AT5/AR8 in USA

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

....also supplied to US Forces under Reciprocal Lend Lease (RLL) arrangements.

Mike C

Ah yes , true

The Australian radio industry manufactured various equipments for the US forces in the SWPA. A few Aust. sets have turned up in the USA . And, one of the GMH ambulance Jeeps has turned up over there as well . Seems like the yanks took a few things home when they left.

I have seen US army markings on these Aust. radio types

AWA AT21

AWA 3BZ

AWA AMR 101

Radio Corps. ATR4

I believe they also used the locally made mobile radar sets , because they were better than the US made sets. There was a few articles published in EA magazine years ago on this topic, the Aust. designed and built mobile radar sets were considered the best . Until the rest of the world caught up and overtook .

Mike

[Mike Cecil]

Ah, yes, the LW/AW radar sets (Light Weight/Air Warning), super-secret at the time, and mostly destroyed rather than sold off at Govt auction when no longer required. Thankfully one set survived, and is now on display at the AWM in Bradbury Aircraft Hall. They were 'super secret' because of the cavity magnetron that was the 'heart' of the system. Old hat, now, of course: every microwave oven has one, but not so at the time.

The RLL scheme was interesting and the range of things Aust supplied to US forces is astounding, including all those radios and radar equipments you listed above. I seem to remember that Australia supplied 3/4 of the US$ value of Lend Lease items received, back to US Forces as RLL items: everything from clothing and food to small ships. The books were still in the USAs favour, of course, but not bad for such a small population with a relatively narrow - and small - manufacturing capacity.

Interesting thread, Mike.

Mike C