D-Day Weather Forecasting

[India Four Two]

While following up on the question raised in this thread: https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/651412-uk-altimeter-settings-pre-wwii.html

I stumbled upon this fascinating Met Office document: 6 June 1944. D-Day. The role of the Met. Office (https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/research/library-and-archive/archive/archive-treasures/d_day_the_role_of_the_met_office.compressed.pdf)

Note the synoptic charts at the end of the document, with explanatory captions.

A couple of questions for the experts out there, related to photos.

1.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/626x890/screenshot_2023_02_18_at_16_32_50_b1c638e795146a3b551a2a18e3 f74b0fc81dd8ab.png

This appears to be a carefully staged photo. Surely in reality, the anemometer would be on a much taller pole? langleybaston, where are you? :)

2.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1610x514/screenshot_2023_02_18_at_16_35_41_7ada2c396592b32e176085783f 2ac88b3e1f3677.png
Did Stirlings do paradropping on D-Day? I thought they were only glider tugs.

[Asturias56]

https://www.paradata.org.uk/article/six-days-adrift-normandy-june-1944

says he was dropped from a Stirling

[India Four Two]

A very interesting article. Thanks Asturias.

I wonder how many paras a Stirling could carry. A lot fewer than a Dakota I expect. I presume there weren't enough Dakotas/C-47s to meet the demand.

[chevvron]

Anemometer should certainly be on a taller pole in order for it to display readings out of the influence of turbulence in the lee of tents and bushes; I have a vague recollection that the figure '14 ft' was mentioned during my training but maybe they varied the height depending on where they were.

[VictorGolf]

Slightly off topic but there was a very good stage play entitled "Pressure" about the struggle the RAF forecasters had to persuade the Americans that the weather was going to be "doable". Seems unlikely but it was an excellent evening out.

[India Four Two]

Thanks, chevvron. I also wonder about the very-non-standard "Stevenson Screen".

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

India42 This link will help you re Stirlings and Paratroops........https://airpages.ru/eng/uk/stirling.shtml

[blind pew]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0619/1229119-maureen-sweeney/
Irish connection in D-Day forecast

[chevvron]

Thanks, chevvron. I also wonder about the very-non-standard "Stevenson Screen".
Although there was a 'standard' showing how a screen was constructed, it was possible that some people made their own which complied with general requirements such as being painted white, having angled slots to allow air to pass through freely, probably the width of the gaps in the slots and the height above the ground where it was positioned.
At the airport where I used to work until 2018,(Fairoaks, UK) we had a small 'screen' which contained the usual wet and dry thermometers etc and which looked to be about the same size and shape as the one in the photo; it was there when I first visited in about 1977 and I was only told a couple of years ago that it was actually made by a chap in the workshop however we had annual inspections by the Met Office to check the accuracy of our weather reports and they raised no objection to it being 'non-standard'.

[VX275]

A very interesting article. Thanks Asturias.

I wonder how many paras a Stirling could carry. A lot fewer than a Dakota I expect. I presume there weren't enough Dakotas/C-47s to meet the demand.

Actually the Stirling could carry equal numbers of Paras (22) as the Dak but at the same time twice the number of equipment containers (12 to the Daks 6).
After D-day trials were conducted with a Stirling dropping a full stick of paras and containers at the same time as the Horsa it was towing despatched 20 paras.