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The secret, electronic war :: Intelligence and Electronic Warfare

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Updated: 6 Dec 12

Linguists

Electronic Support Measures :: Boozer

Boozer was a simple radar warning receiver. It displayed simply that an aircraft was held in a radar beam generated by an enemy fighter or ground radar station.

Active Electronic Countermeasures :: ABC

ABC stood for Airborne Cigar and was a development of Ground Cigar, a barrage jamming site at Sizewell which denied German night fighters VHF RT frequencies from 30 Jul 1943. Ground Cigar's coverage was not widespread enough due to VHF line of sight. ABC was therefore fitted to 101 Sqn aircraft to protect the main stream bomber force. ABC-equipped bombers were placed at intervals among the bomber stream to protect the entire package during any raid.

ABC equipped Lancaster were equipped by an extra crew member, a Special Operator, whose job it was to identify and jam any VHF transmission presenting a threat to the bomber stream. The ABC equipment plus operator reduced the payload by 1000 lbs. Aircraft were equpped with three antennae approximately 7 ft long, two dorsally mounted on the spine and one on the nose. The operators were not necessarily linguists but need only recognise the fact that German GCI were sending directions to Luftwaffe interceptors.

Active Electronic Countermeasures :: Radar Jamming :: ASPIRIN

British attempts to corrupt the German Luftwaffe KNICKEBEIN radio signal, which directed bomber formations to their target, were assisted by an 'ASPIRIN' transmitter set up at Holton le Moor, near Caistor.

Active Electronic Countermeasures :: Benito

Benito was a system of fighter control relying on the reception and transmission of an audio tone by each individual fighter. It was first observed in Jan 1944 and 6 RAF aircraft were fitted with an extra modulator for the ABC kit to jam Benito UHF channels, rebroadcasting the audio tones to confuse its ranging through spurious signals. This Benito counter found wide application with 101 Sqn and 100 Gp.

Passive Electronic Countermeasures :: Window

As far as my so-far limited research indicates, Window was first used on 24 Jul 1943 during Bomber Command's Battle of Hamburg.

Window consisted of small strips of black paper measuring 27 cm by 2 cm, coated on one side with aluminium foil. The intention was to jam victim radar by saturating the radar screen of the operator with false returns from thousands of additional radar dipoles. In simpler terms, the strips of metal reflected the radar signal and confused the German defences as to the aircraft location and numbers.

Electronic Support :: GEE

Navigation aid - slave sites installed at Stenigot and Nettleton.

Radio Direction Finding :: Monica

Monica was a Radio Direction Finding (RDF) warning device fitted in the tails of Lancaster including 3 aircraft from 101 Sqn from Jul 1943. Later in the year Monica was withdrawn when it became clear that enemy night fighters could home on the signal it generated, effectively finding bombers without having to employ their own AI radar and give away their position or presence.

Radio Direction Finding and RADAR

CHAIN HOME was the name given to a network (chain) of early coastal radar stations. Although rudimentary in capabilities when compared with today's modern 3D systems, Chain Home was the only early warning radar network in operation when created. The stations were set up at roughly 50 mile intervals along the coast on high ground and provided early warning of enemy aircraft at up to 100 miles. Chain Home was System limitations at low altitude meant that an additional system, Chain Home Low, was developed. Lincolnshire sites associated with Chain Home include RAF Stenigot, RAF Skendleby, RAF Ingoldmels and RAF Humberston.

Royal Air Force Intelligence

Within Bomber Command's Base structure there was a Base Intelligence Officer, probably a Sqn Ldr, whose section was situated near the Ops Block. His primary job was to provide the Base Commander with intelligence support for his operational planning process and for the ops themselves. He was also in command of the Intelligence Sections at each of the satellite stns.

Units involved:

100 Gp

101 Sqn

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