Friend or foe?

Solution to a World War II user interface design problem

"Raised high over the clamour of the nonexistent...." (--Hermann Broch, The Sleepwalkers, p.648, 1928-31/1947)

y maternal uncle, Isadore Znamirowski, recently reconfirmed (30Oct02) a story he had previously told me about a contribution he made in his military service during World War II. He has subsequently (Dec 02) provided to me a signed written statement, which I invite you to read: Please click here to read document.

sadore ("Izzy") was an engineer who learned his skill through hands-on apprenticeship and self-study, rather than formal schooling, beyond graduating from Baltimore Maryland's City College High School ("City"). In consequence, during World War II, Isadore served as an enlisted man in an engineering design unit at The Bureau of Aeronautics (Washington, D.C.).

One day, an officer came and assigned Isadore's unit the following task: American fighter pilots were shooting down their comrades because in the heat of battle, against bright sky background, sunglare, etc. they could not easily distinguish in combat the "Star-in-Circle" marking on American planes (above and right) from the circle marking ("Rising sun", aka "Meatball") on Japanese planes (right). Assignment: Design a new marking for American fighter planes that pilots could easily distinguish from the Japanese marking, to reduce losses to "friendly fire".

sadore said he had a number of ideas, but he saw which one was the best answer, and he drew his design: The existing circle marking, but with a rectangular bar added to each side. "I wanted something as simple as possible. Leave the circle there and we can glue something on either side."

Isadore further explained that, as he was drawing his design, an admiral [John Sidney McCain, Sr.] visited his group, and went from drafting table to drafting table, in descending rank order, looking to find who had come up with a solution. By the time the admiral got to Isadore's table, the admiral was frustrated that nobody -- i.e., no officer or college educated engineer -- had come up with a solution. The admiral looked at Isadore's design. He announced it was the solution, and he snatched Isadore's not quite finished drawing away without giving Isadore time to sign it. The admiral went off with Isadore's design, which became the new marking on all American combat aircraft.

I emailed The Naval Postgraduate School and the Librarian sent me a webpage about the new marking: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/insig9.htm. The page includes a photograph comparing the new marking with the Japanese and German markings, and also the old U.S.A. marking (See below). The new marking "was estimated to be 60 percent more recognizable".

Isadore said that because he was only an enlisted man, he did not get credit for his idea.

I hypothesize the reason Isadore's design was "the" solution, is as he himself explained it to me: It made what the American pilots were already looking for more easily distinguishable, instead of requiring them to look for something different. The pilots' existing expectations were reinforced, rather than the pilots being required to reorient themselves to something "different", with the consequent interference with their "reflexes", plus initial degradation of performance during a "learning curve" period of time. [I have not verified, but the design may also have had the logistical advantage of not requiring existing markings to be re-painted-over.] My uncle's solution had no "downside".

Please read: Isadore Znamirowski's signed statement describing his contribution (December, 2002).

Note: I have not been able independently to verify what my uncle told me. However, Isadore is a person of scrupulously honest character. Consequently, I have no reason to doubt it.

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Go/Return  to to my father, Robert McCormick's life story (incl. World War service as B-29 crewperson). Read  Hermann Friedrich Honold's thoughts about WWII: War seen from the grassroot perspective. Our Century: "The century of barbed wire".   Learn John Boyd's OODA Loop theory of air combat. Go to BMcC computer aphorisms and memories.   Learn  Robert Musil's (1880-1942) ideas concerning meaning in engineering work: Precision and Soul.   What's new on this website? Return to Brad McCormick's résumé.   Go to website Table of Contents. Return to Brad McCormick's home page. Return to site map.

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http://www.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/isadore.html Copyright © 2002 Brad McCormick, Ed.D. bradmcc@cloud9.net 13 May 2006 (2006-05-13 ISO 8601) v03.01 More reminiscences, from telephone conversation with my uncle, 31Oct02, as best I could transcribe some of his words: "When I heard on the radio that [our pilots] were shooting down their own planes, I knew something had to be done about that circle and stars. And I knew that something had to be done that would be easier for the aviators.... [A] visual aid.... "What to put in the rectangles? "[I was thinking about this] long before the admiral came around.... "[As I was making my drawing] the admiral bumped me against the partition. He had just got through looking through 40 suggestions. [He asked our group's officer:] 'What kind of personnel have you got that you can't give me anything?' [I wondered why he had not been able to come up with a solution himself.] The admiral was silent for a minute, looking at my drawing. [Then] he said so everyone could hear: 'This is it!' He told me: 'Take it up!' And he took [my drawing, without giving me an opportunity to sign it] and left the room. "Everyone came around [my table] and asked what I did. I said I didn't come up with a new design, but modified the existing design. A lieutenant said I had disobeyed orders [because I had modified the existing design instead of making a new design]. I said, 'No, Sir. He asked the question wrong.' "At ten minutes after 2 [14:10] we got confirmation [that my design had been accepted]...."