zvwoSW /os~ A REPORT ON THE COMBAT OPERATIONS YJJ£ c XIX TACTICAL AIR COMMAND S 1 JUL 1945 /Jo A REPORT CN THE COMBAT OPERATIONS OF THE XIX TACTICAL AIR COMMAND ******* ^ w s.AUTH: CG XIX TAC: r C *1X335 $*(%!£& COMMAND :DATES 30 May »45: I" Ivi H&till ILu ,iI,IT! z2^nMk> APO 141, U S Army 30 May 1945 INTRODUCTION In nine months of intensive air operations in coopera­ tion with the Third US Army on the Continent of Europe, the experience of the XIX Tactical Air Command proved the con­ cepts of Field Manual 100-20, "Command and Employment of Air Power," to be basically sound. Tactical missions were planned and executed in the order of priority laid down in that document: (1) Attainment and maintenance of air su­ periority. (2) Isolation of the battlefield. (3) Close air cooperation with ground units in combat. The following report, which includes pertinent standing operating procedures and other detailed documents, has been prepared with a view to showing clearly the methods of or­ ganization and operation employed to carry out the fundamen­ tal doctrine. Much of this material was compiled in the last two weeks of the war in Europe in response to a request fl*om the Army Air Forces Evaluation Board for a report on the effectiveness of close-in air cooperation. As revised, expanded, and presented here, the report deals with opera­ tions of all three types® The procedures set forth were evolved during months of combat and were in use at the close of the successful campaign in Europe. / / 0. P. WEYLAND, M«Jor General, USA, Commanding. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I Organization and Composition; Page Organization and Composition 1 Command and Control 2 Resume of Operational Activities 3 SECTION II Personnel and Equipment* Personnel 4 Aircraft 5 Armament^ Bombs and Fuses 6 Chemical Warfare Munitions 8 Rockets 14 Toss Bombing 16 Rear-looking Radar 17 SECTICH III Technical and Tactical Aids and Procedures* Communications IS Radio Intercept 22 Visual Identification 23 Marker Plans 24 Tac/R Cooperation with Fighter-Bombers 25 Night Fighter Operations 25 Airdrome Defense 26 Qnployment of Airdrome Squadrons 27 Aircraft Movement Liaison 27 Movement to Forward Airfields 30 Reconnaissance 31 SECTION IV Operations* Factors Influencing Air Operations 36 Climate and Weather 36 Airfields 38 Terrain 39 Bombline Location 40 Flak 41 Air-Ground Briefing and Planning 41 Planning of Close Air Cooperation 43 Conduct of Tactical Operations 44 Briefing, Takeoff, Assaibly 4 4 Air-Ground Cooperation 47 Air to Air Encounter ^ IiS'liASSiHEOi - SECTION IV (CONT'D) Page Escort Procedure 48 Ascent, Descent Through Overcast 48 Evaluation of Results 49 SECTION V Chronicle of Campaign. Major Joint Air-Ground Operations 51 Preplanned Operations 51 Drive Across FRANCE 52 Protection of LOIRE Plank 54 Effect Upon Progress of Attack 54 Reduction of BREST 55 MOSELLE Stalemate 57 Breaching the DIEUZE Dam 58 Operation "Madison" 60 Envelopment of METZ 61 Reduction of ARDENNES Salient 64 Examples of Air Cooperation with Infantry 65 Drive to the RHINE 67 SAAR-MOSELLE-RHINE Trap 68 Campaign East of the RHINE 70 The Final Assault to the Southeast 72 Facing Page 1 - Organizational Chart, XIX TAC 2 2 - Personnel Table, XIX TAC 2 3 - Fighter-Bomber Requests and Orders 2 4 - Fighter-Bomber Results 2 5 - Channels for Control of Close Cooperation 2 6 - Control System Ground-Air Communications 2 7 - D/F Nets 2 8 - TCC - FDP Links 2 9 - Deployment of Control Equipment 2 10 - Representative Circuit Diagram 22 ANNEXES 1 - Consolidated SOP, XIX Tactical Control Group (Prov). 2 - Operation "Madison" (Air Plan, Field Order and Opera­ tions Summary)• 3 - Operation "Tink" (Air Plan)• 4 - Signals SOP. 5 - Signals SOI. 6 - XIX TAC Operations SOP. 7 - XIX TAC Intelligence SOP. 8 - Organization for the Control and Operation of Tac/R and P/R Facilities, XIX TAC. 9 - Third U.S. Army SOP for Counter-Flak Fire. 10 - Field Orders and Operations Summary for Static Situa­ tion. 11 - Field Orders and Operations Summary for Fluid Situation. ORGANIZATION AND 1. Organization and Composition of the Command a. See organizational chart (Appendix 1, facing page 2). b. During the entire period of operations on the Con­ tinent, 1 August 1944 - 9 May 1945, the Headquarters of this Command operated in two echelons: Advanced and Rear# (1) All combat operations were planned and direc­ ted by the Commanding General from Advanced Headquarters, which consisted chiefly of Operations, Intelligence and Signals personnel, plus a minimum of administrative facili­ ties, and was located as close as possible to the Advanced Headquarters of the Third US Army for maximum cooperation. Planning and direction of operations centered in the Combined Operations room or tent, where the general situation map and other operational maps were maintained. Here the day's op­ erational