Radar System Engineering

SEC. 7.6] THE U.S. TACTICAL AIR COMMANDS 229
706. The U.S. Tactical Air Commands. -Each U.S. Army that
fought in Europe was accompanied by a Tactical Air Command whose
mission was that of providing air defense in the forward sector occupied
by the Army concerned, of conducting offensive operations against enemy
ground troops and installations in the immediate tactical area, and of
conducting offensive operations in close cooperation with friendly ground
units. The aircraft of a Tactical Air Command, or TAC, were almost
entirely fighters and fighter-bombers. Each TAC went into the fighting
on the Continent with a radar organization of the general character shown
— Control
——–— Reporting
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1
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1
FDP “A”
FDP “B’
FDP “C”
— Type 15, TyPe 11, Type 15,Type 11,
1
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SCR-5S4 SCR-564 SCR-584
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Alternate Alternate ! Alternate
NCS + NCS NCS ‘;% NCS NCS =; NCS
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Ground observer posts Ground observer posts Ground observer posts
FKG. 7.10.—Fighter control system of IX Tactical Air Command.
in Fig. 7.10, which displays the setup of the 555th Signal Air Warning
Battalion attached to IX TAC (which operated in support of the American
First Army).
Each of the three Forward Director Posts (FDP’s) had operating
with it five Ground Observation Posts (GOP’s). Men placed far forward
observed air activity that might consist of low-flying hostile craft not
covered by the radar placed farther back of the front lines. Each GOP
reported by radio telephone to a Net Control Station common to the
group of five. The NCS then phoned pertinent information to the FDP;
an alternate NCS was mainted for use in emergencies.
The radar of the TAC was mainly deployed at the FDP’s. These
sites were charged with reporting air activity to the Fighter Control
Center, which was located at the forward headquarters of the TAC,