Monica (radar) facts for kids
Monica Mk III Indicator Unit
|
|
| Country of origin | the United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Introduced | June 1942 |
Monica was a special type of radar used on bomber planes during World War II. It helped pilots know if enemy planes were coming up behind them. The British RAF started using it in June 1942.
Its official name was ARI 5664. It worked by sending out radio waves at a frequency of about 300 MHz. The US Army Air Forces also used this radar. They called it AN/APS-13, and sometimes nicknamed it Archie.
History of Monica Radar
Monica radar was created by a special team called the Bomber Support Development Unit (BSDU). They worked in Worcestershire, England.
The German air force, called the Luftwaffe, soon found out about Monica. They learned about it from a crashed British bomber plane. German scientists then created their own device called Flensburg (FuG 227). This device could detect the radio waves from Monica radar.
Starting in early 1944, German nightfighter pilots used Flensburg to find Allied bombers. This made it easier for them to attack the bombers at night.
On July 13, 1944, a German Junkers Ju 88 nightfighter plane landed by mistake at RAF Woodbridge, an RAF airbase. This plane was equipped with the Flensburg device. British experts quickly examined the German equipment.
After seeing how Flensburg worked, the RAF realized Monica was putting their bombers in danger. They ordered all Monica radars to be removed from RAF Bomber Command aircraft.
An AN/APS-13 radar was also used for a different purpose. It was used as a radar altimeter during the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This helped the 509th Composite Group of the USAAF know their exact height above the ground.
See also
