[Milsurplus] ADF vs. HFDF

[gl4d21a at juno.com]

Robert and group:

Ten years ago, Kathleen Williams wrote a book: "Secret Weapon: U.S. High-Frequency Direction Finding in the Battle of the Atlantic" which addresses the use of "Huff Duff" against the U-Boats during the Atlantic Campaign.  I have finally gotten around to reading it, and it has raised some questions.  She apparently relied almost exclusively on Navy, British, German and IT&T sources, and missed AAF, Sperry and Bendix.  The book starts with a brief discussion of land based HFDF, the British contributions, and then describes the development of shipboard HFDF, which, apparently German Admiral Karl Dönitz and his staff thought to not be possible with contemporary technology.  She dismisses high frequency direction finding from aircraft as being impractical in WW2.

I wonder what Bendix thinks about that?  I suspect this immediately becomes a matter of semantics, navigation DF vs. SIGINT DF.  But, it raises the interesting (to me, at least) question of whether the (A)DF steerable loop system could be effective at all against the high speed CW of the U-Boats.  And whether any effort was made to adapt the ADF to such a search?  I know that the Bendix and AN/xxx systems were used in the bombers for navigation, but has anyone ever heard of using one to track submarines?

One other aspect of this book is worth noting.  She describes the almost immovable Navy bureaucracy against adopting anything modern or technical.  It took a while for the actuality of worldwide war to sink in.  Sort of makes one wonder whose side those desk bound admirals were on.

73,
George
W5VPQ


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