Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-26
MANEUVERS
DECLARED
SUCCESS
0ahu's Natural Defenses Show
Up In Weakness or
Strength
By LAURENCE REDINGTON
[Star.BuIIetin Staff Correspondent
with the Red armyl

Win I've neO uImN
HEADQUARTERS RED ARMY,
Pearl City, Oct. With the invas-
ion OF Oahu at an end, the soldiers of
the Red army, who since Monday last
have been forcing their way across
the island IN the face of a determin-
ed resistance by the Blues, have dis
covered that they are quite ready to
20 home II will not be case OF
dropping the rifles for the plow, for
they are soldiers first, last and always,
but with the secession OF hostilities
yesterday. the period Of field train
ing for the year came practically to-
q close There win be no more prac-
tice marches, and no more campaign
ing for some time to come, and. every
one Is looking forward to the return
to hum drum garrison life.
At that, the department maneuyers
just ended have been successful not
only from Q purely technical and
strategic standpoint, but also from
the personal side with both officers
and men. a general vote pollei W the
Red army would show . large major
fly In favor ~ the Heek's campaign.
II has been hard work. about a. hard
e soldiers are eyer required % Do N.
ing WORK Ct thet aId the partisan
spirit that inipsfcept sprung up
( as the war game progressed has kept
everyone tuned 20 high pitch. Before
the flnhI ebeaktnent yesterday. the
Reds had worked themselves up to
such q pitch 81 enthusiasm that they
almost believed themselves to be at
war with che Blues. in fact as we'll
as In fancy.
Last nights camp at Pearl City,
was a cherry one. FOR two reasons.
Firstly. the men felt that they were
bound for home and all that home:
meant after weeks hiking over
dusty reads and muddy raYines Sec
ondly. they came back yesterday af-..
ternoon to ready made camp. and
did not have to go through the hard
work OF pitching tents and unload
ing the wagon train.
Homewafd 3ound.
This morning the. Red army start
ed on the last leg OF It's homeward
Journey Promptly at o'clock the
first squadron of the Fifth Cavalry,
commanded by Captain Pritchard ,trot-
ted up the road that leads to the main
trans-island artery, and soon after
ward Batteries e and r Of the First
Field Artillery. Then followed the
First Infantry, commanded by Lieu
tenant-C Colonel Hirst, the transports
ton Of all organizations following as
one wagon train. in charge OF Captain
offley. chief Quartermaster of the
Red army.
Naturally D week OF the war game
has led to many discussions as to the
value of maneuvers Of this sort, and
the consensus of opinion is that I'll
has been sood thing for the army
Of Oahu. It has given the Officers
both field and company. added ex.
perience in handling their commands.
and has given the men q lot Of prac-
tical instruction in looking after
themselves IN the field. and also in
operating In connection with other
arms OF the service. As nearly as
possible conditions Of real warfare
have been followed, and everything
mas been done to make the game as
realistic as circumstances permitted.
Fields Are Obstacles.
However, there has been one great
drawback toward the successful man
euvering of two armies, and that is
the amount Of cultivated ground, out
of which the troops have been forced
to stay. This confined them to the
roads, which, in the face of heavy
ARTILLERY fire, is the very last place
that they would have been. The
Schofield reservation is about the
only place in which troops can be dis
tributed as they would be If really
fighting, and the engagements of
Tuesday and Wednesday near the
post were more like the real thing
than those that followed. Thursdays.
pursuit Of the Blues by the Reds from
Schofield to Pearl City was more or
less realistic, for the retreating army