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Re: German & Allied radar
indeed an excellent overview for radar-specialists. Amazing the editors note at the end:
Editors note:
Despite Germanys large technical lead at the beginning of the war, the English
and the US caught up with Germanys radar technology in about 1942 by employing
hug amounts of resources. The MIT Radiation Laboratory alone spent over $2
billion over the five years during the war.6 Only the development of the atom bomb
during WWII could rival by cost an approximate equal amount.
The kill ratio in combat of German Air Force fighters in combat against Allied
aircraft was on the average of 7 to 1 although the Allied aircraft outnumbered the
German aircraft by as much as 10 to 1 and in some cases up to 100 to 1. It is
obvious that the war was not lost because of strategic mistakes or lack of technology
or valor. It was not a question of if the Allies would win the war, most Germans
during the war knew the answer, but “how long would the war last and what would happen to Europe after the war?”
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In fact, Germany did not have technical superiority at any time in the war. This is much like the myth of overwhelming German armoured superiority in the 1940 attack on the west, both in numbers and quality -- neither of which was true. Most of the tanks used by the Germans in that attack were Mk. 1 and Mk. 2 tanks that were only ever to be used for training. Nor did the Germans have numerical or qualitative superiority over the RAF during the Battle of Britain. And, of course, the British also had a complete radar intercept system (something the Germans would not have for another couple of years) in conjunction with its enigma interecepts. In fact, the Germans had lost that battle even before before it began. And, from then on things just went downhill for them.
The night fighter control of the Germans was far more complicated than the comparable British system. One British publication mentioned that this was due to the higher quality of training of British personnel. Their problem was not helped by the fact that their intercept system was basically set up for their Flak, and was not provided with 360 degree scan and PPI scopes for their Freyas which would have reduced the number of radars and personnel needed for interception purposes. But, the Germans bounced back quickly from the disaster of Window in July 1943 with both a new airborne intercept radar and two new types of intercept control. Which ain't bad. Of course, there was no way to recover from the loss of territory beginning in June 1944.