SAC HISTORICAL STUDY 62 HISTORY OF 1ST AIR DIVISION (ACTIVATION 22 APRIL 1955 THRU INACTIVATION 20 MAY 1956) VOLUME 2

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00831R000100210004-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 31
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 6, 2008
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: April 22, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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SAC HISTORICAL STUDY 62
HISTORY OF 1ST AIR DIVISION
(ACTIVATION 22 APRIL 1955
THRU
INACTIVATION 20 MAY'1956)
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A?GC - 2 Cys
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TAC -2 cys
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I. A cut-off date of 5 March 1956 was established for
compilation of statistics on this operation. Subsequent
to thatLdate the following vehicles, which were originally
entered in the basic report as "Successful Launches", have
been recovered in the E'-,ropean area. No transmissions were
received frcm these balloons. For any gross analysis of
the statistics contained in this report the category for the
following enumerated balloons should be changed from
"Successful Launch" to "Failure" or "tray" as indicated
below:
Flight
Number
ADA 109
Line
Number
2114
- Balloon
Serial Number
648
Type
66CT
ADA 116
2124
655
66CT
ADA 150
2109
676
66CT
ADA 151
2.10
646
66CT
CIE 96
5097
704
66CT
EVA 71
1071
826
66CT
(C)
B.
Strays:
EVA 88
4088
.353
66CT
ADA 35
2035
19
66CT
(0)
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CHAPTER I - G EI-RAL St ARY
Iptroduction
1 General
Mission
Assi?=ent of Mission
Activation of 1st Air Division
Concept of Operations
Initial Schedule of Actions
Organization
Selection of Operational Sites
Communications
Cover Plan
Training Phase
Moby Dick Hi
Training
Launch
Hydrogen Generation
Tracking
Recovery
Operational Suitability
Vulnerability Test
Moby Dick Far Fast
Command Post Exercises
Deployment Phase
6926th Radio Squadron (Mobile)
1110th Air S Dort Grolm
456th Troop Carrier Wing
C 9
PAGE
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
9
11
12
15
16
16
16
Pre-Operational Decisions
Ground Cut-Down Stations
Surface Recovery Support
Preparations for Launch
Stipulations by Higher Headquarters
Cover ?,_an Launches
Placarrs
Launch itations
2G-BC :ai..iary Safety Unit
Locator Beacon
Planned Configuration
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Operational Phase, Primary Mission
General
Launching
Tracking
Recovery
Major Problems-
Suspensions of Operations
I Termination of Cperational Pnass
Results
PAGE
20
20
20
21
22
22
24
25
25
Tab "A" - Conclusions 28
CHAPTER II - PRE.-PRflARY MISS ION ACTIVITIES
Part I Deployment
Part II Moby Dick Far East
Part III Communications
Part IV Cover Launches
CHAPTER, III - PRl4`ARY MISSION
Tab A The balloon
Tab B The Gondola
Tab C Field Test for Modification to System 119L
Tab D Launch Operations
Tab E Hydrogen Generation
Tab F Tracking
Tab G Recovery
Tab H Control
Tab I Vulnerability
Tab J Analysis of DMQ-l
Tab K Discussion of DMQ-2
Tab L Information Services
Tab M Statistics
Tab N Analysis of Ballasting Performance
Tab 0 Materiel
Tab P Finance
Tab Q Personnel
Tab R Mission Analysis
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CHAPTER IV - METEOROLOGICAL ASPECTS
Part I Meteorological PlanninE for C eration
Part II Guidance for Cperation of Launch Control
Center Weather.Facility
Part III Guidance for liberation of Recovery Control
Center Weather Facility
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Part IV
Requirement for Weather Smoort
part V
Weather Support for Balloon Launching
Operation
Part VI
Comparison of Climatological Estimate
of Launch
Site Weather and Favorable Initial
Trajectories
Pert VII
Losses *of Vehicles due to Tinfavora'cle
Trajectories
Part VIII Accuracy of Cl matological Estimate of Launch
{ Site Weather Con itions
Part IX Evaluation of Weather Conditions in Recovery Area
Part X Fore ca stab i 1 ity and Reliability of Current
Trajectory Launch Criteria
CHAPTER V - BIbLICGRPLFHY OF REFERENCE DGCUi NTS
CHAPTER VI - IBM 1~AC::INE RUN
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GE ERR L SIJ! .RY
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1. INTRODUCTION:
1Lf)
Air Command", dated 22 March 1955* i
C. ~s~ invent of Mission: Weapor.S System 119E was developer
by Air Force agencies and civilian institutions for the pu-pose
of conduct-n` pioneer reconnaissance by use of high altitude balloons.
