Sperry 60" Searchlight
The display reads:
AAA Searchlight Battalion
Searchlights became the third level of American Air Defense in World War I and were a significant factor in US anti-aircraft successes of the Great War. By the outbreak of World War II, the standard searchlights in service were Sperry and General Electric 60” carbon arc 800 million candlepower lights.
Searchlight battalions were usually teamed with AAA gun battalions, since the two systems worked exceptionally well together against nighttime air attack.
In the late 1930s, searchlight target acquisition relied on huge sound locators to detect the engine noise of an incoming aircraft. These were simply large funnels focused toward the sky that an operator would strap into and listen for the drone of propellers for hours on end. However, with the adoption of radar, the searchlight battery now had a far more precise method of acquiring and tracking a target with significant increase in the time between initial acquisition and visual confirmation.
This interval would allow searchlight units to bring their lights on target without switching them on. Once a targeted aircraft was within range, the light operators would simply turn their lights on, blinding the enemy pilot and signaling to the 90mm gun battery to commence firing.
At the outset of the war, three radar sets were available to the US Army, the SCR-268, SCR-270, and SCR-271. The SCR-270 was a portable radar and was made famous on 7 December 1941 when the SCR-270 at Opana Point, Hawaii detected the Japanese air armada headed to Pearl Harbor less than an hour before the attack began. The SCR-271 was similar to the -270, but was a fixed-position radar. Of the three, only the -268 was specifically designed as a gun or searchlight-laying radar.
Searchlight units also were tasked with coordinating with friendly Night Fighter units in-theater. In August 1944, while providing searchlight defense for the port of Cherbourg, B Battery of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion was attached directly to the 442nd Night Fighter Squadron in order to assist with both nighttime interception of German attack aircraft and successful guidance of friendly P-61 Night Fighters back to base.
By the end of World War II, eighty-seven AAA searchlight battalions had been fielded and they saw service defending US and Allied positions in all theaters of war.
Like their gun battalion brethren, AAA searchlight battalions had a significant amount of support equipment needed to maintain operational capability. A multitude of trucks, trailers and generators were all integral to the searchlight battery’s success.
Prior to the introduction of gun-laying radars in 1942, the primary method of acquiring incoming airborne targets was by acoustic location. Sound locators like the M2 could detect approaching aircraft and bring both guns and searchlights to bear with surprising effectiveness, but were obsolete by the beginning of WWII.
The searchlight control station was operated by three men and was used to aim searchlight by hard-wired remote control. One operator would maintain visual contact with the target and adjust the searchlight’s aim, while the other two would keep the control station on azimuth by adjusting the hand wheels. The control station was placed several hundred feet away from a searchlight so that the controllers could see the illuminated aircraft.
The SCR-268 radar was the Army’s first gun-laying radar system. It has been designed to work in concert with both heavy guns and searchlights. As the newer SCR-584 gun radar came into use, -268 radars continued to serve with AAA searchlight battalions and performed admirably in the searchlight direction role.
