Stephenville, NF

Subject: Historical Report, RCS: 1-AF-D2A (64-1)

To: Commander,
64^th Air Division (Defense),
Pepperrell Air Force Base

The most important change during this reporting period was a change in Commanders. Major Ezra Ballard, Jr., the former Commander was reassigned on 1 March 1955 to Tyndall AFB, Florida. He was replaced by Major William H Sheppard, who was assigned from HQ, 64^th Air Division (Defense).

This squadron received a surprise visit from Major General WE Sweeney, Commanding General, 15^th Air Force. General Sweeney observed on our radar scopes, air craft of his Air Force during an air refuelling mission in this squadron’s area of control.

Discipline and morale at this squadron was considered excellent over the entire reporting period.

Increased interest and effort has been directed toward fire prevention. We have had several inspections. Each showed that this squadron maintains an excellent fire prevention program.

Orderly Room:

The only change in Orderly Room personnel during this period was the reassignment of A/1C Alfonzo Smith, clerk typist. His loss is regretted, but his duties have been adequately assumed by A/1C Norman Pierre.

The following named Orderly Room personnel received promotions during this period:

The Orderly Room has continued to maintain its high degree of efficiency. 100% reports control efficiency was maintained during this period. No outstanding problems have been encountered.

Medical Section:

The Medical Section suffered the loss of its highly competent Medical Technician, T/Sgt. Connie B Thompson, who rotated to the ZI. He was replaced by S/Sgt. Waverly E Pryer, Sr. Also assigned to the Medical Section during this period was A/2C AJ Wyatt.

The health of the squadron is considered excellent. Only four men were hospitalized during this period, but each illness was relatively minor and each was released within two (2) weeks. There were no cases on venereal disease reported.

Air Police Section:

Reassigned during this period was S/Sgt. Tounsel Howard, former Provost Sergeant. He was replaced by S/Sgt. Charles E Stephon. A/1C Eugene Cain has assumed duties as airman-in-charge of Security. Ten (10) night security checks were performed during this period. Each check found all safes, desks and buildings to be secure.

There has been some trouble with barracks thefts. These cases have not been conclusively solved as yet, but are still under investigation. Otherwise, conduct on this Site has been excellent.

Special Services:

Special Services arranged for several USO shows to be brought to the Site during this period, including the AF show "Tops in Blue".

Plans are underway for squadron participation in the 64^th Air Division (Defense) volleyball tournament scheduled for Pepperrell AFB. The squadron basketball team was active in this year’s league at Ernest Harmon AFB. This year’s softball team is presently being organized and it is hoped to field a team as successful as last year’s team.

Movies are shown almost nightly in the squadron theater. An admission fee of twenty-five (25) cents per person is charged.

Improvement of the squadron library is underway. More books are being sought and the Ernest Harmon AFB Library staff have been most co-operative.

Information and Education:

As our organization rated fifth in percentage of airmen who have completed High School level GED tests, in comparison to other units of Ernest Harmon AFB, every effort has been made to increase the number of personnel participating in this function. This naturally necessitates an abundance of hours of counselling and interviewing.

A third in a series of GED testing programs are presently being conducted at this Site. Base Educational personnel have been contacted and arrangements have been made to have them arrive every Friday afternoon for this purpose. By bringing this service to the squadron, we are increasing the availability and, consequently, increasing the individual desire.

The highly cooperative personnel in the Base Education Center constantly replenish our supply of college catalogues.

Additional United States Armed Forces Institute courses were also received to add to our already large supply on hand or checked out by hand receipt to squadron personnel.

All newly assigned personnel are now interviewed by the Education NCO upon their arrival into the organization and thoroughly briefed on the educational facilities on hand and which can be made available to them. All personnel are encouraged to participate in some sort of self-improvement program.