.,_____._He_adquart ers UTSAF_ monitored this project curing the plann_:g
and development stages by direct coo dination with individual
commands. It became apparent that a single command was rea'.ired to
further develop, coordinate and conduct the operation. The
Strategic Air Command was assigned this respcnsibiity in- :JSAF
letter, Subject: "Assignment of Addit on..l Mission. to Strategic
A. General: This is the Final R5oort-of Project 119L
conducted by Strategic Air Command through the 1st Air Division
(Meteorological Survey). This report is intended to cover the
primary mission for which Weapons System 119L was designed, plus
related pre and post mission activities. In the event a more
complete analysis of the project is contemplated, reference must
be made to those documents listed in Chapter V plus data
available to Air Force Ca bridge Research Center, A?.DC. ',;jam_ ons
System 119L is described in Tabs "A".and 1B", Chapter III.
~- ` B. Mission: To obtain photographic and eleetronic-reconnais-
sance of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its satellites
using Weapons System 119L. (j2'1
D. Activation of 1st Air Division: To accomplish the mission,
Strategic Aiz- Command activated the .1st Air Division at Offutt Air
Force Base :,.n SAC General Order Number 26, dated 15 April 1955.
The Mission of 1st Air Division was established in SAC Regulation
Number 23-7, dated 15 June 1955. (UJ
E. Concept of Operations: The basic concept was to accomplish
launches from Western E=ome. Balloons were expected to transit
the target area in seven to ten days and then be tracked and
recovered within the Far East and Alaskan areas. '2
1. Initial Schedule of Act-ions- The most favorable period
for launch was det?rr:ined to be 1 Novembe- throur:^ 1 ?':a,,y during
which period the prevailing winds were predicted tc be West tc East
at all alt_tudes.y This was therefore establisher as the period
during w ich tine operation would be con~ucted. Based or this period
of favorable winds it was planned to conduct Zone of interior
Ooerational Suitability Testing and Train nE during the period May
1955 through September 1955. There would then remain sufficient
time for the units involved to deploy to forward bases and prep .re
such bases prior to the i-nolenentation date. 1 November 1955.
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2. Organization:
a. 1st Air Division was assigned operatioral control
of the 456th Troop Carrier Wing (TAO), equipped with C-119
aircraft for recovery operations; 1110th Air S=port- Group (F DCOM)
s
the balloon launching or?anization; and the 6926th Radio Squadron
(Mobile) (USAFSS), to perform the tracking junction. because of
the peculiar nature of the mission, resnonsibi ity for operational
control of the launch and recovery units was almost immediately
expanded to include resnonsibility for training units and crews.
This expansion of responsibility was a._,cmplished by mutual agreement,
betweeni the Commander, 1st Air Division, and the Commanders of the
parent commands. Also, because of the tremendous cua.-til ties of
material involved which req`,zired shipment overseas to meet deadline
dates, it became apparent that 1st Air Division should be given the
responsibility of monitoring procurement, development, shipping,
etc. Accordingly, these lo_istical.responsibilities were a-so
transferred by mutual consent of commanders concerned.
b. lst Air Division established Detachment 1, lst Air
Division, ,jam as a forward co ,and post for the
purpose of coordinating launch, support and public i nforruation
requirements and effecting necessary liaison with sumporting
agencies. This detachment was activated 9 June 1955. Its mission
was later expanded to include the requirement to exercise operational
control of all European area launches. Headquarters 1110th Air
Support Group, directed the
activities of the five launch detachments. ~~.
