[Milsurplus] Radio pic

[Charlie L.]

I gathered some interesting photos while working on the B17F [project.  The
one attached shows a worker in the war years at the Cheyenne Modification
Center installing an SCR522 in a B17 for use in the ETO.  In the pic, note
the antenna reel in front of her, the PE73 behind her for the BC375, the
ball turret to the right and back.  Just above and to the right of the
turrent center support, you can see the bottom half of 2 of the 2 SCR274N
receivers in the radio compartment.  The SCR522 is being installed on a
wooden support, and she is wedged between that and a gasoline generator
auxiliary power plant standard on the plane.  The second pic shows the
interconnectivity of the radio and intercom circuits, the pic can be
magnified and all identification is clear.  FM radio was big with the Brits
and the Germans, while the US was a bit fumble fingered in the comm area.
The Germans went to war with planes, tanks, and ground troops being able to
communicate directly on the same band of FM freqs.  The US had FM radio in
tanks with AM in the hands of ground troops.  To liaison with the Brits,
the AM comm, landline or telegraphy had to make it back to a spot that had
FM to talk to the Brit planes for fire support directions.  American
tankers comshawed SCR522's from depots to be able to call in directly to
the Brits in fighters overhead.  Initially they were threatened with courts
martial, but when Gen Eisnehow found out, he said congrats and it became a
priority to solve the comm problem.  One of the easiest was that hand set
you see on the back of Shermans.  That got around the AM/FM issue, but it
put a soldier in even more harms way to have to grab that handset to give
fire directions to the buttoned up tank crew.

Charlie in NC
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