Bomber Command Crew (Wireless Operator) Gift Card - Blank inside

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Size: 4″×6″

The Wireless Operator was a key member of RAF Bomber Command crews during the Second World War. His principal responsibility was to maintain the aircraft’s wireless communications link, receiving messages from base and, when authorised or necessary, transmitting signals. Because bomber operations were generally conducted under wireless silence for much of the sortie, receiving and relaying information was often more routine than transmitting. Messages could include recalls, wind corrections, warnings and other information useful to the navigator.

In heavy bombers such as the Lancaster, Halifax and Stirling, the Wireless Operator also assisted the navigator by obtaining radio bearings and position fixes. He operated and monitored the aircraft’s wireless equipment and, in an emergency, could transmit distress and position signals. Depending on the aircraft, unit and operation, he might also dispense Window or operate electronic countermeasures such as Tinsel, which used the bomber’s wireless transmitter to jam German night-fighter-control radio communications.

Until March 1942, the role was commonly combined with that of Air Gunner, producing the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, or WOp/AG. After the trades were separated, wireless operators no longer received gunnery training. Accurate Morse work, technical ability and sustained concentration were fundamental to the role, making the Wireless Operator an important contributor to Bomber Command operations.

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