US control tower COBI 3125 - World War II 1:35

You know that:

• Air Support Centers were first established at U.S. Navy air bases beginning in late 1942 to replace the primary command center on the home ship when needed.
• The elevated point above the surrounding terrain (often it was just a simple ladder to the roof of a building) allowed for an easy view of the base and immediate surroundings.
• After the Normandy landings in 1944, many of these towers were built on the so-called Advanced Landing Grounds.
• From the support center, the command coordinated activities between ground personnel and defense posts.
• One of the last surviving towers in Belgium was rebuilt in 1978 to serve as a water tank for cattle.

Technical parameters:

• height 13-14,5 m
• base size 4,5 x 4,5 m
• staff 2-4 persons
• vequipment: binoculars M3 6x30, motorcycle clutch, radio station SCR-300

From the memoirs of Sergeant Chuck "Stomper" Henderson:

"Of course, today we all know how the Normandy landings turned out and we look back on the events with the certainty of victory. Remember, we didn't feel that way. The constant stress and a mixture of conflicting reports from the battlefield did not add to our peace of mind. We saw the enemy everywhere and caution was in order. I served as an observer at the temporary air base at Carentan. A normal patrol consisted of three soldiers. Two in the tower and one down on the ground as a liaison. One day at dawn a rookie, Private O'Reilly, sounded the alarm and excitedly pointed to an approaching German tank with the barrel pointed at our tower. I tore the binoculars off my clip and strained my eyes to pierce the discs of fog rolling across the meadow. We all heard something coming, but a German tank and here? A few seconds later a farmer named Rene emerged from the fog on a tractor, who regularly brought us horrible sorrel cake. The barrel that O'Reilly saw was a log for repairing a fence. Rene had started earlier than usual that day so he could finish the work before dark. "