Evening star., 1946-08-19
Middies, Cadets
Storm Ashorein
Mock Assault
Army. Navy Leaders
Hail Exercises as
Cooperative Example
Bv Thomas G Buchanan
By Thomos 6. Buchonon
Sfor S.oH Corresooodert

Stor Stoff Correspondent
LITTLE CREEK, Va, Aug. 1e-
West Point cadets and Annapolis
stormed ashore under
threatening skies in a practice as
sault landing here this morning
that was hailed by Army and Navy
leaders as a practical demonstra-
tion OF interservice cooperation.
second class men of the two
academies, training side by side
this summer for the first time in
the history OF the services wrested
from the control of a mythical
enemy force a narrow strip of
beach 13 miles east of Norfolk on
the Chesapeake Bay.
Secretary of the Navy Forrestal
boarded the U. S. S. Catoctin, flag
ship OF the operation, last night
10 witness today's joint amphibious
operation.
Admiral Marc A. Mitscher. com.
in chief of the Atlantic
Fieet; Vice Admiral Aubrey w
Fitch, superintendent of the Naval
Academy; Brig. Gen. S. ]. Higgins
commandant of cadets at West
Point, and Gov. Tuck of Virginia
were among the notables present.
A-Bomb Site Objective.
Inc problem presented to the
future Army and Navy officers was
tne capture OF prospective enemy
atomic bomb site in the Little
creek area. Battle-trained Marines
1rom the End Battalion, First Spe.
c1al Brigade, from Camp Lejeune.
N. C., acted as instructors and non
CONS who mingled with the cadets
and midshipmen during the land
ings. Ai
Designation of the amphibiou,
landing as Operation Camid"
taken from the first syllables OF
cadets and "midshipmen." was
an illustration of the Joint nature
OF the training program.
Threatening weather this morn.
ing grounded about 100 Hellcats
HelidlVers and Avengers which
were scheduled to have softened I'm
resistance on the beach by a series
OF four air strikes between 3 and
$50 am. A simulated naval bar
rage was laid down during thi.
PERIOD, however, by light rocket
nrlng craft and other naval vessels
LVTA's Lead Assault.
A few minutes before 9 am fo,,r
LVIAs, armored amphibious tanks
came In toward the beach. f1anked
oy guide boats. They opened fire
with blank ammunition a few hun
dred yards out, hit the beach pre-
clsely at am, while underwater
mines exploded just in front of
them.
. As. they penetrated inland, land
mines went of. s@sa
A few minutes later, eisM LvTs
another type of arnored amphi,
plous tank, hit the shore and un-
loaded Marine boat teams. The
LVT at the right flank discharged
a group of Marines who attacked
an enemy machine gun division and
knocked it out with flame thrower
Next came the LCVP's, landing
craft vehicle personnel, with the
hrst wave of cadets and middies,
Ihey hastily unloaded their crews.
which were greeted by further deto-
nations OF mines on the beach. The
crews continued inland to a distance
OF 100 yards before halting to dig in.
Army and Navy Parties Dig In.
Avance elements of the Army's
shore party and the Navy,s beach
party were now digging in and set
ting up command posts as quickly
as possible.
The fourth wave included two
LCMs, heavier craft. A flare was
fired at this time to indicate sue
cessful esta blishment of the beach
head. LVTs on the west flank were
called on for fire support and opened
barrage.
The fifth wave, containing two
LCIG)s and three LSMs, was forced
to land well out from the shore and
troops waded in, waist high, trying
to hold their rifles out of the water,
Five tanks also were landed from
an Ism, one of which nearly got
stuck on the steep slope of the beach.
One Ism at the west flank flooded
and stuck.
Four Lens in Last Wave.
-Four LCMs came in with the sixth
and last wave, carrying beach mark
ers for the shore parties. Rear
Admiral Ralph o. Davis, commander
of Amphibious Group 2, followed
them ashore, his uniform fiecked
with sea spray after observing the
operations from his launch.
Admiral Davis expressed disap-
polntment that air support could
not be obtained for the problem.
but pointed out that in actual war;
fare 1t would have been necessary
to carry out the amphibious oper-
|atlons without such support.
Landing of supporting artillery
and other heavy equipment con-
'cluded the operation.
Today's demonstration was i'm
portant not only as a means of
indoctrinating West Point and
Annapolis undergraduates in the
tactics of modern amphibious war;
fare, Secretary Forrestal declared.
but as an opportunity for the fu-
ture Army and Navy officers to
make personal contact and to un-
derstand each others problems.
Cooperation on Human Basis.
Cooperation has to be on a hui
man basis. 1t can't be learned from
a mechanical chart" said Vice Ad-
miral Daniel E. Barley, commander
OF the Atlantic Fleet amphibious
force, over all director of the oper-
alton.
The middies and cadets began to
fraternize almost Immediately after
arriving at Norfolk Naval Base Au-
gust 10. They shared living quar-
ters in mixed groups aboard Navy
vessels, attended various demonstra-
tons together all last week and
from Saturday noon until S pm.
yesterday went ashore on liberty
together.
The Secretary of the Navy said
Operations Camid" was not the
exclusive idea of either the Army or
fha NoHxr k,,t mae ivHIsoott,y 1f q