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March 1948 Popular Science
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early
electronics. See articles from
Popular
Science, published 1872-2021. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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The
U.S. Air Force
became a separate branch of the armed forces on September 18th, 1947, almost
exactly two years after
Japan
unconditionally surrendered to Allied Forces (Germany
had unconditionally surrendered back in May). This recruitment advertisement
appeared in the March 1948 issue of Popular Science magazine, a year
after the
Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 expired on March 31st, 1947.
It was a joint appeal by the Army and the Air Force for men seeking
careers in communications - particularly targeting, it seems, amateur radio
operators, by touting a steerable beam antenna. I could not find numbers on how
many conscripted and volunteer troops left the service immediately after the
war. Many articles reported a big force drawdown in personnel, which combined
with massive layoffs in war equipment industries, led to employment problems. It
did not last for long, as the
Military
Selective Service Act of 1948 reinstated draft registration again. After
all, the
Military Industrial Complex, as 5-star General/President Eisenhower would
eventually call it, needed work.
U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Rotary Beam Parasitic Array
Antenna
 It
talks with planes around the world
You're looking at a "rotary beam parasitic array antenna." What it does is big
as its name. By high-frequency continuous-wave transmission, the Air Force can talk
to planes anywhere on earth.
Here's an instance. Recently, 8 Superforts departed Tokyo on a non-stop flight
to the nation's capital. Air Force - in Washington - made contact a few minutes
after their departure, stayed in communication with its winged off-spring right
to their destination.
This wizard antenna and its witch-wife - a supersensitive receiving antenna -
are a joint accomplishment of Signal Corps and Air Force. It is typical of technical
advances that are the daily business of our Armed Services.
And you might have played a part in that development!
Our peacetime Army and Air Force offer unlimited adventure on the frontiers of
science.
They want men like you - men with natural technical ability, men with a burning
desire to get ahead. If you are 17 to 34 and a high school graduate, for example,
you may choose the technical training you want before enlisting.
Add other advantages of an Army or Air Force career: highest pay in history ...
free board and shelter and medical care ... broad educational opportunity ... travel
... retirement income for life. Get all the facts now from your nearest U. S. Army
and U. S. Air Force Recruiting Station.
Your Army and Air Force Serve the Nation and Mankind in War and Peace
U. S. Army and U. S. Air Force Recruiting Service
Careers with a Future
U. S. Army and U. S. Air Force
Posted April 15, 2024
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