Evening star., 1946-05-25
Military
Continued From First Page

Of actual operation if the Army is
called upon to help provide train
crews, sWitchmen and maintenance
men. Former Transportation Corps
officers released from the Army may
be recalled in this emergency by
/ telegram, but discharged enlisted
men of railroad experience, except
those who might have enrolled in
the Reserves, could not be recalled
to active duty until draft boards
dealt with individual cases. That
procedure, of course, would necessi-
| tate delay.
Two Battalions Intact.
OF the thousands of men who
served in Army railroad battalions
in this country, only two battalions
remain intact and these are sta
toned at Fort Eustis, Va. These
consist of one operating and one
maintenance battalion of approx
imately 800 men each. who would
be only a drop in the bucket in
meeting immediate needs.
The Navy reported, meanwhile.
! that reports from IS per cent of the
Navy and Marine Corps stations in
this country reveal that $500 officers
and enlisted men now on active duty
have railroad experience. Included
are 685 conductors, 678 trainmen,
| $50 engineers, 2,546 brakemen and
! 1850 firemen.
Navy Reserves Available.
The Navy said it has demobilized
10000 personnel with railroading ex-
perience-among them Reserve off,
GERS and Fleet Reservists who can be
called back to duty.
The report from Navy command
ers followed orders from the Navy
yesterday to survey their personnel
to see how many would be available
should the Navy be called upon to
help run the railroads.
AS the Army's Air Transport Com
mand began flying long distance
! mails by the tons. the War De-
partment deployed troops to points
of vantage and the Marine Corps
put former Marines and Reserves
on possible duty
In two moves, the I'd Battalion of
the 38th Infantry was moved from
Camp Carson, Col. to Omaha, and
500 soldiers were shifted from Camp
Atterbury, Ind, to Fort Custer,
Mich. The Army said such move
ments were precautionary" to place
troops in strategic locations" in
case of need
Railroads May Seek Aid.
The railroads are under orders to
call upon nearest service commands
for troops if needed to protect nom
striking workers and to guard prop
erty. How many men the Army
could muster to actually man the
trains is problematical.
The Military District of Washing
ton, meanwhile, set up a command
post on the concourse of Union
Station which, MDW officials say.
would make it possible TO get a
platoon to duty in case of a dis
turbance in less than i've minutes.
An officer sits in the command
post "a hours day, accompanied
by liaison officers from each of the
two shock troop" battalions of
MDW and liaison officer from the
terminal Office.
Telephone lines connect the COM
mand post with the two battalions
as well as with terminal police sta
toned at critical points along the
railroad so that if anything hap
pened that might obstruct/ move
ment of the trains" there would be
no delay in getting troops to the
scene, an MDW official explained
A standby platoon from the mil
itary district of Washington visited
the environs of Union Station this
morning to run through a drill
an MDW spokesman said. He said
the men were on reconnaissance
Just looking over the ground in
case they are called to augment
civilian police. The reconnaissance
order was given by Brig. Gen. Rob-
ert N. Young, commanding general
Of the military district.
The Potomac River Naval Com
mand, basing its estimate on IS per