Evening star., 1940-06-02
225,00O Guardsmen
Know Rules, but Lack
Arms and Stamina
Biggest Job Will Be
Learning to Become Coes
In Machine, Soy Experts
By ROBERT BRUSKIN.

BY ROBERT BRUSKIN.
If President Roosevelt is granted
authority and calls out the National
Guard for field training, the Nation
will see. in the considered opinion
of experts, 225, 900 men who know
the rules but lack equipment,
stamina and, above all, the team
work rudimentary in "blitzkrieg"
warfare.
To the fast-moving warfare of
1910 they will contribute largely a
pedestrian army provided with tools
of their profession, which are chiefly
1918 left-overs. Several months will
be needed for physical hardening.
Their biggest job will be learning
to become smooth working cogs in
division of fighting men instead of
isolated companies scattered in
small-town armories where they
drilled 60 hours at night in the past
IL months and lived in the field for
IS days in summer and seven days
In winter.
Better Trained Than in 1917.
However, they will be far better
trained and equipped than the 75,-
900 National Guardsmen who were
hastily modified in 1916 and
dumped along the Rio Grande River
while practically all the mobile
Regular Army chased Pancho Villa
in unfriendly Mexico. The $4,000
later became the seasoned nucleus
of a half million Guardsmen who
sailed for France in the next two
years. providing the trained per-
sonnel for two out of every five
divisions in the A. E. F. Existing
plans indicate they will have an
even greater Share in future emer-
gency.
There is small likelihood they will
be called en- masse to training camps
for an indefinite stay Considerable
opposition developed in Congress to
giving the President blanket per-
mission to summon them. Secretary
of War Woodring announced yester-
day that although he had recon-
mended authority be granted before
Congress adjourns, he was press
ing arrangements to avoid such a
necessity"
But should it later become nee
cessary to call out the Guard, the
initial purpose OF such action would
be to permit the field training, sea-
soning and building up of troops
similar to that being given the
Regular Army; all of this to be &C
complished against the possibility
of more serious emergency" he
declared.
Could Call Small Units.
Legally, the President could "or-
der the Guard modified in event
of invasion "or danger of in
vasion." They would then be re-
quired to serve until the danger
is past Congress could authorize
mobilization of the Guard in "a
national emergency" The soldiers
thus called to duty would serve
out their enlistment or be dis
charged at the end of the emer-
gency.
Lacking national emergency or
invasion the President could still
cause large sections of the Guard
to take the field for short periods
in groups for training, as he did
last year when faults uncovered in
maneuvers indicated the need.
The Guardsmen probably would
be stationed in the South. far from
rigorous weather. Unlike World
War days, they would live on reser-
vations where sewerage and elec-
tricity conduits are already installed
awaiting mobilization.
Regular Army equipment proba-
bly, would be turned over to them
temporarily for training since their
own guns and tanks are old and in
adequate About 8 per cent would
be disqualified through new physi-
cal examinations, officers estimate,
since Federal examinations are
more strict than those given in
some States. With an annual turn
over of 80 per cent in enlisted per-
sonnel, and 10000 additional re-
cruits added this year. many would
receive for short periods rudimen-
tary infantry and rifle drills before
being permitted to handle expen-
sive and dangerous weapons.
Have Tanks and Planes.
At this moment the Guard could
muster SO tanks-2 for each of the
l8 companies scattered throughout
the country. The tankmen are un-
trained for the type of warfare
shown by the German "Panzer" di-
visions. They have about 500 planes,
chiefly observation, and about 900
pilots.
There are few Garand semi-auto-
matte rifles in the % Guard divi-
sions; all but a few companies are
equipped with the Springfield. They
have only few of the new 37-milli-
meter anti-tank guns and depend
for their training upon l-pounders,
old when the World War started.
Signal and radio equipment is lack
ing. There are about IL gas masks
for every 100 soldiers, and few have
had adequate gas training.
The anti-aircraft units are fairly
we'll equipped with 3-inch guns and
range finders but have had little
experience in firing them. One ex-
ample is the Washington National
Guard unit of the Coast Artillery
which hasn't used service ammuni-
ton in its anti-aircraft guns for al
most two years. At maneuvers in
Virginia last summer they used
blank ammunition.
$4,000 Trucks Needed.