The History Of The Ground Observer Corps

The United States relied on lessons learned by Great Britain in World War I in organizing and operating civilian-manned air defense systems prior to World War II. The Ground Observer Corps, operating under the auspices of the Army Air Forces, was established in 1942 to assist the military with air defenses during the war. After the war, little was done to establish a permanent air defense system, but the beginning of the Cold War caused an acceleration in the civilian-military effort that would culminate with the GOC's Operation Skywatch, which, from 1952 to 1958, maintained 24-hour observation posts along the United States coastlines. The advent of electronic air defense systems ended Operation Skywatch and the Ground Observer Corps in 1958 as the military took sole responsibility for the United States' air defense.