News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

Ground
Defense
PROTECTING THE AIR BASE
The Army Air Forces do not intend to be caught napping
when it comes to the protection of air bases
the entire air base defense effort, and for this
reason they are not left out of the Army's plans.
from possible attack. Such is indicated by recently
announced War Department policies for the sive defense measures included in the new policies
While not so obvious as the active defenses, pas-
ground defense of these vital installations.
playa very important role in the successful protection
of air bases from attack. Not actively
In training circular No. 47 the general aspects
utilized during military engagements, they still
of the new program are described. This publication
playa vital preventive role by minimizing the
states that the ground defense of a~ air base
should comprise "all practicable passive and active
damage an attacking force can do, and by enabling
defense means, carefully coordinated," that it requires
local ground defense forces, plus adequate
the active defenses to be used with more effective
results.
mobile reserves, "and that such protection is an Some of the most important of the passive defense
integral part of the defense of the entire area in measures come under the general heading of "damage
which the base is located."
control'~ These include the preparation and employment
of fire-fighting plans and equipment, the
The job of putting the new policies into effect
is the responsibility of local air base cOllll1Bnders,
dispersion of vital installations, and the construction
of protective bunkers and barbed wire.
who are charged with the operation of local defenses;
and of theater, or territorial, cOlllll8nders,
Other passive defenses to he utilized include
dummy fields, camouflage, artificial smoke and
who are charged with the allocation of ground defense
troops to localized defense areas.
fog, shelters, obstructions, chemical decontamination
equipment, and alarm systems.
Broad as the new plans are, they have not been
Of the above, dummy fields are the most elaborate.
created without attention to the details involved.
For this reason there is included in the circular
They are erected for the purpose of diverting
a careful evaluation of the various possible
hostile air attacks from real objectives, and for
methods of attack, and a general description of this reason will be built to resemble actual
the defenses which have Leen developed to combat
fields as closely as possible. In order best to
serve their purpose, dunmy fields. will show signs
them. Measures listed provide protection from almost
every known military danger, including aerial
of use, activity, and attempted concealment.
bombardment, aerial gunnery, air-landing operations,
use of chemicals, direct ground assaults, protection of real fields through the use of
Closely allied to the use of dumm¥ fields is the
parachute troops, and sabotage.
camouflage. According to the War Department's recent
training circular, every effort will be made
Defense plans in general have been divided into
two categories--active and passive. Active defenses
are those which are brought into play dur ing presence of air fields through the use of this de-
to conceal from the air all indications of the
an actual military encounter, and comprise the vice, and also through the utilization of artificial
fog and smoke. When used correctly these
antiaircraft installations, machine guns, and
searchlights which are used against attacking aircraft;
and the field artillery, armored forces, ment, thus decreasing the probability of damage
force hostile aircraft to resort to area bombard-
and motorized units used against ground attacks, to vital installations.
air-landing operations, and parachute troops.
An example of the Army's utilization of the technique
of camouflage was brought out recently in
Types of weapons to be used include, among others,
antiaircraft guns, 37 mm antiaircraft and antitank the New York Times, where the method of concealment
guns, .30 caliber automatic and semi-automatic of a New England airport is described. According
weapons, and antiaircraft and motorized artillery. to the article, trees, grass and plowed areas will
Also classified as active are the field fortifications
and emplacements which will surround Army some of the visible barracks will be built along
preserve the rural appearance of the area, and
air bases. Pill boxes, trenches, and redoubts are the lines of tobacco barns and painted the same
all pr.ovided for in an "inward and outward perimeter
defense"which guarantees effective coordi-
-The latest in chain roadside restaurants will
dull- red color.
nation and adequate fire coverage for allapproaches. be simulated for a mess hall and certain buildings
Often the number and quality of these installations
determines to a large degree the success of on to say, and ..these lat ter wi 11 even have make.
will be given churchlike spires," the article goes
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