Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-06
Rival Armies
Take Positions
In Virginia
Southern Troops
Planning to Use
Grants Tactics
BY the Associated Press.

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Armored scout cars of the Southern
Armys motorized cavalry from Fort
Myer made contact with the advance
patrols of the Northern forces 44th
Infantry today as the I'd Army Corps
warfare problem began to unfold on
the lore-flled fields of Caroline.
Moving speedily out of their
camoufaged bivouacs, the South's
infantry and cavalry-motorlzed and
horse-were on the move at 8:35
am, IS minutes after plane
dropped orders to Col F. c. Mahin,
commander of the Southern unit
from Fort Bragg, N. c.
The two armies put out feelers
and forces claShed in an area south
west of Port Royal. The South.
outnumbered more than to / by
the units from Fort Dix, N. j., ex-
pected the main forces of Maj Gen.
c. r. Powells army would move in
two columns. AS a consequence,
Col. Mahin made his plans to at
tack two groups in flanking
movement somewhat similar to
sideslipping maneuvers of Gen.
Grants Federal Army at Freder-
icksburg. but alternate plans took
in the possibility of three columns.
Comparison Drawn.
At the Southern headquarters in
the field, Col. Mahin. who made a
parachute jump at the request of
the then Chief of the Air Corps
Gen. H. H. Andrews number of
years ago to see if entry landings
from the air were feasible drew a
comparison paralleling world events.
If this were real warfare, he said,
unfolding a detailed map, heres
what I could do with few hundred
parachute troops.
I'D drop them at Rappahannock
bridges at Port Royal and Fred
ericksburg. hold them if possible.
but prepare them for demolition in
any event.
Forces from the North and South.
from figures available from overseas,
roughly parallel the numerical
strength of British and Greeks and
of the Germans in the recent attack
on Crete.
The maneuvers pit the fast-mov-
ing. 4.5O0-man 60th Combat Team
from Fort Bragg. an element of the
9th Division, against the larger and
more cumbersome 44th Division.
made up of $4,000 soldiers from
Camp Dix.
The bulk of the troops moved
into the area yesterday and estab-
hshed temporary camps to await the
opening of maneuvers.
Startle Motorists.
AS the day advanced, the sleepy
woods of Caroline County sprang
magically alive and tensed for a
fight. Scarcely a copse in certain
areas failed to hide motor vehicles,
men and guns. Motorists who
found their way down into the
training grounds watched lines of
soldiers marching along the high
ways and were startled to find. al
most at their elbows. hundreds of
others concealed by the dense
underground.
Engineer and Signal Corps mem
berS worked steadily from early
morning to get water supplies and
communications systems in order.
Miles of wires we're strung and
miles of new gravel roads were laid
to headquarters and other strategic
points.
l1f1 h.
from Fort Belvoir. under command
of 1t Col. R. M McCutchen, con-
tinued with the general program
necessary to get the area in readi-
ness as a maneuver grounds suit
able for the large-scale war games
scheduled to be held there this
summer and fall. This unit has
been at work in Caroline County for
nearly two weeks.
Some Roads Blocked.
The advance of the opposing
forces today will be mostly through
woods and Scrubby brushland. Foot
soldiers will proceed Indian fashion
over terrain the War Department
selected because of its nearness to
the natural state.
The heavier movement of vehicles
around them will be carried out at
much easier clip. Access roads
along the general line of advance
have been blocked to the public or
turned into one-way routes to as
sure ready passage of the large
Army trucks.
Scattered over the area to watch
the maneuvers, it was reported yes
terday. are rs representatives of the
general staff of the Army. Um-
pires also will move freely through
the maneuver grounds, each as
signed to a certain unit of the
armies Their headquarters have
been set up in the yard of an old
farmhouse near Mica, Va, near the
central part of the area.