'Report on the operations carried out in the southern desert in connection with the Iraq-Najd borders, November 1927-May 1928.' [‎27v] (54/66)

50
ground stations, to send the position of the aircraft, if they could see or
hear it. By this means, the aircraft could be guided to its destination.
59. It frequently happened that ground personnel could see or hear
aircraft in the air many miles away, when the aircraft itself could not
discern the ground station, and there were no topographical features, or
other means of locating the landing ground, or when visibility was very
low.
60. This procedure proved very valuable and might be adapted as
standard procedure between aircraft and armoured cars or other ground
W/T stations, working under similar conditions.
61. It is considered that there is a definite use for D/F in operations
of this kind. If two portable sets had been installed at Shaibah and Sulman
they could have been used for the following purposes :—
(a) The fixing of formations whilst on reconnaissance.
(b) The location of forced landed aircraft.
(c) The fixing of places on the map which could not be visited by a
ground survey officer.
62. The greater part of the southern desert is practically featureless.
This and the fact that winds are local and often change direction several
times during a flight of two or three hours' duration makes the keeping of
a correct course a difficult matter. If D/F had been used pilots need have
felt no anxiety and could have checked their courses frequently. In
addition to this, the majority of places are wrongly fixed on the map, some
having been found by ground survey actually to be several miles from
their supposed position. If D/F had been used places such as Linah,
Ansab, A1 Hashuk, A1 Hafar, and turning points of reconnaissances could
have been fixed early in the operations ; in fact a miniature survey of all
reconnaissance routes could have been carried out in a very short space of
time. The places mentioned above as examples are all in enemy territory
and, with the exception of A1 Hafar, could not be fixed by the ground
survey officer.
63. The importance of the immediate location of a forced landed
formation need not be stressed. Leaders of such formations were only
able to give estimated positions and at least one case occurred where a
location could not be given since W/T signals from the aircraft on the
ground were unreadable. In a case such as this a location could be found
by D/F so long as some sort of signals were heard from the aircraft, whilst
in the air.
Codes and Ciphers.
64. Very little cipher work was necessary between the Columns during
the operations and plain language was used to avoid delays, although
every Column had a cipher for inter-communication. No difficulty was
experienced and the total number of cipher and code messages passed
through A.H.Q. during the period January to March was 616 (In, 287 ;
Out, 329).
Supply o! Stores.
65. 11 has already been reported that, at the commencement of operations,
all types of stations carried a minimum of spares. It therefore became
necessary on several occasions to submit large, urgent demands for all
kinds of spares, principally charging sets, mast gear, transmitters and
transmitting valves. In nearly all cases these were promptly met.