WW2 Decoy sites

And, in particular, in my RAF BD days I was obliged to remove electrical cabling from disused airfields in order to...er... safeguard it from looters:)

Hi guys. Thanks for the comments. I'm not an expert in things electrical or steel wiring hence my question. As I tugged it out of the ground I would describe it as being stiff rather than flexible, although springy in the coil shape that it was in - if that makes sense!
There is no fencing near by, so I and the landowner believe it dates from the time of the decoy site. What would they have used the straining wire for on a QL decoy?
I have attached a fourth and final photo taken at the site.

[IMG]/community/80062=5302-Wire 4.jpg[/img]

Off Topic - sorry, but I remember 'recovering' from RAF Thornaby shortly after it closed a long length of twin insulated cable running along the boundary with Stainsby Woods. It looked similar to standard two core lighting flex at the time, however the conductors (3 or 4 approx in each black plastic cover) were steel and very springy like piano wire. Remember thinking 'Field Telephone' at the time - don't know why?

The field telephone cable used on some RAF ranges post-war was twin core with a mix of copper plated steel strand conductors and galvanised steel conductors for strength rather than conductivity but it was quite thin and light (and springy!) In different grades it was D10(?) that I remember.

The stuff Phil has found is not electrical cable.

Video - link from Colin Barber

I think I recognise that video!!!

See also my thread on AiX

/community/showthread.php?6889-RAF-St-Eval-Decoy-Sites&highlight=Eval+decoy

After studying the things for numerous years, a bit of a stupid question and a bit late, but does anyone out there have a Design Manual for WW2 Decoy Sites ?

Was there ever such a publication?

cheers

I would say that 'Fields Of Deception' by Colin Dobinson , English Heritage-Methuen , 2000 , £25 appears to be the definitive work on decoy sites . He quotes individual chapter notes , sources and bibliography with no obvious design manual as such but many references to Air Ministry Registered Files in AIR2 in the TNA .
The first two chapters set the scene with Chapter 2 'Colonel Turners Department : September 1939 - May 1940 detailing the involvement of the British film industry in the construction of dummy aircraft and buildings with later chapters having layout plans for decoy sites , details of lighting and fire decoy construction and control building construction .
I thought the book a bit pricey at first but remaindered copies could be found much cheaper which also applies to the other books in this EH 'Monuments of War'
series .

I've had a copy for years, indeed it's falling apart and the pages are all muddled up now - I bought mine in Monterey, California and it cost me $5 (including the HAA book as well !).

There must have been a manual (like the RAF Bombing Practice Targets design manual), that told you how to lay them out on the ground, how many fires to put in a group, what type of baskets to use, how to make the baskets, how many groups to have, what were the best positions (on a moorland) to have them, where to put the bunker etc etc. The RE (or whoever) would not have had such simple instructions as "build a decoy over there chaps"

The bunkers all appear to fall into several design types according to Decoy type. There does appear to be some commonality in design between Humberside and Merseyside, suggesting some design manual (or built by the same people). The moorland decoys do seem to follow a pattern - perimeter trench, individual groups inside the perimeter (with their own trench?). One aspect that intrigues me is that there appears to have been a "trapezoidal" design school, and a "circular" design school, and frequently a "frying pan" design with a group at a remote distance at the end of a track (ie Ringinglow).

There must have been something published. I need to find it.

I am sure that there were documents or a 'manual' of sorts defining layouts etc. But, it is quite likely that they were part of the thousands of publications and documents that were destroyed post-war as unwanted.

But, if it was a (say)an RAF Air Publication then many copies would have been printed and something, somewhere may survive.