Description
Mr. Campbell speaks about the effectiveness of radar in relation to transmitting signals from the aircraft detecting German submarines through frequency control.
Phil Campbell
Mr. Campbell was born on August 1, 1922 and raised on a farm in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. At age 18, he entered aircrew training school and later became qualified as a radar mechanic with the air force. He joined the Bomber Command and travelled to England, spending most of his service time in North Yorkshire. In September 1945, Mr. Campbell returned to Canada and was released from service. He enrolled at the University of Alberta and obtained a degree in agriculture. In May 1949, Mr. Campbell held the position of Research Scientist in the agricultural laboratory of the University of Alberta. During his career, his involvement in various aspects of international trade negotiations took him to many parts of the world. Mr. Campbell retired in 1989 and immersed himself in volunteer work. He dedicated much of his time to writing a book in support of radar technology and the important role it played in the war effort.
Transcript
The Germans knew the frequency we were working on. So they put a radio set in their submarines, and they converted this to audio sound. And to do that, they had to have an oscillator on the submarine. What they hadn’t thought of, was the fact that oscillators transmit. So we could pick up their oscillator in the aircraft. We put a detenuator on the transmitter so that our signal, instead of getting stronger, was getting weaker to them. They thought we were going away. We had lights on the underside of the aircraft. Suddenly you turn it on, it’s like daylight and they’re caught off above water. They had tricks on us too.