 to Germany, from Alaska to Puerto Rico. All over the world, the United States Army is on the alert to defend our country, you the American people, against aggression. This is the big picture. An official television report to the nation from the United States Army. Now to show you part of the big picture, here is Sergeant Stuart Queen. How do you do? A knowledge of terrain and battlefield conditions is essential to the military commander. That's why high ground plays an important part in battle. It enables the commander to see what is going on and direct his troops accordingly. This is one reason for the importance of Army aviation. It gives the commander his high ground whenever and wherever he needs it. When we say Army aviation, we do not mean the Air Force or even a separate air branch of the Army. Army aviation is an integral part of the ground forces. It consists of light unarmed planes attached to units in the fighting zone. And its mission is strictly the direct aiding of ground fighting. Here on the big picture you will see some of the jobs that Army aviation performs in carrying out this mission. Army aviation has come a long way since the early days of World War II when the few planes the Army had were used almost exclusively for artillery observation. Today the Army has many types of aircraft. Light versatile planes like this L-19 are standard equipment in most branches of the Army. They play an important part in the combat operations of all the ground forces. Here an infantry commander checks the location of his L-19. A short distance away his troops are attacking enemy positions. One of his companies is pinned down by enemy fire. They call for help. The commanding officer tells his aerial observer to locate the enemy gun. It doesn't take long to spot the gun and report its location. The commanding officer passes the information on to the artillery and they go to work. The troops finish the job with grenades and flamethrowers. It's results like this that have sold the Army on and convinced them of the important part Army aviation can play in ground fighting. These rugged little planes don't require an airstrip. In fact almost any open ground serves as their landing field. That's important in ground operations. It means they can be faced in forward areas near the combat troops they will be working with ready for any need or emergency that may arise. Their base of operations is usually close to the command post. Often only a few hundred yards from the actual fighting. Pilot and the aerial observer are both familiar with the problems of ground fighting and the commander uses them to help gather the information he needs to plan his operations. While a battle is underway they supply him with valuable up to the minute report on the progress of the fighting. However he still relies heavily on ground reconnaissance because it's usually more thorough but it's slow and dangerous and it's limited by natural obstacles such as hills and trees. That's where aerial reconnaissance has the advantage. If the visibility is good there are no obstacles. From his high vantage point the aerial observer has a clear view of the entire combat area. In the air the observer serves as the eyes of the ground commander watching and reporting any sign of enemy activity. Whatever their mission may be the pilot and the observer working as a team accomplish it in a fraction of the time it would ordinarily take. The observer spots a bridge that the enemy failed to destroy. He can't determine its strength or capacity from the air but he reports it. If it turns out to be important the commanding officer will have the bridge carefully checked by ground reconnaissance. Flying on the observer continues his appraisal of the road network. He's traveling at better than a mile a minute but he can judge the condition of the road and estimate the traffic it will carry. Further on he spots a road block on one of the routes his unit is planning to use. He locates it on the map and reports it. The information is passed on in time to warn a scouting party in the area. They'll take a new route now one that's been carefully checked from the air. With the little L-19 hovering in the sky above them there's less chance of our troops being trapped or surprised by the enemy. The aerial observer has a clear view of the entire area and he's watching for any sign of the enemy. An advanced column moves forward. They're moving slowly because they expect trouble up ahead. The commander wants to find an alternate route for them. The observer is notified of the situation and he goes to work. It doesn't take him long to find one. He also locates a river forward that looks suitable for tanks. He lays up a new route, locates it on the map and notifies the commanding officer. The commanding officer checks the route and decides to try it. He relays the information to his advanced column. The column heads for the river. They reach the forward and cross without losing valuable time and without delaying the advance. When the need arises for the commander to join one of his forward elements he can do it quickly and easily and without the serious loss of time by using an army plane. Today's army is a mechanized and highly mobile one. It has to be. Speed is important and battles are being fought on increasingly large fronts. Today relatively small combat units guard in patrol areas that once would have required forces many times their size. The