USA Infantry Replacement Training Centers (IRTC)

Earthican · Sep 14, 2013

Over the years I have come across a few websites dedicated to the various IRTC's.

I'll post links to the camps I have now and later I hope to complete a list of all IRTC's.

Feel free to add your own links and bits of information.

Camp Croft, South Carolina
http://www.schistory.net/campcroft/

Camp Wolters, Texas
http://www.fortwolters.com/camp_wolters.html

Camp Roberts, California
http://www.militarymuseum.org/campbob.html

Camp Fannin, Texas
http://www.campfanninrollofhonor.com/index.htm

Earthican · Sep 21, 2013

I finished the complete list. I found and forgot a few of them before.

I've added links to soldiers letters that trained at these centers. Letters from the training centers are actually the most interesting. Due to censoring, letters from overseas are quite dull.

The US Army official history has a whole section on the RTC's. I'll see if I can abstract anything interesting.

Camp Blanding, Florida

Camp Croft, South Carolina
http://www.schistory.net/campcroft/

Camp Fannin, Texas
http://www.campfannin.com/AboutUs/about.htm

Camp Hood, Texas (also Tank Destroyer Training Center)

Fort McClellan, Alabama

Camp Roberts, California (also Field Artillery Training Center)
http://www.militarymuseum.org/campbob.html

Camp Robinson, Arkansas

Camp Wheeler, Georgia
http://www.igreenbaum.com/2011/12/04/first-card-from-camp-upton-on-long-island/

Camp Wolters, Texas
http://www.fortwolters.com/camp_wolters.html
http://www.privateletters.net/letters.html

I'll note these because I know particular infantrymen that trained there:

Fort Benning, Georgia (also Infantry OCS)

Fort Riley, Kansas (Cavalry Training Center)

TD-Tommy776 · Sep 21, 2013

Ah, thanks E. That answers a question I had about my dad's service. I knew he trained in CA before heading over to Korea. He had 8th Army and 45th Division patches, which made sense for Korea. Now his 7th AD patch makes sense. He must have trained at Camp Roberts.

EDIT: Didn't want to add another off topic post, so thought I'd respond here. The link provided for Camp Roberts (see post #2) has the 7th AD there during Korea, hence my response and thanks.

Earthican · Sep 23, 2013

Not sure what the situation was at Camp Roberts in the 1950's but in this same period the Army put recruit training under the Regular Army divisions inactive since WWII. I know the "6th Armored Division" was at Fort Leonard Wood. This seems to have been a morale building scheme more than anything else.
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Back on topic....
The evidence is thin but at each ITRC there were several training regiments with three or four battalions each. The numbering of regiments appears to be unique (6th through 10th Regiments at Camp Croft) and the battalions appear to be numbered across the regiments (25th through 41st Battalions at Camp Croft).

The training staff of each battalion was called a cadre (often confused with the cadre of officers and men provided to activate the new Regular and Reserve divisions). The trainees came straight from the state or regional Reception Centers where enlistees were medically examined and issued uniforms.

The selection of the original training cadre is not known but over time a number of NCO's from combat units were rotated back to the US and served as training cadre.
http://www.al4lions.com/Home/the-joe-barisa-story

The first assignment of many Fort Benning OCS graduates was to the IRTC's where they could hone their troop leadership skills and add to their depth of knowledge on military subjects. After several training cycles these new second lieutenants would be shipped overseas as replacement rifle platoon leaders.

The length of the training cycle varied from 17 weeks down to 13 weeks when the crunch for overseas replacements became acute.

*****EDIT****9/24/2013
This link (63d ID Association website) provides images from a booklet put out by the IRTC command -- I am a Doughboy. It describes the elements of an infantry regiment and uses photos from stateside training.

http://63rdinfdiv.com/InfantryRegiment.html

Earthican · Jul 8, 2014

Besides the IRTC's the other major source for infantry replacements in early 1944 was the transfer of personnel from other Ground Force units such as Antiaircraft Artillery and Tank Destroyer. Described here by a post-war report:

http://www.history.army.mil/books/agf/AGF007/ch12.htm

.... Antiaircraft and tank destroyer units were therefore inactivated at a more rapid rate than troop basis planning had envisaged.110 Their personnel were for the most part converted to infantry. A program of voluntary transfer to infantry from other branches was likewise inaugurated. (See Study No. 5)

To give infantry training to the transferred men, whether volunteers or convertees, the Army Ground Forces used nine nondivisional infantry regiments, some of them obtained by transfer from defense commands or other assignments in which they could now be dispensed with. Each regiment, reduced to a training cadre, functioned as a small replacement training center, specializing in the production of infantry riflemen. The transferred personnel being already trained as soldiers, the regiments gave them at first eight, later six weeks retraining in infantry, with some additional training for noncommissioned officers. The regiments were also used, as noted above, to store and give further training to the older group of 18-year-olds graduating from replacement training centers in July and August.111
....
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I used Stanton to try to identify those nine regiments and their locations:

90th Infantry - Cp Carson, CO; Cp Gruber OK; Cp Rucker, AL
113th Infantry - Cp Picket, VA; Ft Jackson ,SC; Cp Rucker AL
124th Infantry - Ft Benning, GA; Ft Jackson, SC
125th Infantry - Cp Maxie, TX, Cp Gruber, OK; Cp Rucker, AL
140th Infantry - Cp Howze, TX; Cp Swift, TX; Cp Rucker, AL
144th Infantry - Cp Van Dorn, MS; Cp Swift, TX; Cp Rucker, AL
174th Infantry - Cp Chaffee, AR; Cp Gruber, OK; Cp Rucker, AL
201st Infantry - Cp Carson, CO; Ft Jackson, SC; Cp Rucker, AL
300th Infantry - Cp McCain, MS; Ft Jackson, SC; Cp Rucker, AL

Had the war continued it appears Camp Rucker would have become an IRTC.

***EDITED List 11 JUL 2014
Add:

The experience of the 144th Infantry is likely typical:
http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/144th.htm

March 18, 1944 the 144th moved to Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, as a special training unit to conduct advanced infantry training for inactivated tank destroyer and antiaircraft battalions. In April 900 enlisted men were shipped to Fort Ord, California, and 800 to Fort Meade, Maryland, as overseas replacements. By May 1944 there remained 509 enlisted men who had departed from California with the regiment. These men, plus 116 Officers, then became the training cadre to conduct intensive training for over 9,000 men during the remainder of 1944.

