The Romanian Goliath

[Victor]

In 1940, cpt. Ion Eremia had presented to the Romanian General Staff the project of the torpila terestra dirijata Eremia (Eremia land guided torpedo), but apparently the idea was not implemented. After serving on the front in 1941, cpt. Eremia was transferred to the Communications Training Center. After August 1944 he took part in the operations against the Axis. After the war he rose up through the ranks to brigadier general in 1952 and became the deputy minister of Defence (thanks to his good relationship with Lucretiu Patrascanu). In 1955 he was purged and in 1959 he was arrested and convicted to 25 years in prison, after his attempt to send the manuscript of his book Gulliver in the land of lies in France failed. The book (which was published in 1992) was a satirical novel about Communism (and a real good one; I had quite a few good laughs). He was released in 1964 and worked in factory in Bucharest, until the 80s when he took the pension from army and dedicated his time to writing historical novels, which were published in 1986, 1987 and 1989.

Btw, in a Flacara magazine from 1983 there was an article on his invention.

[inahurry]

Ok, I fail to see the 'Goliath' part. Was there another torpedo project named Golaith? Anyway, when there's a Goliath there's a David waiting with his sling to settle the score.

[cuski]

QUOTE

Ok, I fail to see the 'Goliath' part. Was there another torpedo project named Golaith? Anyway, when there's a Goliath there's a David waiting with his sling to settle the score.

By the sounds of it, "Eremia" is the romanian counterpart of the german radio guided "Goliath". For the uninformed, this was a radio controlled mini tracked vehicle filled with explosives that could be detonated on command.

[inahurry]

Thank you, cuski.

[Florin]

QUOTE

....... the german radio guided \"Goliath\". For the uninformed, this was a radio controlled mini tracked vehicle filled with explosives that could be detonated on command.

Also it was used to carry supply or other loads in a very hostile environment (i.e. under heavy fire). "For the uninformed', to use Cuski words, this does not mean the thing was armored or shell proof. It was just very little (as big as toy designed to carry a 2 years old), so a target hard to be spotted.

But the main usage is that highlighted by Cuski.

Florin

[Florin]

QUOTE

In 1940, cpt. Ion Eremia had presented to the Romanian General Staff the project of the torpila terestra dirijata Eremia (Eremia land guided torpedo), but apparently the idea was not implemented......................Btw, in a Flacara magazine from 1983 there was an article on his invention.

Hi Victor,

What you are saying is very interesting, because the Germans or the common German-Italian research team started to approach the matter years later. By 1945, the Germans were still not ready to issue a serial produced radio-controlled torpedo.

They successfully used a radio-controlled bomb: air to sea projectile. At least a British aircraft carrier, maybe also a battleship, were sink in the Mediteranean Sea this way.

As after September 1940 Romania was closer and closer to the Axis, I wouldn't be surprised that somehow the written proposal for the radio controlled torpedo to reach also Germany and make those guys aware of the problem.
This is just an idea. The intellectual potential of Germany created a whole pool of smart ideas from their own people.

However, the Kriegsmarine leadership was very reluctant to make technical improvements. It took them 4 years to start to use a snorkel for air suction, thing they observed on the captured Dutch submarines in 1940. They started seriously the research for a revolutionary submarine only after the painful moment of May 1943, when 3 submarine aces died in 3 weeks. 3 and a half years were lost this way. Their "wonder" submarine was launched on sea in May 1945.

Oh, this poor Eremia... I am sorry to say that Romania was never the proper place for a brilliant engineer.

Florin

[Florin]

QUOTE

In 1940, cpt. Ion Eremia had presented to the Romanian General Staff the project of the torpila terestra dirijata Eremia (Eremia land guided torpedo), but apparently the idea was not implemented............

This case shown that sometimes the military leadership is with decades in delay in aplying technical inventions.
Few years after cpt. Ion Eremia submited his project, the Germans tested at the Fiat experimental facility at lake La Garda, and also on a lake in Austria, a radio controlled torpedo.

Both actions, cpt. Eremia and the German one, were with 4 decades after the first patents involving radio-controlled movement.

