Beam Benders

Ref: 4557

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{detailed description}BEAM BENDERS - No.80 (Signals) Wing, Royal Air Force, 1940 -1945
For the first time, the reclusive endeavours of the RAF's specialist 80 Wing, based at Radlett in Hertfordshire, appear in print in the form of a dedicated history.
The Wing was involved in the delicate art of deception; charting and calibrating German navigation beams, and without raising suspicions, 'bending' them - sending bombers off course away from cities and strategic points. Much of the work was tedious and all of it 'behind closed doors' but countless lives were saved and the contribution of 80 Wing to the outcome of the war cannot be over-stated.
Via its own flying unit, the Wing was involved in hazardous calibration and intelligence-gathering sorties and several `boffins' were put at risk flying towards, or even over, enemy-held territory.
No.80 Wing also looked after the `Starfish' decoy sites that were established around the country, close to large cities, where, at night, and by clever use of lights and other theatrical effects, various types of industrial installations could be replicated, with enemy bombers seduced into raiding open fields instead of vital targets. 'Starfish' sites could also reproduce the firestorms generated when a city was hit by the first wave of bombers, again taking the enemy off course - but bringing the crews manning the site (and the nearby villages) into the heart of the battle ...
This book reveals a fascinating and largely unknown aspect of the Second World War. It explains the technical aspects of radio counter-measures in an easy to follow manner and through the use of many diagrams and drawings, and this is woven into the overall story which includes information from official archives and the use of many personal recollections.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by Laurie Brettingham
published by Midland Publishing 1997 1st edn. 192pp illustrated, photos, maps and diagrams. 15x23 paperback
{condition}fine
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