—
All air operations scheduled for “X" Day were actually acoonm-
plished during this practice days
The drone aircraft were taken off
manually from Kwajalein on the 7th of April and were landed at Eniwetok.
Other aircraft departed Kwajalein as per sohedule and arrived over the
target area, performed their required missions and returned to their base.
The drone aircraft were taken off electronically from Eniwetok by the
ground control "beeper" pilets and turned over to the Mother aircraft in
the air on the morming of “P" Day and directed to their positions over
Engebi Island.
All drone operations were successful with two exceptions.
One
Mother had insufficient control to guide its drone through the center of
the simulated cloud, and one Mother aborted and a Master Mother took overs
Photographers in the photo planes had difficulty aiming their cameras at
Zero Point, but this was not to be a problem on "X" Day because lighting
arrangements would be different at that time.
but completed its mission before doing so.
One weather ship aborted,
Cloud chasers and air rescue
airoraft completed their mission successfully.
Minor communication diffie
culties were discovered, but these were smoothed out before "X" Day.
Personnel in the office of the Commander, Air Foroes, aboard the
USS MT. MoKINLEY manned their stations in accordance with their plane
The
Combat Information Center was in operation from 0001 hours until the last
aircraft had left the area.
The Air Operations Room off the flag bridge
was in contact with the Combat Information Center, with aircraft in the
air, with the air strips at Eniwetok and Kwajalein.
At the critique
following "P“ Day certain minor adjustments were suggested in the over-all
operation, but the general result was considered to be very satisfactory.