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Introduction
The link near the end of this text will display an original copy of Field Order No. 1,
as distributed by the 50th TC Wing to its Groups. This field order,
which was prepared by the Airborne-Troop Carrier planners at the command
level, was finalized at 1500 on 31 May 1944, and delivered to the three
Wings shortly thereafter. The TC Wings were the 50th, 52nd and 53rd. Each Wing adapted the order based on information specific to
Wing assignments; the copy linked below is the version developed by the 50th
Wing.
The document reproduced here is the body of the Field
Order No. 1, and does
not include the annexes to the order included by the 50th TCW, of which there were seven. The
policy decisions that so shaped the air assault phase of
this legendary invasion are contained in this document. The annexes include
routes, location of markers and associated navigational codes, specific information
regarding timing, intelligence instructions, map overlays, additional information regarding the limitation on the use of
Rebecca-Eureka, and more. All seven annexes are described and
referenced in the body of this document.
The copy of Field Order No. 1 shown on this Web site belonged to the former Operations Officer of the 439th
TC Group, Woodrow Smeck. It was consolidated with other documents, evidently many years ago,
in a legal folder marked “Operation WILDOATS—Cancelled.” Other papers, including Smeck’s briefing notes
for other missions, plus the field orders for WILDOATS were also in the
folder, though in no particular order. This legal folder was in papers that Smeck’s widow sent to my
father, former 439th TCG CO Col. Charles H. Young, after Lt. Col. Smeck
died. After I discovered these papers, in early 2003, I contacted the National Archives
to make arrangements to get
this document to them. However, they never responded. I believed this to be an indication of
how this document would be archived, so I decided to scan it and post it on the Into The Valley Web site.
I included a note about my unsuccessful efforts to connect with the
National Archives.
Shortly I was
contacted by the director of the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover
AFB. The Air Mobility Command is the heir of Troop Carrier, and the
museum maintains an excellent archive. The director, Michael Leister,
asked for the document. He assured me AMC Museum would archive this document properly and make its
contents available for research.
I decided this was a fitting home for this copy of
Field Order No. 1. After I made
some 1200 dpi scans and after Nancy Ingrisano typed a copy of the main
field order that I proofed against the original, I sent the original to the
AMC Museum at Dover Air
Force Base.
Thanks to the following people for their advice regarding the use
and presentation of this document: Milt Dank (91st TCS/439th TCG), Mike Ingrisano
(37th TCS/316th TCG), and Bob
Murphy (505th PIR/82nd Airborne), and thanks to Nancy I. for creating an
easy-to-read and accurate version of Field Order No. 1.
Though the years have taken their toll on the
original, it remains generally legible, and you are free to use it from
this Web site. Please specify that your quote or copy is from the record
file of Col. Charles H. Young, author of Into The Valley.
To begin, click Field
Order No. 1. This is a 600 dpi PDF file and a black & white version
of the original. It must be read with Adobe
Acrobat Reader. Use the magnifying glass tool in Acrobat Reader to
enlarge the document so that you can see it better. To use this feature,
click the magnifying glass icon with your mouse, and then click the text
you want to enlarge.
If you do not have Acrobat Reader already, you can go to
the Adobe
Web site and download it free of charge. On the Acrobat Reader page,
go to Step 1 and make sure you identify your platform (Windows, Mac,
etc.), and then complete Step 2 to download. After the download
finishes, click the Back button on your browser, and then click
the “Field Order No. 1” link, above.
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