Evening star., 1935-05-05
HREPARATIONS are being
. pressed in the National Guard
Of the District of Columbia,

GllC dlCNbAOAA "a OSA'
John w. Oehmann, COM
mander, for the participation OF a
large portion Of the local militia in
the Army maneuvers to be held in
New York and vicinity this coming
Summer. Although 1t was planned
to have q mobilization Of the entire
division this Summer, for the f1rst
time in its history, the plans will not
have to be materially changed as ten
tatively worked out for that purpose,
as the 29th Division, which comprises
troops in this city, the States OF
Maryland and Virginia and portion
Of Pennsylvania, will camp in the
latter State
The Regular Army troops, with New
York as center, and taking in the
Sd Army Corps Area. with headquar-
ters at Baltimore, Md, will stage
gigantic field maneuver between
August II and 81. All the Regular
troops and the militia units in this
area will take the field and will
maneuver under wartime conditions.
AS no details have been received at
the local division headquarters as to
just what the conditions will be for
the local troops during the time they
are In the field, Col. Oehmann has
sent instructions to all the command
ers Of units which will participate in
the exercises to check all Of their
field equipment to make certain that
they have everything necessary to
maintain themselves In the field under
all the conditions which might be
met. It was pointed out that the
troops will not find conditions as they
have at the regular training camps,
where there are permanent service
facilities such as electric lighting for
the tents, permanent flooring IN the
tents, permanent wash rooms and the
like. They will have to be prepared
to furnish these facilities wherever
they are ordered and may only camp
for one night in each place. They
will have to have their own lighting
facilities, wash rooms and the like,
and it may be necessary to have
adequate transportation for water for
cooking and sanitary purposes.
The exercises will give to many Of
the youthful troops now in the Guard
their first taste Of real field service,
but there are enough veterans in the
outfit, many Of them with World War
field service, to teach the new men
how to take care Of themselves while
operating under simulated war con-
ditions.
The announcement that the local
troops will participate in the maneu-
vers Is expected to be followed as the
camp time approaches by a general
rush Of young men who want to par
ticipate, many Of them anxious to go
because the camp is to be some dis
tance away from the city. However,
officials at division headquarters here
pointed out that those who desire to
take part will have to make their ap-
plications for enlistment prior to
June II. This will be so days prior
to the time the troops are to take the
field.
This is War Department require
ment designed to avoid taking new
and unframed mem in the field. Sixty
days Of armory training, it is figured,
will be sufficient to prepare the men
1OI 44CI0 oCIf1CC. ElARCElcl1CC Llco
shown that men taken In a week or
two prior to camp serve to retard the
training of the units. Usually they
have to be separated in groups and
put under trained corporal or ser.
geant to learn the rudiments Of mill
tary field life. This breaks up the
organization and takes away trained
soldiers usually needed for field ma
neuverS.
With the 60-day armory training
period, 1t was pointed out that the
new men can be kept in the ranks
and the companies kept intact for
field service under all types of condi-
tions, as the majority of the men are
trained and can help along those with
only so days of service.
While it was planned under the di-
visional mobilization plan to send the
local troops to Indiantown Gap, Pa,
under the Army maneuver plan, the
local troops will go to Mount Gretna.
The 28th National Guard Division,
Pennsylvania troops, were supposed to
mobilize at Indiantown Gap, to be
followed by the 29th Division, but
under the new plans the Pennsylvania
units will be In the field at the same
time as those from the Sd Corps Area.
Therefore, this change had to be
made.
All Of the units of the local militia
will participate in the Army maneu-
vers except the 260th Battalion of
Coast Artillery. under Maj. Walter w.
Burns, and Company A, 372d In
fantry, under Capt. A. G. Newman.
The former will follow out its tenta-
tive camp schedule. which provides
for 1t to take its annual field training
at Fort Monroe, Va, while the In
fantry unit will go to Camp Albert
c. Ritchie at Cascade, Md. Both
units will 90 into the field from July
6 to 20, thus completing all of their
field work prior to the Army ma
neuver. 1t was explained at the local
militia headquarters that these troops
are not part of the 29th Division. The
121st Engineer Regiment, commanded
by Col. Oehmann, is the divisional
Engineer unit, and it is expected to
be assigned important tasks In the
coming Summer exercises.
Investigations are still being con-
Quoted into the large number Of abb
sentee bandsmen for the Army day
parade here. Whether the courts
martial will be carried through, It
was explained at headquarters, has not
been determined, each case being han
died on tts merits.