With the lessons learned from World War I and the advances in gun and searchlight directors, the US entered World War II with some of the most advanced anti-aircraft techniques in the world. With the addition of new radar acquisition and tracking, searchlight battalions would have the azimuth and range to their targets almost instantly, requiring them simply to turn on their lights once enemy aircraft were in range so that the 90mm gun portion of the team could bring the enemy airplane down.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Coast Artillery Corps) William J. Rodgers (ASN: 0-1048550), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Battery B, 222nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Searchlight), in action against enemy forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, on 18 June 1945. When heavy crossfire from enemy machine guns, mortars, and automatic rifles on dominating terrain pinned down Lieutenant Rodgers’ platoon near Mount Blit, Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, the platoon was ordered to withdraw. Electing to provide covering fire for his men, Lieutenant Rodgers manned a .30 caliber machine gun and, despite the hail of enemy fire, delivered a devastating concentration against the hostile force. A mortar shell burst seven feet from his position and knocked him away from the gun but he crawled back and resumed his telling fire while his platoon continued to withdraw. With bullets strking all about him, some hitting the machine gun while he operated it and one passing through the canteen on his belt, he remained until he saw that his men had safely evacuated and then dismantled the gun and carried it with him to the rear, stopping from time to time to fire at the enemy. Through his inspiring actions at the risk of his life, Lieutenant Rodgers enabled the complete, orderly withdrawal of his men and upheld the finest traditions of the military service.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Sergeant Robert L. Miller (ASN: 17068190), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Battery B, 222nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Searchlight), in the Southwest Pacific Area, on 18 June 1945. During military operation which culminated in the clearing of Japanese forces from Mindanao, Philippine Islands, friendly troops were advancing on an enemy-held objective when devastating fire emanating from a machine gun nest located on a hill dominating the approach halted the attack. Sergeant Miller volunteered to lead a squad in a diversionary action on the flank of the enemy position in order to facilitate the withdrawal of forces which were pinned to the ground by hostile resistance. He had maneuvered his squad to a position within 50 yards of the stronghold when the enemy opened fire with such intensity that further progress became impossible. Armed with only a carbine, Sergeant Miller, completely disregarding his own safety, crept through the brush and cogon grass to within 20 yards of the emplacement. Leaping to his feet in full view of the enemy, he charged the position, deliberately exposing himself to draw the enemy’s fire so that his squad could assault the objective. He was struck immediately and mortally wounded, but, still attempting to advance, fell to the ground within a few yards of the stronghold. His heroic action distracted the enemy long enough for his squad to eliminate the machine gun nest, thus relieving hostile pressure and enabling a withdrawal to a more favorable location from which to resume the attack. Through his indomitable fighting spirit and unremitting determination in the face of overwhelming odds, Sergeant Miller made possible the successful completion of an important mission and his brilliant performance of duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
Taken December 11th, 2013.
Sperry 60" Searchlight
The display reads:
AAA Searchlight Battalion
Searchlights became the third level of American Air Defense in World War I and were a significant factor in US anti-aircraft successes of the Great War. By the outbreak of World War II, the standard searchlights in service were Sperry and General Electric 60” carbon arc 800 million candlepower lights.
Searchlight battalions were usually teamed with AAA gun battalions, since the two systems worked exceptionally well together against nighttime air attack.
In the late 1930s, searchlight target acquisition relied on huge sound locators to detect the engine noise of an incoming aircraft. These were simply large funnels focused toward the sky that an operator would strap into and listen for the drone of propellers for hours on end. However, with the adoption of radar, the searchlight battery now had a far more precise method of acquiring and tracking a target with significant increase in the time between initial acquisition and visual confirmation.
This interval would allow searchlight units to bring their lights on target without switching them on. Once a targeted aircraft was within range, the light operators would simply turn their lights on, blinding the enemy pilot and signaling to the 90mm gun battery to commence firing.
At the outset of the war, three radar sets were available to the US Army, the SCR-268, SCR-270, and SCR-271. The SCR-270 was a portable radar and was made famous on 7 December 1941 when the SCR-270 at Opana Point, Hawaii detected the Japanese air armada headed to Pearl Harbor less than an hour before the attack began. The SCR-271 was similar to the -270, but was a fixed-position radar. Of the three, only the -268 was specifically designed as a gun or searchlight-laying radar.
Searchlight units also were tasked with coordinating with friendly Night Fighter units in-theater. In August 1944, while providing searchlight defense for the port of Cherbourg, B Battery of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion was attached directly to the 442nd Night Fighter Squadron in order to assist with both nighttime interception of German attack aircraft and successful guidance of friendly P-61 Night Fighters back to base.
By the end of World War II, eighty-seven AAA searchlight battalions had been fielded and they saw service defending US and Allied positions in all theaters of war.
