Air Fronts: Airdromes - FM-26, Defense of Airdromes - Chapter 7. Plans and Training
SECTION I: GENERAL
100. RESPONSIBILITY.-The commanding officer of an airdrome will make and announce a plan for its defense. He may delegate the preparation of the basic plan and the co-ordination of the plans of specialists (chemical, ordnance, etc.) to a defense officer.
101. RECONNAISSANCE AND SURVEYS.-To prepare effective plans, the commanding officer and other personnel must reconnoiter carefully the airdrome, the surrounding areas, and routes of movement in the vicinity. A survey must be made of the facilities, installations, and equipment immediately available, and one of the locality and its inhabitants to determine what facilities and installations are available to supplement them.
102. INSPECTIONS AND TESTS.-The commanding officer will provide for the instruction of all personnel in their essential duties under the defense plans. He will conduct inspections to insure that the continuous security measures are effective and will prescribe alerts by day and by night to test the effectiveness of the various alert plans and the operational efficiency of the personnel involved.
103. STANDING OPERATING PROCEDURE.-Each unit of the defense will establish appropriate and effective procedure adapted to operating conditions and conforming to that established by the airdrome commander. Standing Operating Procedure will be devised to expedite those features of operations which permit definite or standardized execution without loss of effectiveness.
104. LIAISON WITH SUPPORTING UNITS.-Defense plans should be coordinated with those of all theater reserves which may be dispatched to assist the local defense. Such prospective reinforcements should be familiar with the organization of the ground before they are called in. Range cards, for example, may be made for field artillery whether the guns are in the local defense or with supporting units.
SECTION II: CONTENT OF PLANS FOR LOCAL GROUND DEFENSE
105. GENERAL.-All defense plans should contemplate the immediate defense of the airdrome by means of only existing facilities, fortifications, weapons, and troops and with little or no warning. In drawing them up the principles outlined in FM 101-5 for the preparation of combat orders should be observed. Each unit should have definite, concise instructions concerning the responsibilities and duties of its personnel for each anticipated major contingency. Uniformity of the parts of the plan is desirable to facilitate coordination and understanding by personnel transferring or changing duties within the command. If it is within the capabilities of the enemy to execute any form of attack or sabotage, a plan to defeat such attack will be made as soon as the installation exists. Initially, and in mobile situations, the plan may be quickly conceived and announced orally. In static situations, it will be deliberately prepared and written. The amount of detail contained in a plan varies inversely with the experience and state of training of the troops who are to execute it. Whatever their form and extent, such plans cover the following points:
a. Observation, alarm, and communication system.
b. Day and night recognition signals for friendly aircraft.
c. Camouflage and dispersion.
d. Organization of the ground-areas to be defended, weapon emplacements, fields of fire, obstacles, and obstructions.
e. Assignment of personnel to assembly areas for combat or for shelter.
f. Immobilization of vehicles not used by the defenders.
g. Damage control.
h. Defense against chemical attack.
i. Liaison with reserves and all possible supporting forces.
j. Emergency evacuation of aircraft.
k. Demolitions to prevent seizure and use of the airdrome by hostile forces.
106. PLANNING.-a. The capabilities of the enemy will be evaluated and the defense prepared accordingly.
b. Friendly troops in the area will be contacted with a view to forming a coordinated defense.
c. Care will be taken, in assigning the various units to the different forces, that units working or living in a sector are assigned where possible to forces operating in that sector.
d. All personnel (including transients) at a station will be accounted for in the plan. Provision will be made for the final use, if necessary, of all troops in the active defense of the station.
e. A mobile striking force or forces will be provided for.
f. A reserve force will be provided for, prepared to exploit any success or to intervene at any threatened point.
g. Care will be taken to specifically designate commanders for the sectors, the striking forces, the reserve, and other echelons of the defense force.
h. Each force will prepare the sector allotted to it for operations.
i. Most of the plan can and should be shown on an operations map.
j. Specialist officers, when available, will be required to prepare those parts of the plan, particularly annexes, pertaining to their specialties.
k. Whenever feasible, the plan will be supported by a complete and concise statement of the situation for the benefit of personnel who might be required to carry out its provisions without having had an opportunity to make thorough investigation and reconnaissance of the conditions involved. A list indicative of the considerations to be covered follows. It is to be taken as a guide and not as a complete catalog of all the factors which may exist in any given situation.
(1) Strategic location. (Is the area within range of hostile attack?)
(2) Surrounding terrain and features of military importance. (Is the surrounding area open, or is cover available to permit surveillance or the approach of hostile forces without detection?)
