Radar Vehicles

Noel Burgess · #1 16-10-10, 00:31

I've just put a post on the History & Equipment forum about the Canadians on Radar project.
Heres some of the photos relating to that - first one is a fairly straightforward Bedford MW radio body being used as a workshop vehicle for testing Oboe radar fitted to pathfinder mosquuito aircraft.
The exciting thing for me about this one is that the man in the photograph actually e-mailed me the picture

Noel Burgess · #2 16-10-10, 00:38

Two more - not in the book/website. These were sent to me by Alfred Cassidy and show two views of the vehicle train for AMES9442 mobile Oboe unit [Oboe was used as a target designator for bombing missions]

Noel Burgess · #3 16-10-10, 00:44

One more for tonight - two installed Oboe radar trailers - looks to me like they use the same trailer/cabin as AA No3 Mk2 radar

Keith Brooker · #4 17-10-10, 10:34

This is a Original photo from my collection of a Standard Radar Van at Ash Camp Shanghai in 1946 with Ray Hutchings next to it. the front wheels are on blocks.

Noel Burgess · #5 17-10-10, 11:29

That's interesting Kieth, any idea of the vehicle's purpose - I would assume radar servicing but what about the two triangles at the rear which apperar to hinge up and down?

Here's a couple more from the book/site - first another targeting/navigation radar a mobile Eureka-H unit and then an early Ground Controll of Approach unit (colour suggests post war but were used at the end of the war)

Noel

Noel Burgess · #6 17-10-10, 11:34

Just to clarrify - I have no connection with the Canadians on Radar project - I found the website on which scanned copies of the books had been posted and asked the authors if they had any better copies of the photographs - first three are from this enquiry the others are my best sttempt to clean up immages from the pdf files.
I do have their permission to post these immages.
Noel

Keith Brooker · #7 17-10-10, 13:20

Hi Noel, here is a close up of the radar vans rear end and no i dont have a clue of its use.

Les Freathy · #8 21-10-10, 19:00

Good subject Noel, heres a couple of RAF rvt trucks the second is a RVT 194 Mk1
cheers
Les

Noel Burgess · #9 22-10-10, 18:36

I have RVT 393 as an HF W.T. transmitter vehicle with RVT 394 as the accompanying receiver vehicle. These were used by a Forward Direction Post for wireless commuication with Group Controll Centre.
I have no dea what an RVT 194 was for, but note that the container style body is flat floor without the usual wheel arches as seen on the RVT 393 pcture.

Noel

Noel Burgess · #10 26-10-10, 19:24

Royal Air Force radar/radio (ground) has a quite complicated naming system:
First there is AMES - Air Ministry Experimental Station
Each type of radar has an AMES number
Each radar station or mobile unit has its own AMES number based on the type number
For example - Oboe as a system was known as AMES 9400
Mobile Oboe units/trains were AMES 9441; AMES 9442 Etc.

Then each vehicle had a RVT number - even GS lorries (tenders to the RAF) if they were attached to a radar/radio unit - I suspect that the RVT number sometimes related to the specific type of unit it was attached to so the same vehicle/equipment combination may have more than one RVT number.[I know of 2 RVT numbers relating to a 20KVa generator on Austin K6]

At least that is my current understanding

If anyone knows otherwise please correct me.

Cheers
Noel

Noel Burgess · #11 30-10-10, 00:36

Here's another one just to keep things going - a type 15 radar being errected. It is part of a MONAB base.
Picture from this site

Les Freathy · #12 21-11-10, 21:25

Not a radar vehicle but a couple of interesting trailers, they should fit in here OK

alamotex · #13 25-11-10, 01:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

Not a radar vehicle but a couple of interesting trailers, they should fit in here OK

If that is not a radar trailer ,what is it ? Maybe a jamming device ? The side by side parabolic antenna dishes suggest a near micro wave frequency with a wave length somewhat longer than 10 cm.

Bob Carriere · #14 25-11-10, 02:48

.... the pictures posted by Les...... are very similar/same as pictures I have seen for sale by THE book dealer.... they were part of his 8 1/2 by 11 sets of British equipment...... we left them behind because they were not CMP related.....

Bob C

Grant Bowker · #15 25-11-10, 03:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

.... the pictures posted by Les...... are very similar/same as pictures I have seen for sale by THE book dealer.... they were part of his 8 1/2 by 11 sets of British equipment...... we left them behind because they were not CMP related.....

