Evening star., 1938-05-01
Guard Commanders Warned
To Watch Rifle Qualification
Transfers to Actiue List, Officers Told.
Increases Percentage of Soldiers
Required to Fire Scheduled Practice.

In an effort to keep up the per-
centage Of men In the companies who
have qualified with the rifle in the
target practice of the current season,
commanding officers have been ad-
monished to consider carefully the
transfer Of men from the inactive to
the active lists after July /.
1t was pointed out in orders where
such men have not qualified during
the current or the two preceding tar
get seasons, 1t increases the units
total Of meme required to fire. Such
unqualified men, it was pointed out,
would be required to fire for quail
fication prior to the close of the tar
get season, which now has been set
for October 81.
Battalion commanders have been
warned also that the schedule out
lined for the various units to fire
on the Camp Simms range provides
the only opportunity to fire the pre-
scribed courses in rifle Workmanship
before the annual encampment. Com
pany commanders are to be held re-
sponsible for the attendance of their
units, and written report will be
required for all absentees.
The officers to be in charge Of the
various details during the firing of
the engineer regiment are as follows,
the first named being the officer In
charge of the range and the second
the officer in charge of the pits:
May l, 1t. Col Julian Oliss, Sec
ond 1t. Juten; May 3, Maj. Childs,
Second 1t. w. J. Conlyn; May Is,
Maj. Shields, Second 1t. Mensik
May %, Capt Smithson, Second 1t.
Martin; June 5, 1t. Col. Oliff, Second
1t. Green; June IL, Maj. Childs, First
1t. Feldt; July 10, Maj. Shields, First
1t. jackson; June 26, Capt. Smith
son, First 1t. Burd: July 10, Maj.
Childs, and July II. Maj. Shields.
Each member will fire the rifle or
automatic rife which has been issued
to him, the practice of pooling" of
weapons being specifically prohibited,
because, it was said, it prevents the
soldier from obtaining the zero Of
the weapon issued to him; prevents
him from acquiring confidence in the
weapon he would be required to fire
in an emergency and results in Door
showing Of an organization in the
firing Of combat and musketry prob
lens at field training camps.
Although recommendations for the
training of the 29th Division staff
during the coming field program did
not have to be in the division head
quarters here until last Wednesday,
nevertheless many of the officers had
them in for days ahead of time. These
will be studied by the higher officers
and the division headquarters Regu-
lar Army instructor with a view to
accordinating them with the general
program Of the war problems which
are to be practiced during the time
the outfit is in the Shenandoah VAL
ley this summer working on its war
problems.
The 1st Battalion, 104th Quarter
master Regiment, has established a
small-arms firing school in the
armory. All non-commissioned OIL
GERS Of this organization will be re-
quired to attend the school, but all
enlisted men are urged to take the
course. The school will be conducted
by 1t. Henry w. Boudinot and 1t.
William d. Putnam, both holders of
the Distinguished Marksman Medal.
The course will be identical with that
given at Camp Perry, Ohio. o5if,a
Capt. Walter S. Welsh, who for
many years has commanded the Head
quarters and Service Company of the
l21st Regiment of Engineers, has been
transferred to state staff, where he
will fill the vacancy caused by the
resignation of Capt. Ralph l.. Walker
judge advocate. While it was said
that Capt. Welsh will perform the
duties of judge advocate, he never
theless will retain his Corps of Engi-
neers status. He is member of the
District bar.
No appointment has yet been made
to fill the vacancy in the Headquar-
ters and Service Company caused by
the transfer Of Capt. Welsh.
People in the vicinity of Pennsyl-
vania avenue. in East Washington. last
Saturday and Sunday had an oppor.
tunity to ascertain how the CAPITAL
City would be protected from airplane
attacks. Col. Walter w. Burns, COM
manding the 260th Coast Artillery
an anti-aircraft outfit. had
ordered the 1st Battalion out for a
week end of maneuvering, the plan
calling for gun defense of a theo-
ret1cal supply depot located at the in
tersection of Naylor road and Alabama
avenue and also defense of the Penn
sylvania Avenue and Eleventh Street
Bridges.
Battery D, 3-inch-gun battery took
position at Fort Davis, on Pennsyl-
vania avenue. The battalion command
post, battalion radio station, first-aid
station and the combat training also
were stationed here.
Battery c, a 3-inch-gun battery. un-
der command of Capt. Perry o. HUFF.
was located about l mile south of
Silver Hill, Md, while Battery B, also
a gun battery, was located at Camp
Simms.
At each of these stations a 3-inch
anti-aircraft gun and 60-inch mobile
searchlight, together with the neces-
sary range instruments, were located.
AS a plane flew over the area during
the night it was tracked by the search
lights, while the guns doomed away at
it with blank ammunition.
The maneuver was under the direc-
ton OF Maj. William j. Heale. COM
manding the 1st Battalion of the ar
tillery.