Evening star., 1936-08-11
RAIN AND WIND
HIT GUARD CAMP
29th Division Repairs Storm
Damage and Prepares
for War Games.
BY WILLIAM S. TARvER,


NDIANTOWN GAP, Pa, August
1l.-Drenched by a heavy rain last
night and shaken by an accompanying
wind which flattened many tents, the
29th National Guard Division re-
paired its storm damage this morning
and turned without delay to the work
Of preparing for the war games next
week.
No one was injured by the storm,
/ but many were soaked to the skin
: attempting to salvage swRying canvas.
Among the victims were Capt Ralph
Walker. judge advocate with the 12lst
Engineers, Washington's regiment.
and Capt. George L. Evans, also Of
the Engineers. Their tents were car
ried away in the midst of the down.
pour.
Hats, light equipment of all sorts,
papers and various other articles were
blown out of tents and scattered over
the reservation by the sudden squall
War Games Begin.
theoretical war clouds replaced
storm clouds over the camp this
morning, with the intelligence pla-
toons Of all Infantry and Engineer
organizations here participating In a
realistic observation post problem in
the traditional war between the blues
and the reds.
The blue National Guard forces
were concentrated north of Blue
Mountain in the vicinity OF the camp
TO invade red territory to the south.
The red army was concentrated In
the vicinity of Lancaster.
The lst Virginia Infantry. reinforced
by the lst Battalion. l1lth Field Ar
tlllery, and with aerial observation
constituted the advance guard and
covering force for the 29th Division.
Marching southeast through Indian
town Gap, with the mission of cover
ing the debouchment of the remainder
OF the 29th Division from the gap, 1t
became heavily engaged with a REIN
forced brigade of Red Cavalry. The
situation temporarily became stabi-
lized, with the Blues holding the hill
tops.
Observation Posts Manned.
Observation posts manned by the
intelligence platoons were established
to obtain information of enemy move
ments. The Red attack was simulated
by small and scattered detachment,
and the observation post problem was
to observe and correctly interpret
movements and accurately relay the
information to the rear, bearing in
mind the general situation and its
possible development Lieut.. Col Ed
win p. Conquest, division intelligence
officer. and his aide, Maj. Sidney Nor
gan. were umpires.
Difficulties of adjustment to the
standard division menu gradually are
disappearing. although most units in
camp have had short rations occa-
sionally. Col. John w. Oehmann,
commanding the 12lst Engineers. de-
ferred his request to the commanding
general for relief from compliance
with the menu until he has given it a
more thorough trial.
Airplanes scared over camp continu-
ously this morning, observing the
firing of the 54th Field Artillery
Brigade, whose guns doomed at regu-
lar intervals.
Two Pennsylvania guardSmen had
narrow escape yesterday when a
shrapnel shell landed within so feet
Of them as they drove along an
abandoned dirt road in a forbidden
area. According to the official report
they broke through a log barrier
guarding the sector under fire.
Signal Came Too Late.
Commanded by Lieut. David G.
Mcintosh. Battery A of the 10th
Field Artillery, Pikesville, Md, was
shelling a road intersection. It's fire
was directed from an airplane piloted
by First Lieut.. Charles Warfleld, with
First Lieut.. H. w. Kinds as observer.
Lieut.. Kinds had spotted two bursts.
the second nearer to the target than
the first, when he sighted the two
Guardsmen, riding in an Army station
wagon speeding along the road to-
ward the danger zone. His cease
, firing" signal to the battery came a
split second too late and the salvo was
Fred. One shell exploded within
fragment distance" of the vehicle,
but neither man was hit. They i'm
xnediately increased their speed to
escape from the area, but were caught
by Brig. Gen. J. Craig McLanahan,