South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-31
ME TEOROLOG|ST
CORPS FOR ARMY
Men Detached From Camp
Zachary Taylor for Wealth
er Bureau Service.

NeWs-Times Special Service
CAMP ZACHARY TAYLOR.
Louisville. KY. Dec. 81. - When
Uncle Sans national army gets to
France, it will be equipped with all
the latest scientific devices that are
used in the art of weather forecast
ing and included in the personae.
Will be a great corps OF experts who
will do nothing else hut tell the
commanding generals what kind Of
weather the lighting zone is due to
enjoy. And the Lincoln division
will have number of these sol
dier-scientists in its ranks.
Twenty men have been detached
from Camp Zachary Taylor for
service at weather bureau stations
in Kentucky Tennessee, Ohio and
North Carolina Six have gone 10
Cincinnati and four each TO Knox
Vile. Tenn, and Raleigh and Char
lOtte. y. G. Several have completed
courses in instruction under r. j.
Wall. professor in charge of the To-
cal observatory, and two are there
now
Modern lighting depends 10 d
great degree on the weather. Air
plane activity is hampered altogeth-
CT in cloudy, wet days. Frequently
they operate on moonlight nights.
The velocity and direction of the
wind has everything to do with gas,
smoke or liquid fire attacks. If the
wind be blowing toward our trench
es. the Americans will be prepared
for enemy attacks. If blowing away
from the American lines. the engi-
neers may decide on a little gassing
themselves Rain hampers infantry
and artillery observation is hamper
ed in wet. foggy weather.
Trained McteOrOlogists.
With a trained corps of meteor
ologists. as our weather prognosti-
Gators delight to call themselves,
the American army will know, as
far as human knowledge can take
them, just what sort Of weather is
, in store for them for from "a 10 AS
| hours in advance. and our offensive
| tactics H. France will be guided by
what our generals learn through
their weather forecasters.
The young men from Camp
Zachary Taylor who are taking
weather courses are college gadu-
ates and trained as far as possible
I in physics, physical geography and
| the sciences.
Overcome All Obstacles.
Flowing through mud knee deep.
! hurdling barb-wire entanglements
and armed with live grenades, 20
students Of the Infantry School Of
Arms. at the firing OF a sky-rocket.
moved as one man toward an imag-
! mary enemy Thursday night in the
4 training trenches on maneuver field.
! No Mans Land was silently ira
versed by the attackers, who moved
with the precision Of perfect clock
work TWO lines of armed gren-
adiers advanced under the protec-
/ ton Of barrage ire from imaginary
/ cannon. Each move was regulated
and timed by the officers. When the
barb wire was reached, the lines
| broke and divided into sections and
! the obstacles were overcome with
ease. When the students reached
| the first line of trenches occupied
\ by the enemy" several volleys of
! live grenades were hurled in 10
clean them out and the territory
thus captured was taken over.
The grenades used in this charge
were among the first loaded steel
grenades given recruits for training
/ purposes. The recruits entered into
! the spirit of the thing with proper
zest. After the first section Of : }
men went over the top, another
went through the same maneuvers
and these night raids will be con
| tinued frequently from now on,
Men from all commanded indis-
! ultimately are selected 10 20
through the night attacks. infantry
men. Of course. predominating.
/ Fighting in the dark is an altogeth-
er new experience for most Of the
! boys.
Only i skeleton Of the 159th de-
pot brigade remains. Its colonel
and commissioned personnel with a
! few non commissioned officers. form
all that is left OF the once big or
| Ganization. All its enlisted men
! have been transferred 70 the 333rd
/ 334th and 336th infantry, 5000 in
all. Originally the brigade was
! composed of 80 provisional training
/ battalions Of four companies each
4 Many were transferred TO Camp
Pike. Little Rock. Ark, and Camp
/ Shelby, HattiesbIrg. Miss, and the
/ brigade was thereby reduced 10 %
I battalions. Later other battalions
were transferred to the infantry
regiments and the organization re
duced 70 IA battalions. AS far as
1 feasible the policy of keeping men
from the same localities in the same
units was adhered 10. The third
| and fourth battalions go to the
/ 333rd infantry. an Illinois regiment,
| the 18th and 14-h to the 334th in
] g.