The Hemisphere: Air Defense Test

For three days last week, major cities on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border and on both seacoasts were under theoretical air attack by jet and piston-powered bombers of the U.S. and Canadian air forces. Ground observers were alerted and fighter squadrons ordered to scramble to the defense of their zones. Operation Tailwind, involving some 1,600 aircraft and thousands of ground personnel, was the second major test of the continent's northern air defenses. Unlike last year's Exercise Signpost, it produced no fatal accidents. When the enormous amount of data from written reports and the photographic records of gun cameras has been assembled and analyzed, experts will write a top-secret report evaluating the readiness of North Americans to defend themselves against sneak attack.