PC Museum News for August 30, 2017

Operation Skywatch. Do those words ring a bell? Did you take part in Operation Skywatch? Were you a member of the Montana Ground Observer Corps? The volunteers that took part in GOC were an integral part of our nation’s defense plan.

The idea that the open spaces of Montana might interest the Soviets in a surprise attack was a viable concern for the Air Force. To combat this problem volunteers across Montana were trained to identify silhouettes of all military planes and armed with telephones and binoculars. When an aircraft was sighted volunteers marked its course until it could be identified as posing no threat. If there was any uncertainty a report would be telephoned to Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls.

At that point it was up to the Air Force to “attend to business.” At the height of the program Montana boasted 11,233 people serving from over 340 observation points. With the introduction of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system the military was now able to detect incoming enemy aircraft and the GOP was no longer needed, ending yet another piece of Montana history.

The military display at the PC Museum has some very unusual items you don’t want to miss. The museum is open Monday – Saturday 10-5.