes were vere out at the time took no action Lockard was eventually given the Distinguished Service medal The rest we had better try to forget while we e still must remember Pearl earl Harbor Human service failed ailed to carry the message that the J Jap lp air fleet was coming but r radar ldar had tad done its part of the job ob Radar has grown to be a giant since then This Is what Impact an official publication of the assistant assistant assist assist- ant chief of air staff intelligence says The use of radar In military operations operations op op- Is in hi Its infancy but It has permeated every phase of air war- war fare are It Is used in hi strategic bombing bombing bomb- bomb ing ng by both British and American heavIes It makes night fighting and intruder oper operations possible It literally literally liter Uter- ally saved England In the battle of Britain And it provided for the control and direction of virtually every every every ev ev- ery day or night sortie flown by the ACs tactical air force planes during the winter of 45 1944 The importance of the part which the American tactical air forces played from the battle of Normandy right up to V-E V Day is acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged edged by everyone though there may be differences of opinion as to the relative achievements of the various branches of the service Tactical T bombing and strafing is that part of air force activity which is s an integral portion of ot the individual ual land force opera operations lions as much mucha a part of the battle plan and its execution as the disposition of ar- ar tillery illery Strategic bombing is the softening up the long range air attacks And radar was a vital part of the success of the tactical operations in Europe Surope from Day D-Day on because of its ts help in getting a fighter bomber to its target and getting it home again in weather which is too bad bador for or normal operations It controlled night fighters photo and mapping planes picked out targets targets targets tar tar- gets and kept track of enemy planes in n the area To quote an official comment On the western front despite const constant overcast conditions during durIng during dur dur- ing the last winter the IX and were able to operate at maximum strength continually On the other hand the 1st Tactical air force which was without radar equipment last November flew only two missions that month one of these abortive because of the weather As to the range long-range strategic bomber which has to cross half a continent to get where it is going if i if bad weather envelopes it radar is of course invaluable for keeping its location Radar is also an integral integral integral inte inte- gral p part of the fire controL Commercial Aviation Will Profit Greatly Speculation as to radars radar's ultimate possibilities are unlimited both in fn war and peace Any ordnance expert expert ex ex- pert will tell you th that lt a controlled missile that is a bomb such as the deadly German V bombs which flew fiew from Holland to England England Eng land can with certain Improvements improvements improve Improve- ments be made much more deadly Not only can they be made to fly much farther farther across across the Atlantic over the North Pole but they can be accurately aimed and directed directed di at an area such as a city and ruthlessly destroy It Radar can cando cando cando do that and many other things it has not yet attempted There are likewise lIkewise likewise like lIke- wise an infinite number of ways in hi which h radar can and will serve a peaceful world In commercial aviation the thc m man manIn manin ln In the control tower the traffic cop copat copat copat at the airport will be able to locate locate locate lo lo- lo- lo cate all of the planes in hi the vicinity by day or by night In cloudy weather er and clear And it must be remembered remembered re reo that regulating the thc tr traffic lf fic Is going to be one of the most Important problems of tomorrows tomorrow's skyways for there will be a tremendous tremendous tre tree increase in hi the number of ol planes which will be in use and a similar increase in hi their speed and size Radar can warn the planes themselves themselves them them- selves against collision and the presence presence presence pres pres- ence of land masses high tension wires tall buildings or other obstacles obstacles obstacles ob ob- ob- ob to their flight And of ol course will permit safe sate landing even In a l dense fog tog |