P-51 Mustang Parts on display

Jay

Can't help you there Jay. Never saw the part. Just remember they had a
destruct element in system.

Maybe someone reading the Thread can help with details ?

It's possible one of the individuals who has copied the manuals of
WWII equipment might be able to give some data or if he has the manual
copied you might be able to buy from him?

I'll continue looking but probably won't find any detailed data????

Extracted from the Internet. Not a lot but a little more FYI.

"Pilots, who were not familiar with radar, did not appreciate the
importance of switching on the IFF. Alongside the switch to turn on
the unit was the IFF destruct switch to prevent its capture by the
enemy. Many a pilot chose the wrong switch and blew up his IFF unit.
The thud of a contained explosion and the acrid smell of burning
insulation in the cockpit did not deter many pilots from destroying
IFF units time and time again. Eventually, the self destruct switch
was secured by a thin wire to prevent its accidental use. During World
War II, both metric and centimetric radars proliferated on ships of
the major navies. Search radars were joined by fire control sets and
ultimately, a ship could locate and destroy air or surface targets in
conditions of zero visibility. It therefore became important to be
able to identify the targets, or at least distinguish friend from
enemy."


Big John
Pilot ROCAF



On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:39:26 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

If I remember right the explosive charge was only in the IFF to
destroy it and prevent the design/coding from falling into enemy
hands.

Thanks, Big John.

Can you tell me anything about the design of the circuit destroyer itself?
It's a strange device, with a removable (it unscrews) clear plastic cap,
underneath which sits some sort of an inertial thing-a-ma-bob. It swings in
an arc, suspended like a pendulum, but cannot hang straight down, by design.

I know that doesn't make any sense, but perhaps you'll know what I'm talking
about?

Thanks,