FEBRUARY 15, 1923

M

ODERN artillery is a science. To learn it, an artilleryman must spend years in training, study and practice. The finished product is not turned out in a mere three months or a year.

This is demonstrated in the work at the Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma now the only one in the United States, where there are 300 Field Artillery officers or about 25 per cent of the total Field Artillery commissioned personnel.

At Fort Sill there are over two thousand enlisted men learning the rudiments of Field Artillery. The First Field Artillery, the 18th Field Artillery and the 44th Aero Squadron all are located there. At this one Field Artillery School there are many Field Artillery courses. The generals in the Field Artillery are required to take courses at Fort Sill as well as the enlisted men who strive to become battery mechanics and horseshoers. The Regular as well as the National Guard or Reserve officer at some time in his career is expected to take a course of study at Fort Sill. It is perhaps, as a school for officers that Fort Sill is best known.

When the student enters the Artillery School, the first thing he is taught is how to shoot. Nearly every day for three hours, in every kind of weather, the student goes out and shoots. All sorts of imaginable targets are assigned to him, and he must learn to get his shots and targets within the minimum time.

To be able to shoot with a gun which is in good condition is one thing but to repair a broken gun is another. Out in the field guns wear out, break down or otherwise get out of order. Hence an artillery officer must be a mechanic and know every detail of his machine.

To know every detail of the gun and how to shoot does not begin to complete the artilleryman's training. He then must know how to move his gun any place despite weather conditions, roads or other obstructions. He also must know how to set up his gun. These subjects make up another course in the making of an artillery officer.

Guns are moved by motors or horses. This necessitates the artillery officer knowing motors and horses. The officer is not often given his choice-he must understand both.

A knowledge of motors is something more than the ability to drive a car. Garages, repair shops and battery stations are not always convenient. Hence a battery officer must understand the workings of the motors and he is given a thorough training along this line.

Knowing horses means having experience in driving and draft. First an officer must learn how to ride and manage horses and then how to take care of them. To get two or three teams of horses to pull a load uniformly without wearing them down requires team work and knowledge of horses, saddling and harnessing. So this is the next subject taught artillery students.

The care of the animals is another essential to the training of an artillery officer so he also is taught horse shoeing, grooming and feeding. The battery horseshoer shoes the horses but the officer must know how well the job was done. When all this is acquired an artillery officer still is at loss unless he knows tactics. To be able to qualify in this department, he must have experience in surveying and the use of the instruments that he may be able to draw and read maps. He also must be able to operate a telephone service, even to laying lines. The modern artilleryman also is taught radio.

When a student officer knows all this he still is lacking in the most essential element of all. He must know how to handle men and how to teach others what he has learned.

As few men are born leaders, it falls on the Artillery School to make the study of men one of the most important courses. To get the most service out of

a unit assigned to the officer regardless of its personnel, morale or experience requires tact, skill and patience on the part of the officer. All this is covered in the curriculum of the Field Artillery School.

To educate student officers to be prepared to meet any problem which might present itself to the artillery at any time, practical and thorough training is given in every phase of the work.

Accuracy is one of the chief qualities a student of artillery must learn. Many guns shoot as far as 20,000 yards and it is necessary that the aim of guns be correct to the minutest calculation.

The air service is an essential to the aiming of guns in modern warfare, so every artilleryman is given training in observation work from planes in order that he can get some idea of what the flyer is up against. This training encourages cooperation between the Artillery and Air Service.

After the officer has mastered ail these fundamentals and has taken some advanced training, which follows along the same lines, or has taken special work of some nature, he is ready to be turned out as an instructor in the Regular Army, National Guard units, the Reserve Corps, university training units, or to be placed on other active duty.

The Fort Sill Artillery School for officers is being enlarged gradually. Last year the Field Artillery maintained three schools, a basic course at Camp Knox, Ky., a battery officer's course at Fort Sill, and an advanced course at Camp Bragg, N. C. Now all the schools are concentrated at Fort Sill.

In addition there are two National (Continued on Page Twelve)

Ο

N the subject "Tryouts for Infantry, Cavalry, Coast Artillery and Engineer Teams for National Matches," the Adjutant General has addressed a letter to all corps area commanders and to the chief of each branch which will have teams entered in the National Rifle Matches for 1923.