Direction Center:

During the reporting period there have been several skilled airmen rotated to the ZI for assignment:

In return for the skilled airmen that rotated this section received unskilled airmen:

Captain Elton G Gate and 1^st Lt. John R McDougall were assigned to this section as Directors, giving a total of twelve (12) Directors, five (5) 1644’s and seven (7) 1641’s.

In the coming months it appears that personnel problems are going to be worse.

All newly assigned airmen are given one (1) week’s formal school on the functions of the Air Defense System.

Three (3) airmen received promotions to A/1C, one (1) airman was promoted to A/2C, and one (1) airman upgraded to A/3C.

Section SOP’s were reviewed and revised to meet the requirements of the section.

The new Manning Document was received 25 March 1955, authorizing us ten (10) Directors and fifty-three (53) AC&W Operators. It is felt that this is unrealistic as we are designated as an Air Defense Direction Center and in the near future will be responsible for identifying all traffic on the island. We are also the Alternate Air Defense Control Center.

With fifty-three (53) men assigned, it enables us to have thirteen (13) airmen per crew. Thirteen (13) airmen per crew is not enough to man all the required positions in the Air Defense Direction Center efficiently.

Sergeants Thomas and Wilson were placed on formal training for 27370 (AC&W Supervisor).

During this reporting period the section gave navigational assistance to several SAC movements and/or refuelling missions.

On 10 March 1955 General Sweeney visited the Direction Center to watch the refuelling mission.

On 11 March 1955 General Wade and A/1C Ross visited the Direction Center for the purpose of taking pictures of the refuelling mission.

The section continued cross training with the Sydney (EW) Station.

One (1) Director and three (3) airmen were exchanged with RCAF personnel for one (1) week of cross training. This proved to be most effective and it is felt that more cross training should be conducted throughout the Division.

Electronics:

Changes in personnel: Mr. Carl Moeller was replaced by Mr. Walter Leonard as Philco Technical Representative. Others were:

CPS-5 dismantled and turned in to Supply.

Considerable jamming experienced from GCA and EW after fruitless attempts to have GCA tune away. Problem was at least temporarily cleared up by setting local oscillator frequency 30 megacycles above the EW transmitter instead as 30 megacycles below as the Tech Order calls for. Further experiments are in progress to permit utilization of AFC Circuits under these conditions.

Word has been received that new CADS PM system is available in the Command and should be available at the Site in the near future for AN/TPS-502 back up height finder.

Two (2) AS-295 (IFF) antennas were installed on the EW antenna. One (1) of these antennas was later removed and shipped out as instructed by 64^th AD. This did not curtail the operation of the IFF on the EW.

A CGE team re-located the AS-295 for the EW IFF in the center of the sail instead of on the end of the sail as previously installed by Site personnel.

The same CGE team relocated the pressure flaps on the pressure chamber doors of the 502. These flaps were previously located on the outer side of the doors but were relocated on the inner portion of the doors in such a manner that radome pressure would tend to hold them closed in the event that the latchway would be open.

A small portion of the protective strip on the 6B radomes outer seam was torn loose during a storm on 27 March and will be repaired in the near future by Site personnel with the assistance of the Marconi resident engineer.

Word was received that the two (2) brackets needed to expedite the repair of the air seal will be received in the near future. The defect is in the air seal and has existed since the acceptance of the set and is progressively getting more serious.

It is contemplated that the seal on the azimuth drive gate train which has been leaking excessively since the acceptance of the 6B will be replaced in conjunction with the repair of the air seal.

Disposition has been received on the AN/CPX-13 (IFF for the AN/CPS-5) and will be turned in during the next reporting period.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced during the reporting period with the 36 speed transmitting selsyn. The cause of the frequent failure of this unit has not been determined. All scopes not necessary for the performance of the mission have been disconnected to lessen the load on the selsyn system until the trouble can be isolated. These scopes may be returned to operating condition in a matter of minutes.

A new manning table for the section was received authorizing seventeen (17) airmen and two (2) officers in the section. It is felt that this is more realistic than the previous authorization of twelve (12) airmen and two (2) officers.

