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Radar Days
It is now more than sixty years since radar began in Britain. In the intervening years, airborne radar has become one of the most important branches of civilian and military radar. In Radar Days, "the father of airborne radar," Dr. "Taffy" Bowen recounts his personal story of how the first airborne radars were built and brought into use in the Royal Air Force, and of the Tizard mission to the USA in 1940, of which he was a member.
Written from the point of view of the individuals who worked at the laboratory bench, the story begins with the building of the first ground air-warning radar at Orfordness in June 1935. The book proceeds to describe how this equipment was miniaturized to make it suitable for use in aircraft and the lengthy, sometimes hazardous flight trials conducted before radar went into service with the RAF. The author also details the activities of the Tizard mission, which was instrumental in installing the first airborne radars in US aircraft. The greatest achievement of the mission was to pass on the secret of the resonant magnetron to the US only a few months after its invention at Birmingham University. This was the device that brought about a revolution in Allied radar, putting it far ahead of the corresponding German technology for the remainder of the war.
Written from the point of view of the individuals who worked at the laboratory bench, the story begins with the building of the first ground air-warning radar at Orfordness in June 1935. The book proceeds to describe how this equipment was miniaturized to make it suitable for use in aircraft and the lengthy, sometimes hazardous flight trials conducted before radar went into service with the RAF. The author also details the activities of the Tizard mission, which was instrumental in installing the first airborne radars in US aircraft. The greatest achievement of the mission was to pass on the secret of the resonant magnetron to the US only a few months after its invention at Birmingham University. This was the device that brought about a revolution in Allied radar, putting it far ahead of the corresponding German technology for the remainder of the war.
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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March 12, 2023
In my opinion, E.G. "Taffy" Bowen was directly involved with more WWII radar technology development than any other author on the subject, including such figures as Watson Watt and A P Rowe, who also wrote personal accounts. Surprisingly Bowen would probably be the last person to make this claim. A gentleman of good humour and a treasure trove of great stories, he readily gives credit (and in rare instances blame) where it is due. Bowen is regarded as the father of Air Interception Radar and this book orbits around that effort on both sides of the Atlantic, with a postscript on Bowen's leadership in postwar radar applications in Australia.
Watson Watt demonstrated that radio waves could be reflected from aircraft in a secret test in February 1935. By April, he had recruited Dr. Bowen (a PhD in Physics, and radio hobbyist since the age of 11) as one of his Junior Scientific Officers. This book begins there, tracking radar development from its early days at Orfordness, during the development of the British Chain Home early warning network, which was key to winning the battle of Britain. Next he covers the move to Bawdsey manor, where research was headquartered from mid-1936 to the outbreak of war in 1939.
Tizard predicted as early as 1936 that, with an effective early warning system, Germany's daylight bombing attacks would be defeated and they would soon switch to night bombing. What would be needed then would be a highly effective night aircraft interception system (AI), enabled by a miniature radar that would fit into a fighter. The airborne radar group was initiated with a staff of one -- Taffy Bowen. Bowen covers this period, its technology, planes used and the key personnel who made air interception a success, in great good-humored detail. He includes accounts of AI demonstrations to the Air Marshall Dowding (later credited with winning the Battle of Britain), Churchill, and Lindemann. The air interception project gave birth to ship detection at sea and the PPI - a method of providing a plan of all ships around an aircraft.
Next he covers the precipitous and poorly planned move from Bawdsey on the day war was declared. This should be a case study for Project Managers. A.P. Rowe who headed the radar group by then, moved the group without so much as a site visit to the new location. Scientists, technicians, an entire train of heavy lab equipment, 30 aircraft and their crews were moved to Dundee and Perth -- who had forgotten their earlier agreement to host them and were totally unprepared, with very little room. This was Bowen's darkest period -- all under the poor and mostly disinterested management of A.P Rowe. Morale was at a low and little work took place.
A further move to St. Athan was only slightly better. Again there was insufficient space - one C-type hanger with no doors and no heat. Bowen recounts watching full professors in great coats in open hangers, working on radar chassis with a soldering iron in winter, and conditions that would "have produced a riot on a prison farm". Almost no research took place but gradually the count of aircraft fitted with AI or ASV grew.
Admiral Sommerville became interested in Bowen's group in November 1939 and asked if anything could be done about German submarines. Bowen recounts successful sea trials against a British sub that led to the fitting of ASV sets to coastal aircraft that began to attack German submarines by late 1940 - the beginning of the end for the German U-boat. (By the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, of 40,000 German submariners, 28,000 died and 5000 were taken prisoner.)
From here Bowen goes into the introduction of AI radar into service (highlighted by the fascinating story of Lord Carlow's gallant 600 Squadron.) This chapter covers the perfecting of night interception tactics, initial successes against German bombers, the introduction of 10 centimeter radar and culminates with an account of the success of Mosquitos against the V1.
Another move, from St. Athan to Swanage, follows this. Another unsuitable move that ended in a further move to Malvern. However, Bowen marks the Swanage move as a turning point and says that after the move to Malvern, the establishment became "one of the great radar research establishments of the war."