Movement was ordered and completed on January 1, 1945, to Camp Swift, Texas, with trainees who had not completed their training. Training of these and others received continued with weekly shipments to replacement depots.

On April 4, 1945, the 144th arrived at Camp Rucker, Alabama, to join seven other separate regiments in a large scale IARTC: The 90th (10th Division), 113th (44th Division), 125th (32nd Division), 140th (35th Division), 174th (44th Division), 201st, and 300th Infantry Regiments. Training continued until V-J Day. Then orders were received to inactivate the regiments. At this time there were 12 Officers and 117 Enlisted Men in the 144th who had departed from California with the Regiment.
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***

The story that got me thinking about these men and their training regiments was from the Jazz artist Dave Brubeck.

http://www.jazzwax.com/2010/02/interview-dave-brubeck-part-1.html

....
JW: You enlisted in the Army in 1942. Were you placed in an Army band?
DB: Yes. Ernie Farmer, my closest friend from the College of the Pacific was a member of the Army band at a base near Los Angeles. That's why I enlisted, believe it or not. When I arrived at boot camp, there were four complete Army bands at the two camps where we trained: Camp Haan near Riverside and Camp Irwin, which was out in the Mojave Desert 40 miles south of Barstow toward Death Valley.

JW: How did that work?
DB: You stayed three months in the desert at Irwin and then three months at Haan. When D-Day was imminent, the Army needed to send men over to Europe. They broke up three of the bands and kept one. My band was broken up, and I was sent to the infantry.

JW: That must have been frightening for someone who had signed on to play piano.
DB: Yeah. We weren’t really trained for fighting, being band musicians. We had just played on the base and hadn’t had basic training yet. I took it quickly in Texas.

.....

JW: What happened in Europe?
DB: The ship docked in Liverpool, England. We were loaded onto a train and sent to Southhampton. There, we boarded a smaller ship, which took us to Omaha Beach in France. There were no formal ports built yet for troop ships. Once on shore, we boarded a train, in cattle cars, and traveled north to Verdun, to a place called the Mud Hole. Soon after I arrived, I was sitting in the mud on my steel helmet so I wouldn’t get dirty when girls with the Red Cross drove up in a truck. The truck’s back opened up into a little stage and a piano was in there. They called out asking if anyone could play the piano because they wanted to sing.

JW: What happened?
DB: No one raised their hand so I finally did. I played for them. The next day I was in a lineup to go into battle. Three names were called, two guys who had been in the Camp Haan band and me. We were all musicians.

JW: Were you in trouble?
DB: Actually the opposite. Colonel Brown, the head of the outfit, which was called the 17th Replacement Depot, had heard me play the day before and liked me....
....
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Assuming the following article did not pick the 140th Infantry out of thin air, the memory of training in Texas would match their record.

http://www.nww2m.com/2012/12/remembering-dave-brubeck-his-first-big-break/

....

Completing college in 1942, the 23 year-old Brubeck was drafted into the Army. Qualifying as a sharpshooter, Private Brubeck arrived in France ninety days after the initial D-Day landings as a replacement in A Company of the 140th Infantry Regiment of Patton’s Third Army. Advancing rapidly, Brubeck’s unit was informed that they would likely see action soon. It was in this instance that Brubeck’s life was altered. Brubeck remembered in an interview for Ken Burns’ 2000 documentary, ‘Jazz.’
....
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Earthican · Jul 9, 2014

By searching "##th infantry training" & "CAMP NAME" I was somewhat able to construct the number ranges for the infantry training battalions. The reliable search "hits" were from obits, family research, and letters. Some numbers got no "hits" but the next number often did until the "hits" died out completely. So the beginning and end number are uncertain.

The number range for Camp Wolters was developed as above but the number range for Camp Fannin came from the website.
http://www.campfannin.com/Battalion/battallonresearch.htm
Camp Fannin searches pretty much failed for "hits" on obits, family research and letters.

Infantry Training Battalion number ranges

Wheeler ~ 3 - 17
Croft ~ 20 - 41
Wolters ~ 51 - 69
Fannin ~ 51 - 68 and 77 - 84
Howze ~ 42 and 57
Roberts ~ 76 - 90
Blanding ~ 191 - 232

Branch Immaterial Training Battalion number ranges

McClellan ~ 1 - 24
Robinson ~ 51 - 73

Sources for McClellan and Robinson

Robinson

http://home.pcisys.net/~pwebber/31_id/text/camp_robinson.txt

Camp Robinson - WWII

Construction on Camp Robinson began on September 9, 1940. The
camp was originally designed as a tent-barracks regimented
cantonment for 25,000 soldiers with headquarters and
administration buildings, hospital, railroads and warehouses,
communications, roads and all utilities. The camp was built by
MacDonald Construction Company and G.L. Tarlton Contractor,
Inc., St. Louis, Missouri. Construction was completed on March
31, 1941 at a cost of over $11,500,000. Of this, $4,500,000 was
spent on labor and $6,000,000 on material. The balance was spent
on rental of equipment and engineer and contractor fees. At the
peak of construction, December, 1940, the contractors had
approximately 10,000 workers on site.

Camp Robinson embraced a total of 44,000 acres. This included
the 6,000 acres that the US owned and the balance was either
leased or acquired through condemnation proceedings. When
completed, the camp consisted of 6,763 buildings, including 5,425
hutments. These were the primary quarters for soldiers at Camp
Robinson. They consisted of a 16 x 16 wooden floor with a
wooden frame. The bottom half of the walls were wood siding; the
upper half were screened with canvas flaps. The roofs were
originally canvas, but were replaced with wood and tar paper in
late 1941. They were heated by a gas fired stove and had one
electrical outlet.

....

A Branch Immaterial Replacement Training Center (BIRTC) was
located on Camp Robinson in early 1942. Its purpose was to train
soldiers in basic infantry skills to prepare them for combat,
regardless of their specialty. For administrative purposes ,the
BIRTC was organized as five regiments, each with three battalions
of four companies. A company would typically have 270 trainees,
meaning the BIRTC had a capacity of training 16,200 soldiers at a
time.

