Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

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By Capt. E. E. Churchill co, isu. Air E 'Weathcr H.CCOI111;lj'S;lI1CCSql1adron .::.i'..•. ,.; ... ih... ;..;~ ...a..... >.~ ..• than ~Iy~a ,',;'.\ >/1 ~th Air I' 0 predictable weather was costing the erage of three or four .rbort ive mise '. sious a week s of others \\"ere being gronnded bv the uncertain thcr coud ition-, en ron te and O\Tr the.target. . c and gasoline \\';IS beIng sqnandered by flying, '. r hours toward Ltrgets. oulv to find them.:' bo 11ure to ut il i:«. the s giving the 1Ilelll\ tn.rxinnuu number au oppOltunlh to of put his ".
The day may look dreary as hell but these flying weather snoopers in Italy can usually find a target for our bombers In spite of the emtomary difficulties of supply. administration and communications attendant upon a new outfit, the results were amal'.ing. In less than a week after the organization of the detachment, abortive mi~~ions had been practically erased. By the end of February, weather rccounaissancc flights had been officially credited as the decisive factor in the success of 15 missions that otherwise would not have been attempted. Cases Iike th is were typical: Flying cntirely by instruments for two and a half hours, two p- 38 pilots had emerged from the soup half an hour after xunrisc to find both targets clear. A subsequent search along the front had ferreted out several breaks large enough to permit passage of the bombers. This information, radioed back to Bari, enabled the rerouted heavies to complete one of their most successful missions and to catch the Germans, who had been lulled into a false sense of sccnritv '1 result of the heavy belt of weather, completely hv surpri On another day, planes had been loaded and crew for twin daylight strikes on submarine peus at :\ and b.illbcaring works at 'I'urin. Just before tnkc-o the mission had been temporarily cancelled. A trcucli front, cutting at right angles across the route to thc ta had wedged its wav over Corsica and ,', ni chances of piercing ~t seemed slim. Yet. fi\ became of a last minute report by weather c the bombers were chasing each other down thc nu :\ Iiss ions flO\\'11 by wca thcr rccounaissa nee arc oughly divisible into three principal categories. First, there arc the general area missions in which planes arc dispatched on a staggered schedule throughout the day oyer various routes radiating from thc basco Reports from these area-blanketing flights not only gi\T operations officers a detailed weather picture for the planning of the next day's operations, but thcv also arc of inestimable value to the HAl' in charting night born bing missions. Still more important arc the target check missions, £10\\'11 a short time before take-off time to pry into any questionable weather conditions which may have developed during the night~and to gi\'e the green light to waiting bombers if the prospects arc promising, or to hold them at home if the picture is dark. Finullv, when the soup is thick and the breaks arc few, there arc pathfinding missions to locate openings for outbound and homing bombers whose rnaxirnnin-rnngc flights ICl\T no surplus fuel for scouting around on thcir own. Secret of the success of thc target check missions is timing. Iuformatiou on weather conditions over the target area loses its value in direct proportion to thc time lag in reporting it. It was discovered early in the game that if thc target is four hours away, you can't wait until the weather rccon plane returns to make its report before you send vour bombers off. By the time they arrive, the weather may have changcd and the target may be closed in. Wherever possible, thc pilot radios his findings in simple code to a powerful h~ming station, from which point they arc promptly transmitred to the staff weather officer and all units which might benefit from the reports. If the distance from base to the target is beyond the 350-400 mile radio range, a second reconnaissance plane is sent out behind the first to pick up its signals and rclav them home. Thus, the bombers may be half \\;IY to their targets before the reconnaissance plane's return. DECEMBER,1944 Llstest trauvnus-.ion method of all is the onc h' ",hell the weather recon pilot radios his information dire cli:: :0 111C leader of the bomber group while both arc in flight. l! 1hc main target, for example, is Schwcinfurt and that cit:,. is blanketed by heavy overcast, there's a sporting chance t];,lt either Stuttgart or Regensburg is clear. The P- 38 \\ c.ithcr plane leaves in advance of the bomber flight, takes r(;l(liJ1g$ at several points ,llong the way, observes conditions ;1: the selected targets~or at points ncar them-s-and heads hICk. The route of the bombers, mcnnwhilc, may be directed either toward the main target or on a median course inr ,Ill possible targets. Some point on the course is design;;tu] ;1') the "Turning Point." There is also a "Point of Intcr-cc tion" where bombers and the observation plane should p;I'" (;;L!I other. This is placed a short distance from the Tl:ming Point. If the bombers have received no wurd from the weather plane by the time they reach the Tmning Point, they proceed to the m.rin target as planned. Expert na\ig;ltion and careful timing on the part of the weather plane pilot arc paramount in this particular kind of operation. I'lying on opposite courses at high