July-August - Air Defense Artillery

to Army personnel and their dependents.
In the last seven and one-half years
in which General \Vilson has been the
Director, AER has disbursed over eight
million dollars through loans and grants
in providing financial assistance to over
100.000 members
families.
of the Army and their
General \Vilson graduated from
US~IA in 1902 and was commissioned
in the Artillery. He served in the Field
Artillery, the Coast Artillery Corps, and
on the General Staff until he was appointed
a general officer in 1937 to take
command at Corregidor. lIpon his return
to California in 1940 he activated
and commanded the III Army Corps.
Upon the outbreak of war in 1941 he
oroanizcd and commanded
b
California Sector of the
the Southern
\Vestern Defense
Command, and later the Northern
California Sector, until he came to \Vashinoton
in 1944 to take over the AER.
b
His retirement as AER Director culminates
a distinguished career of 53
years continuous service in the Army.
CORRESPONDENCE
To the Editor:
The copy of the May-June issue of the
JOURNALarrived here today. I noted with
some apprehension the article by i'vlajor
Ride on reorganizing the 90mm Battalion
for FA.
The proposition of converting a firing
battery into a service battery and scattering
personnel helter-skelter is contrary to
building esprit and efficiency. The morale
in his service (nee D) battery would
certainly not be high when it has been
deprived of the primary mission of
artillery-that of firing. This is not to
mention the feeling that those "0" battery
gun crews in the other batteries
would have of being strangers in a
strange outfit with their loyalties being
in their own unit. Furthermore the advantages
of having an extra firing battery
are many. More targets can be engaged
over a greater front, and a battery can be
detached for various task force assignments
and still not affect the battalion as
a whole. The rate of fire of the 90mm
gun more than makes up for the loss of
the guns gained in splitting up "0" Battery's
guns among the other batteries.
The 68th Gun Battalion has also been
in Korea and has done some pretty fair
work. The present AAA setup was modified
only slightly in this unit by split-
JULY-AUGUST, 1951
ting the Headquarters Battery into two
sections, in effect making it a Headquarters
and Service Battery. This called for
ammunition details from the firing batteries,
but these men still felt that they
were working for their own batteries.
\Ve also found that we could utilize the
SRi\IU men to a better advantage as
extra radio repairmen rather than letting
them sit in a rear area doing little or
nothing. Our main difficulty was in communications
due to the fairly long distances
between batteries. This was
solved, however, in having all battery
communications sections operate under
the supervision of Battalion. Our communications
were always excellent although
the communication sections
really worked overtime. The personnel
who remained behind with the fire control
equipment were the battery radar
repairmen and some other range section
personnel. That scheme worked and our
equipment functioned perfectly when it
was put back in use after being stored
for over 3 months. By our system we
maintained the integrity of our batteries
and morale throughout. In addition
there were no property complications nor
personnel difficulties which could arise
in the "Streamlined 90mm outfit." Morale
is a tremendously important factor
in a unit and one should remember when
shifting T/0 & E's that he is dealing
with human beings who have pride in
their own units, and that they are not
mere numbers on a chart.
R. C. CHEAL
APO 301. Lt. Col., 68th AAA Gun Bn
To the Editor:
i\lay I congratulate you and your staff
for an exceptionally fine coverage of
Korea. To me it is describing, at last, the
true battle worth of the fine soldiers
and weapons which we have in the antiaircraft.
I think we have indulged too
often and too long in hairsplitting and
elaborate discussions of technical minutiae.
This tendency has produced some
fine materiel-sometimes some utterly
impractical junk, too.
However, you are giving the AAA
what it deserves-coverage of fighting
and all it implies: battlefield tactics,
leadership, and general worth to the
ground fighting team.
\Ve are training intensively in just
the sort of thing you are describing. I
will have, for the JOURNAL,a complete
write-up of the 48th training in the very
near future.
O. K. i\lARSHALL
Lt. Co\.. 48th AAA A\V Bn (SP)
1st Infantry Division, APO 403
To the Editor:
The A:-''TIAIRCRAFrJOURNALhas become
a favorite of all officers and men
within this battalion. \Ve are pleased to
submit to you this list of applications
which will bring this battalion up to one
hundred percent and hence place us on
your honor roll.
The 35th 1\AA Gun Bn. (90mm), is
a regular army unit, activated I April
1951. It is a negro unit, with the cadre
furnished by the 450th AA/\ A\ V Bn.
and the 719th AAA Gun Bn., both at
Fort Lewis, \Vashington. Fillers have
been received from Fort Bragg. N. C.
and Fort Benning. Georgia.
Camp JOliN E. BURROWS
Stewart, Ga. Lt. Col., Arty, Comdg.
To the Editor:
Your May-June 1951 issue reached a
new high for the JOURNAL. Korean actions
are consistently interesting and instructive
reading for all. i\lajor Landsman's
"AAOC To FOG' is due special
mention. i\lajor James \V. Jordan, my
S4, is so impressed with Capt. \Vyckoff's
article on battery supply that he has reproduced
it by mimeograph and is using
it in supply orientation of recently inducted
National Guard battalions.
\Vithin the very near future you may
expect the 182nd, 420th and 728th Battalions
to join the group and the 245th,
709th, 716th and 726th Battalions, on
your Honor Roll. We are also providing
for more copies in the EM day rooms and
the other reading rooms.
Camp JOlIN D. SIDES,
Stewart, Ga. Col., 226th AAA Group
\Ve hope to give yo-It a lot nwre from
Majo-r Landsman, oIlr other able reporters
in Korea and Capt. Wyckoff. They
can well appreciate this comment frcmt
Col. Sides. He is tmly a "pillar" of the
JOuRNAL.-En.
PSYCHIATRY
The article, "Psychiatry In The Koreml
\11ar," by Colonel Amos R. Koontz,
reprinted in the Alarch-April A:-''TIAIR-
CRAFTJOURNALfrom the Military Surgeon,
has elicited comment of interest,
pro and cO'».
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