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— PLANNING AND BUILD-UP PHASE OF OPERATION HARDTACK
A.
COMMAND
Orzanization and Mieston of Task Group 7.4. By Air Research and
Development Command General Order Number 51,1 Headquarters Task Group
74, Provisional for Operation HARDTACK was designated and organized
at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, effective 1 October 1957,
In-
asmich as Headquarters Task Croup 7,4 (Provisional) for Operation
CASTLE had never officially been terminated, this same general order
discontimied the CASTLE task group, effective 30 September 1957,
Concurrent with this action, two of the major subordinate units
/
of Task Group 7.4 were organized: the Test Aircraft Unit, Provisional
at Kirtland, and the Test Base Unit, Provisional at Eniwetok,* Four
elements of the Test Aircraft Unit were also organized: (1) the Cloud
Sampling Element, Provisional at Kirtland; (2) the Ultra High Altitude~
Very High Altitude Aircraft Element at Kirtland; (3)
the Air Force
Effeats Element, Provisional at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, ‘hio;
and the Ionosphere Element, Provisional at Laurence G. Hanscom Field,
Bedford, Massachusetts,?
‘The Support Element, Provisional was organ-
ized at Eniwetok and was casigned to the Test Base Unit.4
The general order stated that the mission of Task Group 7.4 "is
to provide, operate, control and support all necessary Air Force par
ticipation for Joint Task Force SEVEN engaged in testing at the Eniwetok
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AFWL/ HQ