Defense systems.
Quote English astronomer Robert Hanbury Brown on the use and development of radar: "I never got tired of watching the radar echo from an aircraft as it first appeared as a tiny blip in the noise on the cathode-ray tube, and then grew slowly into a big deflection as the aircraft came nearer. This strange new power to “see” things at great distances, through clouds or darkness, was a magical extension of our senses. It gave me the same thrill that I felt in the early days of radio when I first heard a voice coming out of a horn." |
RadarRadar played a pivotal role in the eventual victory in the battle of Britain of which may not have occurred without it. It not only did it display and locate the incoming German attacks and the size of these attacks, but it also allowed for the counteractions to these attacks to be made when necessary removing the need for constant patrol. Radar was invented by Robert Watson-Watt, the chain of radar stations covered the south-east of England, and in corroboration with the work of the Royal Observer Corps, radar was the key early warning systems of the RAF and Fighter Command.
This early defense system of the chain of radar stations did have its limitation however. The key major weakness was that once Germans had crossed the coastline they were unable to be tracked by radar, this was due to the fact that the stations faced out towards the channel, and as well as this the stations signals were affected by returns from the land surface. Once they had crossed the coastline and thus also the radar stations, the location and information surrounding the German attacks was left solely to the Observer Corps. One of the other major flaws was that the signals were fairly hard to comprehend and could be misinterpreted this leading to situation where fighters were put into dangerous situations due to misinformation on enemy aircraft height and numbers. It was also unable to measure height but could detect aircraft flying at 152m (500ft) at ranges up to 177km (110 miles). The positives however were pivotal and key to the eventual success in the air defense. The pilots of the RAF needed to be in the air as soon as any information was provided to make up for the 20 minute time for pilots to get the the required height to engage the Germans, especially in attempts to stop German attacks from reaching their points of attack. Radar allowed for them to strike at the most opportune time and preemptively counteract the German offenses. This also allowed for much more efficient and effective allocation of resources, it allowed pilots to attack only if needed preventing the need for constant patrol wasting valuable fuel reserves and straining the heavily and exhausted used group of pilots. As well as the pilots already deployed were able to stay in the air longer to counteract further German offensive. Pilots could be given bearings and directions to find German attacks more efficiently and counteract them much faster. The role of radar played the key role in the dowding system and was vital in the early warning system, not only as it provided the key and the longest range early warning of the German attacks, but also allowed all of the other defense systems to be organized around this information, providing warning and preparation time for fighter command, the Royal observers corps, but also other anti-aircraft defenses. Although it had it’s shortcomings, the overall role of which it played was vital in terms of the air defense of britain. |
Fighter CommandFighter command played the key role in the allocation, deployment and tactical strategies surrounding the use of British pilots and fighters in the battle of Britain. Fighter Command was sectioned into Groups, each controlling a different part of Britain. 11 Group controlled south-east England and London. It was reinforced by 10 Group, which covered south-west England, 12 Group, which covered the Midlands and East Anglia and 13 Group which covered the North of England and Scotland. This was because most of the attacks were focused at group 11 (as it defended London) and thus extra resources needed to be acquired to defend it from areas of which were attacked less and therefore required less resources. Fighter Command was established in July 1936 and was run and established under the command of Sir Hugh Dowding.
The groups themselves were broken down once again into small areas (sectors), an attempt to lessen the pressure on the tactical control and those in command. These sectors each contained one main fighter air base with satellite fighter bases conjoint with it. Each main fighter base had an operations room with maintenance and repair facilities for the planes flying under its sector. The most influential part of the process was the role that Bentley Priory played, for not only each sector and group, but the whole network of defending Britain. The information of oncoming German attacks received by the Royal Observers Corps and the radar station network was all sent to Bentley Priory to be processed and then analysed. From this point the commanders were then able to decide on what group and sector would be responsible for the on coming attack. From here on the individual group commander would then be able to take control of which of his individual sectors and be able to select which to use to combat the German attack. This pivotal process played a key role in streamlining the response to German attacks and the ability to efficiently and effectively plan and tactically counter act these from the appropriate area, with the appropriate force. Without these systems within fighter command, the RAF would have been put under extreme and costly circumstances. They would have lacked the ability to utilize the early defense systems, thus also the inability not only to preemptively strike, but also removing the ability to correctly and efficiently allocate of resources. Thus, the role of fighter command played the pivotal role of bridging the gap between intelligence and other precursory information, and the allocation of resources. This allowing appropriate responses to German attacks and proper and efficient use of resources. |
Quotes Winston Churchill’s tribute to the men in Fighter Command: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” |
Quotes Air Marshal Hugh Dowding's stated the importance of this in his dispatch following the Battle of Britain: "It is important to note that at this time they (the Observer Corps) constituted the whole means of tracking enemy raids once they had crossed the coastline. Their work throughout was quite invaluable. Without it the air-raid warning systems could not have been operated and inland interceptions would rarely have been made." Historian and historic author John Lake stating that it was: “Arguably the most valuable of the voluntary services during the Battle of Britain was the Observer Corps.” |
Royal Observer CorpsThe use of Radar played a pivotal role in warning the British of when German aircraft were approaching the British coast, but once they had crossed they were solely dependent on the Royal Observers Corps to locate, track and report the location of the German planes to fighter command. They were one of the key defense systems of which were pivotal in the eventual victory and successes surrounding the battle of Britain, as well as this having a large positive impact on the blitz. The quotes on the right speak to the high degree of success of and need for the Royal Observer Corps and the pivotal role of which it played in the battle of Britain.
The Royal Observer Corps obvious and primary role was to locate the German planes once they had crossed the coastline (this being the radar covered area), gain knowledge on the amount, number and other information on the logistics of the German attack, and to relay the information back to RAF Group and Command Operations rooms. These men were very skilled and enthusiastic in the role they played, using a plethora of devices (of which were available) to estimate the height, formations, and the bearing of which the incoming Luftwaffe attacks were attacking at. The number and type of aircraft were studied and allowing this pivotal information also to be relayed back to a Group Headquarters. This overall painting a clearer picture of the event that were unfolding allowing for more appropriate and efficient allocation of what were already scarce resources at the time. The Royal Observer Corps also played a pivotal role in the early phases of the battle when the Germans were still attacking the chain of radar station, at this point in providing the sole warning for the incoming German attacks. Without this fighter command could have been put under extreme pressure, as the inability not only to preemptively strike, but also removing the ability to correctly and efficiently allocate of resource could have pushed Fighter command and thus the battle of Britain to a breaking point. The use of the Royal Observer Corps in corroboration with radar allowed for Fighter Command to get fighters into the air within the 20 minutes time zone that they required to reach their optimum flying height. The Royal Observer Corps was broken into five key Areas, sixteen Groups and a Corps Headquarters located with Fighter Command at Bentley Priory. As well as the pivotal role they played in the battle of Britain, they also played in a key role in the activation of air raid sirens and helping to avoid casualties in the blitz. The tireless twenty four hours a day seven days a week key watches of which they watched over Britain in the most pivotal and threatening times of world war two played a key role in the eventual victory and aerial defense of Britain. |
For referencing and research sources and other information please look to the bibliography section.