The Ground Observer Corps (GObC) was a civilian organization within the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

formed in October 1950 to help identify intruder aircraft in the era before the

Pinetree Line The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by North Ame ...

radar network was fully operational. Members were required to report any sighting of an aircraft with four or more engines via Forces-supplied radios. Its formation prompted the USAF to introduce its own

Ground Observer Corps The Ground Observer Corps (GOC), sometimes erroneously referred to as the Ground ''Observation'' Corps, was the name of two American civil defense organizations during the middle 20th century. World War II organization The first Ground Observer ...

the next year, and the two organizations operated in concert until both were deactivated in the late 1950s. The force's motto was "The eyes and ears of the RCAF". While

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

systems and computerized control systems were introduced through the 1950s to replace the Corps, on many occasions they demonstrated themselves far superior to the new systems. In one 1955 test, USAF Strategic Air Command bombers conducted a mock attack on North America to test the defensive network. The GObC's reports beat the radar systems by three hours. At its height, the GObC contained 50,000 members.

References

* * * {{mil-stub Royal Canadian Air Force 1950 establishments in Canada