fm 44-100 us army air and missile defense operations

FM 44-100
1-6
1-30. An aircraft threat has fixed nature aircraft-related support facilities,
thus making the operational battlespace (opportunities to engage) much
greater. Aircraft conducting operations against the force are exposed to
defensive fires for tens of minutes, while missile engagement opportunities
are measured in seconds.
1-31. The unique challenges posed by theater missile defense require a highly
responsive C2 structure, which decentralizes engagement operations to the
lowest level. By comparison, the requirement to avoid fratricide of friendly
aircraft mandates strict, highly centralized control of theater air defense
engagements.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
1-32. World War II offered lessons about modern warfare that remain
relevant 50 years later. Army divisions joined both joint and allied forces in
the conduct of combined arms, force-projection operations supported by
modern fighter aircraft and bombers. Enemy air forces were large, and highly
capable, and had the potential to deliver both conventional and chemical
munitions. They held US and allied forces at risk throughout the duration of
the war. In addition to the air threat, the allies faced attack by surface-tosurface
and cruise missiles. To counter the introduction of sizeable enemy air
forces, the Army developed and fielded equally capable air defense forces.
Early experiences at Kasserine Pass and in the Pacific taught the importance
of air defense to force protection. By 1944, commanders routinely integrated
air defense forces into Army operations at all echelons.
1-33. The Normandy campaign of June 1944, and the subsequent breakout,
provides excellent examples of air defense operations in a force-projection
scenario. Eleven battalions of antiaircraft artillery (AAA) supported the
assaulting US divisions. As the beachhead expanded, additional AAA groups
and brigades joined the assault forces to form a near-leak-proof defense.
Though the Luftwaffe flew thousands of sorties against the forces and assets
concentrated in the beachhead, the allies suffered no significant damage due
to air attack. American antiaircraft artillery met the challenge by destroying
more than 300 enemy aircraft.
1-34. Following bloody hedgerow fighting, American forces conducted a
breakout in July 1944. The plan fully integrated and synchronized AAA with
ground force operations. AAA again successfully protected the maneuver
forces as they swept across France, destroying more than 300 German
aircraft. As units moved forward, the allies captured new ports for use as
forward logistics centers. The Germans made a determined effort to destroy
the major port, Antwerp, using V-1 aircraft, the first cruise missiles.
American air defenders rose to the challenge, destroying more than 70
percent of the missiles and keeping the port open throughout the five-month
attack.
1-35. Operation OVERLORD is illustrative of the steps taken in a forced
entry, force-projection operation. Air defense protected the force in the points
of embarkation and throughout entry operations, expansion of the lodgment,
and conduct of decisive operations. The threat posed by enemy aircraft and