Preventing a Soviet Union Sneak Attack - The Ground Observer Corps

When the nuclear age arrived in 1940s, the United States was largely unprepared for a surprise nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. Radars had been invented, which could detect aircraft, but they had yet to be deployed on a widespread defensive scale. Therefore, the United States military turned to civilian volunteers to report aircraft activity. This program was called the Ground Observers Corps, or GOC. Each state recruited their own members. The State of Minnesota had many observers in every corner. If an aircraft was observed, the GOC reported it to the Air Defense Center. This allowed the military to quickly respond to unknown aircraft and defend the United States. When radars were fully deployed by the late 1950s, the GOC program ended.
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[@ElliottNest41]

Interesting video, thank you. You’re correct, I had never heard of the GOC program.

[@GordonEricksen]

Thanks so much for all your work to give us a great history lesson!

[@tootired76]

Great video! Never heard of GOC before