4
Chaptar 2 .. Introduction
Glee
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Tne purpese cr Part IV cf this repert vill be te portray the
operational aspects of the participation of Task Group 7.4 in Operation
HARDTACK.,
tions.
This forewcrd will trace the sccpe of Task Group 7.4 opera~
Chapter 2 will deal with the crganizaticn of Task Group 7.h and
the operational reasons for this type of organization.
Part IV will
ther: be broken down into other chapters which will relate in some d6~
tail the major facets of the Task Group operation as follows:
Weather
reporting and forecasting, operation of test aircraft, aerial support
for the operation, contre] of air traffic within the Eniwetok Control
Area, communications and radiological responsibilities concerned with
the gathering and hardling of radiological samples.
Although information Was meager at the time, some very preliminary
pianning on communications and aircraft requirementa for Operatior
HARDTACK was started as early as October 1956.
By the time that Joint
Task Force SEVEN held the first planning meeting fcr Operation HARDTACK
on 20 February 1957, Task Group 7.4 had fairly solid requirements 2m .
communications systems and on the numbers and type cf aircraft required
fcr support roles.
Additions cf project aircraft were later made after
Headquarters, Armed Forces Special Weapcns Project approved the projects
participation in Operation HARDTACK.
Early in March, a preliminary beok message was drafted and sen? to
Headquarters, USAF fer them to publish directing the major commands cf
the Air Force to support ARDC, who would be designated as the Air Force
Executive Agency.
This directive when published on 29 April k-y Head-
quarters, USAF, became the official authorization which allowed the
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