Description

561st Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion
Twelfth Air Force / 62d Fighter Wing • World War II (Mediterranean Theater)

74 pages scanned. Instant PDF download.

Document Overview

Published as “Mediterranean Mission” at Marina di Pisa, Italy under editor 1st Lt. David Halpern with a battalion staff of associate editors, artists, and researchers, this history covers the 561st Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion’s radar and fighter-control operations across North Africa and Italy — from its 1942 activation and the defense of Oran and Tunisia, through the Sardinia, Corsica, and Naples detachments, to the protection of Florence and the Fifth Army’s right flank during the grueling Apennine winter of 1944–45 and the German surrender in Italy on 2 May 1945. This listing is a digital download of a scanned copy of the original 1945 printed history, complete with photographs, unit rosters, and firsthand company narratives.

Campaigns: Tunisia • Rome-Arno • Po Valley • Apennines

Commanders: Lt. Col. Thomas S. Bond Jr. • Lt. Col. (Maj.) Speir • Maj. Kennard A. Hoyt

Unit paper: Weekly Mission

Table of Contents

The Development of Radar and Air Warning
Fighter Control and the Fundamentals of Air Defense
Radar Coverage of the Italian Terrain
Defense of Naples and Anzio
Activation, Organization, and the North African Buildup
The Battle for Tunisia
Defense of Oran and the Fight over Cap Falcon
Detachments to Sardinia, Corsica, and Casablanca
The Move to Naples and Florence
Supporting the Fifth Army — the Apennine Winter
German Surrender in Italy and V-E Day
Bivouac at Marina di Pisa and the Postwar Program
Company Narratives and Detachment Histories
Battalion Roster

“A long breath of relief is the natural reaction to an undertaking successfully completed.”
— Lt. Col. Thomas S. Bond Jr., Foreword