frontiers interpreted, and used operational doctrine and intel- 

 ligence in exactly the same manner. Group M members assigned 

 to outlying bases had often found themselves to be the sole 

 agents sufficiently well informed to bring about unified 

 doctrinal planning,, Since the function of Group M was tech- 

 nical and analytical rather than operational this sometimes 

 led to embarrassment in command relations „ 



Lack of unified authority had been particularly hamper- 

 ing to the work of Group M's Washington office Many of the 

 results of the statistical and analytical studies suggested 

 new operational procedures, yet there had been no central 

 authority to whom suggestions could be reported and who could 

 take action on the suggestions if action was deemed advisable., 

 Thus the. establishment of the Tenth Fleet was extremely 

 pleasing and beneficial to Group M and enabled the members 

 of the Group to work with far greater efficiency,, 



The establishment of the Tenth Fleet was followed during 

 the early part of 1943 by another most helpful development „ 

 Debate over the proposal that all Army anti-submarine flying 

 should be unified under the Anti-Submarine Command was settled 

 by a decision that the Navy should gradually take over all 

 anti-submarine activities in the Atlantic, that the squadrons 

 of the Army Air Forces Anti-Submarine Command in England and 

 in Africa should eventually be replaced by Naval squadrons, 

 and that the Anti -Submarine Command should revert to its 

 original status as the First Bomber Commando 



This decision simplified the work of Group M and while 

 the transfer to the Navy of all responsibility for anti- 

 submarine warfare was being completed,, the activities of 

 Group M which had been connected with the Army's anti- 

 submarine effort were tapered off and its activities at the 

 various Naval bases correspondingly enlarged,, In August 1943, 

 the ASWORG unit at Langley Field was closed down and the men 

 who had been assigned to AAFAC headquarters in New York were 

 given other assignments „ 



Meanwhile Group M was made an official part of the Tenth 

 Fleet and at last occupied that central position and enjoyed 

 that direct contact with the highest operational authority^ 

 which its members had so lona- desiredo 



- 53 



