Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-16

III nght; they are ready Tor an
other, and their friends want
them to have credit for their per-
Torrance. but ask to have the hys-
terical part left out. They do not
like the story that marines have
"chewed up" three-some say five
crack German divisions. 1t is quite
well known that not many more than
three marine regiments were in the
assault, and, while reports of their
conduct are in keeping with their
fighting record, their officers on this
side hope that no one believes they
have had anything to do with giving
out reports Of impossible perform
ances.
One of these officers when asked
whether there was anything new and
good to be said about the marines,
expressed the idea in his reply:
There is nothing new to say that is
good; and no one can say anything
bad bout them Their commandant
vision of them instead of the num-
Der that is there"
The facts seem to be that the bulk of
the German forces had been withdrawn
from their front and that the marines
and French went over the small force of
The rest of the wonderful perform
ance' was reportorial enthusiasm.
The Workmanship of the marines
is remarkable. Something more than
80 per cent of the men who went
into that assault were qualified
now going over will have that rating.
The small arms training officers
prefer that the new man to be taught
knows either nothing about firearms
or that he knows great deal, for If
he has only little knowledge he
probably has some bad habits. In
training the new man the officers first
teach him how to handle the un-
loaded gun. This takes in the math-
ematics of sighting and the making
of windage and other allowances, and
holding the empty piece properly at
the shoulder on the target for firing.
After the recruit has mastered this
technique he is allowed to fire blank
cartridges until he learns to hold the
piece on the target while he pulls the
trigger. From that point the progress
is rapid. Soon, without the knowl-
edge of the young soldier, he receives
clip with some ball cartridges: and
the next thing he is hitting the target
regularly.
With this preliminary knowledge
he is taught to fire at all distances
and from all positions-standing.
prone on his back or head foremost.
from his knee, and from most improb-
able positions. Finally he is practiced
in forcing his way through barbed
wire distractions, shooting as he
goes; and at last, when he reaches
all out of breath the enemy" trench,
he must be able to put a bullet into
the dummy German that he finds
man could if he were waiting for the
chance.
This fighting has stimulated the re-
cruiting for the marines to about
double its former rate. In the three
days after the assault approximately
a thousand men came in where for the
same period the week before there
had been fewer than five hundred.
These troops have made fine fight
and are living up to the traditions of
the corps.
With the need of creating a greatly
increased Army arises the correspond
ing need of training an
nf4ieere in enormous number of Of
Training. This number is esti-
mated by some to be as large as $780,
600, although this calculation prob
ably overlooks the fact that the staff
and departmental officers will not have
to be increased to any considerable
extent. and the further fact that most
of the replacement officers will come
by appointment from the enlisted men
of actual experience in the school of
war on the other side.
For such men selected from the
fighting men there are excellent
schools for special courses estab-
lished back of the lines of the expe-.
dictionary forces 1t is the consensus
of opinion that, other things being
equal. the men who have had battle
experience are entitled to the COM
missions in preference to the men who
have not, and that their experience
under fire Is an asset only to be
equaled by most marked efficiency on
the part Of those who have not SO
served.
1t therefore seems probable that
most, If not all, of the replacement
that many of the officers for the new
armies will come from the same
source.
The training schools to be concen-
trated in the replacement camps are
to be strengthened by the addition of
officers sent back from Gen. Per-
shing's Army to give the benefit of
their experience in instruction, and
the present system will certainly pro-
duce excellent officers. All reports
are to the effect that the officers who
and who have entered the National
Army have made good in the
main. the process of elimination in
the CAMPS having left Young men of