Allied Air Power Doctrine: Royal Air Force War Manual; Volume I - Appendix III - Preparation of Reports
Transmission during Operations of Information regarding the Enemy
1. Reports during active operations may be transmitted verbally or in writing. Verbal reports should only be resorted to in cases of urgency and should always be confirmed in writing without delay. A record of all reports should be kept.
2. A verbal report should be given without hurry or excitement, otherwise the hearer and the speaker are liable to become confused.
3. In reporting on the enemy, accuracy as regards times, places, the position, approximate strength, branch of the service, formation and the direction in which the force is moving, is of the first importance.
4. It is more important that the information contained in a report should be relevant and accurate and should arrive in time to be of use, than that the report should be long or elaborate. This applies equally to written reports, to verbal reports and to sketches.
5. The recipient of a report must be able to gauge the reliability of the information which it contains. For this purpose, the origin of the information should always be stated in the text of the message, i.e., whether it is the result of personal observation on the part of subordinates or of statements made by inhabitants and whether the last named are considered reliable or not. Information obtained by personal observation or by the observation of a subordinate is called " direct " ; that of statements obtained by others is called " indirect."
6. Negative information is information as to the absence of the enemy from certain places at certain times. It is most valuable both as check on other information received and as an indication to commanders as to the probable movement and plans of the enemy.
7. (i) A plan or panorama sketch is a useful adjunct to a report, and it is often possible and convenient to dispense with the report and to convey all essential information on the plan or panorama. Clearness and relevancy are required, not artistic effect.
(ii) A plan sketch should be drawn roughly to scale, the scale being indicated both by drawing and in words. In countries which have been surveyed, plan sketches will normally take the form of enlargements of existing small scale maps, such additional information as is relevant being shown on the enlargement. The place from which a panorama sketch is made and the direction in which the sketcher is looking should be clearly indicated.
(iii) Important points, e.g., width of a road or stream, whether a railway is single or double, the nature of the ground, etc., should be described in words or figures.
(iv) The true North should always be indicated.
(v) A table of conventional signs and lettering used in field sketches is given in the Royal Air Force pocket book.
(vi) The name of the place at which a headquarters is situated or from or to which a report or message is despatched will never be given unless it is essential, to ensure correct transmission or delivery or to make the sense plain.
8. In preparing a written report the general considerations given in paras. 1-16 of appendix IV should be borne in mind.
Narrative Reports on Operations
9. The following information is intended to assist officers in writing reports on operations in which air forces are engaged and should be read in conjunction with K.R. & A.C.I., para. 4713.
10. The object of a report on operations is two-fold :
(i) To constitute a record of a series of events.
(ii) To bring to the attention of higher authority special features of the operations and the lessons to be learnt therefrom.
11. A report, therefore, resolves itself broadly into a narrative and the conclusions to be drawn therefrom. It must be as brief as is consistent with clearness and where details are necessary they should generally be relegated to appendices. A report will generally be written in the third person and forwarded to higher authority under formal covering letter.
12. Table A below gives the principal matters to be considered in the preparation of a report. These are intended only as a guide and must not be regarded as exhaustive. Each point mentioned must be dealt with in a separate paragraph under a heading clearly indicating the contents of the paragraph and where it is possible to make a recommendation (this applies particularly to paras. 9-10 of the table) it is important that this shall be done.
13. In writing a report the general directions given in appendix IV should be borne in mind.
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TABLE
A |
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Subject. |
Remarks. |
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1. Heading |
The title of the operations with which the report deals, the dates between which the operations were carried out, and the name and appointment of the commander making the report. |
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2. The object of the operations. |
This is best described by means of a summary of the instructions given to the commander before the operations commenced. A copy of the instructions themselves should be attached as an appendix. |
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3. Forces at the disposal of the commander |
This should consist of a summarised statement, but an appendix is to be attached showing particulars in tabular form of the air and ground forces employed (e.g., British Army, Royal Air Force, Indian Army, Iraq Army, etc.), giving separately in each case the strength of officers and other ranks or airmen. |
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4. Disposition of the forces at the commencement of operations. |
The names of commanders of formations, columns or detachments should be included. |
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5. Information about the enemy, his dispositions and numbers. |
This should be brief, but in sufficient detail to present the picture which it is desired to convey. Further details regarding the enemy tribes, their habits and resources, should be given in an appendix. |
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6. District over which the operations were conducted. |
This description should be accompanied by a map attached as an appendix to the report. Territorial boundaries should be clearly marked, where applicable, and special prominence should be given (by under-lining or other marking) to places of importance mentioned in the report. |
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7. General plan of the operations. |
The main objective or objectives which it was decided to attack or capture, and the steps taken to bring this about. A copy of the preliminary orders for the operation issued by the commander should be attached as an appendix. |
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8. *Day - to - day narrative of events. |
To be given in summarised form under the date of each day's operations. (Extracts from R.A.F. Forms 540 and 541 Operations Record Book.) (i) Information about the enemy on which the plan for the following day's operations was based. (ii) A brief summary of the plan for the following day's operations. (iii) What operations were actually carried out ; the number and type of bombs dropped and S.A.A. fired (a suggested form of appendix is shown in Table B below) ; reconnaissances carried out ; photographs taken ; or, if nothing was accomplished, a statement to that effect and the reasons, e.g., weather, change in the situation, capitulation of the enemy, etc. (iv)
Result of the day's operations, as appreciated at the
time. |
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9. Results achieved in relation to 2 above. |
Reference should also be made to the lessons to be drawn from the operations. |
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10. Organization and training. |
(i) Difficulties associated with establishment or organization of unit or command, e.g., insufficiency or unsuitability of personnel, aircraft, transport or supplies. (ii) Abnormalities of climate. (iii) The effect of climate on technical equipment. (iv) Conditions of terrain from the flying point of view. (v) Deficiencies in training. (vi) Failure of any particular technical equipment. (vii) Difficulties in distribution of supplies or technical equipment. (viii) Utilisation of local resources for transport or supplies. |
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11. Casualties, etc. |
(i) Casualties received, and (so far as is known or can be estimated) those inflicted on the enemy. (ii) Health of personnel. |
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12. Personnel |
Recommendations for honours and rewards. |
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13. Signature |
Date and place where the report was written. |
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* When very little action takes place over a long period it may not be necessary to adhere to a day-to-day narrative of events. A narrative covering a period of days or weeks or one covering a definite phase of the operations may be preferable. In all cases, however, the sequence given in the above table should be followed. It may also happen, particularly in warfare with unorganized tribal forces, that circumstances dictate an alteration in the plan of the operation and in the objective or objectives selected. Should this be the case, the narrative will be interrupted and a new plan clearly stated. |
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