It was shortly after this that Bowen was tapped as the Radar expert for the Tizard mission - the mission which brought centimetric radar and the cavity magnetron to the US. The details of this mission are covered in "The Tizard Mission", by Stephen Phelps, and the great collaboration between Bowen and Alfred Lee Loomis (to initiate centimetric research / production in the US) is covered in "Tuxedo Park", by Jennent Conant. (See my reviews of these.) Both of these use Bowen's book as one of their sources -- undoubtedly because Bowen is a great storyteller and a provides a wealth of detail. Bowen then covers the formation of the Radiation Laboratory and finally his involvement in post-war radar development in Australia -- both of which are covered in more detail by Robert Buderi's book "The Invention That Changed The World". (See my review if interested.)
It is unfortunate that this book, though available for purchase, has such a high price. However, I was lucky enough to find a copy in a local library - so keep your eyes open! Although I am closing by pointing to other sources, I would encourage you not to miss "Radar Days". Unlike the other sources mentioned, Bowen's is a wonderful first hand account.
Watson Watt demonstrated that radio waves could be reflected from aircraft in a secret test in February 1935. By April, he had recruited Dr. Bowen (a PhD in Physics, and radio hobbyist since the age of 11) as one of his Junior Scientific Officers. This book begins there, tracking radar development from its early days at Orfordness, during the development of the British Chain Home early warning network, which was key to winning the battle of Britain. Next he covers the move to Bawdsey manor, where research was headquartered from mid-1936 to the outbreak of war in 1939.
Tizard predicted as early as 1936 that, with an effective early warning system, Germany's daylight bombing attacks would be defeated and they would soon switch to night bombing. What would be needed then would be a highly effective night aircraft interception system (AI), enabled by a miniature radar that would fit into a fighter. The airborne radar group was initiated with a staff of one -- Taffy Bowen. Bowen covers this period, its technology, planes used and the key personnel who made air interception a success, in great good-humored detail. He includes accounts of AI demonstrations to the Air Marshall Dowding (later credited with winning the Battle of Britain), Churchill, and Lindemann. The air interception project gave birth to ship detection at sea and the PPI - a method of providing a plan of all ships around an aircraft.
Next he covers the precipitous and poorly planned move from Bawdsey on the day war was declared. This should be a case study for Project Managers. A.P. Rowe who headed the radar group by then, moved the group without so much as a site visit to the new location. Scientists, technicians, an entire train of heavy lab equipment, 30 aircraft and their crews were moved to Dundee and Perth -- who had forgotten their earlier agreement to host them and were totally unprepared, with very little room. This was Bowen's darkest period -- all under the poor and mostly disinterested management of A.P Rowe. Morale was at a low and little work took place.
A further move to St. Athan was only slightly better. Again there was insufficient space - one C-type hanger with no doors and no heat. Bowen recounts watching full professors in great coats in open hangers, working on radar chassis with a soldering iron in winter, and conditions that would "have produced a riot on a prison farm". Almost no research took place but gradually the count of aircraft fitted with AI or ASV grew.
Admiral Sommerville became interested in Bowen's group in November 1939 and asked if anything could be done about German submarines. Bowen recounts successful sea trials against a British sub that led to the fitting of ASV sets to coastal aircraft that began to attack German submarines by late 1940 - the beginning of the end for the German U-boat. (By the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, of 40,000 German submariners, 28,000 died and 5000 were taken prisoner.)
From here Bowen goes into the introduction of AI radar into service (highlighted by the fascinating story of Lord Carlow's gallant 600 Squadron.) This chapter covers the perfecting of night interception tactics, initial successes against German bombers, the introduction of 10 centimeter radar and culminates with an account of the success of Mosquitos against the V1.
Another move, from St. Athan to Swanage, follows this. Another unsuitable move that ended in a further move to Malvern. However, Bowen marks the Swanage move as a turning point and says that after the move to Malvern, the establishment became "one of the great radar research establishments of the war."
It was shortly after this that Bowen was tapped as the Radar expert for the Tizard mission - the mission which brought centimetric radar and the cavity magnetron to the US. The details of this mission are covered in "The Tizard Mission", by Stephen Phelps, and the great collaboration between Bowen and Alfred Lee Loomis (to initiate centimetric research / production in the US) is covered in "Tuxedo Park", by Jennent Conant. (See my reviews of these.) Both of these use Bowen's book as one of their sources -- undoubtedly because Bowen is a great storyteller and a provides a wealth of detail. Bowen then covers the formation of the Radiation Laboratory and finally his involvement in post-war radar development in Australia -- both of which are covered in more detail by Robert Buderi's book "The Invention That Changed The World". (See my review if interested.)
It is unfortunate that this book, though available for purchase, has such a high price. However, I was lucky enough to find a copy in a local library - so keep your eyes open! Although I am closing by pointing to other sources, I would encourage you not to miss "Radar Days". Unlike the other sources mentioned, Bowen's is a wonderful first hand account.
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