Evening star., 1943-03-17
Ry WALTER McCALLJM.


CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON
CARRABELLE, Fla. March IT
Landing troops on hostile shore
is conceded by military men to be
the toughest operation in the fight
lng book, but they make it easy
here at the Army'S great amphibiou.
training center.
Until a few weeks ago the opera =
tlons here at Carrabelle. where
many Army divisions have been
trained for amphibiouS landing Jobs
somewhere in the world at some
future time, were highly secret.
Even the name Of the camp where
many thousands Of troops Of all
Components of the Army are train
ing was known to only few. To-day
1t is open for publicity.
The amphibious training of Army
units was unveiled to a group of
reporters as landing craft drove
onto hostile shore" under cover
Of smoke o battle their way inland
against simulated enemy troops, ad-
VanClng against land mines and a
barrage Of small arms fire from the
defenders. This was battalion
show for the neWSpapermen and
was the first splash of publicity
about this highly sensitive Army
post.
35Mile Transport.
But the big show came few
DAYS earlier when hundreds OF
landing craft of all types were used
TO transport large unit an approx
innate distance Of IS miles by water
to land on a hostile shore" after
the enemy had been Softened up
by simulated naval and air attack
In this operation. taking almost
two days, several thousand troops
were Waterborn in all types OF
craft. The operation, by a freak
Of Florida weather. cost IA lives as
a landing craft ran aground in the
fury Of a pitch-black night storm
ana waves laShed the attacking
force. More than a score of bar
rage balloons We're destroyed bv
lightning as the elements drove
across shallow St. Georges Bay.
1t was like scene from Dante!
Inferno said lieutenant. as the
lightning hit those balloons anc
scattered their ground wires in a
display Of spark pyrotechnics."
Twofold Purpose.
Fundamentally. the purposes o
the amphibiOus training center art
tWofold. under the command OF
Brig Gen Frank A. Heating. an
infantry officer and a World Wal
veteran. The missions are. first
70 train troops amphibiouSly, and
second. TO harden them physically
and mentally to battle conditions
They do that.
OperatlO at the center special
lze IN shore to shore movements. OF
island to island, or in water envel-
opments such as the JapS used in
Malaga, They differ from shIp-to
shore operations. in that the fight.
ing troops embark in landing craft
from friendly shore and land OF
a hostile defended shore to eStab-
llSh beach heads and bases fol
further fighting. These operations
with the craft available here, may
be conducted at a distance up tc
several score miles. with little re-
gard for favorable sea conditions
Meeting several miles down s
friendly shore from the path of at.
tack. the battaliOnS drove thrOugI
simulated enemy waters and LANDED
| on a gently slopine beach There
they drove onto the beach IN land
ing craft as the defenders set of
dynamite charges. Driving back the
defenders yard by yard, the attacker
established beach head. the enci
neerS laid down beach ways fol
landing Of wheeled vehicles ana a,
wave after wave of lightly armed
infantry reinforced the auackIn,
troops. the vehicles came ashore
Tanks were not used in this opera
ton. but they Will oe used in SOM
future amphibiOus Jobs So vii
naval and air bombardment Il
soften up the defenders
'thutist Operation
In the earlier opera ton a para
chute infantry company Transported
by air from Fort Bragg. severa
hundrcd miles aWav dropped in th'
rear Of the defending troops. thro.
r"ucailN DESTROYED supply dump