Evening star., 1943-05-27
Navy Drills Habits
Of Killing Technique
Into Flyers Minds
Win With First Burst
Is Principle Taught
At Pensacola Station
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY
Star Staff Correspondent.

UNI led . n 1 EO NAV VAb AIN
TRAINING CENTER, Pensacola,
Fla, May 27.-Under revolutionary
methods adopted here the habit
forming system of killing is going
on hand and hand with the flight
training so that the American
youngster who meets his adversary
in combat.will not have to figure out
mathematically courses, ranges, fly
ing speed and such other data as
he might need to write out the
enemy's death warrant.
Most elaborate and intricate in
struments have been developed
which simulate as near as possible
the actual conditions which will be
found in combat to drill into these
future birdmen here the practice Of
getting in the death-dealing lick
first. And they have constantly ham
mered into them from the time they
arrive from the pre-f1ight and pri-
mary training schools until they get
their wings that they must get in
the first fatal shot if they expect
to live through the war.
They are given no idea that the
adversary is an easy prey. They are
being taught here by officers who
have been in the fray at Guadal-
canal, Tulagi. Macassar Strait, Mid
way and other points in the South
Pacific, as we'll as Casablanca. They
wear on their uniforms the vari-c COL
ored combat ribbons and the stars
which mark them as heroes with
citations on their records for Jobs
we'll done.
Under Admiral Murray.
Their destiny, too. is under the
direction of a fighting airman Rear
Admiral George D. Murray, who be-
fore he came here commanded in
the fighting area of the Pacific what
he calls "fightenist' carrier of the
United States Navy.
The whole purpose of the station
here cannot be better described than
by large sign in the colors of the
Navy, gold letters on a blue back
ground. at the entrance to the gun
merry school, which facetiously deS-
ignates it as the college of Mortu-
arv Science"
Here the gunners are taught with
moving pictures and scaled guns and
ranges to fire straight and true at
an enemy aircraft as soon as he
comes into view.
Travelling hand and hand with
the main object of downing aircraft
and killing enemy personnel goes a
course to the airmen on how to save
their own lives if they do not happen
to get in the first and knockout blow.
In this course, they are impressed
with the fact that while planes,
ships and guns can be replaced,
trained and experienced personnel
can be replaced only after months
and months of training-that a
human life itself can never be re-
placed.
Taught Water Tricks.
This self-preservation course,
taught by the experience method
includes training in how to extricate
ones self from parachute harness
after landing in water; how to in
fate, rig and handle a rubber life
raft; how to right an overturned
raft and how to get in and out of
the raft and to use other equipment
provided They are taught how to
swim through debris. Oil and fire,
how to use shirts, trousers, duffel
bags, mattress covers and the like
oc RH{o j
artificial respiration.
They are impressed with the i'm
portance of helping the other fell
low in the water by being constantly
reminded that they might some
time be the other fellow.
The use of oxygen in high alti-
tude flying and the recognition of
the early symptoms of the lack of
oxygen is trained in them by in
closure in compression chambers
where the temperature and altitude
can be varied in seconds.
But all the while they are kept
in flying mood From dawn until
nearly midnight planes are taking
off and coming down, every day in
the week. They work and train
seven days, including Sundays. but
they get one day of recreation on
each eighth day of the course. Six
thousand flights a day are made
from the air station and the drone
of plane motors never ceases except
between midnight and dawn. They
get bombing, strafing practice and
anti-submarine pat trolling and
bombing over the bayous and the
Gulf Of Mexico.
Eager to Meet Enemy.
Thousands of them are here and
the personnel is constantly chang
ing as each new group of youth
come in, eager for those coveted
wings and chance to get at the
enemv. Their average AGE is 20 and