European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 27, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes wednesday september 27, 1978 electronic warfare on a one Hilltop Soldier operate a key weapon of future Story and photo by Ann Keays staff writer Das swang Germany is hidden deep in the Forest atop a Hill accessible Only by Muddy trails German soldiers set up camouflaged equipment near this Vil Lage to employ what strategists from East and West believe will be a key weapon in any world War Iii electronic warfare. Wearing the red armbands of the enemy in nato exercise Blue Danube several men huddled around a Long wooden table inside a communications trailer Van and pointed out positions of red and Blue forces on a Wall map. It was Midnight and they were drinking Coffee As rain pounded the roof. This is the first time we have used elec tronic warfare at an exercise said one of the officers. We used to be umpires. Now we have to  the listening Post relied on a pair of offi cers at the front to report troop locations and movements. This is important for our four direction finders to know the officer said. The direction finders operate on frequencies the germans and americans use. Our listening in depends on the terrain. With line sighting we can cover 60 to 80 Kilometres he said. The soldiers said they Are also trained in languages and voice identification. We can distinguish differences be tween the voice of a commander and an no. Sometimes if part of the division has moved on. They try to make the enemy think they re still there by continuing to Send radio signals. But if it is not the voice of the commander we know he said. The soldiers said they report what they learn to the division intelligence staff which decides whether to Call in artillery or air strikes or to fight Back electronically radio repairman spec. 4 Keith Peoples checks out a unit of electronic equipment. The listeners said if they found an enemy Headquarters not yet supported by artillery they could give their intelligence staff its location within 30 minutes. That would give Friendly forces time to Call for a knockout strike before the enemy could shoot Back. We go after command posts More than particular units they said. We also Aren t occupied with companies and Pla Toons but More with special troops Bri Gades and divisions the artillery and  the German electronic unit operates in a very vulnerable position. We Are behind our battalion but ahead of the Bri Gade. The enemy would go after us first they said. Several valleys away an american unit of 13 soldiers also wearing red armbands operated electronic equipment while Mili tary police patrolled their Hilltop site. Capt. Joe Pettibon of the 851st army Security Agency co from Kitzinger said the emphasis is on a lot of training for us. We perceive that a modern military Force must depend on electronics for International communication and for gathering information. If we can deny the enemy communication we can win he said. But the Castroville Texas resident said no jamming would take place on Blue Danube because we Don t want to destroy any German  he said the 3rd inf div unit would perform the full Range of its Mission during the american exercise certain shield. During actual jamming missions pre instructions Are Given. If a specialist four sees or identifies a target hell Jam without waiting to report Back the officer said. Pettibon said one platoon from the com Pany also was supporting command Post exercise Cardinal sword. Protection still highly unsatisfactory Haig says nato forces vulnerable to chemical attack by Thomas Kent Neu Munster Germany a the Atlantic Alliance s Protection against chemical attack is still highly unsatisfactory the supreme Allied commander i Europe says. Gen. Alexander Haig hinted that unless  talks on Banning chemical weapons Are successful in the near future nato might consider a Sharp upgrading in its own offensive chemical capability. Haig spoke to correspondents who have toured nato Man Euver grounds in West Germany for the past week. Reporters saw wide disparities in preparations for Chemi Cal attack ranging from tanks fully equipped with air filtration systems to some european Field Headquarters and a Hospital that had Little Protection. Haig and Many other Western specialists have accused the soviet Union of sharply stepping up in recent years its ability to wage chemical War. They say the soviet led Warsaw pact forces Are equipped to deliver Large amounts of Gas and sprays from planes rockets and Artil Lery that could immobilize or kill Western troops. Haig said nato s ability to wage Chemi Cal War is largely the limited capability of the . And that Western reluctance is linked to negotiations to ban such weapons. But at some Point in the very near future this will have to be carefully reassessed in the context of the Progress or Lack of Progress in assured limitations on possible employment he said. Chemicals including Mustard Gas and nerve agents,.were heavily used in world War i but not in world War ii. President Richard Nixon said in 1969 that the . Did not intend to be the first nation to use chemical weapons in a new War and  supplies of chemical weapons have since decreased. Protection against chemical warfare has been a major part of the current autumn forge nato exercises involving some 200,000 troops from Norway to Turkey. The troops include 11,400 . Marines each of whom arrived in Northern Germany with a Gas mask. Officers said special capes designed against chemicals sprayed from planes would be issued to protective gear a 3rd inf div Soldier left photo wears a Gas mask during the Blue Danube exercise near Nurnberg. At right sgt. Jeffrey Herman of the 3rd div dons the British made charcoal lined protective jacket recently issued to . Soldiers for Abc nuclear biological chemical training. Is photos by Ann Keays troops in an emergency. Troops also would receive individual kits with chemical anti dotes for injection in Case of attack. Danish troops in the exercises wore Small White patches on their sleeves and trousers which officers said would turn different colors depending on the Type of chemical encountered. Many West German troops carried Gas masks special gloves and even suits for fighting in Chemi Cal conditions. Some had protective cloths to cover themselves in Case of chemical attack. At two Field Headquarters run by danish and West German troops officers said command vans were not sealed against chemicals. This would mean that soldiers inside them would have to work in close quarters in masks and protective clothing a drag on efficiency. A German Field Hospital installed in a Row of tents had no chemical Protection according to a colonel who showed it to re porters. There Are red crosses All Over it. We just Hope it would t be attacked he said. Officers said that in general West Ger Many British and american troops have fairly Good chemical warfare Protection. Nato officials Are trying to see that All member nations reach an acceptable level of Protection and that the better forces improve still further. Biological warfare use of viruses of stepped up strength to spread dangerous diseases in enemy areas is a separate Issue. Biological War is banned by Geneva convention regulations. Last year there were reports in Western military circles that the soviet Union was working on ways to spread smallpox anthrax Lassa fever and other lethal Dis eases. But the reports were dismissed by the official soviet news Agency Tass