Complex sentence: His competence was quickly recognized and in 1883, the Minister for War (General Jean Thibaudin) entrusted him to direct the "Ecoler Normale de Tir", or the army's training center to improve shooting performance and recommend modifications.
Split into simpler sentences: His competence was quickly recognized and in 1883, the Minister for War (General Jean Thibaudin) entrusted him to direct the "Ecoler Normale de Tir". E.N.T. was the army's training center to improve shooting performance and recommend modifications.