"Horsefly" was the codename of a system of forward air control used by the United States from Italy in 1944 onwards. The system employed liaison aircraft such as the L-5 Sentinel to communicate directly with the air-ground support units operating with ground forces and the flight leaders of fighter-bomber units to coordinate accurate and current information on the location of enemy formations.
Ground forces would first observe and document enemy locations before relaying the information to the air-ground support units who would then send the information to the L-5 forward air controllers. The FACs would then fly over the target area and verify the target information. Once verified, the most current information would be sent to the flight leader of the nearest inbound fighter-bomber formation as well as suggestions on proper approach.[1]
The advantages of Horsefly were its ability to direct aircraft onto targets out of range of artillery which was typically used to fire smoke barrages to mark targets as well as the added control of giving real-time target information. In these ways, Horsefly often proved superior to the previous "Rover" system employed by the British and Americans to some extent.[2]
History[]
The Horsefly Forward Air Control system came up out of the need for added cooperation between American ground forces and air units in World War II. In Tunisia and Sicily for example, numerous American units suffered stafing and bombing attacks by friendly aircraft who were unable to distinguish between German and American formations. With information that became outdated twenty minutes after it had been given due to the fluidity of battle, fighter-bomber pilots were often forced to look and identify targets on their own, a task that became difficult at high speeds.[1] To at least partially solve these issues, American ground forces began using colored smoke grenades and tasking artillery with firing smoke shells to mark target areas.
Further adding to the difficulties, most anti-aircraft units also had difficulty distinguishing friend from foe. Many terrified inexperienced troops and replacements simply fired at any aircraft that passed over them instead of waiting to identify, despite orders to maintain fire discipline. Even after thorough training on aircraft identification and American aviation being ordered to attempt not to fly over friendly anti-aircraft batteries in ways that supposedly made them appear as enemies, the problems continued.[1]
It is thought that the first concept for Horsefly came from an L-5 Sentinel pilot who had landed next to an air support controller and asked why L-5s had not been used to direct fighter-bombers to their target. Passing this idea down to command, the first FACs took off on June 28, 1944 in Italy. From there, the use of FACs only increased and proved vital in the advance through Italy. Horseflies were used throughout Europe until the end of the war in 1945.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Doubler, Michael D. Closing with the Enemy:How GIs Fought the War in Europe, 1944-1945. University Press of Kansas (1994), Page 21-22
- ↑ http://www.fac-assoc.org/Ancestry/ancestryofforwardaircontrollersthroughtwwii.htm