Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-21
WAR GAME" NEXT
At CAMP MEADE
Preliminary Work of Training
| and Hardening Men Now
Out of the Way.
TRENCH DIGGING FIRST

From q stan Correspondent.
CAMP MEADE. Md, October 20.-The
preliminary work of this big canton
ment-such as getting the first incre-
ment OF the new Army into camp, hard
ening them up by means of drills. calls
themes and hikes and instilling into
their civilian minds the rudiments of
military dfscipline--is practically out of
the way. In less than a month the citi-
zen soldiers have learned how to handle
tention. take care of themselves on a
hike and In the squad rooms. And now
they are ready for the actual war game
work. which is to begin shortly.
Perhaps before the end of the present
week the men will have started on this
phase of their training At any rate, the
start viii be made within ten days
Work OF surveying. plotting and map
ping every square rod OF territory in a
zone ten miles wide, extending entirely
around Camp Meade, has been completed
Not hilock or 4 raviae. not a wood or
field, not brook or 1. draw not even
a tree. house, barn or other object, has
been overlooked by the engineers who
have done the work. Tue maps are
ready. and campaigning over the terri
tory so mapped is TO begin Immediately.
-
Officers who have served with the
forces of France and Great Britain in
Europe are arriving at Camp Meade
to act as instructors in the war games
Capt. Lafntz of the French army was
the first of these to arrive and take
up quarters here. Others are to come
tomorrow and during the week until
about twenty-five Of these teachers of
modern warfare are on the ground.
These are not the only preparations
that have been made as the men of
the roth Division and the residents of
the ten-miIe zone around Camp Meade
speedily will learn. Freight ears whose
. loads are mysteriously shrouded in
camoufiaging of tarpaulins nailed
the sidings at the camp and the
fretghts have disappeared somewhere
They will be forthcoming in a few
days. however Until then the cor
respondents are not permitted to dis
cuss them.
Trench Digging First Work.
It is known that the work of dig
ging trenches is to be the first of the
war game work to be undertaken by
the men. Trenches exactly like those
that form the battle lines in France
and Flanders are to be dug, connect
ed up with communic lea ting galleries
protected by barbed wire entangle-
IucHtS, ana tnen the men Will be taught
how to defend them, how to go over
thu top in assaults and how to turn
the trenches around-..reorganize"
them, is the military te-m-so as to
make the enemy's trench lines parts.
OF those of the besieging forces
1t is divulging no military secret to
say that in the latter stages of this
work actual trench mortars and bombs
will be used. Neither is it a secret
that real bayonet practice will be
taught. Into dummies stuffed with
sand the men will be shown how to
thrust the steel .deep-because the
boche doesn't like cold steei-and how
to disengage it quickly for another
thrust.
Rushing lines of trenches will be
large part of the work. Perhaps many
persons have thought that too much
time was being spent by the men in
camp In playing-cross-cou run
ming, foot ball and other athletics The
results of this work. however will
ehow when the men start in on trench
WORK. The fellow who can start and
finish ten-mile cross-country run, or
who can last out the entire game in
foot ball contest, is the fellow who can
make tho run across no mans land
the 100 yards or so lying between our
trenches and those Of the boche-with
plenty In reserve to give a good ac-
count OF himself. That's what the ath-
letics ID for.
Four Months of Training.