c. Headquarters 456th Troop Carrier wing was
established at /' and functioned as a forward command
post for the purpose of coordinating tracking, recovery and public
information requirements and effecting necessary liaison with
supporting agencies in the Farr East. The 456th Troop Ca-Trier Wing
exercised operational control over tracking and recovery activities.
d. A graphic presentation of command relationship is
contained on the following page. (U)
3. Selection of Operational Sites:
I
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A further study of meteorological data indicated
that more complete coverage could be obtained if sites were widely
dispersed in Western Europe; besides, surface weather
was expected to be unsuitable for launch activities a large part
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of the time. In additio^., the distance from the area of interest
resulted in a day or so of balloon travel before the photographic
mission could be started, an important factor when the criticali,y
of balloon life e:Dectancy is considered. Based on studies of
trajectory and surface weather, general areas for the location of
launch detac'rments were selected.
After selection of
the general areas, USAF directed that specific locations be selected
by CLNICUS.t_ ML. This per:::itted consideration of logistical feasibi ity,
physi&l adequacy, and other pertinent info--ration pertaining to the
theater and known to USAFE headqus-"ters. Criteria for physical
adequacy to support balloon operations were stated by 1st Air Division.
In June 1955, the Commander,
1st Air Division. and members of his staff visited each of the primary
sites with a view toward inspecting the physical facilities available
and stating specific requirement for site preparation.
b. The three squadrons of the 456th Troop Carrier
t'ing were divided into detach:-ments comprised of eight 0-119 aircraft
each and placed at recovery sites believed to be compatible with
the predicted upper air trajectories.
c. Location of tracking sites was predicated upon
the forecasted flow f balloons into the recovery area and the recaire-
ment to obtain adequate "cuts" of lines of position (bearings) to
establish fixes.
At termination of the project an
additional site had been activated at Nome, 11a-swat due to a require-
ment based on experience gained during a '' operations,
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4. Communications o
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a. The 1st Air Division communications network was
composed of commercially leased and allocated military telet> i l iary Safety Unit) : Safety measures against
free fall of the equipment in the event of balloon failure during
and after ascent were provided the 119L system by a safety chute and
by the electronic package control unit. To give back-up protection
against free fall, in addition to the above, USAF determined that
an auxiliary safety unit, the 2G-3C, would be included -Jr. the system.
Delivery of the 2G-3C to launch Detachment was subsequent to termina-
tion of the primary mission, therefore it was never actively
5. Locator Beacon: In May 1955 a requirement was stated
for a locator beacon which, attached to the gondola, would send
signals from a downed position to direct searchers to the location,
Without such a beacon it was considered that downed gondolas would
be difficult to find on land and practically impossible to find in
water. For technical reasons, development was limited to a beacon
which would work in water but not on land. It was designed with a
salt water activated battery to transmit a LTHF signal for k8 hours
to a range of 2C0 - 150 nautical Idles. Recovery aircraft and the
Air Rescue aircraft were capable of homing on these signals using
the AN/ARC-27 with the AID/ ARA-25 homin_ adapter. Early at tempts to
test prototype and first production models of the bea:cn. were in-
conclusive: and considerable delay was ex-perien;,?ed in getting firs.
article approval. `owever, because the beacons Were known to c,e
capable cf functioning, 501 were accepted and st ppped lawn h sates
for use prior to rece?nt of first article approval. T. is approval
was received on L. January 195;. A beacon was to be atT,azhed to each,
system launched.
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E. Planned Configuration: The configuration of balloon-
gondola assemblies planned for the beginning of operation was in
consonance with other operations decisions and was standardized
for all launches regardless of balloon. type. Principal features
were :
1. Basic configuration was normal, consisting of balloon,
load straps, rotator, bar asse cly, parachute. cluster, water station,
DM~-l, thermal package -for electronic gear, and two ballast boxes.
