[TVARC] WWII - Amateur radio was a significant factor in winning the war in the pacific

[Doug Stenzel]

Not sure if any of you are aware of the fact that an amateur radio operator
(also a navy radioman) was primarily responsible for
our ability to intercept and read Japanese navy communications during
WWII.  His name is Harry Kidder -  A bit of his bio is below.
I mention this because there are two books out now telling the story of
navy cryptology in WWII in which Kidder plays a major role.  The books are
by Matt Zullo and called On The Roof Gang - Prelude to War (part one) and
War in the Pacific (part two).
Both books are well written and highly entertaining.   Book one, in part,
tells the story of how Kidder taught himself the Kata Kana code and how he
came to teach other radioman this skill.  Book two deals with cryptologic
efforts in the pacific from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Japanese
surrender.
Available through Amazon and also major book stores.  Thought some of you
may find Kidder's story interesting.


*C*
*RM Harry Kidder (first On The Roof Gang instructor)*
*September 27, 1889 – November 21, 1963*

Much has been written about the use of naval communications intelligence (
COMINT) in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The battles of Coral
Sea and Midway are immortalized in film and print.  Laurence Safford is
renowned as the “Father of Naval Cryptology” and is enshrined in NSA’s Hal
of Honor as such.  U.S. Navy cryptologists read Admiral Joseph Wenger and
Captain Joseph Rochefort are credited with tremendous contributions to the
Pacific ware and have also been inducted into NSA’s Hall of Honor.
However, consider that in 1947, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz said, “When
you need to get something done, ask a Chief!”  All three of these U.S. Navy
Cryptologic heroes did just that – they turned to Chief Radioman Harry
Kidder.

The “On-The-Roof Gang” was a group of U.S. Navy and Marine radio operators
trained to intercept Japanese radio communications prior to World War II.
These 176 men are treated largely as afterthoughts in the history books,
but each of them made sacrifices and significant contributions during the
war.  Clearly, a standout of this group was Chief Radioman Harry Kidder,
who affectionately became known as “Pappy” to the gang.

Kidder’s contributions to the birth of naval cryptology began before
Laurance Safford stood up OP-20G, the U.S. Navy’s fledgling COMINT
organization in 1921.  In 1910, Kidder enlisted in the Army Signal Corps
and was assigned to the Alaska Communications System, where he learned to
build, maintain, and operate radio and telegraphic communications systems.
Kidder became an expert in communicating via Morse code.

After his duty ended in the Army Signal Corps, Kidder, perhaps searching
for warmer climes than Alaska, enlisted in the Navy as a radio
electrician.  Between 1914 and 1925, he was stationed in the Asiatic Fleet,
primarily at the Naval Radio Control Station at Los Banos, Philippines.  He
also served on board several Asiatic Fleet ships.  Kidder became one of the
best radiomen in the fleet – traveling from his home base to ship after
ship, assisting less experienced radiomen.  By this time a chief petty
officer, Kidder was also an avid amateur radio (“ham”) enthusiast.  Radio
communications became his passion.  His ham callsign 1HK became known
around the fleet and around the world.  He became somewhat of a celebrity
in ham circles, building his own equipment and communicating frequently.

Kidder established contacts in the United States, New Zealand, and
Australia – anywhere his equipment could reach and English was spoken.
However, there were other languages out there – and in the Asiatic Fleet,
operators became well aware of unusual, strong transmission.  The
transmissions sounded like Morse code but contained characters none of them
knew.  Chief Kidder began to recognize these transmissions as coming from
the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).  By 1921, Kidder, with the help of the
Japanese wife of a friend,, had taught himself the Japanese alphabet (Kata
Kana) and the basics of the Japanese language.  He also taught himself the
corresponding Morse code equivalents.  Kidder began to pass his intercepts
to his commanders, who realized the value of his work and relayed it back
to HQ Naval Communications Department in Washington, DC.
*MAY YOUR HOUSE BE SAFE FROM TIGERS*
*DOUG STENZEL( K1CTR) SENDS  AR EE*
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