In 1893, Nicola Tesla was working on constructing remote controlled devices which utilized radio waves.

In 1899 Tesla applied for patent #613,809. It was filed for remote radio control of guided missiles.

In one of the first years of the 20th century, he was showing in front of an audience how a 2 meters model boat can be steered with radio control.

In 1907 Nicola Tesla noted in a letter to the New York Times that he had built and tested dirigible torpedoes (remotely controlled torpedoes).

However, nothing accomplished by Tesla in this matter was reflected in military usage for the next 40 years.

Like the turbojet built by Henri Coanda in 1910, and tested by him in October 1910. This was 30 years prior to Heinkel, Caprini, and Whittle who have been considered the "fathers" of jet flight.

The military top brass was more receptive in using radio waves in communications.

In February 1896, Guglielmo Marconi journeyed from Italy to England for the purpose of showing the British telegraph authorities what he had developed in the way of operative wireless telegraph apparatus. His first British patent application was filed on June second of that year.
Thru the cooperation of Mr. W. H. Preece, chief electrical engineer of the British Post-office Telegraphs, signals were sent in July 1896, over a distance of one and three-fourths miles on Salisbury Plain.
In March 1897, a distance of four miles on Salisbury Plain was covered. On May thirteenth of that year communication was established between Lavernock Point and Brean Down, a distance of eight miles. During this latter demonstration Prof. Slaby of Germany, was present as a spectator.
(Adolphus Slaby's review of this demonstation, "The New Telegraphy", appeared in the April 1898 The Century Magazine.)

Marconi continued his research in the following 4 years, while moving on the North American continent, and on December 22, 1901 he made the startling announcement that he had received radio signals sent across the Atlantic, from England to Newfoundland. The announcement came as a shock and there were some doubts whether to accept his claim because the distance involved was much greater than any covered before.

When World War I started, all major armies already had radio transmitter-receiver. The principle used was the so-called Poulsen arc transmitter. The arc transmitter which - contrary to all previous types of radio transmitters - generated continuous radio waves was invented by the Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen in 1902. After a few years of development the arc technology was transferred to Germany and Great Britain in 1906 by Poulsen, his collaborator P.O. Pedersen and their financial backers.

The huge defeat of the Russian armies at Tannenberg had one explanation in von Hindenburg decision to believe an intercepted un-coded Russian message, stating the fact the advanced Russian army lost its touch with supplies and artillery.

Another spectacular involvement of wireless communications in WWI was the live time information for artillery, from airplane. The first to do this were the French and the British.

At the dawn of World War II, the electronics engineers already had available the hardware required for remote radio control. The most important piece was the triode, patented by Lee de Forest.

The triode originated as object from the diode.
John Ambrose Fleming invented in 1904 the first vacuum tube, also known as the diode, the "Fleming Valve", or as he called it: an Oscillation Valve. His valve is a two element rectifier, made by inserting a metal plate in one of Edison's electric light bulbs.

In 1906 Lee DeForest introduced a third electrode called the grid into the vacuum tube. This tube is called a triode. The triode will be used mainly as a component for amplifiers. But it serves as an electronic switch as well and can replace the electro mechanical relays what will revolutionize digital computing. He will file for a patent the next year. DeForest understood its applications, but did not fully understand its principle. This was later done by Edwin Armstrong, the inventor of superheterodyne and FM radio transmission.


Also the cell phone, used by the military only after WWII, it was actually invented in 1902 by Nathan Stubblefield. To the inventor, it brought him nothing but grief.

Returning to the Romanian smart technical officers in WWII, I had the chance to read "Acumulatorul" ("The Rechargeable Battery"), by captain Sergiu Nicola. The guy was an expert in rechargeable batteries, and it is funny to see that his book, printed in 1943, actually makes references to famous brands from the United States, France and Great Britain (and of course, from Germany.) This give you a glimpse how Romania of the 40's was filled with equipment from all major Western manufacturers, the same way the Romanian army used whatever she got, made in Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, Romania, Great Britain or Soviet Union.


Florin