Evening star., 1942-08-06
Nighfan Signals
Motorized Warfare in
haneuyers Area
Mile After Mile of
Machines Move Up
In Inspiring Sight
BY WILLIAM r. BONI,
Wide World Military Editor.

BY WILLIAM F. BONI,
Wide World Military Editor.
wADEsBORO. N. c., Aug. g.
During the daytime you hardly can
md the troops on these first war
time maneuvers of the United
States Army. though thousands OF
soldiers and hundreds OF tanks,
jeeps, peeps, troop carriers. tank
destroyers and trucks. scout cars
and motorcycles are scattered over
the 5,000-square- mile maneuver
area.
So you go looking for them at
night, hunting In stan Car with a
young tank lieutenant, Quentin
Hodges OF Hinesville, Ga, for a guide
and map-reader.
You eat an early supper, and at
$50 pile into staff car, flying a
green nag to show its neutrality and
thus keep you from capture by
oither the Reds" or the Blues"
= From maneuver director head
quarters, q comfortable enough tent
city set among the pines along both
sides Of q paved highway, we strike
on in a southwesterly direction.
First we must get out of the neutral
Estate" which adjoins the territory
where the actual operations are
carried out.
Into Captured" Town.
rs We pass through small town, It's
streets lined with motor vehicles OF
al description, crowded with dusty
. soldiers in laundry y-faded coveralls.
line-looking soldiers lean and trim
after weeks OF operations in the
Carolina heat. The Reds hold this
town, and each man wears a bit OF
/; bright red cloth slung about his
neck. Somehow it makes each one
look like q pirate or q wash-buckling
adventurer.
Beyond the town. still on the
paved road, we begin seeing more
troops -sentries posted where sandy
. back roads branch OF, trucks and
tanks almost obsclred by the natural
cover. their motors being tuned for
the march that win start as soon as
the blood-red sun sinks over the
bills to the west.
Somewhere. we know. column OF
tanks Blue tanks-is getting ready
10 move into the front line for the
attack which will begin the follow
inx dawn. 1t won't be down the
main highway, however, 50 1t.
Hodges orders the driver to turn
Oh on the next side road we come to.
We roll along more slowly now,
scanning each bit OF cover for what
it may contain, peering ahead each
time we top 4 rise for a possible
telltale line Of dust rising In the
distance that will show us some
thing big Is on the move.
= Umpires Wait.
The car rolls down grade, rounds
4 turn and there is awooden bridge.
A peep is pulled up on the far SIDE.
It's four occupants all wear white
ribbons 1T their shoulders to indi-
cate they are mpires in this war
game.
They sre waiting for the solution
OF 4 problem, Red problem. Far
ther up the road, they tell US. Is
unaIl mechanized Red force. 1T is
stuck. Theoretically this bridge has
been blown up. The Reds can't ad-
vance. II they retrace their course,
they may run into = stronger Blue
force and be captured.
We leave them to 1t. A few bum
-dred yards farther on We md the
sDead-End Kids"-three peeps, two
scout cars, 4 troop carrier. Omcers
are almost indistinguishable from
men. All are caked with dust-red
dust that clogs your nostrils. be-
comes grit between your teeth, stinss
your eyes until the tears roll down
and. BY one of natures tricks, wash
out the dust-and clear the way Tor
more.
These men have been on the move
for two days, have been sleeping
anywhere they happened to stop,
have been eating whenever the
cook truck could find them or. when
i 1t couldn't have been living on iron
rations. Yet they look alert and
ready to 60.
Fffxt "Blue" Spotted.
We're in the back country now:
Houses few and nothing to brag
about, the stands Of pine broken
only BY occasional fields Of cotton,
the nk-tinsed blossoms beginning
10 close Is the sun nears the horizon.
We bounce over detour. run
down into a valley and up again.
At the top of this ridge stands q
ione peep. It's driver watches us
through field glasses as we approach.
He's q heavy-set sergeant-and hes
I the first Of the Blues we've seen.
93 He Identifies his unit, says they're
located q mile or so back, just on
the road we're following. Tanks?
; No. sir, he doesn't know where the
tanks are.
A few more miles, and we're out
on q paved highway again, near the
far side of the maneuver area. Here
we encounter q strong Blue force.
) For miles along the highway you
can spot them in among the scrub
oak and pines-hear the daat-dat-
dat of a field radio in touch with
, Blue headquarters, see a Pickering
fashlight as driver gives his truck
!. . final once-over, note the clatter
!. uf mess kits as chow Is served just
bsfore they move out.
Still no tanks. Our lieutenant
stops at q command post, gets some
fresh information.
a Again In Red Area.
Soon we're back into Red territory,
The change-over marked as we cross
4 bridge guarded on its approach
side by three riflemen and potential
dynamiters. on its far side bv a
formation Of 75-mm. tank de-
stroyers.
/: A iashlight flags us down for a
I brief inspection. Okay. Five miles
farther ON and the lieutenant, porting
over his detail map, orders the driver
to swing left onto q crossroad we
would have missed.
A few Reds here, but. only few
Then q mile farther on we have to
slow down. There's a huge trailer