[Milsurplus] Proximity fuses

[Gene Smar]

Gents:

     My reading of the history of the proximity fuse (a/k/a VT fuse) says
that VT was weaponized under the direction of Navy Capt. Deke Parsons at the
Applied Physics Lab in Silver Spring, MD, just down the road from me.  As a
reward for his efforts, Deke was transferred to the Manhattan project to
turn the Trinity device into the Fat Man and the uranium-based Little Boy
into the first atomic balm used in combat.

     Also, VTs initially were not permitted to be used in ETO for fear that
the duds that fell on land could be reverse engineered when recovered.
Hence, their first use was in PTO where duds would fall into the sea.

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F


-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kenneth G. Gordon
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 9:29 PM
To: Milsurplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Milsurplus] Proximity fuses

There is an article in the most recent issue of Electric Radio Magazine
which talks in detail about Mr. Butement, born in New Zealand, moved first
to Australia, then to England whose ideas and experiments resulted in the
proximity fuse.

I see that the paper from India linked for us by Ed also mentions Butement.

Apparently, though, the U.S. was the only country who was able to
successfully BUILD them, although many other countries were attempting to
develop them, including Germany in the 1930s.

Also, Sylvania is prominently mentioned as the only company who could build
sub-mini tubes in the quantity and quality needed.

Ken W7EKB

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