The 0-1 aircraft support for the Group increased from three to five aircraft daily. This enabled the Group to intensify its visual reconnaissance program and to continue to use aerial observers to adjust artillery, conduct registrations and provide convoy coverage. In the month of April an average of 50 visual reconnaissance missions were flown each week and the average flying time per day was 25-30 hours. A total of 97 'adjust' missions and 130 registrations were fired during the month. Approximately 12 hours of convoy cover missions were flown each week. Visual reconnaissance missions continue to be the most significant source of intelligence throughout the Group area, providing an average of ten usable sightings per day. These, when correlated with other local intelligence sources, were the principle source of H and I targets, and targets of opportunity. A continuing problem is the difficulty of obtaining any surveillance of artillery fires directed into heavy jungle. In most cases it was impossible to assess enemy casualties from the artillery fire.
Lessons Learned, Headquarters, 54TH Artillery Group
1967
25 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch