Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-25
First of a Series.)
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

BY WALTER McCALLUM.
American men and machines
against Hitler and Hirohito.
Deep in the sweating, muddy jun
giles of New Guinea, an American
Army sergeant crouches behind a
50-caliber machine gun, sights lev
eled on Jap strong point. He
has faith in his weapon and Ger
tainly it will function. High above
the swaying battle lines in Tunisia
an Army Air Force bombardier peers
through his sight and passes the
word. Bomb bays open. Release
bombs" He knows his 1,00O-pound
packages of death will deliver their
message because they have been
tested at Aberdeen, Md.
Under the belly Of big bomber
in Australia, mechanics pass up and
fasten in the bomb racks the demo-
lition stuff that will crack the Japs
out of positions in New Guinea, on
Guadalcanal or Tulagi. Others ex-
anime machine guns to blast the
ZeroeS out of the air. Probably they
were trained at Aberdeen.
Behind the front lines in many
places over the world, mechanics
groom the numbering, elephantine
tanks to move forth across battle
area, greaslng guns, keeping multi
horSepoWered engines smoothly
functioning, and readying the self
contained battle unit that is the
tank to NOW down enemy tanks
and positions. The mechanics learned
their trade at Aberdeen.
Automatic Aim.
In an isolated anti-aircraft post
somewhere on Long Island. or in
Florida or California slender muz-
zles of steel reach toward the sky
operated entirely by a mechanical
brain that automatically puts the
gun on the path of attacking air
craft. The process of laying the
guns on the target was developed
at Aberdeen by some of the I'M
sung heroes of this war; members
of the scientific staff who sit in
laboratories at the big Maryland
arsenal and play with the TOYS of
death and destruction.
Technically this huge. spraying
Army post where the weapons of
death receive their final check be-
fore moving into action is the Aber-
deem Proving Grounds, a tremen-
dous slice of Maryland land and
water country north of Baltimore.
Technically it is the place where
all the varied weapons of war are
tested and many are designed be-
fore being shipped for use by the
striking forces of the United States.
Actually 1t is center of scientific
brains, all devoted to the single pur-
pose of turning out, testing and
keeping in operation combat arms
for all branches of the land services.
And actually it is one vast train
ing center, where specialists in mo-
torized vehicles of all types learn
the tricks Of their trade; where
ordnance officers are turned out.
where enlisted ordnance SPECIALISTS
are taught from the ground up the
specialized crafts which will lick the
AXIS IN this war of specialists.
Valuable Secrets.
Here at Aberdeen are many Sc
crets. Here have been born MANY
of the new kinks of this machine
age war which Hitler and Hirohito
would surrender many divisions to
learn. In the vast workshops and
laboratories of this Maryland post
are spawned the ideas which are
knocking Axis planes out of the air
in ratio of to l against Amer
lean losses.
Here work. with test tube and
micrometer big segment of the
scientific brains of America. And
here, in the closely guarded precincts
of the Proving Grounds, thunder the
big guns, the small guns and all
types of equipment which goes forth
to the far flung battle fronts of
the world.
You might see a 16-inch coastal
defense gun belching forth cloud
OF smoke and flame to deposit miles
away down quiet river estuary hun
dreds Of pounds of steel. You might
see. If you get by the Gordon of
guards, and are vouched for by the
proper authorities some of the Sc
crets which have made American
arms the efficient weapons they are.
Anti-Rommel Weapons.
Out of the shops of Detroit, To-
ledo. Pittsburgh, Buffalo or any,
where ordnance is made, the guns
come to Aberdeen. So do the tanks,
and the motorized stuff which makes
up an Army on wheels. Here was
born the big-gun carrier now in use
in Africa, which has so amazed the
Germans with its firepower. Only
now, since the African offensive got
under way, has permission been
given to talk about it, although some
of these heavy guns, mounted on
medium tank chassis, were used in
Louisiana maneuvers two months
ago.
saw them there, but they they
were secret. Field Marshal ROM
melS knows about them. He must
be enviouS, for the Heinie military
brain trusts, supposed to have the
inside track on all war equipment,
hadn't thought of moving up big