Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-23
GUARDSMEN HOLD
ALL-N|GHT BATTLE
District, Maryland and vir.
ginia Troops Take Part
in War Game.
BY WILLIAM j. WHEA-...EY,
staff Correspondent of The Star

SJGkl A l.
GUARD DIVISION. Fountain Dale
Pa. August 23.-While scores of air.
planes droned overhead, their engine
explosions cracking echo after echo
against the mountainside, amid the
noisy discharge of pyrotechnic signals
of the communication company. the
odor from the powder charges OF
which gave smell of realism to the
scene. the goth National Guard Diyi
sion staff, commanded by Mai. Gen
Anton Stephan. National Guard of the
District of Columbia, today is carry
ing out one of the most advanced wal
games ever given to a National Guard
division.
All through the sleepless night for
these guardsmen taking their annual
field training in the field messages
poured into the headquarters Of Gen
Stephan in little tent beside noun
tain stream at the foot of a great
ridge which lowered overhead. They
came by radio, by telegraph, by tele
phone, by motor cycle courier, and
even by horse, for the mountain trails
are yet too much for the modern motor
transportation, and only these beasts
of burden can negotiate the slopes or
which the mimic warfare is being
fought. The division signal company
from the Virginia National Guard
has Melted the surrounding mountain
sides with wires of all descriptions
leading from the outposts to the nerve
center at Gen. Stephan's headquar
tiers. with party lines to the brigade
headquarters at various points along
the front.
Mules Carry Radios.
Up the mountain slopes the Army
mules have trundled compact but
heavy radio sending sets. which in
sured communication should the zen.
envy" locate and clip the land wires
laid unceremoniously over the wet
ground.
While the outposts and signal com
pany dispatched messages during the
night, describing the conditions In
the field. which required the direc
tions from command headquarters
as to dispositions to be made tc
combat the imaginary enemy, the
welcome roar Of the first planes wa!
heard just as dawn broke over the
mountain peaks, and within q few
minutes Gen. Stephan was in posses.
sion of graphic information. illus.
trative of the dispatches sent during
the night, for the planes carried
photographers, who took pictures Of
the situation on earth, developed
them, and dropped them down on the
command headquarters so that the
officers might see just what the
enemy Is doing. And they will keeI
necessarily at 1t. until Lieut.. Col
Louis c. Brinton, jr., the regular
Army instructor. calls a halt at
o'clock this evening, when the war
riors will break their field camp anG
motor back to permanent station al
Camp Albert c, Richie, at Cascade
Md, where, after obtaining some
much needed sleep, Col. Brinton to.
morrow will conduct a critique, tc
explain to the commanding genera
and the others who participated ir
the maneuver, just where they were
successful and where they failed, II
field problems which confronted them
during the 24-hour maneuver.
- Makes Militia History.
In this gigantic maneuver. the goth
Division staff and the troops engaged
in it are making National Guard his
tory, for, according to Col. Brinton
probably no other National Guard
Division in the country has advanced
as far in Its training as has the 29th
Division, which is composed Of the
militia of the National Capital, Mary
land and Virginia.
Col. Brinton called all Of the ojcer.
to his headquarters at o'clock yes
terday afternoon and handed each OF
them a voluminous description Of the
war problem which confronted them.
The motor caravan was all lined up,
and he told them that the command
station must be established at
o'clock. After brief delay, required
to make sure that the food supply
would be forthcoming during the
night. the entire caravan moved out
Of the camp at full speed, and the
the tents pitched. 20 miles away from
ments began their clicking of mes.
sages. and the radio started to buzz,
and this was kept up during the
night.
The problem as laid down by Col
Brinton was this: The Red or enemy
force, consisting Of an army division
had established a defensive line on
the Waynesboro-Em mitsburg turnpike
on South Mountain. The Blue Army
theoretically consisted OF the Bird
Corps, composed of the 2Sth and 29th
National Guard divisions and the LIST
and 9Th Regular Divisions. On August
II, the 10Th Division was supposed to
have fought an indecisive engagement
and 3rd Army Corps staged a come
back at $50 o'clock this morning. 1t is
a staff maneuver. and the members OF
the staff from the commanding gen.
eral down are being required to per-
form and act just as they would in
real combat.
SIGNAL System Installed.
The goth Division Signal Company,
a Norfolk organization. installed a
complete signal system from Emmits-
burg to a mile west Of this place,
which Is the line Of command bri-
gade posts.
The Headquarters Detachment and
the special troops of the goth Divi-
sion, all from the District of Columbia,
are assigned to the various officers Of
the division staff to carry out their
particular duties.
An observation post was established
at corps headquarters, where continu.
Gus lOokOutS were kept to PICK up the
signal rockets, flares and position
lights which flashed during the night,
meaning little to the laymen Of the
countryside, but conveying a fund of
information to the warriors, who in
terpreted each and acted accordingly
in the disposition Of the theoretically
vast army which was operating.
The enlisted personnel, heavy packs
on their backs, left camp ahead Of the
officers contingent and went to des-
ignated posts and put up their pup
tents, in which they lived during the
maneuver. whenever they could get
a respite long enough to get under a
tent, which was seldom during the
night.
Will Leave Sunday.
This Is the major problem Of the
two.week encampment which will end