Lt. Col. Morton C. Mumma, Cav., U. S. A., now on duty as professor of military science and tactics, State University of Iowa, Iowa City, has again been designated as executive officer of the National Matches. This is the fifth year Col. Mumma has directed the National Matches and the School of Instruction held in connection with them.

The match this year is an important one, for the United States has invited the other nations of the International Shooting Union to come to the United States for the international competitions. General Davis' letter fol

lows:

"1. Teams representing the Infantry, Cavalry, Coast Artillery and Engineers are authorized to enter the annual National Rifle Competition held under the auspices of the National Rifle Association.

"2. The selection of the teams to represent the various branches is a function of the chiefs of branches concerned, subject to the following provisions:

"(a) In order to equalize as far as possible the preliminary tryout of service teams each chief of branch concerned will be authorized to assemble annually at certain localities, subject to funds available for transportation, not to exceed for each team authorized to attend the National Matches, 75 officers, warrant officers and enlisted men from branch organizations stationed within the continental limits of the United States, and an additional 20 officers, warrant officers and enlisted men from the branch at large. The 75 officers, warrant officers and enlisted men referred to herein will, as far as practicable, be drawn proportionately from branch organizations. The participants in these tryouts, whether or not they make the teams, will be of considerable value as instructors and in stimulating interest in marksmanship upon return to their organizations.

"(b) In order to facilitate the selection of participants in these four branch tryouts and to serve to increase interest in target practice throughout the Army stationed within the continental limits of the United States, special coast defense and regimental, battalion or company competitions will, subject to requirement that these competitions will not

National-International Matches

Will be Held This Fall

at Camp Perry

necessitate requests for additional transportation funds from fiscal year 1923, be held by Corps Area Commanders within their respective commands as far in advance of the branch tryouts as climatic and other conditions will permit.

"Similar competitions may be held by the Chiefs of Infantry, Cavalry, Coast Artillery and Engineers with respect to such troops as may be within their respective commands.

"The Corps Area commanders will furnish promptly the following information to this office upon the conclusion of each competition:

"(1) The names of the branch win

ners of each competition and their scores. "(2) The names of the branch winners available to participate in the branch tryouts.

"(3) The names of the branch winners who may not be available to participate in the branch tryouts and briefly the reason for same.

"(c) The rules for and the courses to be fixed at these competitions and the branch tryouts will be such as the chiefs of branches concerned may determine.

"(d) Having tentatively selected participants desired for the branch tryouts, the chiefs of branches concerned will then ascertain their availability, except those to be reported under the provisions of sub-paragraph 2(b), from corps area and department commanders, and then request the orders for such participants from this office. These requests will show state of availability of the desired participants as reported by corps area and department commanders.

"Final decision will be made by the War Department in any individual case

where the chief of branch and corps area and department commander are not in agreement.

"In this connection it is the desire of the War Department that the personnel best qualified for the purpose be available for these tryouts for the teams representing the Regular Army and that each corps area will be well represented by participants who have not fired on any of the Army teams within the past two years.

"(e) Subject to the foregoing, the chiefs of branches concerned are authorized to correspond direct with corps area and department commanders concerning details.

"(f) Chiefs of branches concerned are authorized to select annually team captains for their respective teams who will, if so desired by the chief of branch, be ordered to Washington, to consult with the chief of branch concerned and

then to the locality where the tryout is to be held.

"(g) The tryouts should be initiated and completed by the chiefs of branches concerned as early in the calendar year as practicable, in order to insure that sufficient time is available for the proper organization and fina! training of the several teams and the early return of the unsuccessful participants to their organizations.

"3. (a) For the competitions referred to in sub-paragraph 2 (h) herein an allowance of 10,000 rounds of service ammunition. cal. .30, is authorized for each regiment of Infantry and Cavalry and similar unit or number of troops of Coast Artillery or Engineers. "(b) For the preliminary branch tryouts, referred to in sub-paragraph 2 (a) here'n, and the training of the several branch teams during the fiscal year 1923, the following allowance of ammunition is authorized.

For each branch concerned-100.000 rounds, National match ammunition, Model 1922, cal. .30. 100,000 rounds Service ammunition, cal. .30. Provided that these allowances will not necessitate requests for additional transportation funds from fiscal year 1923.

