Evening star., 1941-06-05
1900 Soldiers
.GoThroughD DC.
On nWaytoW'
800 Trucks Rumble
Into and Out of CITY
With Fort Dix Men
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.


city by night. The night dragged
on, quiet, thick and drizzly.
Then, with furry, a dozen motor
cycle policemen whirled to a stop
just in front of the Maryland border.
They dismounted and waited, peer
ing down the black highway.
1t was 1910 am. today, and out
of the murk approached two gray
vehicles shaped like station wagons.
Out of them tumbled unifo~.>~eI
men-a major, a captain, enlisted
men with M. P. on their armoartls.
They're coming" the major an
nounced.
Then the night flung into the
city's lights the first of a bristling
caravan -. Army trucks filled with
men and guns and equipment,
hurrying along without much noise,
earnest, ominous.
1t was the spearhead of the 44th
Division, en- route from Fort Dix,
N. j., to Caroline County, Va. for
maneuvers, and officers called Il
the largest motorized troop move
lllC GdDIClh II EScdUOdIO HAS
seen since the last war.
A policeman jumped on his mo-
torcycle to escort the first unit
through the city.
Most of Capital Asleep.
Soon along an important segment
of the city-the truck route which
leads along Bladensburg road, New
York avenue, Third street, Inde-
pendence avenue and Fourteenth
street to the Highway Bridge-a
thin line of military vehicles moved
with unobstrusive efficiency, not too
close together, not too far apart.
While most of the Capital slept,
military police stood on strategic
corners and waved away civil traf-
fic as sections of the division
slipped by.
II was parade without drums or
trumpets, without fiuttering en-
signs, ''' passing dark houses and
silent streets, a symbol of the solemn
business that engages America s
growing military might.
Nearly half of the divisions 1900
men, high officers said. passed
through Washington. The rest
, swerved around the city and crossed
the Potomac at Morgantown, Nd.
The division, consisting of New
York and New Jersey troops, Ma
tlonal GuardSmen reinforced with
slectees, had paused at Fort George
U. Meade, Md, for "a hours. But
1t ralned heavily there and not even
pup tents were feasible in the soegy
combat range to which the march.
ing 44th was assigned. And so the
men rested, as best they could, in
their trucks or wherever they could
md shelter. They must have been
weary as they started for Virginia
shortly before midnight.
500 Vehicles Pass Through.
Some Of them slept spraWled gro
tesquely, as the trucks jolted into
the city. But most of them were
wide awake.
More than 300 vehicles rumbled
through the city between midnight
and 7:30 am. when the last cleared
the southern end of the Highway
Bridge.
They came in units of 30 trucks
each, at 10-minute intervals. so
that they would not disrupt noe
turnal traffic.
There was no fuss about the biO
movement, few tangles to unsnarI
lney were out of the city before
the early morning traffic rush began.
Inc various types of conveyances
moved through town with a quiet
effectiveness that suggested train
Ing lar advanced. Now and then
some unit had to halt to allow
tagging vehicles to catch I'D. IN
close its files, but there was sur
prlslngly little delay or trouble.
Canvas kept guns and equipment
dry through the wet night Enor-
nous moving vans and passenger
cars were shooed to the left of fhe
military columns. Colossal trucks
carrying automobiles as parcels
dWarfed the largest of the Army
trucks, the prime-movers which car
rieo soldiers, wheeling behind SIM
ply trailers and artillery guns. But
the Armys trucks were stripped for
action, lean, sinewy, grim.
Field Units in Caravan
Machlne guns and the smaller
antl-a1rcraft and anti-tank wean.
ons bristled from some of them
Whole regiments of infantry filed
ny' Their transports might in
the thick night, have been deliv-
cry trucks, except for the glimnse
you hao OF uniformed men nested
WlIhln. Then came artillery OUT
nts' their 155-mm. howitzers and
iUo-mm. field pieces pointed be.
hlnd them. Here and there was a
command car, filled with officers:
occasionally an ambulance.
through Washington drove the
lO4th Engineers, the 69th Field
Artlllery Brigade, the 387th Bri-
gade Combat Team, consisting OF
the list and l74th Infantry Regi-
mentS, the 18TH Field Artillery
and attached special troops.
A dark. drizzling dawn crept over
the route and still the motor units
came on. At last, as the final
groups began moving toward the
highway Bridge, an M. P. officer
yawned and spoke loving of cof-
fee. He'd noticed place down the
road which was open. He'd stop in
and catch up with the caravan.
We left Fort Dix" he recalled.
at 3 o'clock Tuesday night
Probably he hadn't slept much
since, it was suggested.
"One hour" he replied.
But he didn't look tired. He was
too excited over the problems of the
march, for his M. P. unit was
charged with keeping the colurrn
moving on schedule. 1t wasn't az
easy as it looked.
Directing the whole operation was
Maj. Gen. Clifford r. Powell, com.
manding the 44th Division.