360th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron

Quarterly history For

July - September

1966

ir­\

....

FRQl.I: 360th Recon Sq (Haj or Lowe-46(9)

SUBJECT: (u). Unit History, ( 1 Jul 1966 thru 30 Seo 1966)

TO: 460th TRtoJ (DCOPR,A'fajor Doering)

1. (U). Lt Colonel James D Jelley, FR33S17, assumed command ot the360th Reconnaissance Squadron from Lt Colonel John A Brotherton, .FV817386, on 12 Jul 1966 (atch #1). Sinq~ the activation ot. thesquadron 8 Apr 1966, the unit continued its rap:ld growth during theperiod 1 Jul 1966 through 30 Sep 1966, both in tems ot personnelstrength and to a lesser extent in aircraft assignment..

2. (n). Appendix 1, Personnel Strength, retlEacts the rapid personne1growth since the squadron ws activated. The tollowing personnel mann­ing smtus existed on 30 Sep 1966.

Assi rmed Authorized Pergent Mmmed

Officers 72 106 67.9%Aimen .uJ .:uu.

~3ITOTAL 215 287

3. (SHGp-3). With respect to aircraft ~ssi~ent, the squadron re­ceived the following RC-47 ,s or Phyllis Ann airc~ during this per­iod.

"-.': .~ -.. ',. ,

Aircmft Number43-4912643-1$76745-104643-1$93342-9316643-4894743-49865

Date Regeived7 Jul 6610 Jul 669 Aug 6610 Sep 6611 Sep 6611 Sep 6613 Sep 66

AltA QpemUonnJJy ReidY12 Jul 661 Aug 66J,3At1g6611 Sep 6613 Sep 6613 Sep 6618 Sap 66 ,

/

The arriwl of these seven aircraft in addition to the tva !W-47's'already on hand, plus the t,.,o JC-47 Drill Press a1rc;raft, P1~s thenumber of aircraft possessed at eleven as ot 30 8."1964 against aprogrammed authorization of 17 aircraft. Jt is ant1ci~ted tha.t thesquadron llill receive its tun complement ot~ by the aDd ofthe 2nd qunrter, Fy 1967.

....

4. (~)(Gp-3). On 4 Aug 1966, the HawkEaYS aircraft JC-47, 45-0925, -'.depa.rted tor the ZI • It ws this aircraft with 1ts essentiaJ.ly"·RBread BonrdR, feasibility denonstration equiIJ!l8Dt, that provedthe extreme value of phase angle measurements ot" airborne radio.direction ringing (ARDF). Hawkeye developed ~~tionaJ. teQbni- :

.Cnf\\r\\)t.~1\~l ' ~o~.~"jed.~~."~~~~~'h:rlVi' . _ . '.: ..oo'[)'.I?~J~o ,~ :,

• '~.'-' ... "-£,., • . &r~/ ~~9!1.:;;e~ -~~1~f__ . '.'.'. •.. {, .,.::;.:~.i:~$~«.."~ "- "-7".."t~,".~$:""

___~~~$-ii~ ~~~~

ec47.com

( c~(quas using phase angle measuroment to determine bearing to targets.The outstandins results ac~ieved significantly influenced the de­cision of the Chief of Staff, USAF, to expand the ARDF progrmn inthe Air Force. Thus blossomed project "Phyllis Ann".

5. (C)(Gp..3). During this reporting period, the nUI!1ber of £lyinghours generated by the 360th Reconnaissance Squadron increased sign­~cantly over the previous period Yith the arrival of newly assignedaJ.rcrew and aircraft.

Jul 66Aug 66Sep 66

TotAl Hours Flmm

515905

1261

Aye 110. ACf't Possessed

6.56.99.5

Avg Flying HoursPer !cft Possessed

6. (CHGp-3). The follouing is a re~pituh.tion of the number andtype of missions now by the 360th Recon Sq durin~ the reportingperiod:

PRY]"s Ann Drj" PressAircraft Operational

Checks

Jul 66Aug 66

64 9101 Aircraft Returned

To ZI

4656 32

Sep 66 162 42 22

7~ (SHGp-4) • .As could be expected, the activation and buildup of aflying combat organization presented an enormous combat readinesstraining situation. This is esP*cially true in the case of the 360thRecon Sq mission in the RC-47 aircraft loTith Prototype AFDF electronicsequipment. All afrcrew members assigned to this unit received PhaseI C-47 aircraft training at England AFB, Louisiana, prior to arrival.Upon arrival, aircrew members undergo Phase II training or thea.teroperational readiness training "'hich consists of both ground anit in­flight training. The flight portion consists of one orientationmission plus 5 operational missions. All training is conducted ott ~'.

