[ARC5] B-17F Equipment Manual Questions

[Mike Morrow]

Earlier this year, someone on the list posted a URL for an excerpt from a B-17F manual.  Pages 412 through 429 were available, describing the radio/radar gear on a B-17F.

(1)  Would the person who posted this interesting data refresh my memory of the URL?  I had downloaded the .pdf file, but I now don't remember the URL.  What was the title and date of the original manual?

(2)  The info lists two (!) IFF sets installed, the SCR-515-A (BC-645-A) Mark IV, *and* the SCR-535-A (BC-647-A or UK R-3003) Mark II.  I'm guessing that this means that the manual was early-WWII (B-17F aircraft began appearing in good numbers in 1942), and that in the ETO the SCR-595 Mark III or SCR-695 Mark III/G IFF sets would have replaced the two IFFs listed.  The SCR-515-A is referred to as the "ARR" and the SCR-535 is referred to as the "IFF."  I wonder what "ARR" meant...Air Recognition Radio or some such thing?

(3)  The manual lists "Blind Approach Equipment" that is apparently a British (or maybe commercial) set.  It consists of a "R-1124-A" receiver, a "R-1125-A" receiver, a "Type 83" power unit, a "Type 6" control unit, a "Type 2" indicator, a "Type 13" rod antenna, and a "Type 1" dipole antenna.  Does anyone recall of have any info on this system?  It sounds like it may be a localizer/glide path ILS.  Supposedly, the USAAF SCS-51 ILS was closely based on an ILS developed in the US for the CAA by ITT in 1937.  I can find little information on WWII-era British ILS systems, if this was British.

(4)  The manual lists an air-to-ground search radar "ASV" SCR-521-A (BC-701, 702, 703).  I didn't know such sets were standard on a B-17.  Maybe just a few had this set.

(5)  The manual lists a radio altimeter SCR-518-A (BC-688, 689).  I suppose that would make sense for an aircraft with the ASV set (item 4).

(6)  The manual lists the standard RC-32 (beacon filter), RC-36 (interphone), RC-43 (marker beacon), SCR-269 (ADF), SCR-274-N (command), and SCR-287-A (liason) gear.  But there's NO SCR-522 VHF-AM set (yet).

It would be very interesting to know what the actual equipment lineup was on a B-17F or G in the ETO late in the war.  I've got a feeling that the list of gear in this manual excerpt would not correspond very closely to what was actually in use in the ETO.

In any event, to whomever found and posted this interesting excerpt, I'm thankful.

Mike / KK5F