September-October - Air Defense Artillery

Coast ~rtillery News letter
Harbor'Defenses of
Chesape~ke Bay 0 ',~
BRIGADIERGENERALROLLIN L. TILTON, Commanding
By Captain Alonza F. Colonna
Japan's downfall failed to dampen the enthusiasm
and excellent esprit of striving for perfection in training
prevalent in the Harbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay.
"Business as usual" was the order of the day.
In fact it might be said that the promise of early release
and return to civilian life made by the surrender of the last
of the Axis powers buoyed the spirits of the personnel and
programs planned long in advance were carried out with a
more vigorous will.
Realizing, however, that the inevitable letdown would
come, plans were already prepared and the installations of
the Harbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay were ready.
Full advantage of the exceptional summer weather has
been taken and practically all of the target practices required
by training memoranda have been completed. These in.
eluded 40mm seacoast firing, Case II, six-inch firing, and
90mm seacoast and antiaircraft firing. These practices,
always a ~ighlight in the training program of harbor defense
units, were up to the usual standard and indicated no
let-up in the caliber of perfection required.
Small-arms firing for personnel at Fort John Custis, Fort
Story, Fort Monroe and the Little Creek Mine Base has
been completed and some exceptional scores marked up by
the men in the batteries.
Interest is running high in the proposed practice of the
16-inch riRes scheduled with in the next ninety days. This
will be the first time the big seacoast guns have been fired
in practice and no doubt men who have spent many long
weary months learning the technique will be glad to see the
firing become a reality.
The past several weeks have not been without color in
these Harbor Defenses, and Retreat parades have been
marked with special ceremonies presenting personnel with
awards. At Fort Monroe, two noncommissioned officers and
an officer were given Certificates of Merit, and at Fort Story
several reviews were held for visiting dignitaries.
Orientation has taken on an added significance during
p~st few w~eks ~nd the hours have str~tched much lon~
WIth the discussIOns of postwar planmng and the adju~
ments to be made following return to civilian life. Ea
battery has made special efforts to bring the men out a
have them express their views and judging from the d .
thought that has been evidenced in some of these discou
the G. L's have not just been waiting for release but do'
some fine intelligent thinking.
The major sport has held the highlight of the outd
season and Fort Ivlonroe's baseball team completed a s
cessful year against other service teams, taking the Ti \.
water Virginia championship and playing in the Th'
Service Command finals.
Special schools for off-duty education have been llfI'
progress for some time at Fort Monroe and Fort StOry.~
Fort Monroe a special course in basic radio under the 1 I
rection of Staff Sergeant Frederick D. Hackworth \I J
conducted for men wishing to enroll in the USAFI coors f
The class consisted of sixteen enlisted men and fourtee
of them have already enrolled in the advance course. ~
Col. \Vilmer S. Phillips, a former editor of the COASI
ARTILLERYJOURNAL,commanding officer of Fort StoryI
left the command for another assignment and was replacd
by Col. Adam E. Potts.
Brig. Gen. Gustavo ~orderio de Farias, Director of MiJi
tary training in Brazil, accompanied by his aide, Capl
Godofredo Rocha, and Major Wallace C. Liberty of the
United States Army, paid a visit to Fort Monroe in JU~
and inspected the various departments of the Coast Artillc .
School. vVhile here General Corderio and his party were
entertained by General Tilton and looked over the Harbor
Defense installations.
Brig. Gen. Gustavo Corderio de Farias, Brig. Gen. Lawrence
B. Weeks (Commandant, Coast Artillery School), and Brig.
Gen. Rollin L. Tilton.