Evening star., 1941-07-27
Marines, Firstin Other Wars, Read yin Iceland
By Clarke Beach.

The Devil Dogs, preparing their posi-
tions in Iceland, hold the attention Of
military observers curious to see what
high adventure, what grim experience,
may be in store for them.
Poised at Americas fartheSt outpost
on the edge of seething Europe, they
might Wen be destined to bear the brunt
Of any Nazi thrust in this direction. 1t
would be like the Leathernecks to figure
in some classic battle there. For the
past 1865 years they have been foremost
in many famous clash of arms.
The corps is well prepared for trouble.
In the past year its units have been re-
modelled in the pattern of the most
modern fighting organizations. 1t has
new weapons and machines, made to
order for its special work of landing
under fire and defending advance posi-
tionS after they have been seized
The Marines new defense battalions,
more heavily equipped less mobile than
their regular landing forces, are unique
among the worlds military formations
This venture starts like most of the
others-with a backfire in Congress. The
shouts of dissent are reminiscent of the
hullabaloo that ragged on the home front
when the Marines were trying to keep
the peace in Nicaragua in the late 1920s,
when they were policing Haiti from 1915
to 1884 And there had been controver-
sizes over many landing by the Marines
before that
Quiet Sailing
The journey to Iceland is like their
other expeditions in another way. They
sailed under sealed orders, quietly tax
ing leave of their home folks, with no
cheering throngs, no salutes, no gay
parades and brass bands. Other fighting
men get big hand when they go off to
defend their country. But nearly all the
180-odd landings of the Marines have
been in peacetime, the Nation being only
dimly aware of the agony and heroism
of their campaigns.
The great variety of campaign rib
bons on the blouses of the old-timers,
and the array of battle streamerS on the
corps regimental flags remind civilians
later of what the Marines have gone
through. They have seen a lot more
action than the Army or Navy, who
have had to wait for a war before they
could start fighting.
When war breaks out, moreover, the
Marines usually have ringside seat.
Marines fired the first United States
shot in the World War-a rifle bullet
across the bows of German cutter in
first troops to land in Cuba in 1898.
The Marine Corps is the Nays army
q versatile, amphibian army, schooled in
seamanship as we'll as in all the arts
of land warfare. It's aviators are capable
not only of giving air support to a
landing force; they also master the
naval aviator's technique of landing
plane on the deck of an aircraft car
rier: and they learn to make offshore
landings in heavy seas, a feat in which
the Coast Guard specialiZes.
Two General Functions.
The marines have two general func-
tions: Effecting landings on foreign
shores and holding such advance out
posts until the Army arrives; and guard
ing naval establishments on shore and
maintaining discipline among the Navy's
personnel.
In the past year an organization has
been formed within the corps whose
sole job is to practice and perfect the
technique of landings. This is the
feet marine force, divided into two
divisions one on the East Coast and one
on the West, each division comprising
1900 or more men.