Joan and Eleanor The only link with Harrington was the Joe's radio mentioned earlier. The Joan - Eleanor system was specifically developed for Red Stocking Operations by two US radio technicians, Lt. Comdr. Stephen Simpson and Dewitt R. Goddard of the Radio Corporation of America - the code name referring to one's wife and the other's girlfriend. The system operated on 260 MHz, a frequency free at that time of enemy surveillance stations. The small "Joan" agent's set had a range of about 20 miles. He was given a specific time, usually in the evening to transmit his report, which he did in plain language, the message being received by a radioman hunched in a small cabin installed in the rear fuselage of a DeHavilland Mosquito orbiting above at 30,000 ft. The "Eleanor" equipment on the mosquito was fitted with a wire recorder and the designers claimed that the voice recording could receive in 20 minutes what would take three days by coded Morse. Garbles and mistakes could be clarified on the spot. The original intention was to use B-17 Fortresses for the "Eleanor" but stooging around Germany unescorted, they were assured by the air force was not to be recommended in a Fortress. The Mosquito was thought ideal for the purpose, so a small batch of PRXVIs were acquired from Hatfield and fitted out at the USAAF base at Watton where the American 654th Reconnaissance unit used the type for tactical intelligence missions. Red Stocking agent missions had a high priority and the 492nd Group at Harrington was chosen to carry out both the A-26 and Mosquito operations. The radio operator access was through a small door cut into the starboard side of the mosquito rear fuselage. He was provided with a heated suit and had an interphone link with the pilot. Long range wing mounted fuel tanks gave sufficient range for most missions. On very long runs they could overfly to an OSS field in Italy. Popular Missions The first Mosquitoes to arrive at Harrington were written off by enthusiastic pilots unfamiliar with the pronounced swing on take-off, but former commanding officer Bob Fish remembers that once the pilots mastered the new ships, everyone wanted to fly the Red Stocking trips. The full story on the Carpetbaggers here: The 801st / 492nd Bomb Group
