Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-07-14
Motor Trucks to Carry
121st Engineers to Camp
Other Militia Units, However, Will Be Dis
patched to Mount Gretna, Penn
sylvania, by Train.
SA result of conferences which

A SA result of conferences which
" were held in Baltimore, Md,
~ early in the week between
Il H. officials Of the Third Army
Corps Area, the 29th National Guard
Division and local guard officers. 1t
has been decided that the entire l2lst
Regiment OF Engineers will be trans
ported to camp this Summer in motor
trucks. Up until the recent conference,
It was believed that only portion of
the local troops would be sent by
motor truck, while the remainder were
to go by rail.
However, it was said that it had
been decided to have Regular Army
posts in this vicinity to pool their
motor transportation with that of the
local National Guard and dispatch
the troops to camp. With this ar
rangement, it was said, it will be pos
sible to send all of the Engineer troops
In automobiles. However, the special
troops of the 29th Division and the
29th Division Military Police Company
will have to move to Mount Gretna,
Pa, the base camp for the Army ma
neuvers. by rail.
The movement of the troops. it was
said, will give the troops considerable
training in actual wartime transpor-
tation. There will be no spare trucks
for transportation, SO that it has been
decided that the trucks assigned here
will have to move all of the heavy
equipment of all the troops from the
armory to the train and there store it
In the cars. After this is completed,
then the trucks will report back to the
armory and load the personnel and
proceed over the highways to the camp
site. Upon arrival at Mount Gretna
the trucks will unload their personnel
and then will 60 to the railroad heads
to transport the equipment from the
trains to the camp site, where the
troops already on the ground will set
It up.
While when the 29th Division ma
neuvers were planned it was intended
to have a general movement of all
troops by motor truck, the recent
legislation prohibits this because of
the fact that there is not enough auto
mobile equipment to move such large
force. The legislation prohibited the
expenditure of any Federal funds for
the repair, maintenance or operation
of any motor vehicle built prior to
1920. and most of the equipment in
the possession of the guard units for
training purposes ante dated that.
Under the new arrangement there
will not be any advance movement
of heavy equipment, as originally
planned. Everything is to go at the
same time as the troops move There
will be an advance detail, however,
of four officers and six enlisted men
who will precede the main body to
camp as a billeting detail. but they
will have none of the duties of dis
tributing the equipment in the field
or getting it ready for the main body
of troops. All this will be done when
the troop trains and caravans arrive
at the camp site.
The new arrangements will call for
considerable planning, it was said, on
the part of the Guard officers, as it
is something that they never have
done before. However, some Of their
planning, it was said, depends upon
the time set for the departure of the
troop train, and these schedules are
to be set by the officials at the Sd
Corps Area headquarters, who are
expected to set the time so that
trains from all sections of the area
will not arrive on the camp rail head
at the same time. AS soon as the
time schedule is received here giving
the time for the departure of the local
troop train, then the local officers will
plan for the movement of equipment to
the railroad siding here and its load
ing on the train. At a conference
here among the officers concerned. 1t
has been estimated that it will require
approximately four hours to load the
heavy equipment on the baggage
cars.
The special troops, 29th Division,
will load their property at the same
time as the Engineers.
Those who participated in the Bal
timore conference included Lieut.. Col.
Peyton G. hewitt, Adjutant Generals
Department, 10Th Division staff; Capt
Walter S. Welsh, Headquarters and
Service Company, l2lst Engineers;
First Lieut.. Joseph F. Fitzgerald,
Headquarters and Service Company,
12lst Engineers.
Rather extensive athletic programs
ere being planned in connection with
the maneuverS, in which the men will
participate during the time that they
are not actually playing war. Lieut..
Col. Herbert L. Grymes held con-
ference here last week with Capt. c.
Earl Smithson, 121st Engineers ad-
jutant, and Lieut.. M. D. Reich, COM
manding the 29th Division Military
Police Company, concerning the rec
feation plans for the members Of
those local commands.
It was said that Col. Grymes is
planning a division competition for
the maneuvers, the champions to have
a competition with the troops, of the
28th Division, the Pennsylvania unit,
with Army units in the field, with a
view to establishing corps area cham
pionships.
Col, John W. Oehmann, command
ing the local militia, will begin. prob
ably this. week, the preparation of
estimates for the support Of the
Guard for the coming fiscal year.
Notice was received from the Dis
trict Commissioners during the week
that the estimates must be in their
hands not later than August l so
that they might be co-ordinated with
the other District estimates.
It was said at the Guard head
quarters that IT was not known at
CHS time whether any increases
would be asked at this time. There
Is one feature in which the enlisted
x,,ev, oro ropcidoro hlxy interested and