Th: mission of Task Group 7., Provisional, was to provide and opstrzte certain aircraft and to provide westher and other scrvices in support of Joint Task Force SEJEN during Operation HARDTACK in the spring and summcr of 195€. The Group reached a peak strength of 2262. Although the Group manned some sixteen different onerating sitcs, the bulk of the people served on FRED Island at Eniwetok Atoll. Some thirty-seven (37) Navy persomel served in Task Group 7.4, Provisional. All of the remaining people were members of the United States Air Force. Planning for the participation of Task Group 7.4, Provisional, in Cp-ration HARDTACK began within the Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico early in 1957. In October of that y ‘ the Task Group and its operating Elements were formally established. | Group personnel began moving into the Forward Area in December and continued at an ever increasing rate until 15 March 1958 when the Task Group Headquarters and all. its Units and Elements became operational in the Eniwctok Proving Grounds (EPG). During the five months that the Task Group participated in susteined support of HARDTACK, its flying and technical elements participated in 35 nucizer t’st ¢vents. Of these, 11 took place at Bikini, 22 at Eniw-tok, end 2 at Johnston Island... On four occasions it wes necessary for the Group to participate in two events on the same day. In all, the test effects and sampler aircraft of the Test Aircraft Unit flew 257 sorties and 1982hours in direct support of nuclear test operations. The Group provided weather reporting, weather reconnaissance, and weether forecasting services to Joint Task Force SEVEN, weather reporting stations were set up on eight islands ranging in distance from one hundred to sicht hundred miles distance from Eniw:toke Weather reconnaissance aul fF popiep Poet D/DOE , - z Char WORBree Ba UAL //