(3) Location with respect to civilian population. (This item might be favorable or unfavorable. Information should be included concerning any useful industrial or public developments and any potential hazards from local hostility.)
(4) Roads and railroads. (Does the surrounding road net facilitate the advance of hostile ground forces or undetected surveillance by enemy sympathizers or hostile agents?)
(5) Location with respect to reinforcements. (Include type and size of reinforcements, availability, communications facilities, distance, and time intervals involved.)
(6) Area and boundaries. (Do the size and shape of the airdrome and the locations of its boundaries favor the defense?)
(7) Location of vital installations. (What are the locations of the water system, bomb sight storage, supply points, hangars, motor pool, communications center, etc., and what are their capabilities for defense?)
(8) Isolated installations. (What installations are located at a distance from other installations and what provision is made for their defense?)
(9) Type of construction. (What is the spacing for protection against fire?)
107. OUTLINE MODEL OF A PLAN.-An outline model of a deliberately conceived written plan for the defense of a forward-area airdrome follows: It is to be used only as a guide for form and content. As no two installations are exactly alike, the situation and solution presented here should not be blindly applied. In addition to one fighter squadron, the presence of one infantry battalion and one battery of automatic weapons antiaircraft artillery is assumed.
DEFENSE PLAN
(Name of station)
(Date of issue) .
ASSIGNMENT OF TROOPS
(As assignments will change because of transfer of units, etc., they are shown on a separate page of the plan so that it may easily be revised and reissued as necessary to keep it up to date.)
A Force-Co.'A, 306th Inf Bn, reinforced by such detachments of the Heavy Weapons Co. and Antitank Platoon, Hq. Co., 306th Inf Bn, as may he assigned.
50 men from 795th Fighter Sq.
Commander: Company Commander, Co. A, 306th Inf Bn.
B Force-Co. B, 306th Inf Bn, reinforced by such detachments of the Heavy Weapons Co. and the Antitank Platoon, Hq. Co., 306th Inf Bn, as maybe assigned.
50 men from 795th Fighter Sq.
Commander: Company Commander, Co. B, 306th Inf Bn.
C Force—Co. C, 306th Inf Bn.
12 1/4-ton trucks and 12 1/4-ton trailers from the Heavy Weapons Co., 306th Inf Bn.
4 1 1/2-ton trucks from Hqs. Co., 306th Inf Bn.
2 1 1/2 -ton trucks from 795th Fighter Sq.
Commander: Company Commander, Co. C, 306th Inf Bn.
D Force-Battery A, 425th A. A. A. A. W. Bn.
Commander: Battery Commander, Battery A, 425th A. A. A. A. W. Bn.
E Force-100 men from 795th Fighter Sq.
Commander: Adjutant, 795th Fighter Sq.
1. a. Enemy capabilities.
(A brief estimate of the situation to indicate the threats the plan is designed to defeat.)
b. Supporting troops.
(1) This station is within the _________ Subarea, ________
Area of the _________ Sector. __________ Subsector Hq is
at __________ ,______________________ Sector Hq. is
at __________,______________________ Command Hq. is
at _______________.
(2) The ground forces in this area are:
___________________ at __________________
___________________ at __________________
___________________ at __________________
Since their mission is to defend the ___________________ Subarea,
including this station, assistance may be expected from them according to developments in the situation.
(3) In order that the action of all forces opposing an enemy ground attack may be coordinated, the defense forces of this sta tion come under the operational control of ____________________
(local area military commander) when _____________________
(Cite directive, etc.)
(4) AA units in the vicinity are:
___________________ at __________________
___________________ at __________________
(5) In the event of an attack on this station the afore-mentioned forces may be able to intervene at once, later, or not at all. The personnel of this station will be prepared to undertake the defense thereof without outside assistance.
2. Mission.
a. All personnel on this station will be prepared to participate in the active defense thereof, for the purpose of:
(1) Preventing enemy interference with the operation thereof,
(2) Preventing the enemy from taking the station for his own use or for the purpose of destroying it,
(3) Permitting, if necessary, an orderly evacuation.
b. Initially, designated personnel are assigned to combat forces, to damage control duties, and to passive defense duties, while others will carry on their normal operational duties. However, the tasks of various individuals and groups will he altered in accordance with developments in the situation.
