Air Fronts: Air Defense FM 44-8; Antiaircraft Operations Room and Antiaircraft Artillery Intelligence Service - Chapter 2. AAOR and AAAIS for Automatic Weapons Defense

Section I. GENERAL

45. GENERAL. This chapter describes the organization and operation of an AAOR and AAAIS in an antiaircraft defense employing only automatic weapons. The discussion pertains specifically to an area defended by one automatic weapons battalion. If more than one automatic weapons battalion is employed in a defense, the principles and procedures are the same but the highest headquarters (or the senior battalion commander in the absence of a higher headquarters) coordinates the activities and organizes and operates the AAOR and AAAIS. Chapter 5 discusses defenses in which automatic weapons units are included with other type antiaircraft units.

Section II. ANTIAIRCRAFT OPERATIONS ROOM

46. GENERAL. The AAOR for an automatic weapons battalion is an operations room in its simplest form. Its establishment and operation is the responsibility of the battalion commander (see fig. 6).

47. LOCATION OF AAOR. The AAOR is located in accordance with the principles outlined in paragraphs 12, 13, and 14.

48. EQUIPMENT. a. General. The equipment in the AAOR includes the following: an operations board, a situation board, a status board, a switchboard, radio sets, and such miscellaneous equipment as head and chest sets, telephones, and journal forms.

PERSONNEL

1. Switchboard operator.

2. Plotter.

3. Plot observer.

4. Situation board plotter.

5. AA operations officer.

Figure 6. Typical AAOR—automatic weapons battalion (radios not shown since it is assumed that they are remotely operated).

b. AA operations board. (See fig. 1). This board is erected horizontally and of such size as to accommodate a map of the defended area and its OP's. A scale of 1 inch = 1 mile is suggested. The distance of the OP's from the center of the defended area will determine the necessary size of the board. As the distance of the OP's from the AAOR normally will not exceed 25 miles, a board 4 feet square or less should suffice. Fire units, OP's and their code names, and important terrain features should be shown. A grid is shown so that reports from OP's and other intelligence agencies may be plotted. A covering of transparent plastic or acetate may be used to protect the board. Plots are made using cardboard or plastic arrows or with grease pencil.

c. Situation board. The board is 4 feet square or less and gridded as indicated in paragraph 17. The scale must be small enough to show the defended area in the center and sufficient area outside so that early warning from other warning agencies may be plotted. A scale of 1 inch = 5 miles is suggested. The board is covered with transparent material to protect it and facilitate erasures. Plots of early warning data are made using cardboard or plastic arrows or with a grease pencil.

d. Status board. (See par. 18.) The operating status of all fire units and OP's is posted on this board. It is mounted vertically and is large enough to be easily read from all parts of the AAOR.

49. PERSONNEL. a. General. The enlisted personnel to operate the AAOR will be obtained from sources available to the battalion commander, normally from the operations and intelligence and communications sections of battalion headquarters battery.

b. AA operations officer. The AAOO, as the representative of the battalion commander, supervises the AAOR during his tour of duty. He determines the state of readiness in the defense. He evaluates all intelligence received in the AAOR. He relays to the fire units all pertinent orders and instructions from higher headquarters. He restricts or releases fire as necessary based on information from AAAIS higher headquarters, or appropriate air force operations room. He issues orders for the direction and coordination of fire in all cases not covered by SOP. See paragraph 22 for general duties of the AAOO.

c. Plot observer. He is the senior noncommissioned officer on duty in the AAOR and is the assistant to the AAOO relieving the latter of as many duties as practicable. The plot observer is connected into the command and intelligence "hot loop." He is responsible for insuring that the status board is up-to-date. He records in the AAOR operations journal all actions changes of status of alert, and all orders received or issued by the AAOR. He supervises all checks made on the communications nets.

d. Radio operators. They are responsible for the proper tuning, operation, and maintenance of the radios. Each carries out hourly schedules of checks with the other stations in his net. Each monitors his net and enforces strict radio discipline. They execute such other duties as directed by the AAOO.

e. Switchboard operator. He is responsible for installation, operation, and maintenance of the switchboard.

f. Plotters. An OP plotter is stationed at the operations board to plot the location of targets as received from the OP's. During periods of great aerial activity an additional plotter is at the situation board to plot early warning information. During slack periods, the operations board plotter makes plots on the situation board and entries on the status board.

