Korean War era 1st Shoran Beacon Unit insignia

6,996 · May 31, 2014

I believe that this is Air Force, in the Korean War era and post (1951-1955). I picked this up thinking that it was going to be a much bigger SSI. This is 3" tall and 2.5" wide. It does not glow. Not sure if it was a SSI or a sleeve or pocket insignia.

Front

Back

6,996 · May 31, 2014

Even as late of 1957 I know it was in operation.

9,906 · May 31, 2014

Neat piece.I found some info on this unit:

SHORAN is an acronym for SHOrt RAange Navigation and is the name given to precision radar beacon
type electronic navigation/bombing system used by both the B-26 and B-29 for precision bombing in the
Korean War. Its origin lies in WWII, when the Army Air Force was striving to develop an accurate
navigation system for flying in the often less than ideal European weather. In 1943, an early system was
demonstrated to the 8th Air Force in the UK and was well received. Unfortunately all experienced engineers
and technicians involved in the design and development of the system were killed in a plane crash in
Newfoundland on the return flight from the UK. The system had to be reconstructed and redesigned from
the hand written notes and sketches left by the original design crew - a long-term tedious operation. Do to
its short inherent range (-300 miles) it was not used extensively in the European theater, though it did
receive use in the Italian theater where it proved to be very accurate and successful and in addition
permitted the bombing of targets not achievable with visual bombing.
The system requires an airborne AN/APN-3 set and two AN/CPN-2 or -2A ground stations. The airborne
equipment consists essentially of a transmitter, receiver, an indicator and a K-1A bombing computer
(shown below). While the system was designed primarily as a navigation system, it was soon recognized
that its inherent accuracy could be used to perform "blind" bombing with a degree of accuracy previously
unattainable. Integrating the K-1A bombing computer with the previously designed navigation system
produced the SHORAN, as we knew it in Korea.

Here is a link to the site where I found it:

http://www.angelfire.com/ne2/nedpage/

October 2, 2021

I was in this unit 1958 -59 , K-53 P-Y-Do Korea. Hq was Johnson AB , Japan with at that time I think four Radar Detachments ( possibly only two ) , one in Korea , one in Northern Japan. Isolated remote in Korea believe me! Looking for a patch like this.

6,996 · October 2, 2021

I sold that patch to a forum member in 2014. I've received several messages since 2014 from people looking for insignia from this unit for their parents that served.

Here are some other items that I found from the 1st Shoran on the internet.