European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1947, Darmstadt, Hesse A hips n Chard Cohen photographs on the plotting table at Cora been the bearings the planes position and the information radioed Back to the Are wide an american Pilot has a num Ber of choices of action when he is lost in the european sky he can bail out he can use All his resources to eventually locate if his Gas holds out or he can turn his radio to one of a number of very High frequency channels and Call an outfit with a name like if his Choice is the and with most pilots it is the obvious a shall group of skilled radio men into High gear and within a few moments the lost Pilot is informed of his exact position and sent straight toward his the organization with the name co beef is not a Skyway Delica it is the pilots code word for the 602nd tactical control Squadron of the 501st tactical control group whose Mission is to provide Taviga ional Aid to straying the men f at wolfs Ehlen near Darmstadt will admit that most of the help they have give has not meant the difference Between life and death for the but they Are sure that Many planes and Crews owe a considerable debt to the skill with direction finding equipment and Speed at the plotting there Are dozens of other navigational aids for pilots in but Cor beef and stations like gun planter and race card play an important part in Clearing zone sides of lost or straying Cor beef is the control and plotting Center of a net of Small fixer stations that Are actually isolated outposts located at Vantage Points far off the highways in the when a Pilot Calls in to the controller at Corn the fixer stations working in their direction finding vans also pick up his Call and immediately get to following the signal from the plane usually the voice of the Pilot counting slowly to the operator determines the or of the each fixer station in the net sends the in de Grees of the compasso the plotting room at Cor beef where three men Are crouched Over a Micro phones in Twenty four hours these Are the men Whoso the actual plotting of the planes Over their map they move strings that represent the bearing from the station to the plane and where two or on the number of fixer stations that were Able to pick up the Cross is the the Point where the plane then the controller tells the Pilot Hes Over a certain Point on a Grid map and that he must Fly a particular heading to get to his meanwhile a radar operator tracks the plane in his Oscil Piscope to make sure the directions have been and the boys at co beef lean Light up a cig Aret and wait for the next out at one of the fixer stations in the the operator also located in the Middle of a is a Good distance away from the Center of the net so far away that it is actually a tight Little Fourman military there is no officer at dodger in command of this self sufficient All enlisted they have their own a Kitchen with a German and they come Back to head quarters occasionally to draw sup there is one Man on duty All the they have their own called in typical air corps Roger with records and a their a is named life at the other fixer stations in the direction finding nets of the 501st is pretty much the the men Are generally agreed that ing in the potato patches has definite advantages Over duty Back at head they can arrange their duty hours As they please and they Are free of a Good Many of the Garrison when one of men is ill there is a Brief remedied by having a replacement rushed out from they Are but they never miss a Call pilots have Learned to put their Confidence in the vigilance of stations and their ability to pinpoint planes and give accurate headings to asked about the reliability of his directions to one controller replied we Haven lost a Pilot yet men at dodger Hove their own mess and far from they arrange their own duty free of usual Garrison
