Tracer Ammunition

Ben gives a very good description of tactical problems and about advancing to a larger obstacle training course.

September 11, 1943
Camp Croft, South Carolina
Thursday

Hi Folks,
Seeing as I haven’t anything else to do, I might as well drop you a line, just to keep you informed on what I’ve been doing, etc.  Yesterday morning we ran a different obstacle course which is twice as good as the little one that we have been running.  It is long & has more obstacles, but it isn’t as tough as the little short one.  Here’s how it goes:

First we jump a 1 1/2 foot hurdle, broad jump a water-filled ditch, climb an 8 foot wall, but with the aid of a rope & a block of wood to put a foot on halfway up the wall, which makes it twice as easy as the short wall.  Then we jump another small hurdle, cross a ladder over a water-filled ditch, swing on a rope across another water-filled ditch, cross a log over another ditch, run up a hill, step thru some crisscrossed wire, climb up a wall made of ladders, climb down the other side, crawl thru a tile pipe, and we’re thru.  Of course between these obstacles we have to run short distances  So you see, the course itself isn’t hard, it’s just a little exhausting.  But I wanted to do it more than we did, on account of my stomach, which I can’t seem to lose.

Then we spent the afternoon and evening out in the field on some very interesting tactical problems.  Did some shooting at siloette (all right, I know it’s wrong ) targets.  I couldn’t start to explain the tactics.  All about flanking movements, security men, mop-up men, & etc.

At night we ran a 20 minute problem, attacking an enemy machine gun nest.  We crawled under some barbed wire (only about 3 ft. & very loose, fixed bayonets & attacked.  They were firing tracer ammunition over our heads (when we were standing).  You never saw a sight like that.  Very pretty red color.  I was leaning on both elbows watching it, it was so absorbing.  After we finished the problem, we watched another platoon go thru it.  We were right by the machine gun, the same kind that we’re working with now.  What a beautiful picture that would have made.  It was almost like the movies.  The prettiest red was spurting from the muzzle, this turned into a light green streak which turned into a red streak which went winging its way thru the darkness. Today we worked some more on the machine gun, learning to elevate & transverse it.  We also shot an anti-tank grenade.

Friday.........Didn’t have time to finish yesterday, so I’m taking time on my lunch hour.  We were working on the machine gun again this morning & went over that obstacle course again.

No Arnette, I’m not kidding about the easy life.  We have 5 men behind a machine gun, all sitting or lying down.  Only one kid can work at a time & all he has to do is get in position behind the gun, & turn the sighting knobs for about 5 minutes.   And then you go to the end of the line.  See.............

I got a card from Bob today but he told me the same thing that he wrote in the letter. Say, how’s the weather up in Rochester?  Wednesday was a cloudless day, for which we were thankful.  Thursday, the sun was out however & today it was cold in the morning.  Even though it was chilly, we didn’t squawk cause we’d rather have that than the sun.

So long for now,
Ben