Air Fronts: Airdromes - FM-26, Defense of Airdromes - Chapter 1. General

CHAPTER I GENERAL

1. SCOPE. This manual is a guide for airdrome commanders, airdrome defense officers, and personnel available for the defense of airdromes. It treats of the local defense of forward-area airdromes, exclusive of counteraction by air-craft, by the personnel, armament, and equipment under the command of the airdrome commander, but much of its subject matter is applicable to the defense problems of any airdrome. It is also intended to serve as a training aid for units designed or assigned for the defense of airdromes. It presents an analysis of the forms of attack to which airdromes may be subjected and of the means and measures which may be taken to defeat such attacks or to minimize their effect.

2. ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS. a. Airdromes are established for the purpose of securing and maintaining air power.

b. The strategic importance of airdromes makes them primary targets for attack. They are subject to sabotage and, depending on their location and the military situation, to attack from the sea, ground, or air. Military employment of the airplane has introduced new methods of destroying installations and personnel by bombing and strafing and of capturing the airdrome itself by airborne attack. The inherent flexibility of air power permits enemy capabilities in a particular theater to change rapidly and frequently.

c. A defense must be prepared to meet hostile action against our airdromes with the view of defeating it in the early stages of operation. Careful attention must be given to all details of both active and passive defense within the capabilities of means made available. When the location and lay-out of an airdrome are being decided, matters affecting its defense must be given full consideration.

d. The means made available for the defense of an airdrome depend upon the probable forms of attack to which it may be subjected, the effect that its loss or neutralization will have on military or naval operations, and resources of the theater commander.

e. Enemy capabilities have important bearing on the preparations for defense of an airdrome. The most accurate information possible must be obtained concerning the following: the enemy's air power; the number of his bases available and their distances from the airdromes to be de-fended; the number of his carriers; the distance of the airdrome from his naval bases whether or not he has local naval superiority, whether or not he has local air superiority; and the situation of the ground forces.

3. DEFINITIONS. a. Airdrome. An airdrome is a landing field at which military facilities for shelter, supply, and re-pair of aircraft have been provided (AR 95-35). For the purposes of this manual, "airdrome" is considered a generic term for all military landing fields.

b. Security. Security is the all around protection of the command. It is obtained through effective measures to prevent surprise and interference by the enemy, to insure secrecy for plans and movements, and to retain freedom of action. It involves special measures against espionage, sabotage, subversive activities, attack by hostile aviation (including airborne troops), attack by chemical agents, and attack by ground forces.

c. Local defense. Local defense is the active and passive defense of an airdrome provided by its commander with the personnel, armament, and equipment under his command. The object of local defense is to enable friendly aircraft to continue to operate from the airdrome, to protect aircraft on the ground, installations, and personnel, and to deny the use of the airdrome to the enemy.

d. Local ground defense. Local ground defense is the local defense of the airdrome against ground forces or airborne troops. Specifically it excludes counteraction by aircraft or by the fire of antiaircraft artillery against aircraft. Its object is to deny to the enemy the area encompassing all vital buildings, installations, landing fields and dispersal areas, and adjacent terrain from which he could render the airdrome inoperative by aimed small-arms fire.

4. RESPONSIBILITY. a. Responsibility for the security of an airdrome rests with the local airdrome commander. He is directly responsible for the local defense against sabotage, espionage, and attack by organized enemy forces to the extent of the resources under his command. (See FM 100-15.) His responsibility will not be construed, however, as relieving the commanders of his subordinate units of the responsibility of preparing and executing plans for the local security of their organizations and installations. All such plans must conform to the general plan in effect for the security of the airdrome.

b. The defense of an airdrome is also an integral part of the defense of the entire area in which it is located. Theater and defense commanders will allocate local ground defense forces, in excess of available air force units, to the extent necessary for the minimum initial defense of the air base Such forces, in accordance with the decision of higher commanders, may be dispersed to various airdromes, partially dispersed, or held in reserve. (See FM 100-15.)

c. In a general battle which develops in an area, responsibility for the defense of the airdrome and all other installations and areas in the vicinity may pass to the local ground force commander who represents the theater or territorial commander. This commander has the final responsibility for the defense of his entire area and must make such dispositions as are dictated by his estimate of the situation, in which all the factors that govern the prosecution of operation at hand will be considered.

5. COMMAND. The airdrome commander commands all units assigned for the local defense of the airdrome and is responsible for their training and operation. (See FM 100-15.) He normally appoints as defense officer the commander of one of his local ground or antiaircraft defense units and requires him to assume immediate command of all units available, primarily for defense, and to assume in his name immediate responsibility for the training and operation of all troops used in the defense. The airdrome commander will ordinarily discharge his responsibility for the safeguarding of military property and for the prevention of sabotage, espionage, and the compromise of classified in-formation and materiel principally through an intelligence officer (S-2).