"4. Owing to the urgent need for economy in the use of transportation funds for the fiscal year 1923, teams from the insular possessions of the United States *

will not be authorized

to enter the 1923 (calendar year) National Rifle Competition to be held under the auspices of the National Rifle Association. This provision will not be construed to the extent of being detrimental to the interest taken in rifle marksmanship by the troops concerned."

Summer

T

HE plan for the field training of the Army during the summer of 1923 has been announced by the War Department and the approved program provides for the training of the Regular Army, the National Guard, 15,000 Reserve officers, 8,000 members of the R. 0. T. C., and approximately 38,000 candidates in the Citizens' Military Training Camps. "The plan," says a War Department letter to all corps area commanders, "is based upon the assumption that Congress will appropriate the amounts requested for carrying out the training."

To accomplish the field training required by the War Department each corps area commander will have at his disposal

(a) Troops of the Regular Army.The recent distribution of troops of the Regular Army whereby a division or reinforced brigade was provided for each corps arca had as one of its objects the provision of an adequate force of troops of the Regular Army to render assistance to the civilian components in their training during the summer period. It is intended by the War Department that corps area commanders shall utilize in the most advantageous manner all troops of the Regular Army, as well as all personnel of the corps area under their jurisdiction, for the purpose of obtaining the maximum results in the conduct of summer train

ing.

Plan Outlined For Regular Army, C. M. T. C., National Guard and Organized Reserves

due for service with troops, will be ordered to report to their respective corps area commanders for duty at the conclusion of the present academic year, that is, on or about June 20, 1923, provided funds for mileage are or can be made available for the purpose during the present fiscal year. Otherwise the graduates referred to will be ordered to report on or about July 1, 1923. In the event that the normal distribution of graduates of the command and general staff school and the general service schools does not effect such assignments aggregating 8 per corps area, the War Department will take the necessary measures to insure

The object of the Citizens' Military Training Camps is to bring together young men of the highest type from all sections of the country on a common basis of equality and under the inost favorable conditions of outdoor life; to stimulate and promote citizenship, patriotism and Americanism, and, through expert physical direction, athletic coaching and military training, to benefit the young men individually and bring them to realize their obligation to their country.

Corps,

(b) Instructors. In addition to those officers and enlisted men indicated in (a), above, and those especially assigned to the National Guard, Organized Reserves and Reserve Officers' Training the following will be made available: 1. Graduates of the general service schools. Ft. Leavenworth. 2. Graduates of the special service schools. 3. Quota of reserve officers for a period of 30 days in addition to such period of training not exceeding 15 days, as may be required by corps area commanders.

Recognizing the obligation of economy in movement and use of personnel, the number must of necessity be restricted to the minimum consistent with instructional requirements and in the case of graduates confined to those who will not be required to attend any school at the conclusion of the training period. Furthermore, it is important to announce that generally leaves of absence for those engaged as instructors should be postponed until the conclusion of the summer periods of instruction. Graduates of the general and special service schools who, under War Department instructions are

that number being furnished for duty in connection with the conduct of tactical exercises for reserve and National Guard officers and for such other assistance and training as appears desirable. Special instructions will be communicated by the War Department to the commandant, the general service schools, to organize and prepare the graduates so ordered to act as a team of instructors under the supervision of the corps area commanders concerned. Similarly, in case the normal distribution of graduates of the special service schools to corps areas does not effect assignments aggregating 75 per corps area, the War Department will take the necessary measures whereby that number, appropriately apportioned by branches, will be furnished to each corps

area.

Not more than one hundred reserve officers selected for special fitness will be authorized for each corps area to serve as instructors in Citizens' Military

The basic red course, age limits 17 to 25: Previous military training not required. Applicants must possess average general intelligence, be able to read and write English and be of good moral character. This course provides preliminary military training, including schooling of the soldier, squad and company drill, rifle marksmanship, camp sanitation, personal hygiene, military courtesy, meaning of discipline and studies in citizenship.

The advanced red course, age limits 17 to 25: Applicants must be graduates of the basic red course or have had military training equivalent thereto, must possess average general intelligence, be able to read and write English and be of good moral character. This course provides training in the different branches of the Army, such as Infantry, Cavalry, etc. (Continued on Page Fifteen)