Goose Bay, Labrador

7 July 1955

AFADJ

Subject: Report of Historical Program (RCS: 1-AF-D2, 64-1)

To: Commander
64^th Air Division (Defense)
ATTN: Director of Statistical Services
Pepperrell Air Force Base

1. During the period 1 April 1955 to 30 June 1955, the following prominent events occurred at the 641^st ACWRON, Goose Bay, Labrador, for the betterment of mission capability.
2. In the month of April 1955, the fighter status board was redone to conform with a Division directive to standardize all boards. Also 3 CGA charts were placed across the bottom of the board to aid Directors with regards to weather minimums for air defense scrambles as well as training missions. All of the pilots now have, in addition to their number, a color code (red, white, or blue) which corresponds to one of the three charts.
3. Radar maintenance installed the back-up search. On 7 through 14 April 1955, the AN/CPS-6B antenna drive system was replaced. On 22 April 1955, the AN/CPS-6B antenna motor was dismantled and damaged bearings were replaced.
4. The Communications Section reported that during this period equipment difficulties and failures were experienced at the LF site, causing one of the back-up nets to be off the air for a few weeks. It was found that when difficulties were encountered with the HF back-up, many of the sites were not prepared to phase back to HF back-up transmission.
5. Tropo circuits are now completed, linking by voice, all the EW sites down to Division. This includes circuits from our Operations and through the various switchboards. The Tropo teletype circuits have been very satisfactory, and with the discontinuing of the 64E4 reports, by use of voice circuits, traffic passing through the communications center was cut to about one third of what it had been previous to this period.
6. The personnel situation in the supply section remains the same in regard to the experience level of personnel assigned. The experience is considered below normal or below the acceptable level for accomplishing the mission of the section. To relieve this situation, under the circumstances, very close supervision is given by the supply officer and personal instruction is given to all individuals working on the job.
7. Air Force Forms 1120 were completed by the supply section during April and all balances on the old UPREAL and Plant Account were transferred to the new form 1120.
8. It was found, that the screening of the stock lists and the ordering of Stock Lists shortages during March was proving to be worthwhile. Many new stock lists have been received including old basic issues which were not on hand.
9. All Air Force Form 85Bs on which Communications and Electronics spares are carried have been screened against the bin locations in an effort to pin point items in storage that are not on record. When it was found that many items stored in C&E supply were not on record cards, a project was set up to discover these items and place them on formal record. The cards are screened against the bins; this was completed in April. Then all items remaining which were not screened through the card check, had to be identified and picked up on a card. This project is now estimated to be about 90% complete as of 30 June 1955.
10. The squadron MARS station underwent a complete remodelling in May. Everything was painted, a new console was constructed, and new control circuits were put in making operation simpler and easier. The station is now being operated on a full time basis, on the amateur bands.
11. A new movements and identification table was constructed and installed in operations during the month of May. It now provides more working space, better grouping of flight plans, and drawer space for charts and forms.
12. Captain Wallace E Loman, the Operations Officer, was on TDY during May, to the 64^th Air Division (Defense), for the purpose of revising 64^th Air Division (Defense) Manual 55-2. He was one of a number of representatives from the NEAC area.
13. The last day of the 2 day Division ECM conference was held at this site on 19 May 1955.
14. During the month of June, a complete and up to date posting of Soviet air facilities along the USSR Arctic coastline, and farther inland, was completed on a large wall map in the operations office. Soviet air base capability was broken down into 5 categories. Particular attention was devoted to the Kola Peninsula airfields, which are considered a direct threat to the NEAC area. A similar posting of Chinese Communist air facilities along the China coast has been initiated.
15. An advanced semi-automatic 90 degree lead collision computer was installed in operations. This computer gives an optical presentation of the fighter line of position. The line of position tracks automatically through a 15-J-1C drive unit and as a result gives the controller a very accurate base line to work from. True airspeed plus wind speed and direction are the component parts that are set manually, but once these variables are placed in the computer, any or all changes in speed or direction can be immediately compensated for, and a 90 degree beam intercept is assured. The first working model has been critically evaluated by operations personnel and corrections to insure more rapid and accurate work is being incorporated into a second model that is now being built. With this second model, a controller will be able to make accurate 90 degree beam intercepts, using the air mass positioning method (or theory), under any or all sets of conditions.
16. Training of airmen in ECM is being accomplished through coordination of the REV/ECM Flight at Goose, and this unit. This also gives controllers necessary training in ECM on 90 degree beam intercepts while working with ECM missions.
17. The LF receivers are in the process of being remoted to the RX site. Tests have shown that reception should be greatly improved with the receivers physically relocated from the communication center to the RX site.
18. The excess C&E spares stocked for the AN/MPS-4 and AN/CPS-5 radar sets were pulled from the bins, identified and have been turned into the support base supply. The order for the turn-ins was made in April and completed by this squadron in June.
19. Operations lost 11 airmen who were transferred to the Division in June. Also this month saw the promotion of two Master Sergeants to the grade of Warrant Officer.
20. The long pending installation of the dish washing machine was finally completed in June. The mess hall is now awaiting the fabrication of an overall canopy and modifications to the drain tables.
21. Radar Maintenance at the end of this reporting period, is still very short of personnel, and consequently are working longer shifts than they normally would.
22. Personnel Services continued the publication of the squadron newspaper, "Pinetree Patter", on a bi-monthly basis. The rotation of the qualified airman in this section resulted in some missed issues of the paper.
23. The Motor Pool reported 211 consecutive days and 87,114 miles driven without an accident.

For the Commander:

DL Repp
2^nd Lt, USAF
Adjutant