Section III. AAAIS

50. GENERAL. a. The battalion AAAIS personnel includes all antiaircraft observers of the defense that are in communication with the AAOR. Eight OP's are normally established. These OP's are supplemented, when necessary, by telephone OP's.

b. The battalion S–2 designates the positions for the OP's and assigns code names to them. The OP positions are selected after ground reconnaissance.

51. OP's. The personnel manning the OP will occupy the position designated by the battalion S-2. The prominent terrain features are sketched upon the direction board (see par. 43) and the distance to these features is measured or estimated and the coordinates of these features are entered on the board. The observers maintain a constant search of the surrounding air and terrain for aerial flights, ground vehicles, personnel, or other enemy activity. Upon observing any activity, they immediately transmit it by telephone or radio to an operations board plotter in the AAOR. (See par. 44.) The message is recorded at the OP on a AAAIS flash message form. (See fig. 5.)

Section IV. COMMUNICATIONS

52. GENERAL. In the early stages of an operation, radio must necessarily be used, and is supplemented by wire as soon as possible. When the situation becomes static, both wire and radio are used. If sufficient wire is available, parallel wire lines are laid. If one net fails, the substitute wire or radio net is used.

53. COMMUNICATIONS FOR MOBILE, SEMIMOBILE AND AIR-TRANSPORTABLE AUTOMATIC WEAPONS BATTALION. a. Primary nets. (1) A wire "hot loop" is run from the AAOR to each battery CP. The lines are run through the AAOR switchboard and the "hot loop" is formed by cord connections at the switchboard. This adds flexibility to the system. (In defenses of more than one battalion, where switchboards are crowded, the lines need not go through the switchboard.) The telephones on this "hot loop" are manned 24 hours a day so that connections between them are instantaneous without the necessity of ringing. This is the battalion command and intelligence "hot loop." (See fig. 7.)

(2) In each battery a "hot loop" is formed connecting the battery CP, platoon CP's, and all fire units. This is the command and intelligence "hot loop" for the battery. (See fig. 7.)

 
Figure 7. Schematic primary wire communication net—automatic weapons battalion (mobile, semimobile, or air transportable).

(3) OP's not equipped with radios are connected to the nearest radio transmitter by wire. Flash messages originating at a telephone OP are promptly relayed by the radio in the prescribed manner.

(4) Even in the most static automatic weapons defense, most of the communication between the OP's and the AAOR and fire units will be by radio on the AAAIS frequency (see fig. 8). The OP's transmit intelligence on this channel and it is immediately received at the fire units and by the plotter at the operations board in the AAOR.

 
Figure 8. Schematic primary AAAIS radio net—automatic weapons battalion (mobile, semimobile, and air transportable). Command radio net not shown.

b. Secondary net. (1) Because the battery of the SCR–593 must be put on charge at intervals, it will be often necessary to change or supplement the primary nets. The battery CP is established close to one of the platoon CP's. Battery and platoon radios tuned to the AAAIS frequency are used alternately to obtain 24-hour a day reception. Intelligence received on this frequency is relayed to fire units over the battery command and intelligence "hot loop" (see fig. 9). The fire units use their SCR–593's during the periods of the day when attack is most likely. During other periods this secondary net must be relied upon.

