大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Site by Three Counties Action, on behalf of Rory O鈥橞rien, and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

When I was first posted to a squadron I went to Woodhall Spa to join 617 Sqn. As new ground crew, an LAC Airborne Radar Mechanic. The sometimes stifling discipline of training was replaced by a stimulating atmosphere. Discipline was Canadian rather than UK based. Our Radar Officer, F/L Wren, was known and addressed as Jenny. Our Senior NCO, F/S Cherimakora, was known and addressed as Cherry. The basis of the discipline within the Radar Section was the serviceability of the radar equipment in the aircraft.

An extreme example of this discipline occurred when Bomber Command decreed that the AYD equipment should be removed from the Lancaster鈥檚 to reduce weight as we were then starting to carry the 20klb Grand Slam.
AYD was a radar altimeter which could be switched to a desired altitude. A three lamp 鈥渢raffic light鈥� display then indicated when the altitude was greater than five feet above that required (green), at this altitude (amber) or more than five feet below (red). As the minimum setting was only fifty feet it had seemed ideal for the Dam Raids. It worked well enough over rough land but a phenomena called 鈥淪pecular reflection鈥� made it unreliable over water and hence it was never used.

Since the maximum selectable altitude was only four hundred feet, it served little purpose when dropping a Grand Slam or Tall Boy from some 20,000 feet. Hence the command to remove it. So 鈥� there we were on the flights, busy unscrewing aerials etc, when upstairs a passing aircrew F/O 鈥� 鈥淲hat do you think you鈥檙e doing?鈥� 鈥淲e鈥檙e removing the AYD to reduce weight as instructed by Group Sir!鈥� says we. 鈥淵ou can forget that!鈥� 鈥� says the F/O 鈥� 鈥淲e rely on it!鈥�

One might think that a Bomber Command instruction via Group would override one from a mere F/O 鈥� but not in our discipline. Aircrew (who stuck their necks out) far outranked Group etc (who only stuck their noses in). So AYD was removed as a paper exercise while the equipment remained onboard.

Then we began to have problems with this previously extremely reliable equipment. We started to lose aerials! Of course we couldn鈥檛 just order new ones as on paper they didn鈥檛 exist. Replacement involved considerable cycling as we cadged them from adjacent airfields. The equipment worked at c.400MHz. The tubular half-wavelength aerials were mounted on stubs which left them some 190mm below the tailplane under which they were mounted. Two such aerials were used, one each side of the fusilage almost in line with the inboard engines and well within the space swept by the propeller arc.
The solution to the mystery of these unexpected losses occurred when a few Lancs returned minus aerials but with bits of elm stuffed into the holes left in the tailplanes. The aircrew had been flying at fifty feet through the tops of trees! The geometry of arcs and aerials suggests that the pilots must have anticipated the Flymo!

Of course these days we would stop the practice on the grounds of the damage caused to the environment. Can you imagine the flak the RSPBA would dish out for this gross attack on rooks? But in those days environmentalists counted for little. Clearly the Lancaster Commander considered this extremely hazardous approach safer than flying higher and literally taking the flak.

Needless to say, we continued cycling around 鈥� ever on the scrounge.

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