486th Bombardment Group (H) - Communications History Part 1

1. THE FOLLOWING HISTORY OF COMMUNICATIONS BY SECTIONS IS HEREBY SUBMITTED.

THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER WAS A VERY BUSY MONTH DUE TO SEVERAL CHANGES. A NEW TYPE INTERPHONE WAS RECEIVED AND ALL AVAILABLE INSTALLED TO MODIFICATIONS TO THE AIRCRAFT. THIS FIELD WAS SHIFTED INTO THE 4TH WING WHICH NECESSITATED A COMPLETE CHANGE IN LAND LINES. ENOUGH GLIDE PATH WERE RECEIVED TO MAKE TRAINING POSSIBLE AND THESE INSTALLED IN TRAINING AIRCRAFT.

THE ASSISTANT GROUP COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER TOOK OVER FOR THE GREATER PART OF THE MONTH DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE GROUP COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER WAS IN THE HOSPITAL.

2. HISTORY OF CYPHER OFFICE.

ROUTINE.

3. HISTORY OF LAND LINES AND W/T.

ALL TELEPHONE LINES BETWEEN STATION 174 AND 3D BOMB DIVISION WERE DROPPED AT THE END OF THE MONTH DUE TO THE CHANGE TO 4TH WING. FOUR NEW LINES WERE PUT IN FOR USE BETWEEN HERE AND 4TH CBW AT BURY ST EDMUNDS. THERE WAS NOT MUCH TROUBLE CAUSED WHILE THE CHANGES WERE BEING MADE, MOST OF THAT NOTED WAS DUE TO LOSING THE LINES TO 3D BD. TWO LINES ARE STILL IN USE TO LAVENHAM PLUS ONE LINE BETWEEN THE FLYING CONTROLS AT LAVENHAM AND STATION 174. LINE MAINTENANCE WAS NOT TOO HEAVY, THOUGH SEVERAL TROUBLES OCCURRED AT THE SAME TIME. THE MAIN CABLE CARRYING THE LINES TO 3D BD AND THE GPO EXCHANGE LINES WENT OUT FOR APPROXIMATELY 24 HOURS BEFORE GPO CABLE MEN REPAIRED THE DAMAGE. THE FLARE PATH CABLE ON THE PERIMETER WHICH SERVES THE CARAVAN FOR TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS WITH FLYING CONTROL WAS DAMAGED AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN DUE TO THE WORK ON THE RUNWAYS WHERE CORNERS HAVE BEEN WIDENED. FIELD PHONES WERE INSTALLED AT THE BOMB DUMP FOR USE TO THE SQUADRON HUTS AND REVETMENTS FROM THE OFFICE. A NUMBER OF TELEPHONE INSTRUMENTS WERE REMOVED FROM THE WING HQS AND WILL BE RETURNED TO THE GPO SUPPLY OFFICE IN COLCHESTER.

THE TELEPHONE LINESMEN INSTALLED SPEAKERS AND MICROPHONES OUT IN HANGAR NO. 2 FOR THE 100 MISSION PARTY. BLANKETS WERE STRUNG TO LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF POOR ACOUSTICS IN THE BUILDING.

ALL TELETYPE LINES WERE DROPPED TO 3D BOMB DIVISION AND LAVENHAM, WITH TWO NEW LINES INSTALLED BETWEEN STATION 174 AND BURY ST. EDMUNDS. TWO LINES ARE ALL THAT THE ORDINARY GROUP STATION IS ALLOWED FOR TELETYPE COMMUNICATIONS WITH ITS WING HQS. SOME SLIGHT TROUBLE WAS CLEARED UP WHEN THE NEW LINES WERE FIRST PUT TO USE. TWO TELETYPE MACHINES AND ONE REPEATER UNIT WERE REMOVED FROM WING HEADQUARTERS, THE REPEATER UNIT BEING SHIPPED TO 3D BOMB DIVISION SIGNAL SUPPLY FOR REISSUE TO BURY ST. EDMUNDS WHERE IT IS NEEDED DUE TO THE LARGER NUMBER OF MACHINES WORKING OFF THEIR SWITCHBOARDS. THE TELETYPE SWITCHBOARDS AT STATION 174 MAY YET BE LOST, AND WAYS AND MEANS WILL BE FOUND FOR KEEPING THE PFF AND BRIEFING BLOCK MACHINES IN OPERATION IN CASE THEY ARE REMOVED. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY AND NEW MOTOR CONTACTS WERE FINALLY RECEIVED AFTER A PERIOD OF "SWEATING." TELETYPE PARTS MAY BE NUMBERED IN THE HUNDREDS BUT ONLY A FEW OF THESE ARE USED TO A LARGE EXTENT IN MAINTENANCE.

A RECTIFIER UNIT WAS OBTAINED FROM THE WING MONITOR ROOM FOR USE WITH THE VHF SET. THIS DID AWAY WITH USING WET BATTERIES AND DYNAMOTOR FOR POWER SUPPLY AND A SOURCE OF INTERFERENCE WITH OTHER RADIO EQUIPMENT. ONE OF THE W/T OPERATORS WENT OVER ON THE CONTINENT ON DS. THE W/T OPERATORS, WITH THE HELP OF MOTOR POOL MECHANICS, PUT THE STANDBY POWER UNIT FOR THE OPS BLOCK IN OPERATION. IT HAS YET TO BE CUT INTO THE SWITCH BOX BY THE STATION ELECTRICIANS.

A TEST OSCILLATOR WAS OBTAINED FROM THE RAF FOR ALIGNING OUR HF/DF STATION. THIS DOES AWAY WITH THE NECESSITY FOR BORROWING THE ONE AT BURY ST. EDMUNDS. THERE IS SOME UNKNOWN QUANTITY GIVING INTERFERENCE AT THE HF/DF STATION. TWO MORE OPERATORS WERE SENT TO SCHOOL DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. THIS IS THE LAST OF OUR REGULAR HF/DF OPERATORS TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL. WE RECEIVED OUR OLD HF/DF FREQUENCY BACK AGAIN DURING NOVEMBER. IT APPEARS TO BE AS CROWDED AS EVER AND WE WILL PROBABLY FIND IT NECESSARY TO TURN IN INTERFERENCE REPORTS.

THE NEW VHF/DF TRUCK IS NOT IN OPERATION FOR NORMAL USE AS YET. A COMPLETE FLIGHT CHECK IS NEEDED DUE TO INDICATED ERROR OF APPROXIMATELY TEN DEGREES. IT IS DIFFICULT TO ARRANGE THIS FLIGHT CHECK, AS THE FREQUENCY MAY NOT BE USED DURING AN OPS MISSION OR SHIPS ARE NOT FLYING DUE TO BAD WEATHER. IT IS HOPED THE NEW STATION MAY BE IN USE SOME TIME IN DECEMBER. ONE VERY GOOD FEATURE OF THE NEW STATION IS THAT THE VHF SET FOR TWO-WAY CONTACTS HAS MUCH GREATER RANGE THAN ANY OTHER SET ON THE FIELD.