ANTHOLOGY AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY                                     177


                              Communications

   The raid force used    only limited communications.    Checkpoints were
reported and emergency messages, such as mission abort codes, were the only
traffic passed.   Because of the very long distance involved, the raid force
commander's only link to higher headquarters was via satellite communications
(SATCOM) to the division forward command post (CP), initially some 75 miles
away. SATC0M was used to report the occurrence of key events on the
execution checklist (see Figure 2) and to confirm target location just before the
force departed the final assembly area.


      Sample Artillery Raid Execution Checklist of 5/11

   Codeword                Event

   Apple            Raid Force arrives in Assembly Area
   Orange           Raid Force at Firing Position
   Peach            Target Confirmed
   Cherry           Commencing Attack
   Grape            Withdrawing Raid Force
   Banana           Mission Complete; Retuming to Battalion Position Area
   Chicken Hawk     Mission Abort

Figure 2


                           Command and Control

   When we added a second firing battery to the raid force, we also added a
command element to control the activities of the two-battery force.     The
command element had to be very small and light.    It consisted of the battalion
commander or executive officer as the raid force commander, a driver, the
battalion sergeant major (doubling as radio operator and navigator) and the
SATC0M radio operator.     The command element led the raid force to the final
assembly area and reported, as necessary, to the division forward CP via
SATCOM.
   All raids were well-rehearsed and timeliness were established, based on
detailed time and distance studies.  Radio transmissions from the command ele-
ment to the raid force were seldom needed. All required actions were executed
on the established timeline, and radios were used only by exception.    This
detailed planning proved to be the key to success.