[ARC5] More on the "No HF" Myth

[David Stinson]

I pulled out some of my documentation- circa 1945-
last night and started counting.
It's important to note that this documentation does
not address portable or temporary DF and Comm stations. 

North America:
Army Airways Communications Command stations.
 All were HF primary, most in the 4.7 MC range for AM.
 While none list a VHF channel assigned to them,
 I assume they would have had access to the VHF channels
 available from the other airport facilities.

Most USAAF installations and Naval Air Stations 
had VHF and LF tower frequencies. 
Air/Ground frequencies were a mix of VHF and HF. 
Naval Air Stations seem more heavily weighted to HF.

Examples- The Chicago area-- 51 listed airports. 
 Tower frequencies 
  16 VHF and LF
  26 LF only
   2 HF only
  26 did not list a tower freq.
 
 Air to Ground frequencies (approach control, etc.)
  All stations used 3, 4, and 6 MC HF.
  27 list VHF freqs.
  There is no notation on which was "primary" for air/ground,
  but context in the notes, such as 
  "3105, 4117, 6210 KC.  Also guards 116.1 MC" gives us a clue.
  If we can go by this, it was about 50/50.
 
With a couple of exceptions, all commercial airports 
had 3-4 MC primaries and 6 MC secondaries. 
Many also listed a VHF channel.
This is not surprising, since the commercial airlines
were all HF equipped as primary comm.

In the June 1945 Radio Facility for North Atlantic book,
there are over 90 DF stations listed.
They provided D.F. bearings to pilots on request.
The pilot transmitted a carrier and 
the D.F. stations gave him a bearing.  In June of 1945,
exactly FOUR of these stations had VHF DF capability.  
That would have made it pretty tough on a lost flight 
of P-38 trainees or a P-51 ferry mission with no HF capability.

If you wanted to fly somewhere in central Canada in 1945,
you'd better have HF.  Even the RCAF stations didn't have VHF.
The larger cities and the northeast did, but I assume they
built airports in central Canada because someone needed them.

In northeastern Canada and Europe, things were different.
Once you get to Newfoundland, cross the North Atlantic,
England and enter liberated Europe, 
you start to see VHF primaries for Air/ground.
Orly in Paris, Hanau in Frankfurt and Gatow in Berlin
and other major cities
list VHF primaries for Air/ground and HF secondaries.
Most still have the Tower on LF and HF.

All the *fixed* DF stations still used HF.
If the fixed stations could do VHF DF, it's not documented.
There were many U.S. field portable
VHF DF stations being set up as the front moved forward 
that would not be documented in the sectionals and facility charts.

Larger aircraft in Europe could use any of these stations.
Smaller aircraft had to pick and choose according to the 
mission.  "Spotter" aircraft radio installations
depended on to whom they were reporting- some were HF, some VHF FM.
Most fighter aircraft operating in the European theater
had a VHF radio and an LF receiver by 1945. 
They could do this because of the many
portable DF and Comm stations at forward airfields
or stayed set-up in the rear areas.
Also- once the Allies were established on the continent-
long range navigation was less of a problem, at least in 
fair weather.  But if you wanted to fly your C-47 or P-38
somewhere any distance from the front or a major city, 
you'd better get some HF installed.

In conclusion: HF and LF aircraft communications systems
were still alive and active during and after WW-II, 
but VHF was fast overtaking the old standard.
In the European theater, a fighter in a tactical role
could get along without HF, but bombing, patrol, transport
and ferrying aircraft could not.

73 Dave S. AB5S