Air to Ground Communication Methods

[greatwarpilot]

I'm looking for details (with references) of the various air to ground communication methods that would have been employed by allied airmen in the spring of 1917. Specificallyduring the period leading up to the Canadian capture of Vimy ridge.

I'm under the impression that message streamers would still have been in use, but I'm not at all well versed when it comes to timing of the development of wireless technology.

If anyone could provide details as to what if any wireless equipment would have been used in allied aircraft in the lead up to the assault on Vimy it would be much appreciated.

Furthermore information on the approximate proportion of communications that would have been transmitted using one method versus another would be useful.

As always, references for sources are helpful and appreciated.

Cheers

Edward

[Mark66]

G'day Edward

Have you read "Tumult in the Clouds: British Experience of War in the Air, 1914-18" by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart? It has a good chapter on the development of observation and communication bythe RFC. Based on that and others (notably chapters in the 'Official History'), the Corps squadrons, still mostly flying BE 2s but with some RE 8s in April 1917, only used wireless transmitters to communicate with artillery batteries during shoots (and these were morse transmitters only - no receiver on board; communicated only with artillery liaison man on the ground who had a receiver, but no transmitter). They also used "contact patrols" where a machine would fly low over a battlefront, sound a klaxon or fire a flare, and, in response, units in the advance would signal their presence with cloth strips or signal flares. The aircraft could then report back to HQ on where the fighting had got to. Otherwise it was dropped messages, or fly home and telephone information to HQ, which then forwarded it to the front line. I get the impression that, at this stage of the war anyway, there wasn't much direct communication from aircraft to frontline ground forces, apart from artillery spotting.

For another background read, see if you can find a copy of "Until a Dead Horse Kicks You. The Story of an Ordinary Hero. Alec Griffiths 1900-1995" by Robert Crack (Kangaroo Press East Roseville NSW 2000). The subject of the story was a wireless operator with the Australian Flying Corps, seconded to Allied batteries along the Western Front during the second half of 1917. Tells what it was like at the other end of an artillery spotter's transmitter.

Mark66

[greatwarpilot]

Mark66,

Thanks for the great sources. I'll see what I can do to get my hands on them.

Cheers

Edward

[StephenLawson]

At the front the Germans used white fabric ground panels in specific designs. For Kest (home defense units), one was a clock / compass shaped item with the arrow pointing to specific 1,2, 3, 4, ...positions. These numeric values were assigned to specific cities. It told the defenders what city the bombers were seen enroute to.

[retread]

http:www.freewebs.com/voicesinflight/cyrilbritten.htm