Bob C

I agree about them being at least similar to the photos seen, but they don't look to show a GL no3 Mk3 ? (C) trailer (discussed in another thread today).
Grant

Noel Burgess · #16 25-11-10, 09:27

Les' pictures are of Wireless set No10 - a 10 channel microwave set used at Army/Army Group level in NW Europe. I'm sure these were covered in MLU a few years ago
Noel

alamotex · #17 25-11-10, 19:09

You are correct Noel ..It is a Wireless Set No 10

http://www.wftw.nl/wireless/ws10a.jpg

The early versions of GEE and OBOE, which should properly be classified as Aids to Navigation, were mounted in trailers that were available at the time. OBOE in a trailer originally manufactured for the AA radar No 3 Mk 2 is not surprising. What is surprising is that the boys in blue have cornered the market on WW II radar. The army radar personnel and equipment have been marginalised to the point that no one cares about the preservation of the one surviving GL III(c) gunlaying radar, lying neglected out on the Canadian Prairie. It is ironic that the GL III (c) is featured on the FLICKR site of the Quebec Naval museum, but dismissed as a low priority by the RCA Museum.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/museena...ec/4435376316/

Ken Smith · #18 29-11-10, 12:05

I have been surprised that no one has ever commented on the REL radar trailer I have noted in my signature.My trailer is a GL III(c) I have the trailer,dolly, stabilising legs and turntable for the radar but the shelter is missing.Bart Vanderveen sent me a photo of the outfit many years ago but information has been pretty scarce.There is a long distance photo of one in New Guinea with a lot of other surplus equipment at the end of WW2.My trailer came from the Gold Coast in Queensland and was used by four farmer brothers to carry their Cat D6 around on,they eventually took the dolly out and welded a 6 foot extension to the front of the trailer and used it as a low loader, hooked up to their 1954 Chev truck.The trailer has electric brakes and the farmers said that with the D6 on they could lock the brakes up no problem.I was going to set the trailer up behind my NM Mack as the NM,s were used to tow radar trailers and guns in Australia.I thought though that the GL III(c) and its accomanying trailer were normally towed by FWDs.
Cheers Ken

alamotex · #19 29-11-10, 20:57

Ken. Niether I nor the small cotterie of WW II army radar enthusiasts I associate with via the internet, are military vehicle collectors or restorers and this might explain why we failed to notice your listing of interests at the foot of your posts. Sorry for that omission. Over the years we have been in touch with several Ozzies on the subject of WW II radar,many of whom were contributors to this forum. You are the first to have possesion of a chassis or partial trailer which could be identified as belonging to the APF unit of the GL III (c). Tony Smith ( the other Tony Smith ) has, or had, two beat up trailers from the companion unit of the GL III(c)..namely the ZPI unit. North Fort museum has a consol that was donated by Dave Prince.
One of my associates was on deployment to OZ during the war as part of the Canadian Technical contingent shipped over to provide tech knowhow and to carry out tropicalisation on the 83 GL III(c) convoys purchased by your military in 1943.
I have asked my colleague in Canada to get in touch with you...he worked on these babies as a master technician in the RCEME..

Keith Brooker · #20 29-11-10, 22:58

Just thought i would put these photos on as i do not know what it is. Photo taken in the 1950s. one of the guys has a sten gun. Original photos from my collection.

Keith Brooker · #21 29-11-10, 23:06

This is a bit larger. The capbadge is RA.

alamotex · #22 30-11-10, 01:08

AA (Anti Aircraft ) Radar No 3 Mk 7..UK designed and built.. deployed as a Fire Control radar with HAA units (Heavy Anti Aircraft ) in the post WW II period. Sold to many friendly countries. Often used in conjunction with AA Radar No 4 Mk 6 (Canadian ) as a Tactical Control radar on both static and mobile AA gunsites..sometimes referred to,as the search radar. That square trailer in the background under the tree could well be an MZPI No 4 Mk 6..Zippy to the RA bird gunners.

Probably dug in to prevent detection from the air and blast protection effects. Ground clutter would have been intolerable if tracking low flying aircraft. Lots of info on the net re this equipment. Nice restoration being undertaken at the Duxford Imperial War Museum. Made obsolete in the era of SAM's. Used for tracking on the Womera missile range in Aus.

Keith Brooker · #23 30-11-10, 09:40

Thanks for the info on the photos Brian. Photos taken in Germany.

David Molyneux · #24 16-01-11, 23:55

Noel,

Re post 9

AP2782A gives its purpose as a Radio Approach Aid. The vehicle carried VHF for ground to air communication, VHF/DF for initial location and positioning and manually operated radar for its final plotting.

hth

David Molyneux