With the Army (continued)

1. Ocean, sea-route and beach forecasts for periods of 24 to 48 hours for troop landings;


2. Reports concerning the trafficability of roads and the fordability of rivers;


3. Reports of state of sea and swell;


4. Solar, lunar and tidal data; and


5. Chemical warfare forecasts for 24 to 48 hours, dealing with features of the weather affecting the behaviour of chemical agents.

Obviously, meteorological conditions for the use of smoke screens and the dropping of paratroopers and supplies were also to be given special attention.

As MMF accompanied army units, they were detached from the RAAF D.Met.S. for special duties as circumstances dictated.

Squadron-Leader L. J. Dwyer, who had been attached to Army headquarters as liaison officer, organised the Mobile Meteorological Squadron. Each flight was attached to Army Corps, Divisional Headquarters—usually directly under a commander of artillery. The whole organisation, though detached to the Army, was controlled by D.Met.S. through the appropriate RAAF Area headquarters.

The most important function of the outfit in practice was to make observations of temperature and strength and direction of the wind, and from these observations to calculate the ballistic corrections required for artillery gunfire.[81]

Bureau of Meteorology