Bradford J Shwedo

XIX Tactical Air Command and Ultra: Patton's Force Enhancers in 1944 Campaign in France Bradford J Shwedo

Major Shwedo examines the relationship among ULTRA, Gen George S. Patton Jr.'s ground scheme of maneuver, and the operations of XIX Tactical Air Command. He also examines ULTRA reports and compares them to the standard accounts of the various battles. Major Shwedo traces Patton's higher tactical and operational decisions from the hedgerows of Normandy in early August 1944 to the banks of the Moselle River, just 50 miles from the German border. He contends that both the Air Force and the Army should learn the proper lessons from this campaign concerning how best to integrate intelligence, ground maneuver, and airpower. Major Shwedo recommends that these same tools could be usefully combined in the technologically enhanced era of the twenty-first century.