control and direction of these widely scattered combat units could be a serious problem to the ground commander. The fact that it is not is a tribute to the part played by army aviation. Often the detailed information a commander requires may only be obtained from the study of aerial photographs With the expansion of army aviation he now has both the equipment and personnel under his command to take and process photographs immediately. Ordinarily it would have taken days to get them. In a matter of minutes they are in the air and on their way to carry out their mission. The great value of aerial photography is the detail it can supply. It often makes extensive reconnaissance by ground elements unnecessary. Army aerial photography is intended to care for the immediate needs of ground units at company to regimental level. It supplements the general reconnaissance work of the Air Force which is primarily equipped to serve the photographic needs of the larger ground headquarters. When the mission is completed the film is dropped near a portable field laboratory in the combat area. Here it will be developed and printed and quickly delivered to the command post which is located nearby. Another important job that army aviation has taken on is the delivery of official mail and messages. In the combat area the roads are usually poor and the distances often great between units. Normal delivery could be slow and uncertain. Over terrain like this it would be virtually impossible. But it's no problem for the little hedge hopping army planes. They make their deliveries with ease and speed. Speed is particularly important when the normal means of communication such as radio or telephone break down or are not available. By plane rush messages can be delivered to isolated units in a matter of minutes or if necessary picked up and returned to the command post just as quickly. The panels on the ground guide the pilot in for the air pickup in less time than it would take to make arrangements for the normal emergency delivery the army plane completes its mission and returns to its base to await another assignment. Since light aircraft have become an integral part of the ground forces they've been tried at many new jobs. One of these is wire laying. Laying miles of telephone wire over wild and trackless terrain is a tough job or at least it was before someone got the idea of trying to do it by plane. It could take a ground crew days to lay the wire a front line unit required for its communication system. Skimming low over the trees at 70 or 80 miles an hour this little plane can do it in a few hours. Supply by air has always been the job of the Air Force. However, if one of his units is suddenly cut off or isolated and in need of supplies the ground commander can use his own plane to take care of them. They can't carry much of a load but distances by air are usually very short and they can make many trips if necessary. In areas up north where snow, ice and severe cold make vehicles practically useless supply is a critical problem for a combat unit. Large areas have to be patrolled on foot and the troops must carry their own supplies or at least they would if it were not for the army plane and its regular drops of food, ammunition and other essentials. In the past few years under the pressures of war Army aviation has taken on many new jobs but directing ground fire still remains one of the most important. Here the aerial observer directs the motor fire on enemy positions that can't be seen from the ground. The techniques of aerial observation have improved steadily over the years along with weapons and equipment. Artillery batteries with an aerial observer to direct their fire have developed a high degree of accuracy. Here's an example of the pinpoint accuracy they achieve from several miles away. Light army planes have little in common with the fast heavily armed jets of the Air Force but there are times when they are called to work with them. If the air controller is unable to guide the planes onto their target the job is given to an army plane. Communicating with the jet pilots by radio the army observer locates the target and directs their fire onto it. He helps them correct their point of attack. Army planes perform many important functions but none is more inspiring than the job they have done in the evacuation of wounded. Their prompt and speedy evacuation of casualties from front line positions to hospitals in the rear saved thousands of lives. Much of the credit for this must go to the helicopter which proved to be much more versatile than small fixed wing aircraft. The awkward looking helicopter with its ability to land and take off anywhere has been enthusiastically adopted by the ground forces. It is already responsible for many changes in ground fighting and it may well turn out to be the most important development to come out of the Korean War. Modern warfare depends on firepower and plenty of it and highly skilled soldiers trained to make full use of their abilities but the modern army must possess another all important quality mobility and plenty of that too. In recent army field forces exercises held by the 6th helicopter transportation company and a battalion of the famed 82nd Airborne Division the battalion commander flies ahead in his bird dog the army aircraft to reconnoiter a river which his troops are rapidly approaching. He carefully selects an assault site. The modern army