Aerial Masts near Louth and Manby

I discovered two "Aerial Masts" marked on an old map 1 mile west of the perimeter of RAF Manby. I took a look out there yesterday and found the two sites, approximately 617 yards apart. One was in plain view on the edge of a field the other hidden away in a thicket of thorn. I was hoping someone may be able to identify what type of site this was. HF/DF crossed my mind but I'm not genned up on wireless sites and have not found anything too similar on the web. Any help appreciated.

Yes,very interesting...Could they possibly be connected with the adjacent. WW2 Army Mobilisation Centre ?...It is shown on your map, just to the East of the grid intersection.

Cheers.

Thanks for responding Bloodhound 1949. It did cross my mind, but as it was pre war storage site, I discounted it, on the grounds of for what purpose? I've read that there was an "Aspirin" receiver site near Legbourne, which is not so very far away, and wondered if it could be for that? That having been said, I have absolutey no idea what such a site would have looked like.

Crunkylad wrote:

I've read that there was an "Aspirin" receiver site near Legbourne....

Legbourne was an 80 Wing outstation in WWII, though apparently not an 'Asprin' site. (That was a VHF jammer around 32 MHz for Knickebein).

I have Legbourne as a possible Meacon receiving station for a known transmitter in Louth. Ideally there would have been some high ground between the two sites to prevent interference. Not convinced of high ground.

Meacons were Medium Wave to jam the European broadcasting stations that the Luftwaffe used for D/F navigation. MW aerials would be big - half wave dipoles would be between roughly 100 to 250 metres in length. However your masts are approx 600 metres apart. They could have supported more than one dipole. (An Asprin aerial is a mere 5 metres in length)

Just a thought

See post 13 www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/s...ignals-wing?start=10

Thanks,It was certainly used during the war,an old pal was sent there in 1941 before he took part in the "Torch" landings in North Africa...I cannot see why they would require a wireless station here though....I seem to remember there was an air/sea rescue D/F station at "Kidbrooke" which operated with another receiver station to obtain cross bearings on aircraft which had crashed in the North Sea...It was operated by the U.S.A.A.F.

Cheers.

Thanks Carnaby. I've just come across reference to the site in "Bomber County 2". Apparently, the transmitter station was at South Elkington, which indeed would offer some high ground between the two sites. From what I've learnt in the last day or two, I'm also leaning toward Meacon. Can the Mast bases on my photo's confirm this do you think? Bloodhound 1949.Thanks, I read much the same about Skidbrooke this morning.

Bloodhound1949 wrote:

I seem to remember there was an air/sea rescue D/F station at "Kidbrooke" which operated with another receiver station to obtain cross bearings on aircraft which had crashed in the North Sea...It was operated by the U.S.A.A.F.

Just had a look at Bomber County 2 and that D/F station was at Skidbrooke, which is north-east of Manby, Couldn't see anything on GE.

Just a few thoughts about the "Louth" wireless stations during WW2 ,I have been trying to make some sense of the information available and would welcome your comments and thoughts.

The Knickebein navigation system operated at about 28-30 Mc/s(10 Metres) and initially the countermeasures used medical equipment which operated at a similar frequency,this was rather crude and called,"Aspirin".An "Aspirin" station was set up at Holton-le- Moor in December,1940 transferring to Louth in June 1941.A more sophisticated method was devised to counter the Knickebein and this used "Meacons"(masking beacons) and one system opened in March,1941 with transmitters at South Elkington(North of the A157) and a receiver site at Legbourne.The RX. site was stated to be near the old village school with aerials in opposite fields so it is quite likely to be the masts mentioned in the original query.I think that after the Meacons were closed down the receiver function was transferred to a site near North Farm,Withcall(from USAAF Flimsy,nav.data) and not far from Gayton-Le-Wold...It does state in "Bomber County" that it was moved to Gayton Top,could this be another site?
In the later part of the war South Elkinton was a transmitter site for a Medium frequency(900Kc/s) beacon mainly used by the USAAF and the Gayton-Le Wold site was a "Splasher" site,call sign,"Splasher 4"

I think Skidbrooke was a U.S. D/F station used for air/sea rescue bearings between February 1944 and May 1945 but I believe its exact location is as yet unknown.

I also came across a reference to a mast at Reston...Oh dear the plot thickens...My brain hurts,time for some liquid refreshment!
Thanks,all the best.

Regarding Skidbrooke site,I have just had a look on street view and there appears to be n Nissen hut with a brick frontage at,53.404538 N. and 0.149293 E.

Cheers.