The BIRTC was organized into five training regiments, the 11th,
12th, 13th, 14th and 15th. Each training regiment consisted of
three battalions; the 51st, 52nd and 53rd in the 11th; the 56th,
57th and 58th in the 12th; the 61st, 62nd and 63rd in the 13th;
the 66th 67th and 68th in the 14th and the 71st, 72nd and 73rd in
the 15th.

The BIRTC was converted to an Infantry Replacement Training
Center in January of 1943. The training cycle was originally
eight weeks, but was expanded to double that in 1943. However,
world events often dictated that the training cycle be shortened
to fill man power needs.

A Medical Replacement Training Center (MRTC) operated at Camp
Robinson from 1942 to 1944. Its purpose was to train soldiers as
medical personnel. The MRTC consisted of three regiments, the
21st, 22nd and 23rd. The 21st had two battalions - the 101st and
102nd. The other regiments had three battalions each - the
103rd, 104th and 105th in the 22nd and the 106th, 107th and 108th
in the 23rd. Each company had 270 personnel, giving the MRTC a
capacity of 13,500 trainees. Like the BIRTC, the MRTC s training
cycle started out at eight weeks, but was later doubled; however,
that cycle was often shortened if medics were needed quickly.

In 1944, the BIRTC was replaced by an Infantry Replacement
Training Center, and was expanded by changing the MRTC units to
Infantry training units. When the reorganization was complete,
the Infantry Replacement Training Center was authorized 878
officers and 4,024 enlisted soldiers and had a training capacity
of 21,000. Training continued until 1946.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcribed by Paul M. Webber on 3 April 2003
Home Page: http://home.pcisys.net/~pwebber/31_id/rtw.htm
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http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allenfamily/

[Company D, 3rd Platoon, 72nd Training battalion, 15th Regiment.]
W. Homer Switzer - Company Commander
Lt. Col. Raymond - Battalion Commander
Lt. Col. Hillard - Regimental Commander
Brig. Gen. Mallou(?) - Commanding General
[info from copy of Handbook of Information, Replacement Training Centers, Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas
mailed Feb 22, 1943 by Private Stone to Jessie
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McClellan
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/19502366/

