RAAF Meteorological Service
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Weather Factor in Warfare
Chapter 2: Establishing and Developing the RAAF Directorate of Met. Services (D.Met.S)
Summary of Activities and Developments in D.Met.S. to mid-1943
Coordination of RAAF and United States Army Air Force and Navy Weather Services
Operational Difficulties
Chapter 3: Recruiting and Training of Personnel
Chapter 4: Meteorology in Aviation
Chapter 5: The Met. Retreating
Chapter 6: The Met. Advancing
Chapter 7: The Met With the Army and the Navy
Chapter 8: Divisional Offices of the Bureau of Meteorology During the War
Chapter 9: Research and Instrumental Development
Chapter 10: The End, Aftermath, and Beyond
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
References
Index
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Summary of Activities and Developments in D.Met.S. to mid-1943 (continued)
The condition in the first document, 'that professional and administrative officers should not be permitted to accept service with Navy, Army or Air Force formations in a combatant capacity' does not appear in Group-Captain Warren's memo. The original proviso, that it was not intended that officers should serve overseas, is reversed. The prospect of losing valuable trained meteorologists may have been daunting to the public service, but in a situation of total warfare, the conditions promulgated in the 1939 memorandum were unrealistic. It transpired that many meteorological personnel served overseas in combat areas. When circumstances demanded, they engaged actively in warfare with the enemy. Bullets, shells and bombs did not discriminate amongst personnel in combat zones. The medical services and various administrative sections such as operations and signals were in a situation similar to the Met.The memo of 26 February was signed by the new Director, Group-Captain H. N. Warren. Following the issue of the February 1941 memorandum, members of the Met. staff volunteering for service with the RAAF were enlisted or appointed under an organisation approved by the Air Board. Enlistment was practically 100 per cent.
The transfer of the Commonwealth Met. Service of the Department of the Interior to the RAAF was completed on 17 April 1941. Following the transfer, very rapid expansion of the service occurred to meet the needs of the armed forces. The rapid growth of establishment is shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Met.Stations—World War II
| Date as at | Forecasting Stations | Observing and Forecasting Stations |
|---|---|---|
| 7.4.41 | 18 | 15 |
| 1.5.43 | 48 | 27 |
Two important meteorological conferences were held in the South-West Pacific region during 1941 and 1942. A Batavia conference in 1941, at which the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands East Indies, Australia and New Zealand were represented, produced the Andus series of codes and cyphers for aviation purposes, with a view to having readily available a uniform system for prompt introduction over the whole of the South-West Pacific in the event of it becoming a combat zone. [16]
People in Bright Sparcs - Warren, Herbert Norman
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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