The section SOP’s were rewritten and revised to cover current conditions.

Job descriptions were written by the airmen in the section to aid in orientation of newly assigned airmen.

Staff Sergeants Blair and Julian were recommended for formal OJT as 30372’s to fill vacancies created by the new manning document.

Training continues as rapidly as possible as the assigned personnel and work load permits.

Communications:

On 10 January Lt. Howard K Fenton arrived as was assigned as Comm Center Officer.

On 26 January Captain Gordon F Wilcox arrived to assume the duties of OIC, Communications Section.

On 28 January, A/2C Herman L Little arrived and was assigned to the Radio Maintenance Section.

On 1 February Captain Bernard Dick (former Comm Officer) left for Goose Air Base.

A/1C Ernest Lampkin was promoted to Staff Sergeant. A/2C’s Raymond Callaghan, John Hochstetler, and Tommy Curtis were promoted to Airman First Class.

On 8 February the tail cable to EHAFB became bad and telephone cables on the Site became bad.

On 12 February a high wind damaged power lines and a cross arm on a power pole supporting lines to the RX. Damage was completely repaired.

On 23 February Lt. Howard Fenton, Comm Center Officer, and S/Sgt. Truman Quigley, NCOIC Comm Section, were sent to St. Anthony in an effort to improve operating procedures.

On 7 March a severe wind storm caused damage to telephone cables.

On 16 March the manpower shortage became so acute that the Comm Section had to borrow two (2) Air Policemen to operate the telephone switchboard.

The AN/TRC equipment was put into operation to replace the tail cable to Ernest Harmon AFB.

The SAC similie equipment was set up for testing and tests were satisfactory.

Technical Supply:

During the month of March the following On-The-Job training was accomplished:

It is the belief of Tech Supply that good maintenance if 50% good supply. In line with this thought, some 80% of all maintenance personnel have been given a two hour course covering:

The following work was accomplished during this reporting period:

The following work is to be accomplished:

Unit Supply:

During this past period our new UAL has been checked against our property records (AF Forms 1120’s). The UAL has been corrected and brought up to date with our property cards. Action has been started to requisition the items on our UAL which we don’t already have on hand.

We are in the process of converting several AF stock classes to Federal stock classes and numbers. During the next two years a gradual conversion of stock classes and numbers shall change all our stock records to reflect Federal stock numbers.

The Supply Warehouse has been completely rearranged. The office has been moved from the North to the South end of the building. Many bulky and little used items have been moved into the Wire Maintenance Building for storage. With the re-warehousing done in our Unit Supply Building we have a much larger space available for our office, which has led to a great improvement in working conditions. Re-warehousing was accomplished with the idea in mind of leaving adequate space available for proper storing of the large amount of items which we shall soon receive.

The weapons in our gun room have been cleaned and inspected. New parts have been placed in many of the weapons and other parts needed have been requisitioned. Plans are being formulated to enlarge the gun room and to better equip it.

The turn-in of the CPS-5C has just been completed. Unit Supply worked hand in hand with Tech Supply and Radar Maintenance to accomplish this.

We are at present still in the process of running a complete inventory of all items in the squadron. Once the inventory is completed we shall again return to our system of spot inventories on certain items. These item inventories enable us to maintain control over stock and help to keep an accurate check of equipment on hand.

Food Services:

During this period A/1C John H Williams rotated to the ZI and A/2C Harold W Milner, Jr. was transferred to the 6604^th USAF Hospital, Pepperrell Air Force Base.

A/3C’s Donald E Vickers and Albert L Swearington were promoted to Airman Second Class.

The following personnel took the AF JKT and were awarded the 62230 AFSC:

The airmen from this section repainted and touched up the kitchen section of the Dining Hall on their off-duty time.

For the Commander:

Joseph B McGinty, Jr.
2^nd Lt., USAF
Adjutant