August 2, 1942
The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama

Replacement Training Center News

?AOE TEN THE ANNISTON STAB SUNDAY, AUG. 2, 194Z. Replacement Training Center News Frainees Are Givett- Formal Welcome By Col. Howe Thursday Afternoon The fifth battalion officially got j Sunder way with its third training acycle last Thursday afternoon when 'the trainees were formally wulcom- Ced to Foct McClellan by Lt. Colonel; ' IPaul Howe at exercises held in the ' battalion stadium. , Other speakers on the program in- 'eluded Major M. J. Charignon, bat- 'talion executive, Lieutenant H. W. Hollis, special services officer, and -Chaplain M. C. Faulkner. There was Â·a program of community singing by lithe entire battalion. t It's Major Charignon now instead of Captain Charignon. The popular DOUBLE FOR ACTOR Hollywood may have Us "Slim" Summerville, but so has Coni- panj- "A" In the 9lh Battalion, Srd.Rerimenl. And Hie rookies wouldn't exchange their "Slim" for the one you see on (he screen. Company A's entry as the movie actor's double is Glendon Earl Little, six-foot two, who hails from Rome, N. Y. "Slim" Little tells the same back country Jokes around Fort McClellan as you would expect the movie acior to ntlfr on the screen. And he sets as many- laughs. 2nd REGIMENT NEWS The men of the Sixth Battalionfbouls. Consensus of opinion favors will a t t e n d a field mass this morn-! the dancers. j ins? at 9 o'clock and will be pres-1 The Sixth Battalion returned I ent afterwards at a communion | last, night from three days and breakfast at the Recreation Center nights of maneuvers In the Morris- USO Club at 12th and Gurnee ville area, Officers of the battalion Streets in Annlston. Chaplain Har- expressed their pleasure in the way old P. O'Hara. chaplain of the j the men handled themselves in the .Sixth Battalion, will celebrate the I different branches of Held maneu- j m a s s and wilt address the men a t j v e r s , : the breakfast. Lt. Col. T. Alfonzo i Corp. Leon A. De Rosier, company Better T r a i n e d GradtiatCS I S ' S a p l n - B o s c h , battalion commander, clerk of Company B of the Eighth will also sprak. John B. McClos- | Battalion, and Pfe. Mercury Woods, key. TJSO director, will be master; the same company's bulging Bos- of ceremonies. j well, leave on furloughs tomorrow Major Samuel Wooclfill, wearer night for B u f f a l o and Pittsburgh, Constant Objective Of Officers, Cadre 22nd Battalion News Corporal Sam G. Rentz was promoted to sergeant at the conclusion of the second cycle, Retained from among the trainees of the second cycle and promoted to corporal were Privates Paul Stacy and Charles V. Jones. Corporals William G. Scoggin, Jr , of Raleigh. N. C., and Raymond L. executive officer of the fifth battal- Tcrbeek of Cleveland, Ohio, left Jon exchanged the twin silver bars j Monday to enter the 80th class of of a captain for the gold oak leaf " "' " ' of a major last week. Major Charignon has been with the battalion Â·since it was first organized last January. Linrtsey In Final Round There was a further development in the battalion athletic program this week, when Private First Class With the arrival throughout tile past week of new troops to be trained, the Seventh Regiment, Colonel L. E. MacGregor, commanding, is ready to begin Us third cycle of training. Three Battalions--23rd, 24th, and 25th--have already begun on their formal program of basic of the Congressional Medal of Honor and hero of the last World War two fall training and the remaining Battalions--21st and 22nd--will In line on Monday. Strengthened by the background and experience of two previous t r a i n - ing cycles, the officers and cadre of the Seventh Regiment are ready and eager to put the new trainees now on duty with the Replacement and School Command Headquarters in Birmingham, addressed the officers and men of this regiment Wednesday evening at the regimental boxing ring. The recount m( of his adventures in World War 11 cl respectively. Mercury says that he is going to miss the Jacksonville spook house and Miss Sarah Hep- Lindfoster Lindsey, of headquarters detachment, advanced to the final round of the regimental boxing tournament by scoring a technical knockout over his opponent in the semi-finals. Lindsey, a 175 pounder, will compete for the regimental title in his class when the finals arc held next week. Other pugilists in the f i f t h battalion who competed in the tournament included Private J. Plcquait, Rufus Menton, and J. Poydras. Social life in the battalion was getting under way with a zest as the cyeie began to move along. Members of the battalion participated in the First Regiment Sing, held in the First Battalion drill area. Private First Class Bossie Simmons, of Company D, was master of ceremonies for this affair. Preparations are now being made lor a Fifth Battalion dance which will be held Friday night of next week in the Third Battalion recreational hall. Music will be furnished by the First Regiment Band. Young ladles from Birmingham, Anniston and other nearby cities and towns will be on hand to take part in the festivities. There were more promotions this Â·week, too. Six privates of the fifth battalion were appointed to the grade of private first class last Wednesday. They are Privates First Class J. R. Martin, Co. A, S. J. Harris, Co A., J. W. Rollins, Co. A., R. E. Plant Co. A., J. L. Grimes, Co. D., ant Claude Paige, Co. B. These men wil be Instructors In their various companies. the Officer Candidate School, Port, Benning, Promoted to sergeant to take charge of the newly-created fourth platoon was Corporal Frank A. Troia, of New York City. Sgt. Troia enlisted at Camp Shelby, Miss., November 9. 1941, and received his basic training at Camp Croft. S. C. He was transferred to Fort McClel- 16th Battalion News Ian with the cadre group which arrived here February 15 to form the Seventh Regiment, One of the vast army of Childs Restaurant workers In civilian life, Private Victory P. Sosnowskl, of Brooklyn, N. Y., quickly found a familiar spot and, upon the conclusion of his basic training, joined the Mess of Co. B under Sgt. Ralph R. McEnroe In which he was promoted to the rank of Technician 'th Grade at the conclusion of the econd cycle. New selectees were greeted by a amlliar face when they arrived In Co. B at the start of the third training cycle. It was lhat man in the Chesterfield ads. Corporal Joseph C. Wallins, of New York City, Corp. Wallins, a former employee of the Consolidated Edison Co. of N. Y. as veil as a professional model In his spare moments, came to Fort Mclellan lor his basic training with ihe first cycle. Retained as an- instructor and having demonstrated his ability along that line, he was promoted to corporal at the end of the second cycle. Mess Sgt. Leo J. Plante is spending his furlough at his home in Woonsocket, R. I. Showing unusual promise in thcii basic training four trainees of Co C were retained at the end of the second cycle as instructors and pro moted to corporal. They are Pri vates Alfred Wohl, Sidney F. Smith Thomas E. Schumaker, and Leonarc H. Nichols. Lt. Neil P. Stewart, plans an training officer of the 23nd Bat talion, recently took over command of Company D, succeeding Capt Charles D. Smith who transferred to B. I. R. T. C. headquarters. Promotions in Co. D at the slar of the third training cycle were Pvt Ulrlch W. B. Dlckerson to sergeant Pvt, First Class Milton S. Golowsk and Privates Charlie N. Hendro: Stanley R. Smith, James V. Patter son, Thomas W. Zink and Clyd R. Perry to corporal, Privates