top of page
WWII letter to the parents of a crewman lost in air combat training:
​
"He did not lay down his life upon the field of battle, but his sacrifice is the same. He was preparing himself to defend those liberties and principles which had been taught to him from his early youth and which were a part of his very being. This may be small consolation to you in your bereavement, but you may well be proud both of his life and of his death."
Friends of the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum
B-24J 42-100023, lost on Casper Mountain, WY, June 17, 1944, Zorn crew​​
Casper 4-Way Low Frequency Range
During WWII, CAAB air combat crews relied upon four-way low frequency radio ranges for air navigation. Near Casper is a one of the few remaining sites in the country.
During the 1930s through mid-1950s, air navigation was controlled by airways of radio waves crisscrossing the country (Figure 1). Radio beacons transmitted low frequency morse code signals in four quadrants (Figure 2). The antenna arrays were typically aligned at roughly 90 degrees to focus power along the airways (Figure 3).
Figure 1. From the 1930s to 1950s, airways were defined by four-way low frequency radio beacon stations.
Figure 2. 1940s navigational chart of the Casper area showing the four-way radio range.
Figure 3. The radio stations typically consisted of five towers arranged in four quadrants. Each quadrant would transmit in morse code either A (dot-dash) or N (dash-dot). When on course toward the radio beacon (on the beam), the aircraft crew would hear a solid tone.
The Casper Facility
Located two miles east of Bar Nunn, Wyoming, the Casper LFR still stands as a testament to airway navigation was conducted in the 1930s-'50s (Figures 4 and 5). One of the best-preserved LFR sites in the country, the facility is a rare textbook example.
Figure 4. 1940s navigational chart of the Casper area showing the four-way radio range.
bottom of page