fra.gged combat missions. Ground training consists of a three dayground school. The first day involve's a theater intell1gence brief­ing and a visit to Paris Control (Combat Reporting Center) locatedat Tan Son I1hut Air Base. The second day consists of briefings ofthe history of Phyllis Ann, aircraft equipment, operational theoryand in-nights procedures, maps and charts and intelligence report­ing. The third and final day of the ground school consists of abriefing by the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing Commander, apersonaJ. equipment briefing, a weather briefing and operationsbriefing. It is anticipated that the 360th will provide operationalreadiness training to aircrew prior to their reassignment to the361st Racon Sq at Nha Trang and Det #1 36lst Recon Sq at Ple:lku.

2

CONFIDENTIAL

~I

D ded at 3 year iDle"'"owup .Decla.,ified after '2 yea"

000 DtR 5'.11".' () .:...__ ..• ,.._'" .- .... _-

..--.- -'..

ec47.com

(.; (

a. (s )(Gp-3). The i'ollouil:t; is a. Sl:IllIlla17 0... J{\~ cOI:l.bt!.t cre,., statusof the 360th ~conn.:rl.sso.nceSquadron:

Jul 1966AUG 1966Sep 1966

Crm.rs Foced

a9

17

59 (5 combat readiness che&cs given)

13 (4 ca.cbat readiness checks gi~en)

9. (S)(Gp-3). BecD-use or the highly sensitive natt:re of the missiona.nd !"esults of 360th Recon Sq opere.tio:,s, direct accomplishJ:lents , itsIUl.tt'..ro a..'1d extent, nrc not or~,ilI':!.:Y avnilab1e. rroue~er, the resultsof Phyllis Ann ana DJ.~ill Pl"ess flights aga-fnst extre.":':ely hicih prio:-itytarGet 10cat~ons are reflected in cOr!"espondence recei~ed fr~ higherSendquartc!"s.

a. A clo.ssii'ied (Sccl'et) lC';jt~:- fron -t.!:.G 6c;~4tr. Security Sq~dron(USAFSS), Subject: 360th Tac Becon Sq missions in Quang Fri Province,dated 3 Sep 66, states in part (see atch #2):

(1) (S)(Gp-3). The results of Phyllis Ann flights againstAtwF targets by the 360th TRS in the DMZ area on 29 aDd 30 August re­flect excellent coverage of extrem!3ly high priority target locations.These resuJ.ts were beyond expectations, providing eagerq sought 1nf'0r­mation for strategic aDd tactical planning... As a consequence of thesemissions, the Commanding General, Third Marine Amphibious Force (m MAF)has asked for a briefing on ARDF operations. His request specifi~mentions the "highly successful results" of the missions on 29 and 30August 1966•••

. (2) (C). "Successes such as this are highlights of the grovingnumber of missions which as a whole are daily enhancing the value ofPhyllis Ann to the Commanders in the theater."

b. A classified (C) message, J.1A.C 7903 Intel, from J-2 J.IA.CV, Subj:Drill Press Operation 2 September 1966 (U) stated in part (see atch #3):

n (1) (C). I wish to commend the Air Force and ArDv personnelwho, on such short notice, plaImed and executed a Drill Press mission onthe night of 2 Sep 66 in response to national level requirements.n

10. (U). The following decorations were awarded to personnel ot the360th Reconnaissance Squadron dm-iDg the period 1 Jul 66 thru 30 Sep 66:

(a. s.o. G-669, Hq, 7th AF, dtd 25 Aug 66 (atch #4) Staff SergeantJames D ~fetca1f, AF1.4552455 (2d OLe to the Air Medal)

'. r­c

(1) Air Medal:Lt Col Jack ... Crook, FR52217Lt Col John A. Goolsby', FR39697Major Robert L Jacobs Jr, FV591175Captain Gerald D Desch Jr, FV3104032Master Sergeant John F Matthews, AFlllS655Staff Sergeant larry G Hebert, AFJ.S429225

3 CONFIDENTIAL~\ ~~.

ec47.com

(2)

(~ (

Additions to the Air l'!edal: ~ONFIDENTIALCaptain Harold J Businger, FV3036430 (1st t~ 3d OLe)Captain Richard D Park, FV3065316 (ist thru 6th OLC)Captain Wesley J Rowe Jr, FR46694 (1st thru 4th OlC)Technical Sergeant Wilbur V Porter, AFlS09Q887 (1st & 2d OLe)

11 • (S )(Gp-3) • Supply Support:

a. Because of the short supply of survival vests and radioseach ere", member could not be turnished a personal kit. As a con­sequence, all survival kits have been pooled \lith each crew membersigning out a kit prior to each flight. It is estimated that thesquadron was 80% equipped during the reporting period.

b. A request for an HF radio transmitter was originally sub­mitted through supply channels on 23 December 1965. The installa­tion of an HE' radio transmitter in a know location was consideredessential because of the special equipment installed in the BJJ-47and because of the requirement to train replacement personnel inthe theater. Although the request was reaubmitted, the equipnenthas not been received. However, it is expected that it 'WOuld beavailable on or about 15 November 1966.

c. Shortages and supply delays on P£-47 pecular parts forcednumerous cannibalizations in order to meet scheduled mission re­quirements.

