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night long if necessary to patch up the aircraft, pull the required inspections, correct deficiencies and get them back on the line by the next morning. Night test flights, which are prohibited under peacetime conditions, were the rule rather than the exception.
Units in Vietnam would continue to be undermanned throughout 1966 and the ratio of aviation units to ground units would grow increasingly worse for the next eighteen months. Though every effort was being made in the United States to meet the surge demands for pilots and aircraft, there was only so much that could be done to increase the output of the schools and speed up production lines.
"Arc Light"
The 6th of July 1966 marked the beginning of a new close support capability for the ground commander. On this date, the B-52's operated for the first time using a "combat sky spot" bombing system. This system enabled a ground radar control to direct the bomber over the target and also indicate the exact moment of bomb release in almost any kind of weather. Now the big bombers could be used on targets of opportunity with a great deal of flexibility.
The B-52's were not new to Vietnam and, in fact, had made their first strike in War Zone D more than a year before on 18 June. Since that time they had flown more than 3,700 sorties using the code name "Arc Light." B-52's stationed on Guam were being used increasingly on enemy supply routes and suspected bases that were located by the combined intelligence effort of the U.S. and Vietnamese forces.
The new system employing ground radar control also incorporated a quick reaction force of six B-52's which were on continuous alert at Guam. General Westmoreland, commenting on their effectiveness, said, "The B-52's were so valuable that I personally dealt with requests from field commanders, reviewed the targets, and normally allocated the available bomber resources on a daily basis. I also continued to urge that action be taken to substantially increase the B-52 sorties."
To some the use of a heavy bomber, designed for strategic nuclear response, in a counter insurgency environment was analogous to using a sledge hammer to swat flies. To the contrary, I think the employment of this system showed the imagination and flexibility of the U.S. Military in adapting this powerful system to add a new dimension of fire support for the ground trooper. In contrast to the snide remarks of "jungle agriculture" that some