Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-01
One Reason
WeAreG00dAt
Winning Wars

rVER since that historic day when handful OF Mas
- stood by the rude bridge that
arched the flood and fired the shot heard round the
world" Americans have been handy with gunswhich Is
of the why Uncle Sam has never lost war
Is no comfort the Germans the Italians and the
Japs to knowand they do know it-that some 100000
hunting licenses issued to American and women
every year When the Axis lords pore map of
try figure the kelies spots
attempt invasion by from the air. they give
almost consideration TO the nations gun-totng
sportsmenand women-as they do to the military forces
We can be that Herr Hitlers board of strategy
which works out their bosss plans so minutcy, is
well that some 100000 Americans know how to
handle shotgun and that another 100000 are handy with
the rifle.
The Nazis in sizing up British Isles for invasion,
did overlook the fact that shooting the English
put pretty much rich mans sport in Britain.
America people OF all cangs and incomes shoot for
food and for the fun of and has TO be millionaire
go the woods and fields after the rabbit and the
partridge. to the marshes TO stalk the Willy duck
Not long ago the Northwestern National Life Insurance
Company completed survey intended to bring out just
how this country compares with England In the army Of
home defenders might raise from the ranks Of hunters
This survey shows that years of restrictive legislation
has made hunting lost among the majority OF
Englishmen and that only few firearms.
Among the home defense forces which England is
ing heavily Of invasion, discovered that
out had fired gun in their lives.
Precious time and had to be spent to teach these
civilian soldiers how TO shoot
Every branch Uncle military service has bene
fitted many Americans shoot for the sake Of
sport Artillery officers for example have found that re-
without previous shooting experience do take
naturally to the machine gunbut IS out of 100 who
know handle a shotgun a rifle become good
chine glInners surprisingly fast.
Marine Corps gets Of its heavy gun pointers
from the ranks of It's expert rfemenand most Of these
sharpened their eyes and their trigger fingers the
woods before they became Leathernecks The records Of
Corps reveal that the who is handy with sport
ing rifle rapidly home with heavier guns and
holds the target" almost instinctvely
Ray Benson executive of nationwide organization
of sportsmen called Ducks Unlimited and firearms
pert says The man is proficient with a shotgun
10
An expert with the rife stalks which usually is
the he pulls the trigger But expert with the
shotgnwhether shooting skeet clay pigeons ducks
QUALITIES at aerial target"
Mr. believes that there thousands of men in
this country many of them beyond the age where they
would be accepted for military service VINO are SO capable
shotgun they could do great deal to snuff
any by parachute troops He also convinced
that other thousands of these hunters could quickly become
crack shots with anti-arcraft guns.
survey by the Northwestern Life Insurance Com
pany very properly points out that modern warfare rs
phaszing the Importance of the individual soldier The
successes German army partly the result of
teaching soldier take of himself and at times
to fight his
Hunting for sport is not the strenuous or dangerous
Job that fighting but hunting develops
kind of initiative and the ability to go it alone
which makes good soldiers today.
careful chec<-up Of the records reveals that
thing like 100000 rifles have been sold the United
states TO private owners in the past years Not all of
those guns are today only Is per
are used regularly there between 100000
and rifles that be used for national defense
The outstanding American nero OF the Irst WorIu war
was Sergeant Alvin York Millions of people who had for
gotten about country boy from the mountains of
nessee recently his incredible exploits in France
brought dramatically to life in the movies.
Sergeant York virtually raised with long rifle in
his hands and reputation for being of the
shots his neighborhood His familiarity with gun was
one of the why he able to kill % Germans
capture of the enemy and put 30 machine guns
out of action almost single-handed.
The present will bring out its counerparts of the
courageous and capable Tennesseanand the chances
these modern heroes will be men who did lot of
shooting before they went after bigger game in
the Army the Navy or the Marine Corps