Like their gun battalion brethren, AAA searchlight battalions had a significant amount of support equipment needed to maintain operational capability. A multitude of trucks, trailers and generators were all integral to the searchlight battery’s success.
Prior to the introduction of gun-laying radars in 1942, the primary method of acquiring incoming airborne targets was by acoustic location. Sound locators like the M2 could detect approaching aircraft and bring both guns and searchlights to bear with surprising effectiveness, but were obsolete by the beginning of WWII.
The searchlight control station was operated by three men and was used to aim searchlight by hard-wired remote control. One operator would maintain visual contact with the target and adjust the searchlight’s aim, while the other two would keep the control station on azimuth by adjusting the hand wheels. The control station was placed several hundred feet away from a searchlight so that the controllers could see the illuminated aircraft.
The SCR-268 radar was the Army’s first gun-laying radar system. It has been designed to work in concert with both heavy guns and searchlights. As the newer SCR-584 gun radar came into use, -268 radars continued to serve with AAA searchlight battalions and performed admirably in the searchlight direction role.
With the lessons learned from World War I and the advances in gun and searchlight directors, the US entered World War II with some of the most advanced anti-aircraft techniques in the world. With the addition of new radar acquisition and tracking, searchlight battalions would have the azimuth and range to their targets almost instantly, requiring them simply to turn on their lights once enemy aircraft were in range so that the 90mm gun portion of the team could bring the enemy airplane down.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Coast Artillery Corps) William J. Rodgers (ASN: 0-1048550), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Battery B, 222nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Searchlight), in action against enemy forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, on 18 June 1945. When heavy crossfire from enemy machine guns, mortars, and automatic rifles on dominating terrain pinned down Lieutenant Rodgers’ platoon near Mount Blit, Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, the platoon was ordered to withdraw. Electing to provide covering fire for his men, Lieutenant Rodgers manned a .30 caliber machine gun and, despite the hail of enemy fire, delivered a devastating concentration against the hostile force. A mortar shell burst seven feet from his position and knocked him away from the gun but he crawled back and resumed his telling fire while his platoon continued to withdraw. With bullets strking all about him, some hitting the machine gun while he operated it and one passing through the canteen on his belt, he remained until he saw that his men had safely evacuated and then dismantled the gun and carried it with him to the rear, stopping from time to time to fire at the enemy. Through his inspiring actions at the risk of his life, Lieutenant Rodgers enabled the complete, orderly withdrawal of his men and upheld the finest traditions of the military service.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Sergeant Robert L. Miller (ASN: 17068190), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Battery B, 222nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Searchlight), in the Southwest Pacific Area, on 18 June 1945. During military operation which culminated in the clearing of Japanese forces from Mindanao, Philippine Islands, friendly troops were advancing on an enemy-held objective when devastating fire emanating from a machine gun nest located on a hill dominating the approach halted the attack. Sergeant Miller volunteered to lead a squad in a diversionary action on the flank of the enemy position in order to facilitate the withdrawal of forces which were pinned to the ground by hostile resistance. He had maneuvered his squad to a position within 50 yards of the stronghold when the enemy opened fire with such intensity that further progress became impossible. Armed with only a carbine, Sergeant Miller, completely disregarding his own safety, crept through the brush and cogon grass to within 20 yards of the emplacement. Leaping to his feet in full view of the enemy, he charged the position, deliberately exposing himself to draw the enemy’s fire so that his squad could assault the objective. He was struck immediately and mortally wounded, but, still attempting to advance, fell to the ground within a few yards of the stronghold. His heroic action distracted the enemy long enough for his squad to eliminate the machine gun nest, thus relieving hostile pressure and enabling a withdrawal to a more favorable location from which to resume the attack. Through his indomitable fighting spirit and unremitting determination in the face of overwhelming odds, Sergeant Miller made possible the successful completion of an important mission and his brilliant performance of duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
Taken December 11th, 2013.