Radar Observers' Bombardment Information File (ROBIF)

Rated 4.3 (13 Votes)

Direct link to this page:
https://aafcollection.com/items/list.php?item=000023

Authors:

none listed

Contributors:

Mike Voisin

Published: July 1945

In the fall of 1943, the British debuted the H2S radar, nicknamed Home Sweet Home. This technology was a means for bombardiers to find their targets at night or through overcast clouds. Up until that point, bombardiers generally had to see their targets to hit them. The United States developed its own version of the radar, named H2X. It was nicknamed Mickey for Mickey Mouse, which was not intended to belittle it.

Although radar had been invented, it was still a crude and mistrusted technology early in the war. H2X radar would have been the latest modern technology in 1945. In actuality H2X was not very precise. It was better suited to area bombing than to precision bombing.

More Details

Hide Details

Item: 000023

Viewed: 6886 times

Comments: 9 (see below)

Categories:

Armament
Bombardment
Training
Radar
Aircraft, Equipment

Locations:

Contributors:

Mike Voisin

Repositories:

Private Collection

Related Items:

000022: Bombardiers' Information File (BIF)
000021: Navigators' Information File (NIF)
000145: Radar Photography
AAF Manual 95-101-1
000146: Radar Photographs
From the Photograph Album of John E. Voisin
000148: Pilots' Information File (PIF)

Collections:

John E. Voisin

Added: 2007-01-31

What can I do with this item?

Hide

View To View this item, click PDF .

External To View this item when it's at another website, click .

To Print this page, choose a printer-friendly version with or without comments.

(Then use your browser's Print command, followed by Back to return here.)

To Tweet about this item at Twitter, click Tweet

To Pin this item at Pinterest, click

Link to this Item To Link directly to this item:

https://aafcollection.com/items/list.php?item=000023

To Cite this website as a research source:

Army Air Forces Collection, "Radar Observers' Bombardment Information File (ROBIF)" (item 000023), AAF Collection, https://AAFCollection.com/items/list.php?item=000023 (accessed 26 January 2025).

	View	Judging by the cover, there is no doubt this training manual targeted Tokyo, Japan. This is the complete document, including the sections detailed below. 37.2Mb 196 pages; PDF (.pdf) Original item: Book; 8.5 x 11 inches Viewed: 1950 times
		Table of contents and front matter.
		Section 1: General Crew Coordination; Security Measures; AAF Form 38;
		Section 2: Radar Equipment AN/APQ-13 Radar System; Control Box; Computer Box; Azimuth Control Box; Synchronizer Unit; Range Unit; Antenna Equipment; Range Unit Calibration; Tuning; Operation; Maintenance; Block Diagram; Circuit Diagram; AN/APS-15A Radar System; Receiver-Indicator; Control Unit; Range Unit; Comuter Box; Calibration; Tuning; Operation; Beacon Operation; Maintenance; AN/APQ-5B Auxiliary Radar System; Control Box; Tracking Unit; Indicator; Operation; Maintenance; Operational Differences APS-15, APS-15A, APQ-13;
		Section 3: Auxiliary Radar Equipment Loran; AN/APN-4 Radio Set; AN/APN-9 Radar Set; AN/APN-1 Radar Altimeter; SCR-718 High-Altitude Absolute Altimeter; SCR-695A Mark III IFF Airborne Transponder; SRC-729A Radar Set; AN/APN-2 Radar Set; AN/APS-13 Tail Warning Radar; Flux Gate Compass;
		Section 4: Radar Navigation PPI Scope; Radar Fixes; E-6B Computer Method; Form Method; Computer-Drum Chart Method; Determining Groundspeed, Wind and Drift; Target Timing; Racon Navigation; Radio Navigation Aids;
		Section 5: Radar Bombing The Bombing Problem; Radar Bombing Equipment; AN/APQ-13 Computer; AN/APS-15A Computer Box; AN/APQ-5B Tracking Unit; Direct Bombing; Coordinated Bombing; Inherent Errors; Bombing Tables;
		Section 6: Radar Bombing Procedures Preparation for the Bombing Run; Drift Correction Methods; Maximum Scope Defintion; Procedure Turns; The Bombing Run; Low-altitude Bombing (LAB); H2X; Computer-out Bombing Procedure; High-altitude Bombing (HAB);
		Section 7: Radar Intelligence Mission Planning; Radar Intelligence Procedures; Radar Reconnaissance; Pathfinder Charts; Negative Relief Maps; Relief Maps; Supersonic Predictor; Bombing Assessment;
		Section 8: Radar Photography General Principles; Procedures; O-6, O-7 and O-8 Radar Cameras; O-5 and O-11 Automatic-recording Cameras; O-9 and O-10 Radar Cameras;
		Index and back matter.

