Evening star., 1950-11-26
Tactical Air Support
Marines and Their Planes Work Together
Better Than the Army and Air Force
By W. H. Shippen


half this assumed number of fight
ers, but the cost of even six
snuadrons per division would be
almost prohibitive, it was said.
Too, the amnhibious assault
mission of the Marines calls for
closer air cover than duties usu-
ally assigned to ground troops,
including the holding of captured
territory.
Tactical air support, for the Air
Force, covers a wider field. Num-
Der one priority is control of the
air. A fighter must be able to
Give in the air" before proceed
ing to bombing and strafing.
The next job is isolation Of the
battle front. In other words. an
Air Force pilot might pass UP
tank firing on GIs 20 take on scv-
eral other tanks on a bridge over
the hill. Attacking conveys,
bridges and lines Of communica-
tion far behind the front is a part
Of the tactical study Of U. S. A. F.
fighters and bombers.
The third mission Of tactical
air. and the first and only one of
the Marines, is to help the in
Ifantry past strong points holding
up the advance.
Many officers in the ground
forces feel tactical fighter-bomber
squadrons should be an integral
part of each combat division, like
the artillery.
They suggest the Army should
have been assigned World War II
fighters for this job. with Air
Force jets flying top cover for
them. Given proper cover. al
most any old clunker capable OF
lifting a big load off a rough
field would suffice, it was pointed
out.
The Army's high command is
said to be insisting upon a larger
voice in drawing up specifications
for close-support aircraft. Some
officers believe the Army should
design the entire airplane, al
though the superiority of the Air
Force in this field would be diff
cult to challenge successfully.
Germans Overdid 1t
Both the Army and the Air
Force may learn a lot from the
Marines, whose pilots are trained
with ground officers, and whose
ground officers are trained with
pilots. Each group is drilled in
the capabilities and limitations
of the other service. Co-ordi-
mating schools for junior and
senior officers are conducted at
the nearby Quantico base.
The jets so far in Korea have
encountered little opposition in
the air. Had they been absent.
however. it seems likely the Ko-
reans would have been supplied
with enough jet fighters to down
our World War II types.
While the older planes have
showed up well in a few encounters
with Russian made jets. they were
too busy to do any bombing and
strafine until the threat was re-
moved.
The Germans, according to all
Air Force spokesman. over-spe-
cialized on their close support
Stukas, which at first proved ter
rible weapons when teamed up
with Panzer divisions. Former
Prime Minister Churchill once
said the combination was more
than human beings could endure.
Spitfires were dispatched to North
Africa and once they got the fast
Messerschmidts under control. the
slow dive-bombers turned out to
be sitting ducks"
Most of the tactical air strikes
in Korea were directed from light
two-seaters containing Army and
Air Force observers.
Ground officers believe one of
their number should always be
present because he knows the
local terrain. troop positions and
what targets to look for.
The Air Force. they say. took
over this function during the
latter part of the campaign in
Italy, along with the Army's liai-
son planes and landing strips be-
hind the lines.
Maybe the Air Force should
deliver all the strikes" one ground
officer said, "but the Army ought
to call them when they're right
in front of our own troops!"
The Marines have no such prob
lem. There are Marines in the
fighters and dive-bombers, Ma
rines on the ground and Marines
calling the strikes from aloft.
The men flying the planes have
walked with the infantry, and
ground officers have flown with
the air artillery. 1855
It's a team that's hard to beat.
Ask the GIs who fight next to
them.