Sound Mirrors - Pre War

Discussion in 'World War 2' started by spidge, Oct 30, 2007.

  1. spidge

    spidge Active Member

  2. Kitty

    Kitty New Member

    I saw these on Map Man a couple of years ago. One still stands in the marshes of the Wash (I think) in the centre of a nature reserve. Listed structures all of them. i think there were a couple of mirrors and a large arced wall too. They actually tested them and it did enable them to hear a Tiger Moth coming before seeing or hearing it naturally. Quite simple things. But Watson Watt came along and they became history.
     
  3. Adrian Roberts

    Adrian Roberts Active Member

    A slightly better picture than the one on the link, of the Sound mirror at Kilnsea in Yorkshire, dating from 1917.

    They had some degree of usefulness in 1917-18, providing the enemy conveniently flew within a few miles of the mirror (we're talking aeroplane bombers not airships by this time), and prviding there was no background noise (so they were situated in isolated areas). The pole just visible in from the bowl held a microphone, which was pointed at the part of the mirror which gave the loudest sound and hence the direction of the enemy could be calculated (roughly).

    But sound-waves travel very considerably slower than light or radio (electro-magnetic) waves, so any usefulness the mirrors had against Gothas traveling at 90 mph, giving maybe 20 minutes or so for the Home Defence fighters to intercept, had dissappeared by the time of WW2 when the enemy was travelling at 250mph, giving maybe four minutes warning.
     

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  4. spidge

    spidge Active Member

    Good to see that they were at least being pro active!
     
  5. morse1001

    morse1001 Guest

    Not only were there giant sound mirrors, but there was a smaller sound locator. Here is a photo of one in action and is taken from the book, Military Science Today By Lt Col Donald Portway RE from 1940
     
  6. Kyt

    Kyt Άρης

    I can't find any actual details for this picture but I bet he suffered from headaches!
     

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