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War Week

rmc57rmc57 Posts: 876
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in Broadcasting #1
Since we're declaring weeks now, with the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of World War 2 this week what are your memories of TV that day in 1939?

Watch out for Russian Revolution Week - coming your way in just one month!

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    jazzydrury3jazzydrury3 Posts: 27,072
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    #2
    Havent a clue my parents werent even around then
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    albertdalbertd Posts: 14,361
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    #3
    Before my time, but I am fairly sure that the fledgling TV service closed down a few days earlier and did not reopen until after the war.
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    ftvftv Posts: 31,668
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    The BBC Television service closed down on September 1, 1939, citing ''reasons of national defence.'' Many of the engineers went off to work on radar and other projects connected with the war. BBC Television re-opened on June 7, 1946.It was claimed the Germans could use the transmissions to pinpoint London but it seems extremely unlikely the Germans didn't know where London was !
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    lundavralundavra Posts: 31,790
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    ftv wrote: »
    The BBC Television service closed down on September 1, 1939, citing ''reasons of national defence.'' Many of the engineers went off to work on radar and other projects connected with the war. BBC Television re-opened on June 7, 1946.It was claimed the Germans could use the transmissions to pinpoint London but it seems extremely unlikely the Germans didn't know where London was !

    Like the RAF, the Luftwaffe's accuracy was poor until various electronic bombing aids were developed by both sides. A reliable navigational beacon would have been of great help to them. But mainly it closed because there were few viewers and it was an unnecessary luxury that diverted resources.

    The Baird Fan Club usually claim that the TV service was a Baldrick style 'cunning plan' of his to increase cathode ray tube production which seems odd when he switched to CRTs late after his cumbersome mechanical system proved unpopular. No evidence has ever been produced to back up their claims (like most of their other claims) as far as I am aware.
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    ftvftv Posts: 31,668
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    #6
    The transmitters at AP were in fact used in the development of radar.
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    albertdalbertd Posts: 14,361
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    ftv wrote: »
    The transmitters at AP were in fact used in the development of radar.
    I thought that the wartime use was in jamming one of the German VHF navigation systems.
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    lundavralundavra Posts: 31,790
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    #8
    albertd wrote: »
    I thought that the wartime use was in jamming one of the German VHF navigation systems.

    German navigation and comms systems, they jammed voice communications to Luftwaffe aircraft. It was also noted that they were on frequencies close to those used by German tanks so there were plans to use jamming their comms in the event of an invasion.
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