Evening star., 1943-09-30
1OO-Hour Silent March of 1000 Troops
Was CoIorfuI Episode of Sici!iun Cumpuiqn

colonel who commanded the march.
The American Army has left very
few conceivable situations unpro-
vided for but 1t may be difficult to
recall in an emergency just what the
answers have been"
He recalls studying at West Point,
he says, somewhat similar silent
march by which Napoleon took an
artillery regiment under the walls
of an enemy city by using the same
rigid discipline and by wrapping the
wheels of his caissons in blankets
and rags.
At the outset of the march it was
obvious that all movement must be
at night. Any movement in day
light would be impossible to conceal
from farmers, shepherds, country
women washing at the doors of their
huts and peasants driving back and
forth over the rocky roads with their
gayly painted Sicilian carts. Even
if none of these actually reported
the movement, rumors were bound
to be carried back to the Germans.
Little geographic detail of the
country ahead was known. 1t was
necessary for scouting parties to
explore the route almost yard by
yard. The major problem was to
find wooded or brush-covered areas
in an essentially barren country
properly spaced so that the dis
tance between them could be COW
cred conveniently in a very slow
march in the hours of darkness from
about pm. to am There was
4nothing to be done about the MOON
light Actually it did not prove
such a disadvantage as might have
been supposed.
Equipment Examined.
Before starting every bit of equip
ment was examined to make sure
there were no loose parts which
would rattle as the men walked.
Selected scouts went ahead of each
platoon, feeling out every step to
make sure of not breaking a twig
or knocking loose a stone. The rest
of the men in single file stepped
for the most part precisely in the
footsteps of the scouts. A minimum
of orders were given. The men un-
derstood what was expected of them.
Such orders as were necessary were
given in very low whispers and pass
ed on in this way from man to man.
Movement, of course, was very slow.
Perhaps hardest of all were not
the movements themselves but the
necessary halts through more than
II hours of daylight. The men, al
ready cramped by the cold of the
mountain night, had to find the
shelter and sit or crouch all day
long with little possibility of chang
ing their positions They had to
open their c ration cans and eat,
the cold pork and beans and dry
biscuits in these with great diff
Guilty. When the natural conceal
ment seemed good smoking was al
lowed, but only by few men at a
time, for fear the flash of matches
and the wisps of smoke coming
from the bushes would reveal their
presence. When there was fog even
this was impossible because the flash
OF a match shows unnaturally red
then. At night smoking was rigor-
ously prohibited.
Town Was Obstacle.
The big obstacle, recognized from
the first, was the town of Capesi.
There seemed no way to avoid pass
ing close enough to it so that some
body was bound to observe the
presence of big body of troops.
The colonel in command decided
on a bold move. Detaching one
he marched it straight
through the town, mess kits and
other equipment rattling, the men
singing, tramping heavily on the
pavements and exchanging pleas
antries with the townsfolk. Mean
while, the rest of the regiment was
moved silently past on both sides
of the little mountain city. Obviously