[Milsurplus] L.O. radiation

[Richard Brunner]

The question is:
>> Richard, do you recall reading of any specific case where an agent was
>> rolled up because his receiver was detected?

The short answer is no.  For this sort of thing, my best resource is, "War
Secrets in the Ether," by Wilhelm F. Flicke.  (Aegean Park Press, 234 pages) 
It
is a detailed history of the German intelligence intercept services from
1908 through the end of WWII, and is a very interesting read. In all the
details there is not one reference to DF'ing on receiver radiation.

Quote:
"Locating Agent Stations.
A basic requirement in combatting agent transmitters is locating the
stations by direction finding,  For technical and tactical reasons this
broke down into:
1.  Long-range direction finding.
2.  Close-range direction finding.
3. Work in the immediate vicinity of the target.

First of all, the German long-range direction finding set-up had to be
changed to correspond to the new situation.  A network of long-range
direction-finders was located far beyond the German frontier, then these
stations were placed under coordinated control in order to get synchronized
systematic readings on the same transmitter by as many long-range
direction-finders as possible so as to get dependable fixes.  In October
1943 the following short-wave direction-finding bases were available to
Radio Defence.
1. For the west:  Middlekirk, Wilhelmshafen, Hanover, Langenargen, Bodensee,
Bordeaux (partly controlled from Giessen)
2.  For the east:  Reval, Lemberg, Nikolajev, Pillau (controlled from Cranz)
3.  For the south and southwest:  Pulsnitz, Varna, Athens (radio-controlled
from Pulsnitz)

In February 1943 instruments in Rome, on Sicily, and on Sardinia were added
to this system.

For close-range work conditions were as follows: close-range
direction-finding apparatus for fixing the ground-wave had been developed
long before the war and sets had been constructed which were suitable for
use in the field.  After the search for enemy agents began in the west in
the fall of 1940, the first such transmitter was located in Antwerp in April
1941.  This was accomplished after the area in which the transmitter must be
located had been determined by long-range direction-finding.

Even in this first case, it was obvious that the close-range
direction-finders must be of such a nature that the operator could approach
the location of the transmitter by using a special suitcase set which was
operated by a man dressed as a locksmith.  With this device he narrowed the
choice down to a few houses.  In the immediate vicinity the work was more
difficult because the agents usually had watchers posted.  The problem was
not solved until early in 1943 when a belt direction-finding set was
developed which could be worn under the operator's clothing."

I think if receiver radiation was detected, it was mostly a fortuous
occasion.  Receiver radiation most certainly would not be detected by
long-range direction-finders.

Richard Brunner, AA1P