[91ken]

From 1915 onwards these huge eerie concrete structures started popping up along the uk coast, all built with one purpose: to provide the military with an early warning system in relation to incoming aircraft. Their construction was pretty much limited to the uk and arrived just before radar technology as we know it became widespread.

Pics here.

[mikeb1958]

Very cool! 3000 years from now they will be the 'New Stonehenge"

[skydriver]

Wow, now I am going to spend hours researching "Sound Mirrors"

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by 91ken

From 1915 onwards these huge eerie concrete structures started popping up along the uk coast, all built with one purpose: to provide the military with an early warning system in relation to incoming aircraft. Their construction was pretty much limited to the uk and arrived just before radar technology as we know it became widespread.

Pics here.

Funny co-incidence that you should post a thread on this very subject !!!!!!!

Only last week, in the U.K. there was a detailed documentary, which featured the T.V. Journalist/reporter visiting these very same structures (& more) along the East-coast of England (in Suffolk), which faces Holland & the islands of Texel & Terschelling, leading towards the North German coasts (from which it was feared that the German Bombers would come).

You have to understand that London & other Towns, Villages & Cities had already been bombed/attacked from the air during the 1st World-War & caused mass-panic & mayhem (out of ALL proportion to actual damage caused), so the Authorities understandably realised with the advent of newer/greater technology, 20 years-on, the damage, casualties & fear would be FAR greater than before.

Also, no-one had figured that the Germans would over-run the French-Army (then, the worlds Biggest) & totally crush them in six-weeks thereby allowing German bombers to be based as little as 25 miles away (bases such as Cormelles-En-Vexin, a Dornier Do.17 base) which was just a short strike/distance across the English Channel.

Luckily, the advent of progress in 'Home-Chain' Radar, rendered these 'Maginot-Line' era/mentality structures obsolete, but they figured in Britain's defences even up to around the time of the Munich-crisis (1938).

Hard now to imagine a Battle of Britain, with Hawker Fury's, Hart's** & Demon's, alongside Gloster Gauntlet's & Gladiators - all being vectored by 'signals' recieved from these Eerie concrete structures.

BTW, the Hart's 'successor' (supplement), the (twin-seat Biplane) **Hector actually did bomb/attack German units in Calais, once the Nazi's had reached the French coastal-Town !!!!!!!!!!!!

This is certainly a unique thread !!!!!!!!!

[timbo]

Not sure I would compare the mentality of building these with the Maginot line. The only thing I would consider similar is that they are both build of concrete!!

The idea now does seem a bit of a joke, but until Radar came along, and made them obsolete over night, there were probably very few alternatives to gaining that extra time that early warning would give you. The fact that they developed something better in the chain-home radar stations (and pointing these toward at the time a friendly France) shows that they were not hunkering down in a Maginot line mentality, and throughly understood the limitations of this technology.

[smartd]

Wonder how many TV channels they'd get.