2. A 24 foot emergency parachute was rigged between the
gondola and the balloon to prevent free fall of any portion of the
vehicle in the event of balloon failure during ascent. (U)
3. Four packages of chaff were attached to the bar assembly
and rigged in such a manner as to be automatically dispersed on bar
separation. The purpose was to provide positive fixing of terming-
- , ,..?,
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CW
L. A radiosonde unit was attached to the system to provide
information on level-off altitude if the ascent were successful, or
to give a positive indication if failure occurred within approxi-
mately two hours of launch. ,)
F. Tactics:- Because of the relatively inflexible nature of
the the balloon system and the fact that maximum altitude had been
prescribed, few tactical decisions were necessary. Those found
necessary are described briefly below:
1. Based on meteorology, radio transmitter turn on times
were established to insure that regardless of wind speed encountered
(within reasonable 1i.-.its) the trap. ission would begin prior to
arrival of the balloon in the recovery area.
tion position by radar.
2. Camera turn on'times were to be delayed long enough in
each case to avoid the possibility of photographing friendly
territory.
/3. The 66CT balloons were to be launched from the two
V so as to penetrate the border d ring hours of darkness.
The 128TT was not restricted as to hours of darkness, nor was the
66CT when launched from the other three sites. ()
To obtain sufficient balloon life expectancy (7-3 days)
and stay within the prescribed altitude deli nE, the 66CT balloons
~
were prepared for a planned in. ;.i- altitude of apprcX=atE Y
tj 123TT Galloons
46,500 feet and a ballasting altitude of ?;000 fee
were prepared for an initial altitude of 50,000 feet and a ballast-
ing altitude of 45,000 feet. (~l
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Y. OPER.-.T ICNAL PHASE, P TLkRY MISS ION :
A. General: By 1 December 1955, the established date for
commencement of operation) all units were in place and operationally
ready. Pending receipt of an execution order command post exercises,
Moby Dick Far East, and other training in mission accomplishment
continued. Also advantage was taken of this period to continue the
distribution of additional production material to the overseas
locations. ; `
1. The mission was ordered executes on 10 January 1956.
Eight effective balloons were launched on that date,
B. Launching:
1. Subsectiently, balloons were launched dail aj at rates
Y
consistent with the directed 1i..itations ex?ept as further limited
by political considerations ^pd surface weather. Launch teams of
the 1110th Air Sumport, Oro= turned in exceptional per.`ormances,
demonstratin` on some occasions capability to exceed the maxim'
launch rate proErenned. (~d')
2. The limitation to 10 effective launches per day
continued in effect until 17.Janua_ry when it was increased to 20
per day. On 25 January it was increased to 30 per day; and to 40
per day on 2S January.
3. Although experiencing their worst winter weather for
several years at the launch sites, pre-mission predictions of
percentage of weather favorable for launch were found to be quite
accurate. As expected, from stand cint of surface weather,
was the poorest site and the best. The original concept in
regard to weather was that balloons could not be launched in the
presence of any precipitation, for, or icing. Because such restric-
tion would have an adverse effect on capability to meet daily quotas,
it }gas decided to test feasibility of launching under these condi-
tions. From these tests it was concluded that balloons can, be
successfully launched during periods of fog and light precipitation
in the absence of severe icing conditions. Weather criteria for
launch were changed accordingly. Od-j
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6.
Launches were permitted
only under coalitions most favorable to successful ascent and flight.
Launch operations were resumed on 3 February when the reerired
conditions existed.
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C. Tracking: Tracking detachments obtained 22,867 bea-_ngs
which were used in plotting balloon positions d'._-=ng the oneratio_..
This does not include the many sirgli bearings which were obtained
on transmissions from balloons which wire heard at least one time,
since such bearings could not be used for position fixing. Often
only an initial transmission would be received, after which the
balloon was not heard from again; further, some of the initial trans-
missions were ter;.i_nation si;rals which ir2icated loss, either by a
system faJ! :=e or u _frien ly ccunte easures. A deficiency was noted,
in the tracking capa:i ity over the bering Sea Er--d Northwestern
Alaskan area. To offset the deficiency, a detachment was formed
from in-place resources and located at Nome. The cetacorent became
operational after termination of the operations; as a result, it did
not contribute to the mission.