speed, bOll1b.:p; n bscrvation plane arc left only about 20 to 25 minr- intercommunication. If the weather pilot docn't nn hers within this brief span, his mi-vion h:1S on is not able to determine whether a tl[~Lt cd in all instances, \Vhen cloud cover O\CI tJ1C o to 7/10, the bombing possibilities arc unccrtuin. The" rvation planes arc most useful in making snre that time is not wasted in going to impossihlc targets, .md that a clear target is not passed up. Dcspi tc several \'er~' definite drawbacks, the P- 38 '.',;15 chosen as the best mailable ship for reconnaissance purpo'e'i. Its range enabled it to poke an inquisitive nose into the most distant targets; its speed ga\'e the pilots a greater a(h;111tage in leaving attacking l\1c~serschmitts behind, and its ceiling permitted it to explore actual conditions through which the high-flying bombers would pass. Its armor pl.iting was left intact, but three of its five guns were removed to make room for an extra VIII' radio set and battcrv, an electric K-2+ aerial camera and a radio range recei\'Cr: With pilots doing triple duty as their own observers, n.ivigators and gunners, a streamlined report sheet. attached to a clipboard clamped on the pilot's leg, was devised to make it easier to record pertinent weather data. A simple grid svstun is used to locate definite areas of hcnvv weather, to define pin-point targets within these areas aiJd to report the extent and orientation of fronts. Among the weather factors observed arc the extent, base and height of clouds, approximate wind direction and velocity, temperature at e\'Cry 2,000 feet of elevation, poor visibility, fog, haze, rain, snow, icing, turbulcrrcc, thunderstorms and the levels of condensation \'apor trails. Weather reconnaissance, one of the newest and most promising phases of strategic bombing. received its greatest tribute in a recent st.itcmcnt-c-with no strings attachcd-smade by A-3 of 1 ;th Air Force. It was that the operations of the reconnaissance unit had slashed at IC1St six months from thc length of the war in the \Iecliterranean by making it possible to carry out continuous hombing strikes and thus thwart the Germ;1I1 efforts to repair d.nnagc to kcy factories and milir.iry installations. '* li3 ~
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~J 1 AIR FOftCES * OCTOBER 1944
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Rendezvous Who Is He? Dear Editor:
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[us: ,dlat is tIle AAI'I'DC~ It is
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oads and bridges and military imtal
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Here's how controllers direct the p
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sengcr and courier service in areas
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GET WISE Here are a few of the easi
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Airborne soldiers. shown here durin
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Smoke in background is fruin [up.ui
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It has pronounced step characterist
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TIIC{"II""IIIi; ;lItidc j, till' I/
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OCTOBER,1944 The first thing the a\
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YOUR ENEMY All ;Iirer;!ft fllillg o
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->",i" .""tJnil'et hj/'- By Col. Do
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28 011 BOll~aiIldk is quicklv unloa
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the plane landed, a jccp would driv
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THE PHiliPPINES DISTANCES SHOWN IN
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The economic system of the Philippi
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The AAF's homing pigeons are recogn
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Our aviation engineers had to fight
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---- technique • -- - --- . RUNWA
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High Intensity Controlled Lighting
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Attached to a flyer's ear, the Oxim
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Automatic Pilot Trainer-A new train
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3 5 7 Surprised by the friendliness
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TIM ELY A D V ICE FRO M THE A I R I
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R.6 I:>:CJ: the AAF S helicopter, t
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SS I. You on the left, Buddy, appea
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ever .nrivc at a fir',t ~Iid stut i
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p:rinted on the outvi.lc wrt l: ,ih
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tanks and truck-borne infantry and
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FIGHTER CONTROL (Colltilltled from
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Property of tDe Library ARMY INDtJS
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For the Record I)e:lr h!Jtlll Rende
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he Allie's into German-held of the
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H Combat may make you Lazy By Maj.
