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the British research had, by 1940 produced a protective radar
shield around the coastline, it was equally important to know
what defensive and attacking radar devices the Axis
powers had at their disposal. German technology was
as advanced as the British technogy but had adopted a different
emphasis. It seems that the main use of detection radar was
to reduce the need for a large observer corps. In Britain the
emphasis was on giving the RAF (and subsequently the Army and
Navy) a new weapon with which to gain a strategic advantage
over the enemy. Certainly, the Luftwaffe failed to grasp the
true military significance of Radar until 1942.
Bombing
raids on Wilhelmshafen in September 1940 confirmed further
details; that the Germans RDF systems could detect aircraft
at ranges up to 150 kM using transmitters of 20 kW output.
They also had a 'friendly' homing beacon device that was also
a beam-aided bombing system codenamed "Knickebein"
(= "bent leg"). This was the system used during
the London blitz but because the technical details were deduced,
it was possible for Robert Cockburn to develop a powerful
'jamming' system known as 'Aspirin'.
"Wurzburg"
was the accurate German coastal protection / early warning
system that had a range of about 35 km transmitting on a wavelength
of 53 cm. "Freya" was a physically larger, more
powerful system (but less precise) with a range of 90 - 150
km transmitting on a longer wavelength of 2.5 m.
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