3. a. A Force will prepare, and when alerted for ground defense, defend Sector A (Annex 1), including fixed positions and road blocks. It will provide striking forces for the sector.
b. B Force will prepare, and when alerted for ground defense, defend Sector B (Annex 1), including fixed positions and road blocks. It will provide striking forces for the sector.
c. C Force will constitute a mobile reserve striking force, and will be prepared to move, when ordered, with all possible speed to exploit success, counterattack, or reinforce threatened points. The personnel of D Force will remain in position at ___________________
(Annex 1).
d. D Force will man its automatic weapons continuously from 30 minutes before daylight until 30 minutes after dark, and at night for 5 days before and after full moon. Primary targets-
enemy aircraft within range. Additional targets-enemy ground forces.
e. E Force will constitute a general reserve, prepared, on orders, to reinforce threatened points. It will assemble, when alerted for ground defense, at _______ by the most expeditious means available. The MTO will dispatch ___________ trucks to ____________ for use by this force (par. 3g).
f. Remaining unassigned personnel and transients will man trenches at their places of occupation or quarters when any assigned duties cannot be performed.
g. The MTO will, when the ground defense alert is sounded, dispatch: ___________ trucks to _________ (par. 3e). Remaining vehicles will be dispersed and immobilized at ______________________
(1) The static defense is made up of prepared positions within the sectors-centers of resistance, machine-gun posts, and fox holes sited to cover the landing ground and the approaches to the airdrome (Annex 1).
1 (2) OP's 1, 3, and 5 will be manned at all times. Others will be manned immediately upon the sounding of any alarm. They will report all enemy air and ground activity.
(3) Airplanes will be so dispersed as to minimize the effect of air attack on groups of planes.
(4) All personnel will make full use of camouflage and natural concealment. Permanent installations will be camouflaged to break their general outlines and make them less apparent targets.
(5) Warning system:
(a) Air raid. The air raid warning, a rising and falling note, will be sounded upon the station siren. Upon the sounding of this warning, D Force (par. 3c) will at once man all its positions, all OP's (par. 3x(2) ) will be manned, and Damage Control (Annex 3) and Passive Defense measures (Annex 6) will be taken.
(b) Ground defense. The warning signal for ground defense will be ___________ when this alert is signaled, all provisions of this plan relating to repelling an enemy attack on the ground will be placed into effect immediately.
(6) Night (special provisions to make the plan effective at night, when personnel are in quarters) .
(7) Arms (instructions for distribution of hand arms so that an adequate number will be available when and where needed, day or night).
4. a. Supply.
(1) Rations and water (instructions for maintenance of emergency supplies of rations and water).
(2) Ammunition-the following ammunition will be drawn and maintained in serviceable condition at all times:
(a) Riflemen-1 full belt.
(b) Thompson submachine gunners-3 full clips.
(c) Pistol-3 full clips.
(d) Machine guns-600 rounds.
(e) Mortars rounds. _________________
(f) 40-mm automatic weapons, antiaircraft rounds. _______________________
(g) Reserve ammunition at the rate of three times these amounts will be stored in sectors by force commanders for immediate issue. b. Aid stations. (Annex 1.)
5. a. All defended localities, OP's, and machine-gun positions are connected to Battle Headquarters by field telephone.
FIGURE 19.-Principal dispositions for defense of a forward-area airdrome (par. 107).
b. (1) Command posts. (Annex 1.)
(2) Battle headquarters. A watch will be maintained at battle headquarters at all times.
----------- - --------
Commanding.
Concur:
------------------------------(Area commander)
ANNEXES:
No. 1. Operations Map.
No. 2. Signal Communications.
No. 3. Damage Control. No. 4. Chemical Defense. No 5. Medical.
No. 6. Passive Defense.
No. 7. Evacuation and Demolitions
108. REVISION.-Plans will be reviewed periodically and whenever the conditions on which they were based have changed.
SECTION III: TRAINING
109. GENERAL.-Plans alone are not sufficient. Their execution in an emergency must be insured by an intensive training program which provides for their frequent rehearsal and the working out of small problems that will arise from them. Indoctrination of troops should be so thorough that they will carry on with correct procedures under their own initiative.
Exercises can take the general form of
a. A map exercise, including an enemy appreciation of the best way of capturing the airdrome.
b. Exercises with the troops to test out
(1) Arrangements for command.
(2) Communications.
(3) Fire plan.
(4) Arrangements for relief.
(5) Smooth execution of procedures.
c. The exercises should include attack by airplanes, representation of the dropping of parachute troops, and, if possible, the actual landing of airborne troops: It is essential that troops at the various installations be practiced in the bold, offensive action needed to defeat parachute and air-landing troops. Small problems which require immediate coordinated action for their solution should be devised and executed on the ground. There is no reason why the defense of an airdrome should lack cunning, field craft, and deception. Troops must be trained by day and by night to take advantage of every fold in the ground and every bush and every scrap of cover and drilled in methods of silent approach. Rehearsals must not become routine.
