The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-03

This great American base today
Is a complete and almost self-suffi-
cient unit, Just a year after engin-
GERS went out TO survey the ground.
1t has enabled the U. S. Army Serv-
ices of Supply under the command Of
Maj. Gen Robert w. Crawford to
fulfill their assignment here ito fur
nish essential war materials when
and where needed, to service the 9th
U. S. Air Force, keep the 9th Armys
weapons in good repair, and insure
the success of the Libyan, Tunisian
and future campaigns"
And 1t is still growing as equip
ment from old italian military in
stallations in Abyssinia and from
American projects originally estab-
lished in Eritrea are moved in.
In the literal sense, the base has
risen out Of the desert, since the
bricks for its buildings were made
from desert sand Here American
tanks, artillery and motors of all
kinds which were supplied to the
British under lend-lease and have
been damaged in combat or worn
out are rushed back into working
shape, again under lend-lease,
Teach Britishers
Thousands OF Britishers, from the
British Isles, the Dominions and In
dia, at the same time are taught to
use American equipment, tanks, gun
merry and signals by American Army
instructors. AS side line n cooks
and bakers school teaches Army
cooks how To keep units Of the 9th
U. S. Air Force stationed out "in the
blue from belly-aching.
All the rations for the American
air force, which Is doing most OF the
long-range heavy bombing and lot
of the medium bombing and fighter
plotting in Middle East, go through
the depot.
Wounded and sick from the air
force or other branches Of the Army
stationed anywhere in the Middle
East 90 to the thousand-bed hospi-
tai here
This reporter made q tour of the
camp with 1t. Col. Richard Stock
ton of Trenton, N. j., who is execu-
tive officer of the camps command
ing officer, 1t. Col. G. II. Prunty,
U. S. Army. We sent by car, as this
camp is dispersed over so many
square miles that jeeps, trucks, bus
es and diesel railway are required
TO keep all its parts meshed. The
Axis has never succeeded in drop
ping a bomb on it, however, even
when Rommel was at FL Alamein.
In the tank shop mighty Sher-
mans Lees and Grants were in va
/ rious stages of distress and undreSs
Some had shellholes, some merely
WORKOUT tracks or Wolnout motors
others had been dis assembled COM
pletely and reduced to spare parts
Much the same type Of job was be-
ing done on Americanbuilt 105-mm
and 75-mm. hoWitzers and other ar
tillery at another shop. A German
Mark Nv tank and one Of the IA
nous 88-mm. combination anti-air-
craft and anti-tank guns were in fol-
study.
Replica Of U. s. Plant
The motor reconditioning plant Is
an exact replica Of pilot plant BULL
in the United States. The Army
Ordnance battalion which was brok-
en- in at the Georgia pilot plant nov
runs an identical plant here, turn
ing out hundreds of reconditioneo
motors each month. One section Of
the plant does nothing but make
parts which were lost or destroyed
during shipment.
All shops work on mass produc.
ton principles, with conveyor track
and overhead monorails. Colone
Stockton explained that this Amer
lean system required a good deal o
imported equipment and time To ge
going compared with simpler British
methods which are strong on i'm
provisation with whatever MATERIAL
are at hand and depend on lfrgi
local labor supply But once IL !
started" he added, American out
put here viii outstrip ali tF:S 9th
ers."
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