12. (U). During the montr-a of J~ and August, unschedUled main­tenance caused by engine vibration and rough propellers cOnBlmled~ maintenance manhours. Engine vibrations occurred when aircrewsused the lower brake horsepower power settings prescribed by TO lc­47-1 in order to obtain the desired endurance. A decision duringthe month of August to use a constant 2,000 RPl-i setting for crlii.sealleviated the vibration problem.

13. (C)(Gp-4). Air aborts (see appendix 7) were large~ due toma.1functioning ARD-1S and electronics equipment. These malfunctionswere attributable in large part to the lack of CPA-24 Doppler andC-12 compass system test equipment in the responsible specialistshops of the 460th A & E squadron. The lack of adequate test equip­ment for the 0-12 compass system, which is critical to the operationof the ARDF equipment, and the supply of J8 attitude indicators re­main as the major maintenance problems.

CONFIDENTIAL~I4

14. (U) • At the beg'nni ng of the reporting period, the separatelocations of squadron operations, adm1 n1 stration, maintenance aDdparked aircraf't, te:r removed from each other posed some problemsand cause inefficiencies. However, the move to the present consoli­dated squadron facilities was completed on 4 Sep 66, which providedtor much more efficient and effective operations and adm'nistration•SquaCron operations , adm'n'stration and maintenance activities

3• ,

DOWDpaded at year IDlel "•••

Declassilied alter 12 yearl IDOD DIR 5200.10 I ~...-._~

.3&cIf~·~6-0-1.~

.or

ec47.com

now located in ad:acent b~lf~~~!p~~~~.5and 6 off the taxiway that is parallel to the maiD runway of TanSon Nhut Air Base. Squadron aircraft are also Parked nearby-dia­go~ acr~6S the taxiway opposite the squadron area.

15. Unit C()1D'!llsnder l s per~onal sl.DIlllla.17:

The requests for ARDF Intelligence have increased with the rapidgrowth of the squadron capacity. This is inpart due to the successwe have enjoyed in collecting the requested data aM in part to theincreased pres:::ure on unfrieDd~ forces. The training program hascontinued throughout this period and with each class the crew arebetter prepared for combat. 2681 hours of combat ~ing were com­plete with o~ slight damage to aircraft and no injuries to per­sonnel. Supply of IC-47 pecular parts and life support equipmentare the major problems. Phyllis Ann is past adolescence and willcontinue to mature with each mission.

;

.CONF1DEN~

, Do","-~~ 81 , .~'..m~~.1a \I .. 000 DUl 51.\:i).IO 1,.I

ec47.com

~\

..•. ~(

Appendix No.

,2

:3

4

5

6

7

S

9

( c.INDEx: OF AFPENDICES

Title

Personnel Strength

List of Key Personnel

Total~ Hours

Number Sorties Flcnm

"Fhyllis Ann" - Average~Hours/Sorties Per Possessed Aircraft

"Drill Press" - Average ~ingHours/Sorties per possessed Aircraft

Air Aborts

Aircraf't In-Commission Rate

Aircraf't Nors Rate

ec47.com

ec47.com

ec47.com

ec47.com

ec47.com

ec47.com

{' .,

\

APPENDlX 2

360TH RECOIDlAISSANCE SQUADRON (PACAF)APO SAN FRANCISCO 96307

LIST OF KEY PERSOlJNEL

(

"r

COMl-WIDER: Lt Colonel James D Jelley (12 Jul 1966)

OPERATIOllS OFFICER: Lt Colonel Allan T Stein

SQUADRON NAVIGATOR: Major James A Hageman

SQUADroN MAINTENANCE OFFICER: 1st Lt Alison D Cotton (19 Jun - 15 Jul)1st Lt Ward F Meyers (16 Jul - 15 Aug)Lt Col Gerald A ottem (16 Aug - 30 Sep)

ec47.com

ec47.com

---~- :--.-.

Attachment No.

