The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-01-10

VI C4G
 American Legionnaires, Legion Auxiliary members and other volun- teerS were the "eyes and ears" of the system at watch stations set up in hundreds of New England cities and towns. From these outposts would come first warnings of ap- preaching enemy aircraft.
 Stimulating wartime conditions, listening post Staffs telephoned sample warnings to the signal cen- ter, where a headquarters corps of 180 specially selected Massachusetts women, including Boston Society leaders and small-town housewives, tabulated the messages under super vision of signal corps instructor.
 The headquarters personnel in- cluded Miss Emily Saltonstall, eldest daughter of Governor Leverett Sal tonStall; Miss Susan Hammond of Boston, who served as 8 volunteer ambulance driver in France and Mrs. Crocker Snow of Hamilton, wife of the State Aeronautics director.
 Preliminary Training
 Preliminary training covered the plotting of numbers, speed, type and direction of enemy" planes, as telephoned to the signal center by listening posts.
 During a ten-day initial training period, the women will be instructed in calculating apparent objectives of invading squadrons, strength of defense SquadronS necessary to repel an invasion and points where the nearest defense force may be di- rected to intercept invading planes.
 On January q the entire system will be tested under actual field conditions. One force of Army planes will simulate attack maneuv- CTS to provide data for telephoned reports while another force of de- fence planes, scattered at four stra- tegic air bases, will await directions to intercept the invaders.
 Two companies of the Army Sig nal Corps have been assigned to the project as instructors, and Army air units at Boston Airport, Vest over Field, Providence, R. l., air. port and Mitchell Field, New York, will cooperate in the invasion maneuvers.
 Swarms of Enemy Planes
 Hartford, Conn, January 10. - Theoretically, swar1ns of enemy" planes invaded southern New Eng land and eastern New York state to- day to strike at vital armamentS centers and bomb them out of ex- iStence.
 Actually, no planes appeared and the raid appeared only on paper. But at 1855 observation posts throughout four states, members of the Aircraft Warning Service volunteers for spotting air invaders - were given dress rehearsal for the more real istic raids to be carried out by the army from January 21-24.
 Today, for two hours, these ob- servation posts, plashed warning calls into New York and Boston, that the northeastern Seaboard was under attack from the air.
 Special telephone communica- tions were set up at every strategic point, and the U. S. Coast Guard Ul1cICO pIOUGCLIUIl dI SSb 10 IGpO1G the approach of the enemy air. craft"
 Observers, for the most part, were American Legionnaires, assigned to pre-arranged spots with instructions to get to the nearest telephone when the invaders" were sighted, report an "army flash" and obtain an immediate connection with New York In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Boston was the relay point.
 These reports were finally poured into the air defense command headquarters at Mitchell Field, N. Y, where combat strategy was mapped out. Approximately $50 civilian observers, including some women, took part in the maneuvers.
 On January 21, when the three day mock invasion begins, observers will operate basis, but results of to- days rehearsal were expected to bring about a tighter organization for protection of the seaboard.