Evening star., 1928-09-09
District National Guard

vided only after special authority is
given by the Militia Bureau.
Lieut. Col. Frederick C. Smith,
Coast Artillery Corps, who has been
ordered here as adjutant general of the
| District of Columbia Militia. is ex-
pected to report for duty next week, it
was said at brigade headquarters. Lieut..
Col Louis G. Brinton, ir., relieved, has
entered upon his leave of absence, prior
TO departing for the Pacific end OF the
Panama Canal, where he will have
charge of the anti-aircraft coast de-
fenseS
Until Col. Smith reports for duty,
Lieut. Col Peyton G.. Nevitt, adJutant
generals department, will act as adJu--
tant general. under orders issued last
week by Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan.
commanding the local Militia.
The rep-ft of Maj. r. E. Guthrie,
! 61st Coast Artillery, director of train
ing at Fort Monroe Va, on the results
of the training of the 260th Battalion
of Coast Artillery of the local National
Guard, commanded by Maj. Walter w.
| Burns. has been received at brigade
| headquarters.
| He says satisfactory progress was
made in realizing the training objective
which was to produce properly organ
lied and efficient working batteries,
trained in basic fundamentals of mill
tary service in which each individual
officer and enlisted man has learned his
duties and responsibilities. and the or
ganization of units. duties and reSpon-
sibilities of those under his command
and to have each battery so trained in
Coast Artillery work. including service
firing. that it may properly function as
a unit of regiment of Anti-aircraft
Coast Artillery for harbor defense.
Maj. Guthrie reported that the limited
strength of the Washington batteries
permitted the training of one platoon
in Battery A in Searchlights and one
gun section each in Batteries B and G..
He also reported that the objective
for 1929 will be the same as for the
current year, except that during the
year 1929 men are to be trained in no
menclature and operation of anti-air-
craft machine guns in anticipation of
further expansion of the organization,
which will be in machine gun batteries.
In the searchlight work in the first
five raids, there we're four illuminations,
during which the men picked up the
enemy in .35 of a minute. The average
time of Illumination was 2.O75 minutes
and the score 71.179. In the second
series of five raids, when also there
were four 1luminationS, it required SO
of minute, with an average period of
illumination of 296 minutes which pro-
duced a score of 83.154.
The firing of Batteries B and c, the
gun batteries, showed that Battery B
the first time fired 35 shots, made two
hits, with a percentage of ST or .55
hits per gun per minute, and score
of 246 The second time IL shots were
fired, with no hits.
Battery c fired al shots on its first
run, with no hits, but on its second
trial with II shots, two hits we're made,
giving a percentage of 1877, 179 hits
per gun per minute and a score of 1913
The recommendations of the director
of training are that the 260th Coast
Artillery be reassigned as a mobile
anti-aircraft regiment. The training as
a mobile regiment, he says, would per-
NIT its employment with fixed arma-
ment on short notice, while the reverse
is not the case. 1t is also recommended
that the armament and equipment as
signed to the regiment for armory train
ing be used by it during the annual
field training periods.
Sergt William E. Taylor and Corp.
Emil E. Chapman, Company D, 121st
Engineers, have been ordered reduced
to privates. Taylor is awaiting trial by
general court-martial in connection
with his arrest by the Pennsylvania
authorities. during the annual encamp-
ment of the Engineer Regiment, on
charges of transportation and possession
Of intoxicating liquor. The court
martial has been appointed and +
awaiting the completion of the charges
by Capt. Ralph L. Walker, judge ad-
vocate of the local Guard.
| Corp. Robert E. Shanahan has been
promoted to sergeant in Company D,
121st Engineers, and Pvts. Charles j.
/ Dulin and Clarence E. Persons have
been ordered promoted to corporals in
the same unit.
Pvt. first class) Thomas A. Reneau