You can Subscribe to my "Australia @ War" Blog by e-mail now

Just a short note to let you know that you can also now subscribe to new entries in my Blog via e-mail.

Go to my Australia @ War web site and use the Subscribe box near the top of the screen.

Pilots Briefing by Jack Heyn for today's 13th Bomb Squadron

Jack Heyn, a veteran of the WWII 13th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group, of the Fifth Air Force was invited to the reactivation of the 13th Bomb Squadron on 23 September 2005 at Whiteman Air Base, MO.

Their mascot "Oscar", once again, reactivated. The new 13th Bomb Squadron fly the B-2 Stealth Bomber!

Some time after that reactivation ceremony, Colonel Eldridge, the Squadron Commander, asked Jack if he could provide some WW II Squadron incidents/stories that he could use at the Friday morning Pilot's meetings. Over a period of a couple of months Jack Heyn sent 29 such "Pilot Briefings" to Colonel Eldridge.

Melanie Holmes, at the National WW II Museum in New Orleans has just recently produced a home for Jack's "Pilot Briefings".

Go to the this link at National WW II Museum web page and read one of Jack's "Pilot Briefings". A link at the top of that web page will take you to all of the other "Pilot Briefings".

Test Blog from my Ipod

Sent from my Ipod Touch using a new Application called iBlogger which I have just downloaded from the Apps Store. I'm lying on the couch in the lounge room at the moment with my iPod Touch connected to the Internet via my wireless modem.

Seems to work OK so far.

Australia @ War

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Coastal Radio Service under RAN control in WWII

During my exploratory visits in the Townsville area looking for new WWII sites, I stumbled across this rather strange concrete structure in Victoria Park at South Townsville a few years ago.



I had no idea what it was until recently. I believe it was the base for a large steel radio mast for the Townsville Radio Station which was located in the reinforced concrete building which is now Souths Football Club House in Victoria Park. The Townsville Radio Station was established by the Coastal Radio Service in 1913.

During WWII it came under the control of the Royal Australian Navy.

The US Army also established what they called Camp Victoria Park near this Radio Station during WWII.

Army Command and Administrative Network (ACAN)

Have just published a new web page on ACAN.

The US Army Signal Corps established a radio network in Australia known as Army Command and Administrative Network (ACAN) with radio stations located in Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney and Darwin.

This network was also used to provide a telephone voice scrambling circuit at General MacArthur's GHQ SWPA known as SIGSALY (Green Hornet). This highly classified voice circuit was not declassified until around 1976.

Stuart Highway North "The Track"

Here's a new web page on "The Track", the 1500 kms of road built between Alice Springs and Darwin during WWII

Volunteers sought by Catalina Flying Memorial

The Catalina Flying Memorial is now looking for volunteers to help maintain and fly their PBY 6A (VH-CAT) Catalina while it is resident at Bankstown.

If you are interested in helping out, please go to www.catalinaflying.org.au

And for the latest newsletter go to:-

www.catalinaflying.org.au/Newsletters/dec21st_2008newsletter.htm

Catalina Flying Memorial Ltd
ACN 103 492 440
Building 2, Ground Floor
35-41 Waterloo Rd
Macquarie Park NSW 2113
Ph: 02 9870 7277
Fax: 02 9870 7299
Email: info@catalinaflying.org.au