Emme B. Lyle and Carlton A. Stewart t Technician 5th Grade, and Pv Louis Kanner to private first clajs First Class Anthony M. D' Angeli of Brooklyn, N. Y,, one of the aL slstants in plans and training ha been promoted to Technician 5t Grade. Technician 5th Grade Newell B Morris, of Athens, Tenn., was cently promoted to corporal in Bat talion Supply. through their paces. U n d e r the supervision of Captain Vogcl, regimental plans and t r a i n i n g officer, the training schedules have been modified and improved so as to make the Instruction the best possible. Many of the younger and newer officers have been attending the BIRTC Officer School to help fit them for their duties. Letters of praise and appreciation om former trainees of the Seventh cgiment who have gone to combat; nits to officers of the Regiment be- )eak the high quality of instruc- ; on that the regimental and ilion commanders of the Seventh egiment have insisted upon. They re now loking forward to maiti- aining and Improving upon their ast accomplishments in t u r n i n g raw :aterials into basically trained roops. When the trainees of the battalia went on the range this past week they literally had a mark to shoo at, for the cycle that preceded then established a battalion record score of the regiment. The tabulation have not as yet been completed bu just as soon as the final accounting is turned in, the scores will be dul; chronicled. Last Sunday the trainees of Com pany B, were treated to a picnic a Crystal Springs Lake. Swimming boating, various games and a picni lunch was the order of the day. Ar rangements, including transpprta lion, were under the supervision of Lt. James T. Kelly, special service officer. Plans are currently being formulated for the gala battalion party. scheduled to take place on August 7, at the USO Recreation Center. Its purpose, according to Corp. John R. McCarthy, lillalign reporter, is Th e boys of the Company A base "to make the affair the social high- Â· ball team played a hard-fought gam light of the training cycle." The j l a s t week, but lost out to a better 2nd Battalion News was most interesting and his advice to the men most valuable. The progress being made on the construction of the (jeer garden between the Post Exchange and the regimental recreation hall is most rapid, and it won't be long before the men of the regiment will be enjoying their nightly schooner of light brown lager amid the comforts of the new bistro. Construction is being supervised by Lt. Howard G. Bardes. regimental special services officers. i Lt. John A. Bradley, former commander of Company C of the 7th Battalion tomorrow will assume the , duties of B. I. R. T. C. special services o f f i c e r . Ever since he came to Fort McClellan last, January, Lt. Bradley has been connected with the 2nd Regiment, Sergeant Jack Thomas of Heacl- quarters Detachment says t h a t he I has had enough of Pfc. Ed Reiner's 3:30 a. in. reveilles and he has de- slzah Robinson while he Is gone. He has been a regular patron over there for some time now. Men of Headquarters Detachment are threatening Corp. Buck ark. the mail clerk, wth evil punishment these days if he doesn't get on the ball and bring them some mail. His efforts haven't been too successful so far and t h e boys don't like It one bit, Something for the regiment to be proud of nowadays is the lately reorganized regimental band. Comprised of 13 men--including an electric guitar, the new outfit can really give out with the sweet and ! swing s t u f f . Pvt. Willinm Regan, unassigned aviation cadet in Headquarters Detachment, returned Thursday from a 15-day furlough at his home In New York. Perhaps the most unaffected man in camp is Corp. Bill Edmunds. Bill is an Irishman from Buffalo. N. Y., and he lias a real Irish philosophy of life. Right now he is acting as platoon seryeant for his platoon and he's really got his men toeing the mark. Perhaps it's those twilight swims he's been taking late- Of 6th Battalion Saw 22 Months' Service With Loyalist Forces Pvt. Morris Lanser, Co. "A," 6th Bn. was born on August 12, 1912. He left this country In 1937 at the age of 24, bound for Spain and the Spanish Revolution. He went first to France. Upon his arrival there, he learned that the border between France and Spain had been officially closed by the French govern- i ment. j It was here that he joined a party of other volunteers who were also heading for the battlefields of Spain. The p a r t y finally got out of WAKE UP, AMERICA By 1'VT. JOHN ZIEGLER Company 1), 20th Training Battalion AVake up America, there's work to be done Let's be patriotic, and see the war won. There's loo much talking, not enough' working; We can't win tills war with anyone shirking. We can't all te leaders, there must be a crew There has lo be teamwork In whatever we ilo. Follow your leaders, Irust In them, men, The sword is now mightier Irian the pen. 20th Battalion News Pvt. Joseph Zebroskl of Company A was a boxer of note in the amateur and professional ring circles of his home town of Bethel, Conn. The 'Â·' i strapping trainee is punishing the France and started their way across b av o,,cl "dummies with all the volt- the Pyrenees Mountains bound for ^ r a t e d by 2 00 pounds of Spain. They arrived at Fort Fi- : T Â° NT am] c(m . t wait untl , ne call gueras, m Spam, 14 hours later. sklg R QU( . wilh lne Axis , Lanser joined the International Brigade, and started his training immediately in "civilian clothes." Called To Duty Same Time, Assigned Same Battalion The 24th Battalion of Fort McClellan was almost handed a most difficult problem several days ago when Second Lieutenants Robert J. and Raymond J. Hcrdzina reported for duty. Upon first glance, it appeared that here were twin brothers, graduates of the same college, botVr called to active duty the same da'vj both assigned to the same battalion and with consecutive serial numbers. However, after a closer look at their records, the first item, that of twin brothers, was proved false with everything eke remaining true. They showed Robert to be 26 and Raymond to be 20. Both men attended Creighton University. Both worked their way through. Robert majoring in chemistry and gnKlunlinfi as a pharmacist. Raymond majored In account- ins; and was a public accountant Thinking he was on his way to a streamlined figure, popular Pvt. Tony Sacco of Company A reached After two days training at Port Fi- the point where he could pull in gueras. he went to Albacete where three notches in his belt, Imagine an American unit was being formed, appropriately named the Wash- and Sgt. Parke Robinson that have livercrt an ultimatum that promises ]v w j t h Pvt. Larry "Joystick" Lynch dire things for Reiner should he pull a repeat performance. Jack, incidentally, will leave on a furlough soon for Kansas where he will meet llth Battalion News Henry Hess, 255-pound boy won- ler of Co. C, who Is known by such iliases as Rudolph Hess. Tiny and Sonny, has been advised to light matches or buy a flashlight before ntering the first squad's hut at night. According to last minute Â·eports, Hess causes a wild con- 'uslon each evening before retiring is he plunges through locker- ;runks, gun racks and the beds. Ask Eddie Fcatherstone who he expects to smuggle Into those leggings of his, or has the QM invented and issued a new type of carry-all for the boys, if this is their purpose, we'd all like to know about It. FLASH! ! "Believe It or Not." During the morning police duties, two of the hard-working boys of given him his f i r m position on the spheroid. A really great help to trainees is his parents who are traveling from ' Tech. Sgt. James "Square Dance" their home in California to see him. i Gleason. Every evening he can be This will be the first time Jack has j seen outside the company orderly seen his people in almost a year, j room giving sound counsel and ad- j Lt. Charles E. Okell is the new j vice, anil the men are really np- special services officer for the 8th !