Comments (Add a Comment)

[1] Mike Voisin (07-12-2008 5:40 PM)

This book belonged to my father, John E. Voisin. He was being trained as a Radar Observer (Bombardment) at Yuma, Arizona as the war ended. This was no doubt in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan.

[2] felipe (12-14-2008 12:40 PM)

I fan of radar

[3] G Dale Cartwright (09-12-2009 7:20 PM)

I took my training at Boca Raton and Morrison Field in Florida. I flew as a Radar Observer with the 53rd. Weather Recon. Sqdn. USAAC and later the 373rd. Long Range Weather Sqdn. This Radar Equipment was very good, but in the early days the Pilots didn't have much faith in it.

[4] Peter Boczar (09-27-2009 12:17 AM)

I've been researching my missing uncle Larry Grasha whose unit, 3rd Sea Search Attack Squadron, was testing a lot of radar equipment. He was reassigned to something called project AQ7 located at Morrison Field. However, his plane went missing enroute to Belem, Brazil. There were two radar techinicians on board named Benjamin Evans and Louis Enderle. Can anyone tell me what was AQ7. Did anyone serve with these men? Many thanks.

[5] Robert Langille (02-14-2010 9:31 PM)

Hi Mike,
Nice site. Would you have any docs related to ECM (Electronic Countermeasures)? Looking for info on DBM-1 and TDY-1 along with other types of jammers or EW equipment.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards
Robert
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
WWW.EWCS.CA

[6] Mike Voisin (02-15-2010 8:55 AM)

Hi Robert, I do not have any documents that reference electronic countermeasure equipment yet. Perhaps someone will contribute such material to the collection in the future.

[7] THOMAS G HARRISON (08-07-2012 4:41 PM)

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH ITEM ..... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK !
ASIDE FROM THE STATS, IT ABSOLUTELY AMAZES ME HOW WELL THOSE GUYS DID THEIR JOB ...

[8] caesar BINGO benigno (01-24-2013 2:01 AM)

hi if you are interested i was a graduate of the UK ECM school at chedddington air base dec 1944 i flew 20 odd missions in a B 17 assg to 452nd bm gp. the equipment i used was a APR 4 and a APT 1. my last assignment, was a Boeing test team member at Edwards AFB 1986=1989, on the B-1 evalating the ecm capabilities of the B-1. caesar benigno Col USAF/ ret

[9] Mike (01-22-2014 10:35 AM)

My farther was a radar observer-mechanic Bombardment 2867. Does anyone know what he would have done in the position. Would he have been a crew member on a bomber or what? Thanks

End of Comments

Add a Comment

Use this form to add a comment about this item!

Why should I leave a comment?

Hide

Reasons to leave a comment include:

Share your knowledge about the air field or subject described in the item.
Provide more information about the item itself.
Point out interesting pages in the item.
Explain why you liked or disliked the item.
Recognize a relative featured in the item.
Ask a question someone else might answer about the item.
Answer a question someone else has asked.

Curator: Mike Voisin

Army Air Forces Collection Item 000023 is licensed by Mike Voisin under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Revised: October 20, 2024

Name:		Your name (or nickname) will appear along with your comment.
E-Mail:		Your e-mail address will not appear as part of your comment.
Code:		Please enter the code 6879 here. This helps prevent spam.