These fires were then delivered on the request of a forward observer who was with the forward air controller.... When there was a forward air controller up in the front lines controlling the strike, we would put a forward observer with him. When the planes were ... ready to go, the F.O. [forward observer] got the word ‘Batteries laid and loaded,’ and he would tell them to fire. The minute the FO would get the word, ‘On the way,’ the forward air controller would tell the planes to start their run. As a result, we had cases where the planes were in their bombing run within 30 seconds after the flak suppression was fired, which meant that they were in on the target while the positions were still neutralized. The question of control and split second timing is of exceeding importance because the aircraft are going 300 to 400 miles an hour....[112] [112] _Henderson ltr II._ Early in the program the MAG-12 commander reported that although the flak suppression procedure was not flawless, it was proving “very capable and workable.”[113] An indication of the success of 1st Marine Division pioneering efforts in flak suppression is seen in the fact that shortly after it was put into operation “there was a steady stream of visitors to the 11th Marines CP to find out what [it was] and how we were doing it and to get copies of our SOP.”[114] The procedure was eventually adopted by other Eighth Army units. [113] CO, MAG-12 Spdltr to CG, 1st MAW, dtd 2 Jul 52, Subj: Comments on 11th Mar Flak Suppression SOP, cited in _PacFlt EvalRpt_, No. 5, Chap. 9, p. 9-78. [114] _Henderson ltr II._ Marine air losses from hostile ground fire during CAS strikes immediately began to drop from the June peak and never again reached this level. In 124 close support sorties flown by 1st MAW on 13 August, not one plane was shot down and only four received minor damage from enemy flak. Although there were some complaints as to execution of the flak suppression program these would be corrected, in the main, by a revised procedure which the 11th Marines would undertake in the winter of 1952. _Spring 1952 on_ JAMESTOWN[115] [115] Unless otherwise noted, the material in this section is derived from: _PacFlt EvalRpts_ No. 4, Chap. 9, No. 5, Chap. 8; 1stMarDiv ComdDs, Apr-Jun 52; 5thMar ComdDs, Apr-Jun 52; 7thMar ComdD, Jun 52; 11thMar ComdDs, Apr-May 52; 1/5 ComdD May 52; 1/7, 2/7 ComdDs, May 52.