European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 30, 1963, Darmstadt, Hesse Iti ires two of the ill italian Navy men on Lichia work on gear thai Wal Uick in Cleopatra ii tied up in Harbor. Ace High station on Liland of Lichia Italy it one of 86 key nato electronic Pili. Schia station Solitude above the splendor by my Collins staff writer Flthe Isle of ischia it tiny Sun x washed play land for movie stars Mil lion arcs and anyone Oue willing to Payr Vlera level prices. It float off the Mediterranean cont of 10 u i Hern Italy in what from the Mainland port of Naples in Miles to the Southeast look to be a perpetual lit. Within the Mist la shores Are Eye pop pm ugly adorned with blk Nied beauties and Dock lined with sleek launches and sump Fuoua yachts. By night its waterfront streets sparkle with Neon lit tourist trap Sand the jewelry of vacationers who can afford Wol Runzo von nuchal and his men Are above All this almost half a near the top of Monte epo Meo a 3,488-foot extinct Volcano thai rises fro the 4-by-8 mile Island like a giant Ftp of up Mon Vannuchi five other italian Nav men and two civilian engineers live and work in monkish Solitude on one of the strangest Sites imaginable for a key nato installation. They Are Cut off from the pleasure part of the Island by a High guarded Fence and a tortuous Mountain Road. Below them lie the White Sands Liz Taylor and Richard Burton trod together in their Cleopatra Days and the Little Bay to which the great Golden Barge from the same mighty movie bobs imperiously attracting tourists and losing its gliding. But Vannuchi and company pay Little heed. They re Busy with their own spec to Culotti Manning the Southern Italy control Center for one of the biggest signal communications networks in network known Ai Ace High i an 8300-mile Chain of 88 powerful Forward caller sending and receiving stations that tue Fay july 30. 1963 runs in an irregular Are from the top of Norway to the Middle East. In the building since 1957, the system is scheduled to go into full operation this summer. Manned by military men and civilians from the Nin Enato nations in which the stations Are located. It will provide immediate and Al most foolproof Means of relaying Early warning of enemy attack from anywhere along the Iron curtain to nato head quarters in Paris. Capable of handling up to 33 Telephone and 54 Telegraph messages at a time the Ace High stations also will provide Nat country defense ministers with direct con tact As Well As carrying a tremendous amount of station to Statton messages. Because of its Forward scatter Menn Sof sending in which signals Are More or less sprayed into the air and bounced of the troposphere Ace High stations can Send their broadcasts about 250 mile Mure than eight times the effective sending Din Tance of conventional radios which sendin a straight line. The Forward scatter system is sometimes called Over the Horl Zon communication. Another big feature of this kind of broadcasting is that messages so sent can t be jammed by hostile radio or interrupted by Sun tests conducted around the Ace High net of far have proved it More than 90 per cent reliable. Like the rest of the stations the ischia control Point has a spectacular array of huge dish antennae powerful and intricate transmitting equipment and other electrical paraphernalia. Before they could qualify to operate the gear All members of the Crew Hod to attend a special school conducted for Ace High operators and technicians at lot Una Italy. There Are some the stars and 5twws is photos by Mekle Hunter times a Many As four separate courses be ing taught an once at Lattina each in a Dif Ferent language for men sent there fro various nato countries. Life for the graduates of this school de pending on the station assigned can be anything from Urban to Pioneer Are Ace High Sites near cities such a Paris and Rome and then there Are places like the top of Monte epo Meo or even More removed the station in the Moun to kilns of Northern Greece where 11 men spent lust Winter snowed in for More thana month fighting below Zero cold. Re Lheure s rain and fog through most of Al the Winter on ischia. But life at the Southern Italy control Center is generally comfortable. The operations Crew lives in a handsome modern building their foods Good and a Lov Slon reception from the Mainland is excellent. It s a rough drive but the men can letdown the Mountain to the resort part of the Island in about half an hour by car. It a privilege they Don t use much. In die Winter there s nothing to do said wo3 Antonio Deal Luppo. The Anil it it supervisor and in the summer everything costs too much. 1 usually stay up Here until 1 go on leave. I take a couple Days every now and then end go to the Mainland and visit my italian nov men take the Solitude in stride. They Point out that they d be just Ascot off from the rest of the world at sea. To help pass their off duty hours All of them Are studying English with tape recordings provided by Vannuchi it s peaceful up said Deal Luppo. And besides somebody has to watch that Iron 11 11
