Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-20

b. @ ances the BOBBY
#s - E$%S trap.
S In claSsrooms
ss''ssSsssSSs ass' M where children
Henry MeLemors. once Yecited
their ABC's and on green fields
where they once romped and played.
men daily risk death 10 solve and
improve on this tortured brain child
Of the German army. The nerveless
work of these combat engineers Is
of tremendous importance.
Because OF cartoons and Jokes the
public has come to think OF a BOBBY
trap as nothing more than an occa-
sional lowdown joke played by one
army on another. But 1T Is much
more than that. BOBBY traps can
play a large part In slowing down
the advance Of an army. They are
shattering to the morale of the SOL
diers unless they know that working
ahead Of them and protecting them
are the engineers, capable Of rem
dering harmless the lethal charges.
Allies Learned the Hard Way.
| The Germans used BOBBY traps
with great success at the start OF
the war. The Allied soldiers did not
suspect that they were fighting a
foe who would resort to such fiend-
| ish tactics to kill. They learned the
hard way. They learned never to
pick up any object left by the enemy,
never to touch picture on the wall,
open the door Of a stove, walk on
a loose plank in the floor or walk
unwarily over turf, no matter how
peaceful and innocent In its appear
ance.
The Germans have even resorted
to placing BOBBY traps on the dead
they leave behind in order to de-
stroy the burial squads. They often
place one under the head Of a badly
wounded soldier who dares not move
to ease his pain lest he set off the
charge.
But now the American and Brit
lsh engineers have mastered the
BOBBY trap and no fighting man
need fear to follow in a path that
has been declared safe by these ex-
perts who have the delicacy Of touch
OF locksmith, surgeon or safe
cracker and no fear whatsoever,
They handle INT as If 1t were bak-
ing powder and show no more alarm
when approaching a live BOBBY trap
than matchmaker does when fixing
main stem.
ITS Fun" Experts Says.
My guide here at this base is Can't.
Robert Stewart of Shreveport. La.
Before he came into the Army he
was an oil man and I asked him
why he chose such a dangerous
phase.
Some one has to do this sort of
thing" he replied, "and besides. it's
fun. If you know what you are
doing, it isn't dangerous. OF course.
1t isn't the sort of thing you can
afford to make mistake at. Your
score must be 10 for 10. Nine for
10 is no good"
AS he said this, the captain was
busy showing me how to neutralize
a BOBBY trap, which, In this case.
was chunky bit of copper with a
release that would go off If stepped
on by an adolescent flea. As he
worked, he comforted me with the
information that it wasn't uncom-
mon for q BOBBY trap to pack
enough explosive to blow a jeep
so feet in the air. He told me how
many hundred feet a second a fuse
would burn-this one had a fuse.
incidentally, of about s inches-and
how sometimes the Germans would
string as many as Is or 20 traps
together so that just when YOU
| thought you had everything all fixed,
others would go off.
Lead Way in Desert.
BY this time I was hidden in a
far corner suffering the unusual
experience of feeling my red hair
turn white. The captain was so
absorbed in his work he didn't even
notice my absence but kept on prob
ing and explaining.
Did you see that great British
film, Desert Victory'P Remember
how the first ones who moved on to
attack after the barrage had lifted
were engineers, or sappers as the
British call them? Remember how
they went ahead, clearing mines so
the tanks could pass? The Germans
tried to get the sappers by attach
ing BOBBY traps to mines. When
the sapper went to scoop out a mine,
| they figured. he wouldn't be smart
enough to think about q trap being
there. But we found out about
that"
BY now my hair was not only
turning gray, it was falling out, T
made for the door. Another minute
of BOBBY traps and I figured it
| would be the BOBBY hatch for me.
Just as I bolted through the door
the captain chuckled a happy little
chuckle. There" he said, THAT
one is done. I try to be just as care
full when working with uncharged
ones as / do with charged ones.
This one wasn't charged. OF course.
I would not let you take that risk"
But my hair is still gray. I won
der what's the name of a good red