1

2

3

4

5

nmEI OF ATl'ACHNENTS

S.O. 6, 360th Becon Sq, dated 12 Jul 1966

Ltr (S), 6994th Sec Sq, s11bj: 360th TRSmissions in Quang Fri Province, dtd 3 Sep1966

Mag (C). MAC 7903 Intel, J-2 MACV, subj:Drill Press Operation 2 September (U)

S.O. 0-669, Hq, 7th AF, dated 25 Aug 1966

S.O. G-705, Hq, 7th AF, dated 6 Sep 1966

. . -,~ . ....

-.~ ..

ec47.com

(

DEE'AlIDIENT OF THE AIR FORCE360m RECOl-ilLUSSANCE SQUADRON (PACAF)

APO SAll FRANCISCO, 96307

SPECIAL ORDER6

(

12 Jul 1966

", /fJ'J""..r

Under the provisions of AFR 35-54, as amended, the UIldersigned herebyassumes command of the 360th Reconnaissance Squadron, effective thisdate, vice LTCOL JOHN A BBOTHERTON, FV817386, relieved.

Its/j8IfJ1JS d jelley,lt col, usai'!t!JAME:3 D JELLEI,Lt Col, USAFCrnmnsnder

t~M is a True Copy"

16=~~~LmTER C LAD·IAN JR, gt, TEAF!sst Admin Svcs Officer

006

ec47.com

FROI·!: OPR

(

3 September 1966

:'.'f'

SUBJECT: 360th Tac Becon Sq Missions in Quang Tri Province

TO: 460th Tac Racon Wg

1 • (S) • The results of Phyllis Ann flights against ARDF targetsby the 360th TRS in the DMZ area on 29 and 30 August reflect excel­lent coverage of extreme~ high priority target locations. Theseresults were beyond expectations, providing eager~ sought informa­tion for strategic aJJd tactical planning. Consumers of this infor­mation have expressed their complete satisfaction and have requestedfurther coverage by' Phyllis Ann aircratt specific~. As a conse­quence of these missions, the CmJJTjlandmg General, Third l-farine Amphi­bious Force (III MAF) has asked for a briefing on ARDF operations.His request specific~mentions the llhig~ successful results" ofthe missions on 29 and 30 August. J-2 ~fA.CV states in part, "This isthe largest number of •••• fixes noted in the Dl-!Z area to date." J-2comments then point out the signi.ficance of this information.

2. (C). Successes such as this are highlights of the growing num­ber of missions which as a whole are dai~ enhancing the value ofPhyllis Ann to the Commanders in this theater.

FOR THE CQl.~WIDER

Is/reginald g. m. gilbert, lt col, usaf/t/REGmALD G M GILBERT, Lt Col, USAFOperations Officer

"k{a;cor

LESTER C LAlMAl~ JR, )lSn.......-HS!FABst Admin Svcs Offic

024; ft£s .r,. .......i ::,

ec47.com

(. (

ICONFIDENTU.IJ

"r

P 110439Z

FM sse MACV

TO CO 7TH AF

CO 6994 SCT! ~

CO 509TH RR GP

NSAPACREP VIETNAM (c)

CON F IDE N T I A L MAC 7903 INTEL

J-2 MACV SENre: 7TH AF FOR D/1

SUBJ: DRILL PRESS OPERATION 2 SEPmmER (U)

1 • (C). I WISH TO co~n·!END TIlE AIR FOBeE AND .ARl4Y PERSOIDmt

WHO, ON SUCK SHORT NOTICE, PLANNED AND EXECUTED A DRILL PRFSS(. r.. •

MISSI011 011 THE NIGm' OF 2 SEPT»!BER m RESPOllSE TO NATIONAL1\

LEVEL REQtJIm.iENTS.

2. (C). IT IS mITIATIVE, RFSCOURCEFOLNFSS, DEVOTION TO

DUTY, COOPERATION AND mllTY OF PURPOSE SUCH AS DISPLAlED IN

ACC01lPLISHING THIS TASK THAT ENABLES n~TELLIGENCE ro BE TD-!ELY

AND RESPONSIVE.

3. (U). MY COIlGRATULATlmrs FOR A JOB WELL DOllE.

ec47.com

( (

so G-705, 6 Se!'tember 19E6, Hq 7th Air Force, AFO San Francisco 96307

TEC11TIC:J, SEr.GEA!7T lo1ILE~ V PORTZR, AFlSQ9OS87 (1st and 2d OLC)29 Ja.."1uary' 1966 to 13 June 1966

roR TEE CON!·WIDER

IS/harrold h miller/tJF.A..ll.~OLD H HILLE!t, CAPrADY, USAFAdministrative Officer

DIST?J!lUTICITGec47.com