Military Intelligence 8 (M.I.8) Tracking Illicit German Radio and GAF Beams Transmissions

[Observer1940]

I wondered if anyone has researched or been researching the work of M.I.8 the Radio Security Service who were involved with the tracing and tracking of illicit German Radio and German Air Force Radio Transmissions in 1940?

According to RCM and Cabinet documents one of the members of MI8 sat on some of the RCM Whitehall meetings in 1940.

I note in the July 1940 MI 8 War Diary (attached) that MI 8 had VHF Detachments on our coasts and likely listening out for the German Air Force VHF / Lorenz based Navigation Beams.

Although there is no mention of MI 8 in the index of Stephen Twigge's Intelligence book, I have found several brief references to M.I. 8 in his book.

The 1940 files in WO 208 at TNA, Kew of M.I.8 are extremely disappointing to date and their War Diary is far, far too brief to detail even their weekly work, let alone their daily work.

Mark

[Nick Beale]

I wasn't aware of MI8's involvement in finding navigational beams, a subject I have been looking at in recent months.

I started out looking for an Operations Record Book for No. 80 Wing (which did the detecting and jamming for the RAF) and didn't find one but a search of the catalogue for relevant code names (e.g. "HEADACHE") gave better results (see here).

I guess you've tried searching via Radio Security Service and RSS? There seem to be quite a few occurrences in the Government Code & Cipher School files — although that could even be one memo on a thick file.

[Observer1940]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

I started out looking for an Operations Record Book for No. 80 Wing (which did the detecting and jamming for the RAF)...

Thanks Nick
I have been researching this since 2004 and about to finalise my research. This initial counter measures work in mid 1940 was given initially to the Permanent Assistant Secretary, who in turn passed it to the Principal Deputy Director of Signals, who then had engaged the RAF Defence Organisation personally under H C T Dowding at Fighter Command by June 1940. Despite a manual search for Fighter Command's original file reference, it is not on the PRO / TNA Catalogue / indexes.

No.80 Wing was set up when Officials (and by late August 1940 Group Captain Theak of Bomber Command) had begun to realise during August 1940 how severe an effect the Fighter Command Counter measures were having on the safety of his Command's aircraft. Part I of the Bomber Command file covering up to and including August 1940 is also missing, despite a manual search. On 23rd August 1940 Churchill just referred to the situation as teething problems, despite the severe impact on the Command.

But extensive searching of 500 or more files (and other sources) to find some of the information placed in and sent from the files (not in the PRO / TNA), I have managed to piece together what was happening.

Mark