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KOCH. EXCIGi:1 i`ATA I0:merienced complete failure o' the transmmitter; or they f a_' ed to live until their proor- -..sec t;.rn-on
time. Since many of these boons were launched close in tme to
balloons w :ich layer arrived, trajectory is ..hcu_ht to be respc nsi'le
for only a snail percentage. From !1oby Dick statistics. was
reasonable to assume that 35% of the trans-itters wo,.:ld function
properly. This leaves the vast majority in the category of not
having lived long enough to trans::-,it. It is reasonable to ass,=e
that some launches which were considered successes, in actuality
were not. Frer dams the launch personnel were unable to mow.' for the
flight lone enough to observe fa-42-re; perhaps minute holes were in
the balloon allowing the gas to leak out over a period of hours;
perhaps the ballasting mecharis failed and caused the balloon to
descend to the ground. Although over-ballasting is known to have
shortened balloon life to a degree, this degree was not such that
a large n,=ber would expire for this reason prior to turn-on time,
Although no exact values can be placed on any of the above factors;
even in combination, it is considered unreasonable that they could
have been responsible for early termination of such a large number
of balloons. It i-s .concluded, then, that the major contributing
factor to loss of these balloons was a tri:ion by enemy action.
This conclusion is strengthened by the fact -.ha-., er4o;,-12 the
element of su_--Drise, balloons launched prior zc 2~) January were
fairly successfu' ; however, of 1S4 bailocns successfully launched
on and after 25 January only 20 were heard to trans-4t and only two
were recovered. This indicates that after two weeks in which to
react, the 'JSSR had come t- with an exceptiona_:ly effective defense.
Contrary to the radar tracing capability demonstrated in the 2 1
during Moby Dick Hi, 12th Air 'Force radars were ADir- tn -.rack balloons
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up to 150 miles across the line; it is assumed, therefore, that
Russian radars were sip-: larly capable. The length of the metal
cross-bars and the meta-1 water station increased rada-- v lnera-
bility. It was kno,,-n beforehan that Russian fighters were
capable of attaining the altitudes to which the balloon flights
were restricted (55,000 ft). Vulnerability was certainly affected
by balloon behavior, as previously discussed, in descending to
ballasting altitude (40,000 to 45,000 ft) shortly after noon. ;;,el
1. As the effect of attrition became noticeable, such
steps as were possible were taken to minimize the v,:lnerabiltv
Altitude was increased to the limit Dossibie within the directed
ceiling and radio turn-on times were delayed to deny use of these
signals as an aid to the enery. Plans were made to remove the
water station entirely, in order to minimize radar detection.
removal or rais:.nE cf altitude restrictions was recommended to
USAF; balloon tran=fitters were not. to be turned on until the
very last day of programmed life. Cperations were suspended before
all of these measures could be placed into effect. (ia'1
D. All systems launched carried the (photographic)
gondola. No D:;1--c-2 (electron_ic ferret) pactiages were launched since
this type of eouinmen, was not perfected in time.
E. A sI.^mary of photo_raphi.c tcccm lisrmerts processed b?
the Aeronautic=! Chart and Information Service as of 30 March
1956, is as follows:
1. Total n' ber of missions, from which photography was
obtained - 40.
2. Total number of usable a=osures - 13,313.
3. Gross statute miles of charting photography -
1,934,173. (4
4. Net statute miles of charting photography - 1,661,369.
(equal to approximately 51' of the Continental 'J :.tec States) !~!
Gross sou -e statute miles of charting photography
for Sine-So w iet area
oC
W
- b. Net scuare statute miles of cnartin=" ph,. tograDhy for
v Sino-Soviet area - - (e~u~ to 3/ ~7'jc of ` the ..O:i-,inen~ l
~ '^,l
m
= United States, or approximately 3F of Steno-Sov- et area). 7. Cost per square mile (net) ;.4ST . , .L.Q. (U)
e-
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