Evening star., 1940-12-22
260th Artillery
To Be Mustered
January 6
Preparations to Fill
Holidays for District
Officers and Men.

A life in the latest Army stream
lining, even down to mechanical
potato peelers, will be in prospect
for the District National Guards
260th Coast Artillery when that
anti-aircraft regiment departs for
active duty at Fort Bliss, Tex, jan
uary l3.
This holiday season will be filled
with military preparations for the
1,000-odd officers and men who will
make up the largest peacetime
movement of troops from the Ma
tion's Capital in history.
Col. Walter w. Burns, regimental
commander, said yesterday he plans
to muster the 260th on the morning
of January g. Army physical ex-
aminations will begin almost imme-
diately for the officers, to be fol-
lowed by general induction of en-
listed men.
! The Coast Artillery unit, number
ing more than half of the District S
National Guardsmen, will be getting
the jump on the remainder of the
local Guard by almost month. The
others are to be called to active duty
in Maryland in February.
\ 1st Battalion to Go by Motor.
The 1st Battalion of the 260th will
make up the motor convoy for all
heavy equipment of the regiment,
it was learned yesterday, while
troops of the I'd Battalion will jour-
ney to Texas by train.
The motor transport troops will
average about six hours of driving
at 80 miles per hour-each day.
Heavy equipment to be carried on
the road includes the units 7-ton
anti-aircraft guns, hitched to huge
prime movers weighing more than
IL tons and the 800,000,000 candle
power searchlights. Battery A now
has five of the big lights, and Col.
Burns said an additional 10 will be
provided in the near future.
Batteries B, G and D already have
their full complement of II 3-inch
anti-aircraft guns. Height and
range-f1nding equipment. the latest
articles in the Armys anti-aircraft
preparation, accompany the big
guns.
The I'd. Battalion, the regiments
automatic weapons unit, is equip
ped with so and 80 caliber ma
chine guns. The guns will be ship
ped on the troop train. Col. Burns
said this battalion will be given sew
eral Grimm. guns, which fire 1l2-
pound projectiles at the rate of 100
per minute, after arriving in Texas.
Shipping instructions for the guns
already have been received, he said.
Train to Garry Kitchens.
Headquarters batteries are equip
ped with radio sending and receiv-
ing sets. For the regiment 180 miles
of telephone wire have been pro-
vided. One hundred and fifty tele-
phone instruments are included in
the regimental network.
The train carrying the I'd Bat
talon will be outfitted in modern
troop-train fashion. Field kitchen
ranges will be set up in sand boxes
In baggage cars. The sand boxes
will be Az feet square and several
inches deep. A layer of sand will
be spread over layer of bricks for
fire protection.
Officers and men will be bunked
In regular Pullman cars. Plans now
call for the train to be sidetracked
at mealtime to facilitate the serving
of meals.
A sufficient number of trucks will
be taken on the train to handle
supplies from the railroad station in
El Paso to Fort Bliss, miles
north of the border town.
Natural Gas Warns Tents.
The new camp at the fort, where
the 260th will be based, has been
built on the grounds of what was
once golf course. Well equipped,
the camp is made up of tents with
wooden floors and boarded high on
the sides. Wooden framework sup
ports the canvas covering, leaving
the interior of the barracks unob-
structed.
The tents are kept warm with
natural gas heaters, in contrast to
the wood-burning Sibley stoves now
in use in hundreds of emergency
tent barracks at nearby Fort George
G.. Meade, Md officials contend that
fire hazards are minimized by use
of the gas stoves.
The men will be quartered four to
a tent, all of which have full head
oyo1 about Il
Members of the regiment will
have plenty of opportunity for firing
practice. A 800, 0,000-acre firing range
is located in neighboring New Mex
leo, about 40 miles from the camp.
1900 Men to Be at Camp.
Approximately $4,000 troops will
be quartered at the camp. Among
new "neighbors" of the 260th will
be the 63d Regular Army "a" from
California, the 2O0th National
Guard (anti-aircrafD from New
Mexico, the 202d National Guard
(anti-aircrafD from Chicago, the
204th Anti-Aircraft Regiment from
Louisiana and the 2O6th from Ar
kansas.
Ihe Z60th is expected 10 De
brought up to a wartime strength
. of more than 1000 men shortly
after arrival in camp.
Col Burns emphasized that re-
cruiting for the regiment will be
pushed in the time remaining be-
fore induction. Under War Depart
ment orders enlistments cannot be
accepted after that time. Some
specialists are needed in the regi-
ment, Col. Burns said, including
cooks, truck drivers, BARRIERS, tailors
electricians and shoemakers.
Applicants for enlistment may be
obtained at the National Guard
Armory, Sixth street and Pennsyl-
varia avenue NV.
BIodensbure Guild