The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-05-15
Best Troined
Forces Ready
CONTINUED from Page y

Is s'get going Pronto". The British
say Lets get cracking. They've
been trained to that peak Of fighting
morale. They've had exhaustive
training in which live ammunition
and the worst obstacles and weather
were placed in their path. They've
Dearned to kill quickly and eff
identity.
I'VE seen men spend the night in
Ylit trenches filled with cold, muddy
water but fairly comfortable be-
cause Of q new technique Of Sleep
ing in such quarters. I've seen par
atroopers who had been dropped q
2 a. m. into q strange countryside
dragging back to their base 20 miles
away with full kit weighing over
400 pounds.
rye seen others dropped into a
dark field with orders to hunt out
and stab to death q pig as practice
In ferreting out Germans.
Not all Of the preparations are to
kill. There are warehouses con-
tanning several million sulfa pills.
I've observed new types Of war
material which, If the Axis possess
ed them, would be trumpeted to the
world as secret weapons"
The Allied forces will deliver the
greatest fire power in history. The
initial landings will be followed by
artillery barrages heavier than any
thing at FL Alamein or Casino. The
Allies will enjoy almost supreme air
control.
Correspondent Report
To show America just how its
men have been prepared. here are
the invasion eve reports from U. P.
Correspondents in the field:
James G. McGlincy, somewhere in
England-American airborne troops
will go into western Europe with
perfected tactics. They've learned
how to avoid the mishaps which
snarled the airborne phase in Sicily
where men were scattered all over
the island.
Doctors and medical aid rien will
go right into action with the para
troops.
William r. Higginbotham, at an
invasion port-crews Of American
landing and supply craft are ready
for their transport Job. The Navy
Is training battalions which will go
ashore with the assault forces to
protest the beaches.
Their craft range from flat-bot-
toned landing vessels to big troop
carriers. Every man has been given
the benefit of lessons learned in the
Pacific and Mediterranean landings.
Sheer weight Of numbers will give
them a good chance of coming off
safely 1t is calculated.
Medical Supplies
Dudley Harmon, medical head
quarters-large stores of medical
supplies have been amasSed and q
plan for evacuation Of wounded
awaits the invasion. More than
1000 medical items ranging from a
syringe to hospital building have
been gathered. Pints Of blood pack
ed IN ice Jam warehouses. Col Ho-
ward Doan, La Sale, ILL.,. executive
officer of the chief surgeons office
said: This island is one great hos
pitsl. Within 16 hours, soldier
wounded on the beach can be back
IN a British hospital"
Dougald Werner. troop carrier
command base-the Americans will
use CG4A gliders. They win step out
fully armed and ready to fight.
These craft can carry jeepS and
Howitzers. Transport planes which
two the gliders in will shuttle back
and forth with supplies.
The transports also will bring
nurses and medics to evacuate the
wounded.
Most Powerful Air Arm
Walter Cronkite. U. S. bomber
base-in no other invasion has the
army had so powerful an air arm.
The Liberators and flying forts have
new nose turrets for defense and
new bombsights to pin-point enemy
targets a few dozen yards ahead of
advancing troops.
Collie Small, U. S. fighter base
the fighters are rarin' to go. Some
of them are so afraid to end their
tours of duty before the invasion
that they've told little white lies in
their log books. I know one who
went to Berlin three times and on
each occasion "loSt" exactly one
hour flying time.
1t all adds up to this-American
men are ready.