European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 29, 1963, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Abut � a i in my by Bob hovers a Munich Bureau \ in i fitly. During the invasion of North Africa in the fall of 1942, three Piper Cubi were launched from the Carrie Ranger. Almost immediately the big gum of other Navy ships opened fire on the unknown aircraft. Use of the cubs had been such a care fully guarded secret that commanders in the invasion Fleet knew Little or nothing about them. Minutes after the Navy guns opened up batteries of the army s 2ndarmd div joined in what looked like a Pigeon shoot. The planes fluttered and bobbed. Incredibly the pilots survived. If they had to army aviation might never have gotten off the ground. The three pipers represented the modes beginning of army aviation a component of the nation s armed forces which has had in increasing influence on military plan Nung in recent years. Prom that first invasion Experiment army aviation tin grown in 21 years into the third largest air Force in the world next to the United states and russian air forces. Yet army aviators Ore reluctant to Dis cuss their operation in terms of size for army aviation they Point out is a term rather than a Force of its own. The secret of army aviation insists col Claude l. Shepard jr., 7th army aviation officer. Is that it belongs to the army the different branches of the army and that it has been designated and equipped to fight a War on the ground. Moreover army aviators remain in their original service branches infantry Armor artillery transportation engineering Sig Nal and medical corps. Although hardly recognized at the time the performance of the pipers in eluding antiaircraft fire during the North african invasion was a Tipoff on the startling Suc Cess they later were to achieve. Used initially to adjust artillery fire the first three planes were assigned to Artil Lery by an order of june 6, 1943the cubs soon took on the additional duties of Cour Ier work and command and Liaison communications. In the invasions of Sicily and Aholo they proved invaluable in quieting enemy guns. The germans soon Learned the pipers Are spotters Shepard explained when they opened up with their artillery the revealed their positions and the planes relayed the information to american Artil Lery. Had they been Able to hit the pipers it might have been different but the planes were surprisingly difficult to Knock out. So we Learned to keep the pipers inthe air when. We. Wanted to silence the German guns. At Aralo the cubs actually How night sorties i really tall they played an important role in holding the Aslo beachhead. ,. Shepard a Piper Pilot who participated in the invasion at Southern franc pointed out that  branches soon began using Light planes after the initial Success of the artillery.  they actually became the eyes of the  he mid. They were used by the engineers for checking out Railroad lines by the signal corps to Lay  during the invasion of Southern France pipers Mere launched  flight decks on lists. They landed in vineyards and tiny patches of culture which the germans had neglected to mine because they thought them too Small for the use of aircraft. When i compare aviation in the 7th army during the invasion and aviation in h?7th army today the Progress seem almost incredible Shepard said. Much of the change Shepard has wit. War 1" army aviation took on new roles and responsibilities the helicopter proved itself during  because it could evacuate the wounded from previously inaccessible places the helicopter was Able to Nave Many liven. And in the rugged terrain of Korea it became increasing Handy for the lining of troops and. Supplies. Today the helicopter is further proving itself in the hit and miss Jungle warfare of Viet Nam. The army Learned from use of the helicopter in Korea and it is also learning from exp Glen is in Viet Nam. Because of the increased Utility of the helicopter and improvement of the hell copter itself the army is purchasing a number of new models. The transport version of the Bell Iro Quolas will be Able to Fly troops into Battle at a Speed of 130 . Vertol s Boxcar Chinook the new heavy cargo Carrier of the army will carry up to 33 men. A new observation helicopter soon will be chosen from three bidding  k roles of army aviation a de fined by former defense Secretary Charles Wilson in 195g, remain unchanged to provide observation command unison and communication medical evacuation and to ii flirt troops and Carno to combat zones. To carry out these missions the army has developed a family of 15 fixed Wing aircraft and helicopters nil of which have been named after american Indian tribes. Under the new Purchase plan the number eventually will be Cut to seven. The smal Ler number of planes is designed to ease maintenance and inventory problems. Sometime in the 1970s, the army is expected to get vol vertical Takeoff an Landing aircraft which will Combine the Best features of Light jets and helicopters. Meanwhile army aviation will continue to perform a variety of Tough and some times Nasty Little chores which provide the army with the new Speed and mobility it needs in a world of shifting crises. Always Shepard insists army Avla ton must remain organic to tactical units. Pilots must be immediately responsible tothe needs of combat commanders and live in the Field with the army. This has Bee the secret of the Success of army Avia  Center of army aviation is it. Hucker,ala., a 70,000-acre tract of Pine Sand Clay runways hangars and administrative build Ings. This sprawling installation includes the world s largest heliport and the nation s fifth busiest fixed Wing Airport. The history of Aerial observation the concept which led to the development of the army air corps now the United states air Force and army aviation is in itself a fascinating Story. Pilots in All armed forces in an indirect Way owe their jobs to pair of tinkering frenchmen Jacque and Joseph mongol Fler who on june 5,1783 filled � a per bag with smoke and watched with fascination As it soared a mile High outside their Lyons Home. I. Their Experiment was the first recorded night of balloon. Eleven years later the French employed a observation balloon against austrian troops who became so demoralized they lifted the siege of Man Berg. Despite this initial Success of the bal Loon Aerial observation As a military concept drifted through Yean of trials an misconceptions. Indeed the French them selves dropped their balloon corps for a number of years. The first american attempt at  came during the civil War when the army of the Potomac used bal loons to direct artillery fire and to Send code messages with mirrors. A cumbersome observation balloon was used by the american army in Cuba Dur ing the Spanish american War the Jap anese employed balloons against the rus sians in the Russo japanese War of 1904-05. After that the air plane gradually began replacing the balloon As the primary instrument of observation. In world War i balloons and aircraft were employed by Tho principal combatants. The stars and stripes poo 13