Evening star., 1943-08-18
Army Engineers
Begin Work on
Vast Exhibition
Stors to Entertoin at
Show Of Weapons to
Promote Bond SuIes

Members of the Army Engineering
Corps today were to begin laying
out exhibit space on the Monument
Grounds for the display of war
equipment to be presented beginning
September 9 by the War Depart
ment at the request of the Trea sury
The surveyors began their work
following a series of conferences at
the Treasury yesterday Afternoon
among representatives of the War
and Treasury Departments and the
two local committees interested in
promoting the show, described by
Army officials as the biggest public
exhibition ever attempted py that
branch of the service.
Both the District War Finance
Committee and the Interdepart-
mental Committee on Payroll De-
ductions will be given prominent
parts in the show. Both groups will
help to sell war bonds in connection
with the Third War Bond Drive
which opens on the same day as the
Army show.
18-Day Exhibit.
The District War Finance CON-
mittee has been placed in charge of
arranging speakers and entertain
ment features for the afternoon
grandstand performances and the
interdepartmental group will direct
the evening performances
Each night of the 13-day show
will be set aside especially for a
different Federal agency. though it
was emphasized that the entire
show, which will be open from III
am. to 10 pm. daily, may be seen
by any one at any time.
Special campaigns to encourage
mass attendance by Governmens
employees will be worked out by the
nterdepartmental committee, it was
reported. The two daily programs,
which are to be presented in an
arena surrounded by grandstands,
will include some of the leading
names in the fields of screen, stage
and radio. Short periods during
each performance will be set aside
for a corps of war bond speakers
who will press home the need for
increased purchases of bonds
Newest Fighting Equipment.
Primarily though, the show will
belong to the Army. 1t will be an
exhibition designed to show Wash
ingtonians just how their War bond
dollars are being spent. Hundreds
Of troops will be on hand and the
Army plans to display on the Mon
ument Grounds virtually every piece
of modern fighting equipment it
can get it's hands on. War De-
partment officials reported yesterday
they were conducting survey to
ascertain how much captured enemy
materiel would be available for the
show.
The enemy equipment will include
a Jap Zero and German Messer-
schmitt as well as tanks and artil-
lery pieces picked up in the Medi-
terranean offensives.
At all the exhibits. soldiers will be
on i1and to explain and demonstrate
The American equipment will be
marked to show the number of War
bonds 1t takes to put the fighting
tools on the battlefield. Wherever
possible, visitors will be invited to
participate in the demonstrations.
One of the principal features will be
conducted by the Army's chemical
warfare branch. and the public will
see fame -throwers in action and
will be invited to don gas masks and
walk through gas-filled chambers.
Helicopter May Fly.
II arrangements can be made, a
helicopter will be obtained, to land
in the center of the arena during
each performance
Mich of the equipment needed for
the show is available within the
military district of Washington. II
it is necessary to bring some in from
other places, however, the War De-
partment plans to do so. Many Of
the soldiers assigned to the exhibits
will come from nearby camps but
some with special skills may be re-
cruited from other parts OF the
country.
The show will be spread out over
an area of approximately six blocks
1t will extend from Fourteenth
street to what would be Sixteenth
street If it were cut through and
from Constitution avenue to a depth
of about three blocks
Seats for 10000.
Booths are to be set up throughout
The grounds to sell War bonds to
those sufficiently impressed by the
show to do something about it right
away. Both the War Department
and the Treasury expect to handle
hundreds OF thousands of visitors
during the 18-day stand. Arrange
ments are being made To seat 10000
persons at each grandstand per-
formance.
When there are no activities in
the main arena, there will still be
plenty of action in all the side
shows" Four bands, including a
WAC band, have already been en-
gagged. Somewhere on the grounds,
at all times, soldiers will be show
ing the public how to operate jeeps,
scout cars, tanks, antiaircraft guns
and other artillery. Every phase Of
the Army will be represented, in
cluding medical and kitchen units.
Direction of the affair is In the
hands of Maj. Gen. Alexander D.
Surles, head of the War Depart
ment's bureau Of public relations.