must be geared so that everything contributes to the continued and relentless forward movement of the basic element of the army, the infantrymen. In the exercises we find the battalion moving forward rapidly against light aggressor resistance. As the attackers reach the riverbank they set up a base of fire opposite the assault site. Simultaneously, a preparatory barrage of artillery fire is laid down on the aggressor held shore. This is then followed up with a heavy curtain of smoke designed to screen the movement of the attacking troops at certain selected landing areas. This is the time for mobility, helicopter mobility. Now to take advantage of the artillery barrage and the smoke screen, the attacking battalion's reserve company is quickly loaded into the helicopters of the newly organized helicopter transportation company. The idea is to get their fustas with the mostas. Each helicopter company has 21 H-19 cargo or troop carrier helicopters which can carry six to eight combat-equipped men or nearly a ton of cargo. Each company also has two small utility H-13 helicopters. The chief purpose of these aerial trucks is to augment the traditional ground transportation system which once again proves that armies need not be chained to the ground. The battalion commander issues a ceasefire order when he observes that his assault company is riding the whirlybirds. Yep, chum, there are. Part of the army's equipment designed to do everything possible to assist the combat man. When he boards his little H-13 the battalion commander will fly to land directly behind his assault troops across the river without losing precious minutes in jeep transportation. Here they come. Copters land easily and effortlessly. The first men out are engineers to help build a bridge crossing followed closely by the assault infantrymen who pile out ready for action. In four minutes the entire assault company is landed and is fighting the aggressor forces. Screams from aggressor observation by a heavy curtain of smoke the troops advance to route the aggressor forces. Artillerymen are landed to prepare to receive the guns which are being ready for delivery by the copters. Here they go. Firepower with a plus. Mobility. A helpful shove and a short run and the copters gain sufficient momentum to become airborne. Now with the way prepared by the assault company which has pushed the aggressor forces back part of the battalion moves down to the riverbank and prepares to cross. Casualties would be light if any. The riverbank has been cleared of aggressor sniper fire. Here comes the firepower. Easy does it. As a training measure in these army field forces exercises part of the battalion prepares to cross the river in engineer assault boats. In the meantime the copter delivered engineers have helped build a footbridge across the river. After the artillery lays down a protective barrage of fire to cover the crossing to cross over. The modern infantrymen has to be able to move not only on foot but in the air and in boats. Up and back the copters go. The assault mission completed. The copters shift gears and shuttle back to the rear supply areas to go into logistical support of the men on the ground. The remainder of the battalion then pushes across the river. They continue the momentum initiated by the copters as they land on the opposite side of the river. They go rapidly forward in the advance to throw back the aggressors. Up and back the copters go. In no time they're windmilling their way back with the supplies needed by the advancing assault way. The loads are slung externally for speed and handling to avoid possible aggressor fire. At other times when not operating close to the battle line the loads would be carried internally and would be considerably heavier. The copter is a true aerial workhorse in transportation in addition to bringing in men and materiel. These flying trucks can also double as ambulances to evacuate casualties. Thousands of critically wounded men in Korea have been saved by helicopters and from almost inaccessible mountain peaks the rescue was once an impossibility. Now the beachhead has been firmly established this time with a heavier bridge which can support tanks, heavy artillery and more men. Only 10 years old Army aviation provides a third dimension of mobility to already powerful ground forces. Slow, odd looking? Yes, but what a job the helicopter can do. It can do the rough job, the tough job. Like a bird, it can really land on a dime. It can even fly backwards. It can contribute spectacularly to making the American Army a highly mobile, powerful force in an already fast moving work. We hope this has given you some idea of the increasing importance of Army aviation in our Army of today. It's still relatively new but it's expanding rapidly. And if its impressive record of achievement is any indication of the future role it will play we can safely say the sky's the limit. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen inviting you to be with us next week for another story in The Big Picture. The Big Picture is a weekly television report to the nation on the activities of the Army at home and overseas. Produced by the Signal Corps Pictorial Center. Presented by the U.S. Army in cooperation with this station. You can be an important part of The Big Picture. You can proudly serve with the best equipped, the best trained, the best fighting team in the world today. The United States Army.