(2) When reception at the battery CP is strong, the battery "hot loop" should be connected directly to the radio receiver in use. (See app. III.) This eliminates the relaying of the intelligence and speeds the transmission to the fire unit. When this is done, a telephone with a head and chest set and a handset is provided at the battery CP and is tied into the battery "hot loop." An operator wears the head and chest set at all times. The handset is provided for another telephone operator who mans the telephone tied into the battalion command and intelligence net. He, too, wears a head and chest set, and a handset for his telephone is provided for the use of the operator on the battery "hot loop." In this way, the operator on the battery "hot loop" can pick up the handset tied into the battalion net and relay to the AAOR any pertinent intelligence received from the fire units. This procedure permits the operator to monitor the line before breaking in on it, and insures that he will not interrupt any data that may be passing over it. In the same manner, the operator on the battalion net may use the handset tied into the battery "hot loop" to pass the fire units all pertinent commands and intelligence received from the AAOR.

(3) Alternate battalion and battery "hot loops" are laid as soon as possible. In case of failure of the primary net the alternate net is used. The alternate net is also used for all administrative matters. These nets, normally, need not be manned at all times, and should require ringing during periods of inactivity. The battery alternate "hot loop" is used to transmit to the battery CP all intelligence and action reports originating at the fire units or platoon CP's. The operator manning the telephone of this net at the battery CP uses the handset of the telephone tied into the battalion command and intelligence net to relay the intelligence received from the fire units to the AAOR. (See (2) above.)

 
Figure 9. Schematic secondary AAAIS radio-wire net-automatic weapons battalion (mobile, semimobile, and air transportable).

54. COMMUNICATIONS FOR SELF-PROPELLED BATTALION. a. In self-propelled automatic weapons battalions, communications will normally be by radio. For AAAIS purposes the radios at the OP's and the SCR–593's at the battalion, battery, and platoon CP's are tuned to the AAAIS frequency. The reports received over this net by battalion and platoon CP's are for information only. The battery CP will rebroadcast the intelligence received from the OP's to the firing sections using the FM radios operating on the command net. If the distance between firing sections and the battery CP is great or if radio reception is poor it may be necessary to have the platoon, rather than the battery CP, rebroadcast the intelligence received from the OP's. Communication between the fire units of a section is by voice or visual signals.

b. A command net connecting the battalion, battery, and platoon CP's and the firing sections is established by operating the FM radios on the assigned command channel.

c. When self-propelled units are included in a static defense and telephones and wire are available, the communications nets are established as described for other automatic weapons units in paragraph 53.

Section V. OPERATION

55. AT OP's. When an observer at an OP sees a target he instantly transmits the warning over the AAAIS net using the telephones or radio. He will always use the prescribed form and sequence of transmission.

56. IN AAOR. a. An operations board plotter in the AAOR receives the position of the target as reported from the OP and instantly plots it on the operations board. He continues to plot the course of this flight and other flights as additional messages come in. After each flight has left the area, he connects the plots of each flight by drawing a line with his grease pencil and noting thereon the number and kind of planes, the time that the flight passed over the area, and the altitude. This information is left on the board so that the enemy action may be studied and analyzed. The board is cleared at the direction of the AAOO.

b. The AAOO alerts the defense when the intelligence reports, either on the situation board or operation board, indicate that hostile or unidentified targets are approaching the defense. He does not attempt to exercise fire direction except when it becomes necessary to restrict fire in coordinated action with friendly air forces, or when it becomes necessary to order a barrage. He returns units to their normal operating status when the threat has passed. When the plots are no longer useful, he orders the operations and situation board plotters to clear their boards. He insures that all pertinent intelligence and action reports are relayed to higher headquarters.

c. The plot observer assists the AAOO. He records in the AAOR operations journal all orders and intelligence received or issued by the AAOR.

57. AT BATTERY. A telephone operator at the battery relays all pertinent messages of intelligence and command to the fire units. Another operator relays to the AAOR all intelligence and action reports originating at the fire units.

58. AT FIRE UNIT. The operator, at the radio or telephone, receives messages and alerts the unit. He refers to his direction board, if necessary, and points to the direction of the target and shouts, "Target." He continues to inform the fire unit of any changes pertaining to the targets. He transmits promptly all intelligence and action reports.