-preciative. i Battalion. He has replaced Lt. Wilbur E. Swenson, who has gone into field duty, There was quite a dit of discussion last week as to whether the regimental boxing ring rocked on ! its foundations more when the fights were taking place or when his bewilderment when the pride of Waterbury, Conn., weighed himself. ington Brigade. He received two I n 11( ) found that all of these 'taters months of basic training with this | had put on five pounds, group, which was made up main- The record for receiving mail be- ly of Americans, Canadians, and longs to Pvt. Morgan W. Pascoe of French, who had little or no mill- | Company B. This soldier from Mil- tary training or experience. j waukee lias earned the laurels by A f t e r his training wilh Ihe Wash- i camping in the day room in all of igton Brigade, he went into active ; his spare time and writing indus- Tlic Third Platoon vows dutv--the offensive which led to the Â· triously. capture of Belchete. At this time he i that he averages ten letters a day 13th Battalion News Another range season over and the 13th at the top of the regiment Corp Bill "Casanova" Fox put on 1 so fa* with the- 14th Bn. yet to fire. an impromptu dance exhibition i Major Gleinm places all the honors with a female partner after the j with the unsung heroes of the firing line, the cadre coaches, who worked untiringly to put the outfit on the glory crest. Oddly enough, the companies finished in order; f r o m A to D in percentages, and t h a t is a feather in the overseas cap of Company Commander Lt. James M. lAinsford, Jr. 3rd Battalion News affair will not be formal. The event of the week will undoubtedly be the Amateur Night program Tuesday evening, In the 5th team, Company A of the 1st Battalion, by a score of 4-3. It was a terrific battle right up to the last out. The highlight of the game came Regiment .".mphltheatre. Singing, UÂ« the last inning, when Corporal dancing and individual contests, in- Bostock connected with a tremen- eluding a pie eating bout, are on ! dous the agenda. Prizes will be awarded to the winners in each group Corp. Robert A. Sundquist has Â»een transferred from Company B to Company C. The following men of Company A i having a championship team" in "the received promotions: Pvts. Gordon 1st regiment, but it can truly be H. Bashaw and Charles W. Oliver, called a glorious defeat, to corporal; Tech. 5th Grade. Mike I Company B and Company D of drive deep to right center brought In the three men on j base. But a gramtcand stop of a hot liner ended the Second Battalion rally and the game. This defeat ended the hopes of Company A Kawchak, also to corporal. Two Trainee Yarns AboveTheOrdinary mwo trainee yarns are making Â·*Â· the round* of the 20th Battalion The first story concerns a rookie, who was having trouble In handling his rifle during instruction on the manual of arms. The platoon sergeant walked over to him and asked, "What's the matter, soldier, where's the balance of your rifle?" The confused soldier answered, "I wasn't Issued one." The other happening concerns a lesson In guard duty, which was Ming nclcd out by an N. C. O. Â»nd a new trainee for the benefit Of the class. As an example of chtllfnging during the night, the rookie halted the non-com with R iiwppy "HÂ»ltl" Who goes ittwr*?" The reply was, "The of- fflwr oJ the dÂ»y." The class was confounded to hear the trainee Jijtwnmer, "Advance, officer, and Hie dÂ«y." the Second Battalion came up last Thursday evening with a very good idea--an Instructive and interesting competition between the two companies to see which was the more' expert in mastering the nomencal- the company were seen close to blows over the possession of a rake. Ask Bob Baker or Elmer Schaacl who won? Here's one for the books. Sgt. Jensen and Corp. Yanuska returning to C Company the other night were stopped by the sentry and challenged as to their business. After the sergeant made himself known, the sentry in sharp form came to present arms. Congratulation to Corp. George King, C Co. cook, who was married last Sunday. All the luck in the world, corporal, and be sure lo leave some of the cooking lo your wife while at home. Pvt. Domenic Ciancio Is doing a pretty good job of teaching Sgt. Jensen the Italian language. Lt. Joseph E. Martin left for additional t r a i n i n g at Fort Benning last Tuesday. What possessed Pvt. Bob Johnson, squad leader In the Co. C, to act in the manner that he did in coming here from Fort Niagara? Company C has a world renowned entertainer In its midst, Pvc, Louis Diaz. Highlight of the week for several of the soldiers who lounge around the day room was a billiard game between Sgt. Rex Edlvan and' Corp. "Dead Shot" Hathaway. It Is indeed a shame that their n a t - ural ability Is being wasted on us, when they could undoubtedly make W. C. Fields' act on the six-pocketed table look amateurish. Everytime some one around bed t 4 me says "Goodnight." a fellow whose first name is Wayne manages to say "What?" Something will have to be done about this serious situation. Pvt. William Tolbert, Co. B, who used to be managing editor of a West Virginia paper takes up a notch in his generous belt every night. 1st Sgt. Ryan is off electric fans for life, after getting his thumb cut up the other night, Congrats to the new sergeants. i Supply-Sergeant Quentln Venablc ! got a chance to make a hometown i visit last week-end. Meeting his fam- 1 ily and old friends must have been i j u s t what the doctor ordered because as a squad leader. Because of heavy casualties he was made a platoon leader on the second day, and on the fourth ciay became company commander. During the time that Lanser was in the Loyalist Army, he took part in several other major battles, namely the battles of Jarama, Brunette, Quinto, and Ebro. Ebro, incidentally, was the last stand of the Loyalist Army. Lanser's reason for going to Spain and joining the Loyalist Army was not necessarily to take part in the cause of the Loyalist, but to help in the defeat of the forces of Fascism. He was there for 22 months before returning to America. Lanser was inducted into the army of the United States on May 1, 1912, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was there two months before being sent to Fort McClellan. He if assigned to Company "A" of the Sixth Battalion, and hopes that C Company's William L. Harriger j sometime scon, the army will find and A Company's Marion Macon-1 a ,,i ace for him in a Commando achy tied with twin scores of 180 points, while other experts in the he returned looking as pleasant and V proud as a peacock. place unit. incoming and outgoing. The most avid ping-pong player in Company B, and a potential tournament finalist, is P v t . John T. Blanton. The soldier claims he got that wonderful wrist action by beating the drums for a jive band in his home town of Rutherfordton, N. C. It seems Unit the Dodgers are very dear to the men of Company ! C, many of whom hail from dear old Flatbush. The sole conversation about the company area seems to | be about "them Bums," and it is i a risky business to cast aspersions on the beloved