The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-08-19

The United Press has assigned Richard c. Hottlet and Leon Kay, war correspondents just returned from the battlehelds of Europe, to report this great peace-time war. The background Hottelet attained while serving with the United Press in Germany and that Kay got while reporting the collapse of Yugoslavia will enable them to draw interesting contrasts between the actual tech nique of Europen armies at war and the new United States army engaged in its biggest maneuvers.
 Kay has been assigned to the Third Army in Louisiana and Hot telet to the Second Army in Ar kansas. For the next two weeks each army will engage in its own maneuvers, the Second Army fight ing an imaginary foe invading Ar kansas and Louisiana from the west and north and the Third Army meeting another imaginary force which landed an army on the gulf coast and is proceeding northward
 At the conclusion of this phase of the maAeuvers the two armies will face each other.
 Throughout the war games Hot te!et and Kay will report their army's activities to Kansas City just as they filed dispatches on Euro pean battles to Zurich, London and New York.
 First Description
 Their first dispatches follow:
 BY RICHARD c. HOTTELET United Press Staff Correspondent)
 With the Second Army in Arkan- sas- (UP) - Officers say the new United States Army has made won- derful progress in the eight months since mobilization started but in comparing it with the panzer forces of Hitler I can see that 1t still needs considerable polishing.
 l was watching the 33rd and 35th divisions of infantry and the 60th Field Artillery Brigade move across the Little Missouri River at night. A blackout had been imposed.
 But I noted that the blackout was not anywhere near as complete as Ihad seen on numberless stellar occasions with the German army even far behind the front.
 I mentioned this to one officer who replied:
 "That's not too tragic. These troops are here to learn and they will do better next time."
 The engineers hrew two foot bridges across the stream in 25 min utes and then set up heavy pon- toon bridge supposed to support 13 tons. They were working with pom toons that weighed 1850 pounds each but seemed to handle them efficiently, lacing them together and then connecting them with ap- breaches from the bank.
 There was slip, however, when equipment began to move out onto the bridge. The approaches had been placed on the sloping river bed and they slipped, causing about three hours delay while they were re- located.
 1900 Square Miles
 The troops were moving into a maneuver area of i,200 square miles where the Second Army for the next two weeks will conduct maneuvers preparatory to the Sep- tember games when the Second Army meets the Third in the .cli- max of the biggest show the army ever attempted.
 Preceding the units that I watched cross the little Missouri were strong attachments which went over in small assault boats to "eleanse" the are around the bridge head 90 that the enemy could not shell the troops during the cross Ing.
 Already in the maneuver area was the forth honEe-mechanized regiment which had been engaging enemy units for two days. The regiment included fast armored scout ears and one "horoe- -portee'' --a unit iri which the horses are transported igi swift motor Naas and mounted only where the terrain
 Thls regiment was assigned to leel out enemy strength and report back Co corps headquaEteFD vla ras do and motoFeyeie lsieaasnRef. Corps observation planes sWeenlng ever tho area at the same time kspf In constant touch with ground fofcos.
 where troops encountered she|