The Kiteflier, Issue 93 Page 19
The Gibson Girl Transmitter and Kite
The following extracts are reproduced with
permission of the author Louis Meulstee from
his article Saved by Radio, Evolution in AirSea Rescue radio communications. Additional research by G & J Bloom.
Introduction.
Some time ago I received a reprint from a
war time article ‘German Dinghy Transmitters’ which was a welcome addition to a
manuscript on Air-Sea Rescue for which I
had started collecting material quite a while
ago. During my time in service I had been
fascinated by the peculiar shape of the US
manufactured AN/CRT 3, affectionately
named ‘Gibson Girl’. I later learned that its
primary design came from war time Germany.
Emergency transmitters enabled ditched air
crews to communicate their whereabouts operating on a frequency of 500 kHz (and in
some models also in the short wave band),
used by international radio alarm signals. By
using direction finding equipment, a rescue
German version of the rescue kite recovered from a crashed
JU88 and still flight worthy—the spars have been replaced.
German NS2 Developed in 1940.
Collection Arthur Bauer, Diemen, Holland.
party could take bearings of the distress signals and determine their location or just
'home' on the signal by the rescue aircraft
radio compass.
Air-Sea Rescue.
In the early days of long distance and overseas flying, a crude form of emergency radio
was sometimes provided. Such aircraft carried emergency transmitters operating on
long wave or short wave (depending on the
flight) which were powered by dry batteries.
It was not until 1941 that the German
'Luftwaffe' introduced an ingenious emergency transmitter, designed by the German
firm Fieseke & Höpfner. It was completely
self contained, buoyant, practically waterproof, small and powered by an internal
hand driven generator.
Notsender NS2
The complete set, known as NSG2, for Not
Sende Gerät 2, (Emergency Transmitter
equipment, type 2) consisted of two parts:
Page 20
The Kiteflier, Issue 93
The Gibson Girl Transmitter and Kite
the NS2 transmitter container and the accessories container, usually stowed loose in the
aircraft and attached to a rubber dingy. Both
containers were made of a light alloy. The
accessories container held a kite, two balloons with filling tubes, two hydrogen generators and an instruction handbook, together weighing 29 lb. The range over sea
was given as approximately 200 miles.
Power was derived from a hand generator,
with the handle fitted on top of the transmitter case. The transmitter had a quite unique
ergonomic shape. When used it was held between the operator's legs, giving the impression of grinding coffee in an old fashioned
hand grinder.
Kite and Balloon Aerial
The set operated on the international distress frequency of 500 kHz (600 metres). To
obtain a good range it needed a long-wire
aerial of reasonable length. This was normally provided by attaching the aerial, 260
feet of stainless steel wire, to a box kite. It
was reeled out by a unit mounted on the
front panel of the set.
British Type 33 dinghy transmitter, used in RAF
bomber and reconnaissance aircraft during
WWII. The case did not have the peculiar shape
but external pads were used instead.
The earth, consisting of 10 feet of stainless
steel wire terminated to a sinker, was lowered over the side of the dinghy into the sea.
When lack of wind (less than 13 mph) did
not permit the use of a kite, a 3ft balloon
was inflated by a hydrogen generator, a tin
can with a separate inflation tube. When
opened, hydrogen was generated by chem ical solid (lithium hydride or calcium hydride)
coming into contact with water. An insulated
grip on the inflation tube provided protection
to the hand as considerable heat was generated during this process.
Notsender NS1
The NS2 were not the first Luftwaffe dinghy
transmitters, as prior World War 2 (and recorded to be used also during the war)
emergency transmitter set type NSG1 had
been developed. The transmitter part of this
set, Not Sender NS1 was originally part of a
Lufthansa 'Kleinstation' developed in the mid
1930s as an aircraft station, but later exclusively used for emergency communications.
The NSG1 was really a makeshift solution for
long range aircraft, to be replaced ultimately
by NSG2. It operated on a frequency of 500
kHz and was powered by dry HT batteries
and an LT accumulator. Transmission (CW
only) was automatic SOS, followed by a long
dash, operated by a small motor, or alternatively hand keyed Morse.
Bulky and Awkward
The NS1 transmitter was mounted in a bulky
weatherproof case painted bright yellow and
weighed 50 lb. The aerial consisted of five
sections of aluminium tube to give a 17ft
vertical rod, provided with a capacitive
'umbrella' top. This awkward and rather unstable construction was mounted on top of
the transmitter box and supported with four
guys. An alternative aerial, 165 feet of
stainless steel wire wound on a reel in the
transmitter, could be flown on a box kite.
The Kiteflier, Issue 93 Page 21
The Gibson Girl Transmitter and Kite
Firing rocket connected to kite from dinghy.
Captured
In 1941 the British captured an NSG2 in the
English Channel which formed the basis for a
similar set. Very little redesign led to 'Dinghy
Transmitter T-1333', carried in RAF aircraft
of Bomber and Coastal Command. Strangely,
the British did not copy the special shaped
container but used pads, mounted on the
side of the set for this purpose. When the
USA manufactured dinghy transmitter BC-778 (part of
SCR-578) was a copy of the NS2, though internally it differed considerably. On top of the set a generator speed
indicator light and aerial tuning indicator were mounted
within sight of the operator.
circuit diagrams are compared with the original German NS2 it is apparent that the circuit was copied by the British without many
changes. Even the interrupter and the selector system was copied, the main difference
being the use of another type of oscillating
circuit.