bascballers. Corporal Kenneth Knight is now L sporting a new Chevy, in which he j dashes week-ends to his home in Chattanooga. The blue streak generally heads north with another Chattanooger, Corporal James E. Patching of Company C. Pvt. Joe Cardclla was a trapeze artist and tight-rope walker for circuses here nnd abroad. Joe's ambition is to secure Herr Schickel- gruber as a trapeze partner, and to work on him without a net. Company C gets many a laugh f r o m the antics of Pvt. Dave Dansky prior to his assignment to Fort McClellan. Their favorite sports arc hunting and fislims, and despite their many activities have found time to do "quite a bit of both in the past. Their commissions were secured by taking the R. O. T. C. course at Croiehton. It is interesting (o note that the brothers also took Naval R. O. T. C. for two years but, in tiie end. decided that the Army was the place for them. In order not to cause too much confusion among our trainees, Robert was assigned to Company D and Raymond to Company B. I They nre the sons of Mr. nnd Mrs. '. John W. Herdzina and their home address is 4532 South 33rd Street, Omaha, N T cb. i - -- . - -- 15th Battalion News lure and field stripping Browning automatic rifle. Looking forward to the regimental sing to be presented soon,, .the men of Company A have made themselves available for service in one or more of the several vocal units to take part in the affair. Sgt. Sullivan Stevenson and Cpl. Oscar Cantey are the non-commi = sioncd officers most active In spurring the company's songbirds into this participation. Sgt. Stevenson Is already considering a plan to sponsor a company glee club as soon as the regimental gathering is past. During the week, Lieut. J. F. Nye, special service officer, got the men of the Third Battalion together for some practice in community singing. Results were quite promising. The fellows of the Regiment Band get quito a bag-full of enthusiastic compliments f r o m Company A these days and nights. Once or twice, the bandmen have held jam sessions t h a t set J i t t e r b u g feet afire. First Sergeant Thomas is putting his foot down on all carelessness about the company huts. Those TMho are unlucky enough to win his l!^ -i are presented with bouquets of extra duty. Company B has just completed a very successful week on the firing range, anrt the entire staff is to be complimented for the splendid wovk that was done in developing a cra'.'k team of riflemen. These trainees showed an unusual gift, for firing the various guns, and they went about it in a very sincere way, Company B can .say with much pride that it had very few "bolos," or failures in comparison with those of the last training cycle. Pvts. William T. White, Booker T. Gaither, and several others proved to the Company that they were made out of sharpshooter's material, and led the entire squad of men with their total scores. Pvt. Galther's total of 117 points Is considered to be a very good record. This proves that the coming soldiers are going To show the world that they can shoot straight and fast. Corporal Albert Gonsoulln is being with a hot 179, and Harry Shumaker of Company B with a 118. Corporal Chuck Kingsland and Corp. Gaston Dargis. the doubles monarchs of the tennis courts, took over two of the 12th Battalion's aces, Sgts. Ernharcit and D u n - woodie, in thumping fashion 17th Battalion News Gus Mitchell of Co.-A is 45. He is a vet of the last war and vol- the i unteered for this shindig. Despite Within the short space of one week. Lt. Paul T. H. Mclver was shifted from Co. A. to the S-1 desk at hdqrs.. and promoted to 1st Lt. Other transfers in the battalion sent Lt. Richard M. King, from headquarters to Co. A, and Lt. Orrin O. Carpenter from Co. B to Co. A. Corp. Ira Weiscr. Co. D, departsc! on a seven-day emergency furlough last Monday for Brooklyn, N. Y., when the Red Cross verified the unpleasant news that Wciser's mother was seriously injured in a fall a/' home. Lt. Tom I. Mock, recently promoted to First Lieutenant, and attached to Co. C, revealed t h a t he and Miss Helen E. Schaufller, of New York City, will be married on Aug. 15th in the 5th Regt. Chnpcl. Lt. Mock is a former resident of San Antonio. Texas. Miss SchauUler, a native of Nan- tucker, Mass., is a personnel executive associated with the R. H. Macy department store in New York. A f c - er the ceremony the Mocks will take of New York City. When asked why I up residence in town. his leggings were put on vice-versa ! Pvt. Henry f . Cnputo, Co. A, has The contest consisted of 40 questions. With the battalion commander and adjutant officiating, and. company officers serving as Judges, the contest ended in favor of Company B by a score of 25-12. The last part of the contest was a race disassembling and reassembling the winner of this Clarence Echols of Â· Helntz, Copeland, Millwood of the I Ask. Cpl. Dullca to tell you about j visited by his wife, who recently ar- hls experiences at Camp Croft. I rived from Louisiana, Mrs. Gonsoulln In the rifle, and phase, Private Company B, added ten points to his company's total score. The evening's proceedings provided a good demonstration of the speed with which the 2nd Battalion trainees are proceeding in their work. During the past week the boys of Company O took up study of the machine gun and the automatic rifle, and few Indeed were the men who did not qualify. Last Monday the outfit went on its first hike, nnd In spite of Ihe usual weariness and a few blisters, the boyÂ» came back In the. best of spirits. What an Imagination! Those of us who were fortunate Â· enough to hear him experienced a. real treat when William Kltchelt sang "Just for Today" In the regimental chapel. Pvt. Kitchelt, who has studied voice for several years, has a fine vibrant baritone especially suitable for the rendition of religious numbers. It is hoped that we will hear him again. Several of Company A's best trainees complained that they could not get the correct positions in rifle marksmanship due to the fact that their Viaclts were stiff. The reason --too ambitious practice in artificial respiration. ARCTIC CITY Remains of an Arctic city of 4,000 inhabitants have been uncovered In Alaska, 200 miles north of Bering Strait. There are seldom more than 200 inhabitants in modern Eskimo villages. plans to spend several days at Fort McClellan w i t h her husband. Pvt. Calvin Wilkerson is also being visited by his wife, from Little Rock, Arkansas. Company C regrets the departure of Captain Clyde E, Bay who has served in the capacity of company commander. Capt. Bay has worked hard to placu Company C on the top Company o is very proud to have as I Us new commander, 1st Llcuttn- ant Robert E. Graham, Jr., an already popular Company C officer. Dale W. Jackson of Co, D showec nearly perfect form as a rifleman and wound up his sharpshootlng with a high score of 172 points, am raised the total score of his platoon to the highest In the company. Ben Babbitt, after taking a on hour tour of the City of Anniston relurned and asked If there was an other Army Camp In Anniston. H said he saw nothing but soldiers am more soldiers there. other evening, and are open for other challengers. The regimental courts here are among the best seen by some of the addicts of the battalion. Sgt. Johnson is really out of this orld concerning the plans of his npending marriage to the little Â·Oman back in Kewanee, 111., and as gone so far as to draw plans f the church for his cohorts here the Battalion Headquarters to iustrate the coining event. Lt. Robert E. Slusser is