Evening star., 1941-11-25
Sherman Right, Say Umpires,
Bodgered for War Rulings
Something Has to Give When Shove Tails
Decision CoIIdes With Hostile Veteran

effective guns which present small,
concealed targets to the tanks
However, the tank boys may claim
the guns stuck out like sore thumbs,
or the gunners were asleep. The
umpires, too, may wonder what to
do with the destroyer-tanks They
could be ordered back to their own
lines or held on or near the point
OF destruction.
Tank action stopped by darkness
is another matter. The tanks roll
on from this point at daylight as if
nothing had happened. However
thoroughly they have been de-
molished, they are released by the
umpires after midnight to return
to action. as are airplanes downed
in combat.
1t. Gen. Hugh A. Drum is never
theless convinced his tank attackers
get an unfair break from the mid
night rule. Returning tanks to action
so soon causes i'll feeling, he said,
and quoted one Of his gunners as
complaining:
II got one tank three times. 1t
must have had nine lives. The way
this game is played our army has
met six divisions instead Of two"
Despite the kicks, Gen. Drum S
tank destroyers and anti-tank units
were credited yesterday by 1t. Gen
L. J. McNair, director OF the oppos-
ing armies, with countering the
armored forces of the Red by de-
stroying more than 900 tanks and
enabling the superior infantry Blues
to sweep over enemy territory to its
objectives.
AS a result. 1t was said. the Army
will build up its force of mobile anti
tank gun carriers for mass fire power
against armored forces.
Plane Umpiring Troublesome.
The umpires had other troubles.
Red airplanes bombed six highway
bridges over the Pee Dee River
boundary line. total Of % miles,
IS times successfully. The arbiters
had to say which attack succeeded.
how many bombers were destroyed
and how long the bridges were closed
to traffic.
The umpires must say which anti
aircraft batteries scored hits on
enemy planes. The score In the
first battle was unusually high and
amounted to more than 200 per cent
Of all participating planes. The air
men said this may have been due
to the fact that umpires lived with
ground crews Of the guns. If the
umpires had been flying with U.S."
they said, I'VE would have convinced
them of their mistakes before they
landed"
The beleagTed umpires had a
tough job persuading infantry troops
in big motor carriers that they we're
not operating as tanks.
The foot soldiers preferred to ride
in style rather than disperse in the
bushes. They insisted on returning
the enemy's fire without stopping to
learn if they had been destroyed.
Weapons Become Realistic.
The armies came in physical con-
tact with fractured rules, DISPOSE
tions and few bones. Smoke bot
ties, which we're pert of simulated
land mines, were employed as hand
grenades-in one case with the loss
of an eye-and -four sacks, or imita-
ton grenades. sometimes contained
stones as we'll as flour. Too, they
were tossed at persons instead Of
vehicles.
Control and Identification flags
were misused, blackout orders were
flouted in the face of M. P.'s and
charging troops refused to halt on
the orders of umpires. Some even
caught up pick handles.
In summing up the maneuver
however, Gen. McNair said yester-
day violations were exceptions
rather than the rule and that for
the most part the team work was
splendid. The faults can be cor
rected in the final battle, he said
hopefully, adding: Il incline to
the view that in umpiring, as In
golf, the first 100 years are the
hardest"