Evening star., 1943-06-22
BY JOHN M. HIGHToWER.

one OF the recent miracles OF
Radar almost certainly is the Aleu-
tians campaign. Despite the com
plete absence Of official information
on the subject, modern warfare OBJ
viously would be virtually impossible
along that fog-cursed island chain
without the aid of this new weapon
to explore the way and report the
hidden mountains and uncharted
rocks which menace every move
ment of ships and planes.
The change in attitude of Amer
lean officers toward the military po-
tentialities of the Aleutians is one
of the remarkable revolutions in
military and naval thinking of the
war in this country. Only two or
lthree years ago the islands were con-
'Asidered to be almost useless because
of their weather, which Is probably
worse than any other weather on
earth.
Now they are recognized as having
great strategic value. Credit for the
change in opinion must surely go
to Radar-the wizardry of which
we may assume, has been profit
ably employed in clearing the short
northern road to Toxic.
Protects Atlantic Conveys.
In the Atlantic, Radar has been
found invaluable in convoy opera
tions. 1t enables task force COM
manders to maintain constant
checks on ships in their charge, de-
spite darkness and bad weather. 1t
keeps them fully informed, too. on
the presence Of surfaced enemy sub
marines for miles around.
The use of Radar In convoy es-
corting closely approximates the
original tactical purposes of the ap-
paratus as outlined by DR.. Albert
Hoyt Taylor of the Naval Research
Laboratory and an associate, Leo c.
Young, in a memorandum to the
Navy Department in September
1922.
They made the then revolutionary
suggestion that with radio detection
equipment, destroyers operating on
parallel lines several miles apart
could promptly discover the passage
OF an alien vessel between the lines,
irrespective Of fog, darkness or
smoke screen"
But scientists are not professional
naval men and then, at least, they
did not speak in the high councils
of the seagoing force. Conversely
few naval men are scientists, re-
gardless of their abilities as tacti-
clans and strategists with recognized
weapons. The suggestion by DR..
Taylor and Mr.. Young apparently
made little impression on the men
who could have given a go-ahead,
because for eight years their men,
orandum got no approval, support
or results whatever.
By-PrOduct of Other Research.
DR.. Taylor and Mr.. Young, how
ever, had made not only the basic
discovery necessary to the develop
ment of radio equipment, but also
has envisioned its tactical uses. The
discovery came about, as is so often
true in scientific work, as a by
product of another problem they
we're working on and-a fact which
also is true of much research-it had
more than one important use.
DR.. Taylor had been interested in
radio for many years. A graduate
of Northwestern University and of
Goettingen, Germany, where he at
tanned his doctorate, he had taught
at the University of Wisconsin, served
as professor and head of the physics
department at the University of
North Dakota. From the latter
school he Went into the Navy in
1917 as a lieutenant The later be-
came a commander, and was made
district communications superin-
tendent at the Great Lakes station.
Mr.. Young and another associate
in radio work, Louis A. Gebhard,
entered the naval service about the
same time and we're assigned to DR..
Taylor's command at Great Lakes.
Mr.. Young had been radio anna
teur and an expert railway teleg-
rapher. Gebhard had made radio
work his profession. After a period
of employment by the old Marconi
Wireless Telegraph Co. he had set
up his own shop in Buffalo, N. Y,
and manufactured radio equipment.
Degrees From G. w. U.
DR.. Taylor pays high tribute to
their abilities. Both now are asso-
ciate superintendents of the radio
division which DR.. Taylor heads,
having worked with him continu-
ously since their first associations.
Mr.. Young is described by DR.. Taylor
as "a man with a lot of native
genius and intensive self-instruc-
ton" His praise for DR.. Gebhard is
couched in similar terms. Dr. Geb-
hard, in fact, won three college de-
grees at George Washington Uni
versity, two in science and one in
law.
After the war, when the three men
had left the Navy's uniformed ranks,
they continued their work near
Washington at the Naval Air Sta
tion, Anacostia-the research labora-
tory had not yet peen started. Their
general problem was improvement of
interplane and plane-ground radio
communications DR.. Taylor was
boss, and Mr.. Young had the mag
ntflcent title of radio laboratorian.
In 1921 their experiments took
them into the field of radio broad
casting. Paralleling the pioneer Sta
ton KDKA at Pittsburgh, they &C
cumulated quite an incidental repu-
tation as purveyors of entertainment
and oratory. Their regular programs
included a broadcast by President
Harding, first Chief Executive to
go on the air" One evening they
put the Marine Band on the air and
got fan mail from % States. The
scientific purpose was to. gather
range data on naval communica-
tions.
But the work was by no means all
fun and fan mail. BY the summer
of 1922. long hours of study and lab
oratory research had brought con-