Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-11-12
Winter Field Moneuver
Plans for Guard Completed
Majority Of District Units
To Troin at Fort George 6. Meade

10 ] ram at Fort &c
Washington's citizen soldiery vii
give the city . warlike aspect dur.
ing the next two months as they q
in and out Of the city to the varioul
camp sites which have been select.
ed for the winter field training un.
der the increased drill instruction
directed by the War Department t.
put the military forces Of the Ma.
ton in the prime Of condition fol
any field emergency duties which
they might be called upon to per.
form.
Except for the 2e0th Regiment
Of Coast Artillery, which is com.
manded by Col. Walter w. Burns, Il
has been definitely decided that tn.
field training Of all Of the District
units will be taken at Fort Georg.
G. Meade, Nd, and not at Fort
Washington as originally reported
The primary reason for this Is thai
it is an active post, and there are
facilities there for quartering thu
Increased forces and also for han.
ding the supplies, which will ma.
terially assist the militiamen in SET
Ting down promptly on their field
work.
Some Of the local units will take
their seven days Of field training
al! in one lump, while others will
take one or two days at q time. II
was indicated that no definite plan.
have been made for the 2e0th Coast
Artillery. but Col. Burns announced
that his organization will make q
one-day trip to Martinsburg and
Harpers Ferry, w. Va. All Of the
equipment will be taken over the
road, including the field guns and
the searchlights-this Is an anti
aircraft battery.
Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord. com.
handing the National Guard OF
Maryland as well as the 10th Ma
tional Guard Division, has issued
Instructions for the 10th Division
stan, which includes officers from
this city, Maryland and Virginia, to
make arrangements to attend the
division staff field camp at Fort
Meade from November 10 to Is, in
elusive. Omcers have been instruct
ed to make the necessary arrange
ments for leave at that time. Also
there will be the STATS Of the in
fantry brigades from Maryland and
Virginia. He also has asked that as
many officers Of the State STATS Of
the various areas as possible be sent
to camp with the division headquar
tiers.
The Headquarters Company, 104th
Quartermaster Regiment, will 90 to
Meade at the same time, as will also
the 10Th Division Headquarters
Troops which are stationed in this
city. Plans now perfected call for
the list Battalion, 104th Quarter
master Regiment, together with its
Medical Department Detachment, to
go to Fort Meade from December 9
to Is. for their seven days of field
training.
The 1o4th Ordnance Company has
been designated to 60 into the field,
also at Fort Meade, from December
9 to Is. and Company A. 372d In
fantry, from November rs to De.
cember 2.
Officers have informed their men
Of the dates selected for the unusual
field training. and have instructed
them to make the necessary ar
rangements for leave from their
civilian employment. The results OF
this winter leave are being watched
for with great interest, to determine
just what percentage of the men can
get away at this time Of the year,
and whether the proportion of each
unit that goes is sufiicient to carry
out the field training to the fullest
extent.
In addition. Brig. Gen. Albert L.
Cox, commanding the local brigade.
has sent letters to the employers of
all men in the various units, asking
for their wholehearted cooperation
in the Governments plan for winter
field training, and to release guards
men if at all possible. If this cam
not be done they are requested to
provide the men with an excuse. The
whole problem of winter field train
ing is new one for the guard, and is
quite different from the summer field
training, when the men, many Of
them, usually take their summer va
cations for this ,'uty. However, these
manuevers come at the season when
merchants and others are preparing
for the Christmas business and the
question has been raised as to how
many of them will be able to get
of. The problem will be different
between the organizations which are
taking the whole seven days at once
and those which take only q day or
two at . time. With these coming
at week ends, the problem probably
will not be as great. as many have
a half holiday on Saturday and every
Sunday OF. The l21st Regiment of
inaugurated the field
training with . week end maneuver
which started at Meade yesterday
and which Is scheduled to end TO-
night. This will leave it with five
more days Of the seven-day period
to be taken before the end of Janu-
AIRY Of next year.
The State Detachment has been
authorized to take its seven days Of
training in one lump, the dates of
December 8 to Is having been Sc
lected, it was announced.
The rifle team of the Marine Corps
Detachment stationed at the Marine
Barracks has challenged the local
National Guard rife team to an in
door, small-bore match, to be fired
on December II at the Marine Bar
racks. The teams will consist Of 10
men each. the five highest scores to
count in the finals.
The rifle team of the Marine Corps
stationed at the WASH