CHAPTER VI 



ANTISUBMARINE OPERATIONS RESEARCH GROUP 



Purpose of Operational Analysis. 



An innovation of World War II was the addition to the Navy 

 staff responsible for anti-submarine operations of a special- 

 ized civilian scientific and technical group for research, anal- 

 ysis, and evaluation. 



The British had first felt the need for a closer tie-up 

 between those in charge of operations and scientific experts, 

 In so complex a war as that against the U-boat it was essen- 

 tial that there be a clear channel by which operational data 

 might flow to an analytical staff, and an equally clear route 

 by which the results of scientific analysis of the data might 

 be passed back up to the operational leveL The secret nature 

 of much of the data made it necessary that the scientific group 

 be an integral part of the highest operating staff,, 



Thus, by a natural development , completely analogous to 

 the earlier development in England, scientific aid in anti- 

 submarine warfare began by assisting in the design and pro- 

 duction of equipment and finally extended to assisting in the 

 planning of operations „ 



The need for operational analysis research had been fore- 

 seen as far back as the time of the Colpitts Committee „ As 

 the members of the committee explored and weighed the Navy's 

 readiness to enter the war against the U-boat, it was clear 

 that it was not merely a question of gear,, It was, as well, 

 a question of how well the gear operated under actual or 

 simulated service conditions,, It was also a question of tac- 

 tics and tactical doctrine, of personnel and training, and of 

 operations records „ 



It was a matter of finding the right answers to questions 

 like the following; 



If a convoy were attacked by a submarine, and the subma- 

 rine succeeded In breaking through the escort screen and 



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