Radar Recollections - A Bournemouth University / CHiDE / HLF project

 
 
 

A.P.Rowe & his Sunday Soviets - The Hamburg raids

By the summer of 1943, the H2S system had been further improved and three very large raids on Hamburg were undertaken on 24th, 27th and 29th of July. The results were that the city was devastated. The results confirmed the value of H2S and during the next year of the war some 93% of the RAF strategic bombing campaigns relied on H2S.

A number of other significant raids were ordered over the next 4 months:

Berlin: 23rd August and again in November
Leipzig: 3 September

Hamburg Berlin 23rd August and again in November Leipzig 3rd December
HAMBURG
BERLIN
LEIPZIG
   

By the end of 1943, H2S systems had been improved yet again by redesigning the airborne equipment to work on 3 cm wavelengths instead of 9 cm. The clarity of image on the screen made the device even more accurate. The system was gradually installed in all the newly formed pathfinder squadrons, starting with 83 Squadron.

Air Vice Marshall P. M. S. Hedgeland

The USAF adopted the system in November 1943 (renamed as 'Mickey') and 50% of their campaigns utilized this system.

By the early summer of 1944, the Mk 6 version (now known as H2X) was ready to play its part in the D-Day landings of 6th June.

   
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