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..... -; ... The results of two yea
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Production charts show the disaster
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all key points of the factory's 3-+
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HE Fortresses T wings to the took o
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';:'4"'~' .~~~c ~)'~ ~J ~~~ ~" . "
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'l'h is was a YClr ago, but these a
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Pulling in His Ne-:I:. Reeelit de,c
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When a radio operator makes a mista
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Lifeline to the US,S R BY HERBERT R
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Ten o'clock of a December morning a
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THE MAN WITH THE PRIVATE BREEZE By
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THE AIR WAR IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFI
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STANDARD FLIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL E
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It 11c:l!,illg l.ot h sidc
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, , ,CO:-iTI:-iUI:D ]'\o\\', pacbgi
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technique ••• CO]\;Tl:"UED Ne
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INSTRUMENT PANEL (Continued from Pa
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LIFELINE TO THE US S R ( Cout iuucc
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F\lr:RCF'\~CY FOUrp\lr:,\'T luvpcct
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50 COMBAT MAY MAKE YOU LAZY (Contin
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EN of the AAF-including the hundred
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.I In. ]~rhO:S-':cl the'mll-it:IIT
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August 7. Patton kept moving his he
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l'Iiavigation Training En Masse. Th
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"WE arc not going to bubble over wi
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A wood block support; injured legs
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Burma. A Japanese light antiaircraf
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~ ~,C"= =~=.~7~~ ---,- .... _._. __
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HOW ,SHARP ARE YOU? A 'hoto Test of
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.. ' Back to the Philippines PART I
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Tacloban strip \\";IS not sC'ITicca
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All Tile Illftl, \\ ,(("d If iii, ,
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:lIe fbttle of Hrit.un. IC\i" intru
Page 144 and 145: Underground. ,'~ group of worried m
Page 146 and 147: volunteers between the agcs of II .
Page 148 and 149: I f By Capt. Greer Williams Air SlI
Page 150 and 151: Flaming debris (If njllI, ])1]]1:ll
Page 152: ground fire the pilot should look f
Page 155 and 156: two weeks: Cincinnati. one week: Pi
Page 157 and 158: At 5.000 fed. the pilot opened the
Page 159 and 160: cardboard bombs on their choice of
Page 161 and 162: turn to Traffic Scction, Crcnicr Fi
Page 163 and 164: Oil refineries arc gooel targets, T
Page 165 and 166: Tile air campaign to choke off fuel
Page 167 and 168: fallen into Allied hands, thus maki
Page 169 and 170: Hamburg i lPolilz IMagdeburg 1 I r
Page 171 and 172: He's the guy who holds the life of
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Page 178 and 179: 46 V4ba\'s vnong V4itbtbis pictUfe1
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Page 182 and 183: j ._3 Thirteen days after the 13th
Page 184 and 185: THE ABC OF D-DAY When an invasion i
Page 186 and 187: By all AIR F( )RCl-: ()\"t'rsc;/s S
Page 188 and 189: The fighters called for help and th
Page 190 and 191: A jeep, laden with leftover explosi
Page 192 and 193: THE ABC OF D-DAY t Cont inu.xl [r o
Page 196 and 197: - ~ --'fftJMlGa ~II.I - , • - '--
Page 198: We're more than 2,300,000 individua
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