Saturday, May 26, 2012

History: Radar Women of the RAF

Seeking operators of the Dowding System

One of the key technologies of WWII was radar. In the early days of the war, the Americans, Germans, Japanese, and others had radar projects, but the first nation to really put it to widespread use was Great Britain: and it was critical. The Dowding System, a net of radars, other sensors, and communications gear, gave the outnumbered RAF a vital edge over the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. The Association of Royal Air Force Fighter Control Officers is now seeking the operators, largely women, who made all this work.  Without them, England might well have lost the battle as fighters guided only by visual sightings chased German formations all over the country rather than so often being in the right place at the right time for an ambush.

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