Rocket Launched Kite
An interesting feature of the British dinghy
transmitter was the aerial
was supported by a box
kite which was launched
into the air by means of a
rocket fired from a Verey
pistol. The kite, folded up
and contained in a case,
is drawn up by the
rocket, and when it
reaches its height determined by the length of
attached line (200 feet) it
is stripped of its case and
opens automatically. In a
wind of 6 mph or over it
will remain aloft. The aerial wire was then attached to the line and the
kite allowed to rise, carrying the aerial to the
Grasping the transmitter between the
knees!
requisite height of 208
Page 22
Close up of the cross spars ‘umbrella’ fitting.
The entire kit fits in a yellow bag containing:
a metal -frame box kite that folds up like an
umbrella; a radio, with wire antenna to be
attached to the kite; two spools of spare
wire; a balloon, for use without wind; a can
containing some sort of hydrogen generator
A kite from the Air-Sea rescue kit.
Known to most kite fliers as the Gibson
Girl it was, in fact the transmitter that
the name belonged to. This is probably
an American version.
feet. Both rocket and case fell away. The aerial wire is then connected to the kite line
and paid out by unreeling the winch handle.
USA
In mid -1941 another captured NSG2 set, together with development specifications, was
taken with a military mission visiting the
USA. One of their assignments was to seek a
North American manufacturer for this set as
the British did not had the capacity to produce such a set in very great numbers. Bendix Aviation Limited was approached and after the US Army and Navy became interested it was suggested that a joint Allied
di nghy set be developed. When the US became directly involved in the war, the demand was speeded-up and an initial order
for 11,600 sets was placed to be delivered
'...as soon as humanly possible...' The first
sets were delivered in the last week of May
1942, initially by Bendix but later also assembled by a number of other contractors.
for filling it; the two metal tubes may be
used in the inflation process; some sort of
wrench; a strobe light .
The Kiteflier, Issue 93
The Gibson Girl Transmitter and Kite
Youth in bloom was personified by
the ‘Gibson Girl’, created by Charles
Dana Gibson, most famous artist and
cartoonist of the late 1880’s and
early 1890’s. Every young girl tried
to look as much like his drawings as
Nature would permit.
Superior
The mechanical construction of the US version known as SCR-578, not much later affectionately called 'Gibson Girl', a name
taken from the narrow-waisted female drawings of 1890s fashion artist Charles Gibson,
was superior to both German and British
predecessors. It was manufactured in far
greater numbers and remained in use and
production long after World War 2.
The set consisted of BC-778 transmitter unit
and a number of accessories, (such as kite
aerial, balloons with hydrogen generators)
weighing 34 lb. Painted the usual bright yellow, it was completely packed in a single
padded yellow canvas bag. The initial versions used two bags, the set proper and an
accessories bag). When required for use, it
was normally thrown from the ditched aircraft into the sea, along with the dinghy. It
could also be dropped by a parachute, which
was part of the set.
The Kiteflier, Issue 93 Page 23
The Gibson Girl Transmitter and Kite
More on the ‘Gibson Girl’.
‘Radio Age’ ran a story on the ‘Gibson Girl’ in
1984 which reprinted a wartime advertising
picture showing airmen in a life raft using
the set. Its’ caption was ‘From our laboratories come weapons that will spell disaster to
[the] Axis’. Note there’s an ironic statement, considering where the original design
came from!
The following report is from the 39th Bomber
This depicts the launching of the kite from the dinghy—it is
NOT a photo of the above story!
Group veterans Association web page.
Report by S/Sgt James Schwoegler, Radio
Operator 39th Bomb Group (VH) Crew 30.
The plane made it out over the ocean, but
then the third engine's propeller broke off,
slicing the plane's fuselage from the middle
to the top and cutting the cont rol the plane's
fourth engine. They had only one working
engine left.
The pilot made the decision for the crew to
bail out, and it was Schwoegler's job to radio
in their location. They planned to ditch near
a location code named "Lot's Wife," which
was actually named Sofugan, described by
Schwoegler as "a rock sticking out of the
ocean."
The crew began to jump out of the airplane
through a hatch leading to the landing wheel
well in the nose. The problem for Schwoegler
was that lifting the door to the wheel well
blocked him in the radio area. After the rest
of the crew had jumped out, Schwoegler
closed the hatch door so he could get
through, much to the pilot's surprise. "The
pilot said 'Jim, get the hell out!'"
Schwoegler managed to swim to the surface
where he attempted to inflate a lifeboat that
was part of his gear. "I pulled it open and
nothing.," he said. Fortunately he was able
to manipulate the CO2 cartridge that inflated
his raft and get it to work. The plane's crew
was spread over a broad area, but thanks to
Schwoegler's signal a B-17 rescue plane was
able to locate the crew and drop them a Hi ggins lifeboat with food and medical supplies.
Safe in the lifeboat, the ordeal of the 10 su rvivors was not over. "The morning brought
so much fog, you couldn't see from here to
the next house," Schwoegler explained. This
hampered rescue efforts and forced the crew
to use a "Gibson Girl," a shapely radio designed to be held between the legs and operated with a crank. When cranked, the radio
sent out a constant S.O.S. To send the signal, an antenna was raised on a kite. As the
radioman, the job of cranking fell to
Schwoegler. "I don't know how long I
cranked," he said. "I was real disappointed
no one volunteered to take it except the
navigator." His efforts bore fruit in the form
of a submarine. "Is it Japanese or American?" Schwoegler wondered. "Then I saw a
guy with a flaming red beard and I knew it
was an American. It was the best sight I
ever saw."
He still has the kite antenna that led the rescuers to them, but he accidentally left
the "Gibson Girl" on the first sub when they
transferred. "The (sub crew) loved having
us," Schwoegler recalled. "They gave up
their bunks and everything. The first night
(aboard) we ate chicken and steak. We hadn't eaten like that in a while."
Loading...