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The Opening Post.

Complimentary to the above the RAF puts all the resources that it put into the development of radar for defensive purposes (such as the Chain Home networks, the GCI network & AI radar) in the "Real World" into developing electronic navigation aids for Bomber Command in this "version of history".

This is part of Post 222 in the Alternative RAF 1936-41 thread.

In the "Real World" the Luftwaffe had "Knickebein" in service at the start of the War. It also had the pathfinder unit LN.100 formed on 26.08.38 (but its lineage stretched back to 01.10.35). It would be renamed KGr.100 on 18.11.39 and expanded into KG100 on 15.12.41. The next navigation aid "X-Gerät" was being tested by the end of 1939 and was in service early enough to be used in the raid on Coventry and then came "Y-Gerät".

The RAF was far behind the Luftwaffe in this technology. According to the British official history on the Strategic Bombing Offensive against Germany.

• Development of "G" also known as "Gee" didn't begin until 1941. The first trials were in July 1941, the first operational use was on 12.08.41 and in August 1942 80% of Bomber Command's operational force had it, but it was also when the Luftwaffe started to jam it. The whole operational force had it in January 1941 and in March 1943 "Gee Mk II" with anti-jamming devices was fitted to 60% of the force.
• Development of "H" began in July 1942, service trials began in June 1943, the first operational use was on 03.11.43 and it was used in conjunction with "Gee" as "G-H".
• Development of "Oboe" began in 1940 with the intention of having it operational by July 1942, but it wasn't available until December 1942. To get "Oboe Mk I" into service deployment of the centimetric & jamming-resistant "Oboes Mk II & III" and "Repeater Oboe" had to be delayed. "Oboe Mk II" became operational in October 1943 and "Oboe Mk III" became operational in April 1944.
• Approval wasn't given to adapting the centimetric Air to Surface Vessel (ASV) radar to BN (later H2S) radar until September 1941 and the first operational use was in January 1943.

However, the same source also said.

• "Gee" was first proposed in 1938 which was three years before development began in the "Real World". Does that mean that had development begun immediately that IOC would have been in August 1938 (in time for the Munich Crisis) and that 80% of Bomber Command's operational force would have had it August 1939 and 100% by January 1940? One of "Gee's" limitations was its short range. However, it wouldn't be as bad in this "version of history" as "Gee" transmitters could be installed in France in September 1939 which would allow Bomber Command to bomb with greater accuracy further into Germany.
• "H" was first proposed in June 1940 which was two years before development began in the "Real World". Does that mean that in this "version of history" service trials could be advanced to June 1941 and the first operational use to 03.11.41?
• If there was a delay between the first proposal for "Oboe" and the start of its development, by source doesn't say so.
• The requirement for a H2S-type radar was stated as early as 1938. This followed the AI trials of 1936-37 with a Heyford bomber. The trials for AI purposes were unsatisfactory but it did show the difference between the countryside and built up areas. However, development of Blind Navigation (BN) radar was not proceeded with due to the priority given to air defence and as already stated the go ahead to adapt the centimetric ASV wasn't given until September 1941. If it was given in September 1938 in this "version of history" would the first operational use have been in January 1940? However, if it did the H2S Mk I radar of this "version of history" would have to use a metric rather than the 10 cm centimetric wavelength because the development of centimetric radar wasn't far enough advanced in the late 1930s to allow that.