Evening star., 1941-03-22
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES,
Star Staff Correspondent.

IoIe4 1GoI1oC ". MEhDE, NH,
March pa gaunt man on the far
side of middle age wandered through
an old, empty farmhouse today to
see if he had forgotten anything.
Then he stood in the cluttered yard,
where a few chickens still foraged,
and stared absently across fields
familiar to the last brown tuft.
He's leaving. His wife was born
there. Her family lived on the
place for $50 years.
In 10 days, the aged frame house
where Mr.. and Mrs. A. V. Clark
have lived since their marriage and
where generation after generation of
her family lived out all their days
will bristle with soldiers. Officers
with field glasses will peer out of
windows. Down the meandering
dirt road will come other troops.
They'll drop to the ground suddenly
and open fire on distant clumps of
pines and hedges of briars.
The landscape, suddenly bare of
the quiet farm life it has known so
long, will blaze with all the ominous
semblance of war.
Government Buys Land.
The Government has bought the
Clark land, the old acres Mrs.
Clark's father, John K. Waters, and
his ancestors owned since the early
days of the republic. 1t has pur-
chased or condemned much more
land to extend the Fort Meade res
ervation-about 5000 acres.
A week from next Wednesday the
29th Division will begin using the
Clark place for combat range.
Asked how he felt about it, Mr..
Clark said, Not so good" He looked
across the 86 acres, where he has
raised trucking produce and to-
bacco, and glanced up at the group
of officers who were making final
plans for the range. Workmen were
busy clearing away some trees and
brush, leaving others.
But you want to help with this
national defense thing?" one of
the officers suggested.
Mr.. Clark smiled. "Oh, sure" he
said. anything to beat the Ger
mans"
The Clarks are moving to Har-
man, small town 10 miles away.
Mr.. Clark said he was retiring from
farming-at least for the time being.
A number of other families, like
the Clarks, have been uprooted by
the expanding Army's training pro-
gram.
On the far horizon from the old
Clark house could be seen a couple
of other small farmhouses.
Must Estimate Range.
In those houses, explained 1t. Col.
Norman McNeill, Regular Army
officer attached to Division Head
quarters, simulated enemy sharp
shooters probably will be stationed.
A scout with an advancing patrol
will see targets dart from the sides
OF the houses or appear in windows,
and he will estimate the range and
his men will blaze loose at the
abandoned dwellings.
The combat range, quite different
from fixed, known distance"
range, with pits and set targets.
offers practice in meeting ambushes
and sudden attacks. From cum
ningly concealed pits, men manipu-
late targets that move across the
horizon or plop up and dart back.
These rifle objectives come from
various angles and positions. The
soldiers don't know where to ex-
pect them.
Col. McNeill, who has been plan
ming the various firing ranges for
the National Guard Division, pro-
nounced the Clark place one of the
best combat ranges he had ever seen.
Most of the pines and ridges of un-
derbrush will be left intact. There
are little hills, rolling fields, ravines
and woods to add interest and va
riety to the terrain.
But it's doubtful if any Clark or
any Waters ever dreamed the gentle
land they farmed so long would be-
come an ideal combat range.
Roads to Be Guarded.
Some of the target ranges will be
opened to practice a week from
Monday. Altogether they cover TO-
600 acres. The whole area already
is taking on an abandoned look. AS
the last of the ousted farm families
move, it will be closed off and
guarded with extraordinary care
For example, on the Clark combat
range a 50-foot observation tower is
being built. 1t will be connected by
telephone with the entrance to every
road in the target range area and
firing will not begin until word
comes that the roads are clear. And
men in the tower will comb the area
with powerful glasses for any move
ment of life.
Field phones will connect ali the
target pits and the control point
located in the old house Mr.. and
Mrs. Clark are just quitting. In ad-
dition to the one on the Clark place,
there are two other infantry combat
ranges.
Several miles away, preparations
are complete for the known dis
tance" rifle range, where stationary
and rapid-fire targets will be shot
at from 200, 800 and 500 yards. This
range is 720 yards long and contains
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