reports were received, compiled, evaluated and presented to the Commanding General and his staff at the daily evening briefing in which Weather, G-2 (Air), A-2, G-3 (Air), A-2 Reconnaissance and A-3 participated. On the basis of this information the detailed plan for employment of air units on the following day was developed. (2) Administration was centered at Rear Headquar­ ters, which was located in the vicinity of the bases of tac­ tical units of the Command. Supply, personnel, training, inspection and other administrative functions were performed by this echelon. In certain instances when the Command had eight or nine Groups and only one Wing, Rear Headquarters also assumed some of the functions of a Wing, notably the transmission of orders and the receipt and relaying of mis­ sion reports. c. Experience showed that the present T/0 is inade­ quate for the Headquarters of a Tactical Air Command coop­ erating with an Army of three to five corps. Appendix 2 shows the number of officers and enlisted men authorized under the manning table provided by consolidation of the Tactical Air Command T/0 and one-third of the Fighter Com­ mand T/0, as compared to the number actually employed. d. Headquarters of the Wing (or Wings), usually lo­ cated between the Command Advanced and Rear Headquarters, was the center of the communications net. This enabled the Advanced Headquarters to move forward with Army Headquarters and maintain communication to Groups with a minimum of new ' * * * **• f~ ft £,» V f ?r f! 'signal installations. All operational orders and reports to and from Groups and Squadrons were normally relayed through Wing. Wing also assisted the Rear Headquarters in the performance of its functions, acting as relay point be­ tween Rear and the Groups and other units assigned or at­ tached to the Command. The Commanding General of the Wing made numerous personal inspections of Groups and Squadrons to assist them in overcoming the many difficult problems of operations and maintenance under field conditions. e. The Tactical Control Group (Provisional) was formed approximately 45 days after the Command bepame operational. It consists of fighter control, air warning and requisite communications facilities, which formerly operated under Wing Headquarters in the airdrome area. It was necessary that these units operate as far forward as possible to pro­ vide complete radar and radio coverage of target areas. The Group was accordingly formed and placed under opera­ tional control of Advanced Headquarters, with materially increased effectiveness in controlling tactical aircraft and directing air defense of the Army area. Aircraft, when air­ borne. are controlled by the Tactical Control Group under the direct supervision of Combined Operations, Advanced Headquarters, XIX TAC. The Tactical Control Group operates through the Tactical Control Center, focal point of all radar and radio navigational aids and control facilities. 2. Command and Control of Air Operations. a. See schematic diagrams (Appendices 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) and consolidated SOP, XIX Tactical Control Group (Prov), Annex 1. b. Control of aircraft in flight is exercised through the Tactical Control Center and the Tactical Air Liaison Officers with the Army Corps, Divisions and Combat Commands. (1) When the daily field order from Advance Head­ quarters, XIX TAC, is received at the Tactical Control Cen­ ter, the Controller analyzes the missions, taking into con­ sideration the task and the operational area. He then as­ signs missions to the forward director post in the best lo­ cation to give flights aid in locating targets, warn them of enemy aircraft, and provide any other assistance. (2) The FDP's are deployed so that close cooper­ ation with ground troops may be given anywhere along the Third Army front. The MEW, because of range advantages, usually is assigned the handling of long-range arjDeid^eclses and escort missions. It also is e^ecti^^^oi^CQ^i^fttion missions when required. I .J*, r- f t A|^ r * r - fi ? • f j r y ORGANIZATIONAL CHART APPENDIX- I XIX TACTICAL AIR COMMAND COMMANDING GENERAL Aide de Comp AIR CHIEF OF STAFF INSPECTOR MILITARY GOV. LIAISON DEPUTY CHEF OF STAFF STATION COMMANDER AIR DISARMAMENT HQ. COMMANDANT (LIAISON) HQ SQUADRON I A-l A-2 A-3 A-4 SIGNAL ADJUTANT GENERAL Service Com'd.Uoison P ft PW CIC TALO G- 3 AIR Detach. Detach. Altchd. TECH.INT. PRO PLYWG Detach. CONTROL G-2 AIR 6th. HIST. Attchd. UNIT X DEFENSE CHAPLAW SPECIAL JUDGE SURGEON INFORMATION WEATHER PHOTO ORDNANCE CWS ENGINEER FINANCE QM STAT. POSTAL a ADVOCATE a SERVICE 2nd.Motion CONTROL PM GENERAL EDUCATION Picture Unit 3 FIGHTER XIX TACT. H.CN BN SEP SIGNAL TACT AIR TACT. AIR PHOTO GR LIAISON SQ. Attcfetf. to WING CONT. GP. BN OONT. SQ. CONT SQ. RCN. 3rd ARMY FTRBOMB. FTRBOMB. FTRBOMB. FTRBOMB. FTRBOMB. FTR.BOMB. FTR.BOMB.