Wartime Commonwealth Air Force Signals Structure

[David Dunlop]

The wartime Commonwealth Army Wireless Communications pyramid is fairly well documented with regards to what equipment was used at the various levels from the field on up to Army HQ levels.

Was there a similar structure in the Commonwealth Air Forces during World War Two? It would seem at the individual aircraft level, at the bottom of the wireless pyramid, each aircraft had a wireless set for air to air and air to ground communications. There would also have been variations in this equipment, but most would likely have shared common frequencies.

The Army used Command Vehicles in the field to monitor combat situations, provide direction and relay information back up the pyramid. Did the Air Forces use Command Aircraft for similar purposes during the war, or was this a later, postwar development?

One gets a sense that during the war, aircrew debriefings back at base are the prime information gathering events for the staff higher up the ladder to better understand what went on/happened following any mission, so individual aircrews and pilots were very much on their own, so live, airborne command and assistance was probably non-existent.

The Army used a number of Medium and High Power Wireless Sets as one moved higher up the command structure. Did the Air Forces follow a similar pattern, and if so, what equipment was used at each level?


David

[Bruce MacMillan]

I would think there was a structure more so for frequencies rather than command. The army had many layers of wireless comms from front line back to hq. Air force comms were mostly two modes, air to air (VHF?) and laisson (HF?).
There was no middle man from takeoff to landing except in ground support.

The mobile ASSU (army) would provide targeting info directly to the pilots. For D-Day Combined Ops introduced the fighter direction tender. These were LSTs converted to floating radio & radar stations to support the RAF & the RCAF. There was probably a nice bit of kit on these. I read that they were equiped with German radar sets due to the thought that Jerry would jam British sets but not their own

As airfields were acquired I suspect comms were more telephone and RTTY.

[David Dunlop]

Bruce.

You had me at 'Fighter Direction Tender'...

Now to find out what they looked like and where in the scheme of things they were located during and post landings.


David

[Bruce MacMillan]

this might help:
https://www.combinedops.com/FDTs.htm

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Bruce MacMillan

this might help:
https://www.combinedops.com/FDTs.htm

Sad they lost a FTD with five being killed.

Getting back to David's question: it is a complicated history and would be a long research project for somebody !

I have a book by E.R. Hall - A Saga of Achievement: published in 1978. It is a history of the RAAF radio comms covering the early days up to the 1970s. Hall was a POW, in Japanese hands for 3 and 1/2 years.

The RAAF had formed many mobile radio units including : MFCU (Mobile Fighter Control Units) , they served up in the islands. The air force was also responsible for RADAR installations ( both ground and air ) and had formed enemy interception units (listening) as well as the training of thousands of WAG aircrew. https://www.raafradar.org.au/pdf/Pit...adar_Part2.pdf

1946 complied document on RAF radio vehicle types. Found this link on the HMVF https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ubw15...186c2&e=1&dl=0