July-August - Air Defense Artillery School

70
THE COAS 1 l\RTILLERYJOllR!
Eastern Defense Command and First Arm' .. who made an
inspection ;..Iay 5. as well as ,'isiting othe; installations in
the area. including Camp Pendleton and the defense force
of Cape Henry.
Adjacent training centers have been using the facilities
of Fort Story for maneuvers and tests. One of the most
interesting o'f these consisted of several night landings by
specially trained units utilizing the latest equipment and
methods for this form of attack.
~ len of the Provisional Brigade at Camp Pendleton, in
addition to manning the big guns. have been undergoing
some strenuous basic training in the fundamentals of the
school of the soldier and as a part of this training recently
completed firing the ~Il rifle. One unit qualified 94.08 per
cent of their number, topping a previous record of 89.14
per cent marked up by a different unit.
Among the outstanding events which have taken place
within the Brigade's camp is the entertainment of Virginia's
gO\'ernor. Colgate \ V. Darden . .Ir., and the troops of the
Virginia Protective Force, The troops staged a retreat
parade and were reviewed by Governor Darden, Brigadier
General David P. I-Iardv. Provisional Coast Artillery Brigade.
Brigadier GeneraI' Don E. Scott, Internal Se~urity
Force, and Brigadier General E. E. Goodwyn, VPF commander.
Identification courses bv the Renshew method and movements
into the field inv~lving the employment of battle
tactics have helped to make the training program For the
brigade concentrated and thorough. Despite this intensified
program morale and relaxation have not been neglected.
One effective training aid developed by coordination of
the camp fire department's program with that of the coast
artillery units is the employment of a stream of highpressure
water against a fast-moving target in simulation
of a tracer stream For antiaircraft machine gun training.
The entire Mobile Force of the Chesapeake Bay Sector
has been on the firing range during the past two months,
using all the inFantry weapons, and a large percentage have
given a good account 01' themselves. Training recently has
bcen placing special stress on Functional swimming and
water saFetv. In addition to the men enrolled in the f\STP,
the i\ lobil~ Force has a large number who are taking advantage
of the courses offered by the U. S. Armed Forces
Institute.
One of the greatest aids to training at I:ort i\ lonroe is a
new assault course, which provides ample opportunity for
realistic battle conditions, as although lacking natural obstacles
the course has been so constructed that a man is
required to undergo almost identical handicaps with those
encountered in the field.
\\lhile individual training is stressed at Fort i\ lonroe,
the battery teamwork has not been neglected, and in recent
firing for record, a battery of Colonel \Vilmer S. Phillips'
regiment won the "E" for excellence, achieving one 01' the
highest scores in the Army For its type of weapon.
i\ Iuch to the delight 01' the garrison at Fort i\ lonroe a
post boxing team has been formed and cards presented in
the open-air arena as well as engagements booked with
other camps. Baseball, too, has again come into its own at
the post and every afternoon From two to three games are in
progress on the parade ground.
The Harbor Defenses of Beaufort Inlet have been pu
ing an intensive program of training in all phases and h
made marked improvement. Artillery practice and g
drills have been the order of the day, with special classes
officers and enlisted men following the actual operatio
One of the prized additions in the Beaufort Inlet area h
been the war dogs furnished to assist in the patrol of t~
long stretches of beach. These dogs will be used in addit~
to the sentries and are expected to prove a boon to the m~
Simulated bombing and strafing conducted by planes
also been included in the training program, and the m
ha\'e been taught defense against these as well as g3~~
tacks from the air. ~ 1
The training program was tested .Iune 19 and 20 by s
cial exercises with umpires from Headquarters Ches3rea
Bav Sector.
The men at Fort i\ lacon are looking Forward to the c
pletion of a large recreation hall which is under const
tion and which will feature a talent show For the openi
\\lith the advent of summer months swimming and fi
ing have highlighted the recreational program for 1
officers and men of the command. I
SOUTHERN
SECTOR
Eastern Defense Command
BHIGADtER GENERAL H. F. LooJ\ttS, C0l11111m1di1lg
13)' Captain Jolll1 Lindsay
"No Tourists Allowed" signs have not been displa
but, doubtless, the commanding officers at Fort i\'OUl
and Fort T avlor would welcome their erection. Thesl
Hight strongholds which the n~ar-pr~sent old-timers
member as deserted ghost towns, mhabIted by a few wa
men, have become in the short space of a few years boo"l:
crowded cities, complete with their own public utilitie' f
tremendous industrial activity. Even the "official toll
will find it almost as difficult to obtain accommodati
a normal sightseer would in reserving a cot in the ba
of the Willard Hotel in Washington. \\Tars, gold r
and oil booms often cause quick growth, but Sou
Sector development has actually been phenomenal.
Things are slowing up. Certain soldiers are tak
easy now. Officers are pleased. As Southern Sector \
keep within the 35-mile per hour speed limit and
obey army regulations, the number of accidents
creased radically and much gasoline and rubber halT
conserved.
The constant training of all troops not only con tin
has been intensified. In order to help all officers thro
the Sector and especially commanders of small uni
junior officers and noncommissioned officers, training
randum 0Jo. 13 was published. This is one of t