Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-07-17
Recruiting Of Marines
To Bring Enlisted
Strength 10 $4,000
New Weapons Added
As Corps Expands to
Two Oeeon-Novy Size
BY OLIVER MCKEE.

Facing increased responsibilities in
the plans for hemisphere defense,
which will require a two-ocean
Navy, the Marine Corps, in a re-
cruiting drive now under way, will
soon attain an enlisted strength Of
$4,000 men.
This will be almost twice the size
of the corps when the President de-
clared a limited emergency last
September. and approximately dou-
BILE the strength of the entire regu-
lar Army just before the outbreak Of
the Civil War.
To occupy and hold advanced
fleet bases will be one of the major
war time assignments of the Marine
Corps. Landing operations receive
much stress in the peace time train
Ing of the leathernecks. In helping
the Navy meet sudden totalitarian
thrust against the Western Henri
sphere, the marines must be pre-
pared both to establish advanced
fleet bases and provide a landing
force, under the guns of the Navy,
to dislodge an enemy, if non-Amer-
lean forces gain footing at some
point in the Western Hemisphere.
Under the expansion program now
under way, new infantry and ar
tillery units will be added to the
two brigades of the Fleet Marine
Force at San Diego and Quantico.
Congress recently has authorized
funds for two-ocean Navy. With
the increase in it's personnel the
Marine Corps will have a we'll
organized and well-trained force of
from 1000 to 5000 men on each
coast, ready for immediate service
with the fleet Additional personnel
will be available in the Marine de-
tachments maintained on battle
ships and cruisers.
Transport Phase Studied.
Though at home on the water.
the Marines have no ships of their
own. To transport an expeditionary
force of marines to an area in the
Western Hemisphere, outside the
United States, threatened by for
eign invader, ships would be neces-
sary. The problem o fthe procure
ment of transports, in the event OF
an emergency, is being studied by
the Navy.
The Marine Corps recently has
organized four defense battalions.
Two of these are stationed at San
Diego, one at Paris Island, S. c.,
and the fourth at Honolulu. Two
more defense battalions will be Or
ganiZed in the near future.
The marines have an aviation
unit at Quantico and another at
San Diego. There is also a marine
aviation squa dron in the Virgin Is
lands, available for Caribbean patrol
duty. At Quantico the marines have
tank company and one or more
additional tank companies will be
organized later.
The Marine Corps today has a
reserve of about $4,000 men. On
June 80 there were 10 reserve bat
talions widely distributed geo.
graphically. Three more reserve
battalions are now being organized.
Other elements in the Marine Be-
serve include the fleet reserve and
the volunteer reserve. Approximate
~ 10 reserve and 100 retired officers
are now on active duty with the
Marine Corps.
Equipment Improved.
Though the equipment of the ma
rines has improved in recent years,
new weapons, such as anti-tank and
anti-aircraft guns, are needed, ac-
cording to Marine Corps officers.
Unlike the Army, which is equipping
its infantry soldiers with the Garand
automatic rifle, the marines are still
using Springfield rifles. The use
of the Garand rifle, however, is
under consideration.
The marines have about 1000
men at Shanghai and another 500
men in North China, divided be-
tween Peiping and Tientsin. These
forces are expected to remain in
China as long as the State Depart
ment decides that they are needed
to protect American nationals.
Marine Corps officers are follow
ing closely European war develop
ments. In Norway both the British
and the Germans engaged in land
ing operations, one of the specialities
of the leathernecks. If the Nazis
invade Britain they will face per-