Evening star., 1945-08-15

indicator which shows the area
scanned by radar on a round disc
in manner similar to a relief map
The "pips" show water as dark
areas: land is light; ships, planes
and cities appear as bright areas.
Radar is limited in use by the
height at which the pulses are trans
mitted and received. Surface rada1
can scan sea or land up to a dis
tance where the pulses" shoot OF
beyond the curvature of the earth
A high-altitude bomber can, there
fore, scan a tremendously increased
area
Thus, when the Germans began
sinking Allied shipping at the rate
Of $4,000 tons a day in 1912, the
Allies were prepared with airborne
radar perfected by the British fol
mounting on search planes. Since
submarines must surface for air anL
to recharge batteries, the common
practice was to emerge at night
when low visibility gave protection
Planes began destroying U-Boats ir
increasing numbers, or guiding sur.
face vessels to the area for demoli-
tion of the subs by gunfire anu
depth charges. Slow and anti.
quated B-18s were first used in this
country with a base at Langley Field
Later the sea search included severa
hundred planes in the United States
operating under the 1st AAF Anti.
submarine Command.
! Warned of Foe.
| The Germans counteracted by de-
veloping a receiver for the radal
pulses" emitted by the planes, ane
forewarned. were able to submergs
in time to escape the bomber. Radal
does not register beneath the sur.
face of the sea, and the Nazi.
operated with increased boldnes.
until the United States developed 8
microwave pulse" which the sub.
marine commanders could not de.
tect. Despite desperate attempts tt
fathom the secret of the Allied sue.
Ncess which during May, June ane
July, 1943, caused nearly 100 kills,
the Germans were unsuccessful. Ir
the last days of the war, U-boat!
were using "schnorkel," an elastic
tube which permitted submarines Il
remain submerged while drawing
fresh air from the surface.
By establishing radars warning
networks before the war, the Brit.
ish people were able to givt
ample warning to the small RAJ
during the Battle for Britain
thereby conserving pilots, plane.
and fuel Without the warning de.
vice. the pilots would have beer
compelled to maintain constant pa.
trolls over the island, never certain
where the Nazi bombers woult
strike. Night fighters were equipped
with radar to find and destroy thu
fleets which Marshal Goerins
switched over to night attacks OF
England after his disastrous day.
time bombing attempts. The nigh
attacks were equally disastrous tx
the Germans.
BY the time the vi buzz bomb.
were being shot at England ans
Antwerp. American surface radal
had been developed to the poin
where it could track the v bonn,
from the moment 1t left launchin,
sites. American antiaircraft artil
lery, aiding the British, shot dow,
the bombs in vast numbers. tn,
guns pointed, tracking and firin,
automatically when the closely in
tegrated radar and coinputers IKE,
the target. The British late
adopted this type OF equipment
which was proved superior to thet
own.
The Air Force, largest users d
radar, found 1t highly successful 70
accurate navigation as well .
bombing. And therein lies tn
greatest potentialities for peace
time operation Of radAr In nayi
gation for both sea and air trans
! potTation.