ATAG's 1st Bomber Night this Weekend

[klem]

Originally Posted by IvanK

.........................
In addition CH stations were very directional. The coverage being at right angles to the array.
...............This directionality also being the reason that CH couldn't see inland ... the area behind the Towers being blind. Once the targets crossed the coast CH radar was useless ... the plots then only possible from Observer corps observations.

And for a little entertainment for those that don't know the story...

The Transmitters had an electronic screen at their rear, part of the assembly. It was, I believe, a mesh tuned to the opposite polarity of the transmitted signal so that no effective transmission was made to the rear, or at least very little. Anyway the screen failed one day in September 1939 three days after the declaration of war. When an unexpected aircraft was detected approaching the Thames from the East/NE Hurricanes of 56 Squadron were scrambled to intercept. Because of the failed screen these aircraft created a 'reflection' on the observers scopes and were interpreted as more enemy aircraft. More aircraft were sent up to meet the threat. Then more .... In the ensuing confusion a section of three 74 Squadron Spitfires shot down two of 56 Squadron's Hurricanes, causing the first RAF death in action of the war and what later came to be known to us all as "friendly fire". Remember this was before anyone had seen any fighter action let alone what a 109 might really look like in the sky. Sailor Malan, the Flight Leader of the six 74 Sqdn Spitfires claimed he called to his subsection of three that the aircraft were friendly and to break off but the subsection never heard the call and one of them was still saying 60 years later that there wasn't a call.

Anyway, this became known as "The Battle of Barking Creek".

It did have one positive outcome, the RAF looked long and hard at its procedures, everyone trained a lot more and were ready when it really mattered.