I just watched a document on BoB and it was mentioned that just before the Germans started bombing London instead of the air fields etc several sector operations rooms(?) ( which guided the planes into their target ) had been destroyed by German bombers. is this true? How much did it affect the RAF action, or can it be estimated?

__________________

Good question and an interesting subject....

The Fighter Group areas were subdivided into sectors with a designated sector station. Sector stations featured Sector Operations Rooms - a design fault in the overall plan.

Most of these Operations Buildings were built inter-war of brick ( not bomb-proofed ) were oblong, single-storey and surrounded by a single earth bank for blast protection. The buildings were located among the other administrative airfield buildings. The danger from bombing was recognized, and construction started on new, concrete, bomb-proof buildings in 1938/39 but very few were complete by 1940.

Sector Operations Rooms for SE England were at ; -

Duxford
Middle Wallop
Northolt
Debden
North Weald
Hornchurch
Biggin Hill
Kenley
Tangmere

Only ONE - Biggin Hill - was destroyed due to a direct hit on August 31st. The 1938/39 pattern one at North Weald was hit on September 3rd, but survived. ( The Biggin incident is dramatised in a scene from the movie Battle of Britain ).

The effect at Biggin was indeed serious ; the whole of Sector C was temporarily 'blinded'. Immediate steps were taken to disperse all Sector Operations Rooms away from the airfields. For example, that at Debden was moved to a nearby stone quarry, Biggin itself to a shop and then to a house, and so on.

This was a serious lapse in German Intelligence : the Luftwaffe were unaware of the Operations Rooms and their importance to the overall defence of Britain.

If - and it is a very big 'IF' indeed - this had been known, and a concerted attack been made onto three or four Sector Stations at the same time, it is possible that air superiority could have been achieved and maintained.

We will never know for sure.

Most of these Sector Operations Buildings have long gone ( that at Kenley was demolished relatively recently [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img] ).

But, fortunately, that at Duxford has been brilliantly restored to its exact 1940 condition and is an essential place to visit for anyone interested in the Battle of Britain.

( Most of the information above is from the indispensible Battle of Britain - Then & Now by Winston G Ramsey ).

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Thanx Martin!!

The document claimed 6 out of 7 (??) being destroyed before the London bombings so that was definitely too high a claim! Thanx for the information again Martin!!

__________________

6 out of 7 .....how can these people get it so wrong ? [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

If that had been the case, I'd possibly be writing this posting in German.....

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I thought so too Martin, that´s why I did not say it in the first place! It did sound a bit far fetched, then again it was a British voice telling me this...
And I believe everything I´m told in English...Poor me!

__________________

I actually blundered into 10 gp operations room in the tunnels around RAF Rudloe Manor at Box in Wiltshire in the 80's while serving on security duties in the RAF communication centre during the cold war. Massive tunnels built before ww2 around Corsham in Wiltshire up to RAF Colerne, the RAF still had a major underground comms centre known as 6su then with the hq of Defence communications based there in the tunnels. All new stuff by then, but the old tunnels stretched for miles, and were still lit up. Mostly used for storing ammo in ww2 and rail tracks and platforms still around, old teleprinter rooms, posters on walls, kilroy was here etc, stretching to a secret entrance at BOX tunnel where ammo trains were despatched into the complex on a seperate gauge and line.
Massive complex, with big underwater lake fenced off. One night when bored 3 of us got lost with torches, and blundering around one of the complexes, which even then were to be the bolt hold supposedly for govt and royals, we entered a gated area and shone our torches on hq 10 group, the shape and design not much different from movies and area shown in RAF museum for 11 gp, brilliant stuff, the plotting table still central, nothing on it of course, and alcoves above where controllers must have directed it, history exists still, underground Britain, sadly though I believe this lot has now been destroyed, certainly although RAF still there and Army, most of the tunnels have been purpolsely caved in.
A haunt of UFO believers, who beleived because there was a low flying police cell based at Rudloe Manor that they also investigated UFO's sadly not true, I was there, we just took reports of low flying aircraft complaints for MOD policing and service police, which by nature included all reports of low flying ufo's be they real or imaganery, but ufologists then thought we were hiding something.

Fascinating place.

I actually blundered into 10 gp operations room in the tunnels around RAF Rudloe Manor at Box in Wiltshire in the 80's while serving on security duties in the RAF communication centre during the cold war. Massive tunnels built before ww2 around Corsham in Wiltshire up to RAF Colerne, the RAF still had a major underground comms centre known as 6su then with the hq of Defence communications based there in the tunnels. All new stuff by then, but the old tunnels stretched for miles, and were still lit up. Mostly used for storing ammo in ww2 and rail tracks and platforms still around, old teleprinter rooms, posters on walls, kilroy was here etc, stretching to a secret entrance at BOX tunnel where ammo trains were despatched into the complex on a seperate gauge and line.
Massive complex, with big underwater lake fenced off. One night when bored 3 of us got lost with torches, and blundering around one of the complexes, which even then were to be the bolt hold supposedly for govt and royals, we entered a gated area and shone our torches on hq 10 group, the shape and design not much different from movies and area shown in RAF museum for 11 gp, brilliant stuff, the plotting table still central, nothing on it of course, and alcoves above where controllers must have directed it, history exists still, underground Britain, sadly though I believe this lot has now been destroyed, certainly although RAF still there and Army, most of the tunnels have been purpolsely caved in.
A haunt of UFO believers, who beleived because there was a low flying police cell based at Rudloe Manor that they also investigated UFO's sadly not true, I was there, we just took reports of low flying aircraft complaints for MOD policing and service police, which by nature included all reports of low flying ufo's be they real or imaganery, but ufologists then thought we were hiding something.

Fascinating place.

That sounds truly fascinating - I'd have loved to have seen it ! [img]redface.gif[/img]

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Walked away from the hubbub of yesterday's Duxford Airshow to photograph the preserved BofB Operations Block - always deserted on airshow days.

Here's the outside : -

BofB Ops Block

And the inside - perfectly restored to its late-Summer 1940 state : -

BofB Ops Room

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Cheers Martin, Superb pics. [img]smile.gif[/img] Think I'm right in saying the ops block at Banff survives too, but in a derelict state. And also the Gun Operations Room in Edinburgh for the AA defences; in an ideal world, both would be restored to first-class visitor attractions. But.......

__________________
Regards,

Gordon
History Vault Bookshop
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

And do you know Martin, they never have the teleprinter room open....I nearly broke a shoulder last month trying to open the door....

Went to Duxford on VJ day, for the first time ever...For some reason never been there before which is stupid cos its only half an hour away.

Now I know why people enthuse over it...I always thought it would be overated but was wrong..

In fact I thought the land warfare hall puts many other military museums to shame...and the new Pacific theatre of operations exhibition was excellent.

Ill listen to you air guys a bit more from now on.

Well, now you're back in the country....

I hate those cliches about museums ; you know - 'You'll need a day to see it all' etc - but in the case of Duxford, it's absolutely true. Closing time comes around and you still haven't seen everything.....

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Thanx Martin!

Great pics especially the "inside view" of course!

__________________