a new ad- ition to the Headquarters and will ake over the supply end, with inch-hitting Lt. Stevens reverting o the special services seat. A swell time was had by all at \c cadre dinner held in the Com- any D mess hall last Saturday light celebrating the high score of he Battalion on the firing range. Clever master of ceremonies Lieut. Todd fronted the show and many f the attendants gave impromptu kits that rocked the house. Mess Sergeant Allen Bailey and his t.'ew .ished out succulent ham and there vas plenty of .beer and cheese for all. Corporals Fahey and Laughlin, ompany clerks, have found a gem if a place in Birmingham to spend heir week-ends and have made two Â·isits already. Corporal Clarence H?,nsen, the file clerk off by plane o New York for a furlough. He's he penman of this column and rours truly stepped in to keep the ball rolling, Chief Clerk Ralph Ross also enjoying a change from the army l i f e in Tampa, Fla., with all of the folks. After Corporal Ray Fern polished off a couple of hamburgers in .he P. X. at the end of a heavy meal n the mess hall the other day one of the detachment quipped that he must be rationing separately, but no one likes their food better than Sergeant Stan Johnson, who hurtles out of the office every day to partake before the victuals get the least bit cold. Steve Krysalka, with a new pair of sergeant's chevrons, has the wife down here in Anniston, now. "Boogie Woogie" Frank Bekelja is itching to get going to see Cab Callowny In Birmingham over the week-end, He gets a glassy stare when the hot hands arc jiving. Tech. 6j?l. S. B. McCaw Is ru- riiorcrt to have become engaged to a girl In Cincinnati during his recent furlough. one early morning, he replied, "They dried wrong." Corporal Howard M. Kroyer, whose canary sings bass, has been transferred from Company C to Company D. We call it C's loss and D's gain! Company D is now congratulating his years he still is athleticnllv ^_ _ __ ^ ^ cltncd, chinning the bar ten times , Uircc ncw corp orals, who were pro- j and broad seven feet. jumping better His company challenges other to find his equal. moted to the rank of the double stripes during the week. Corporals Herbert E. Hogberg, John Hopkins, Corp. Jack Toth, Bn. Hdqrs., sign 1 }V; j "a ri ' d "j on "nÂ°B'izii'p"are the' painter extra-ordinary, has been promoted to sergeant. It never rains but Raines, especially these days, for Corp. Wellington W. Raines, of Bn. Hdyrs. His father is making guns for the serv- ' going about their duties with a big smile, and with the god wishes of their fellow soldiers. It took two weeks before the N. C. O's of Company D realized there COPYRIGHT LAW Two copies of every book pub llshed and copyrighted In the Unit cd Stales must be placed In the LI brary of Congress under Ihe copy right law. was no such person in the Third -other Joe Is serving with the N..- ' TMÂ°TM as Pvt - Bcllh Â°l'- Pvt - Han '' ional Guard in Alaska. Co. C topped the battalion in the iverage marks for quizzes given in he first week of the new cycle. Monday will find the men getting up at 4:30 a.m., for their first crack at shooting with live ammunition. Here's hoping they'll be A t ) home' i the (Firing) range! The latest group of promotions ncluded: Sgt. Pink D. Stovall, Co. B, to tech. sergeant; Corp. Charles Y. Heuser, Co. B, to sergeant; Pvt. Ceith Cummings, Co. B, to corpora!; vt. John W. Bajor, Co. A, to tech. ith grade; Pvt. George J. Counes, Co. A, to tech. oth grade. Marriages Another addition to the honor roll of marriages In the Twentieth 3attallon Is Corporal James E. Sulivan of Company A. The genial corporal was also married on July 25, to Miss Mary Flynn of Allston, Mass., In the Church of the Sacicci Heart of Anniston. Miss Ernestine Rush of Anniston graced the ceremony as bridesmaid, and the best man was Corporal Robert F. Ferguson of Company A. The bride was escorted to the altar by her brother, Cadet James Flynn, of Maxwell Field, Montgomery. The happy couple will live on Woodstock Avenue in Anniston, where they expect to be "at home" to their many friends In town and at the post. Hayes of Dodgcrtown, N. Y., a bellhop before entering the army, was struck with the monicker by his buddies, from the first day that he arrived at the post. It was a sad day in Company D when certain trainees were asked to remove the mould from their upper lip. The "cookie dusters" are gone, but not forgotten by the formerly mustach- iced Beau Brummels. The obstacle course is hardly a rose-strew:n highway, but that didn't prevent Corporal Michael C. Noto of Hackensack, N. J. from running the course in the fast time of two min- I utes, 50 seconds. Corporal Noto demonstrated to the trainees how simple it was to climb walls and fences, and to hurdle ditches. The men followed their Instructor over the course, and still are of the opinion that "obstacle" is a good name for the course. The first soldier up and at the morning newspaper Is Pvt. John Braband, who follows his Dodgers very faithfully. He wears the most worrled\Iook, when his team loses a game after 11 successive wins. It must be wonderful to come from Brooklyn, judging from the exaltation of its Ian--atlcs. Company C, 20th Battalion added another name to Its long list of newly-weds, when Corporal Paul D. White married Miss Mary Opal Ramer of Selmer, Tenn,, on Saturday evening, July 25. The ceremony was held at the First Christian Church in Anniston, with the Rev. p. N. Wolfe officiating. The young couple has taken an apartment In Annfston, where they arc now at hoirw to their friends and families. "BEE FLEAS" Bees suffer from flees of a special variety. These bee fleas are only l-600th of an inch long and are Invisible lo the eye of man. Two Of Company B's Cadremen Promoted Company B of the Twentieth Battalion is extending congratulations to two of its popular cadre men, for their promotion to the rank of sergeant. It's sergeant now for the cheerful leader of the Third Platoon, Adrian F. Bicker, who entered the army on November n, 1941, and received his primary training at Camp Wheeler, Ga. Sgt. Bicker was transferred to Fort McClellan, to act as a corporal Instructor, when the BIRTC was activated in January. Sgt. Winthrop S. Mathcweon is also sporting ncw three stripes as supply sergeant. He entered the army on April 18, 1042 at Fort Dlx, N. J., and received his basic training here. At the rnd of his training cycle, the genial "Matty" was promoted to Ihe rank of corporal and acting supply sergeant. been promoted to corporal, Cnputo. who was inducted on April 8th, hails from Hempstead, L. I., and is a former high school baseball and football luminary. Pvt. Robert E. Carmany. of Canton, Ohio, reputcc; to be the ping- pong champion of his home town and winner of -several mid-West tournaments, is devoting his evenings in the Co. A Day Room, instructing his platoon sergeant and other'men in the company, the fine art of "swatting the pellet." Lt. Jimmy Monteith has succeeded Lt. Joseph A. Lipsky as special service officer for the battalion. Lt. Lipsky and 2nd Lt. Rudolph M. Hough, of Co. C, departed last week for Ft. Benning where they will receive additional instruction in rifle j and heavy weapons. Following their first "stiff" hike, half of the men from Co. A were treated to an afternoon in the swimming pool the other day. The other half frolicked the following day in the pool. Promotions in Co. D Included Leo Student, company clerk, to corporal; Kenneth V. Mulchings to mess sergeant; John E. Brannon to tech. 5th Gr., and George J. Moore to corporal, Corp. Earl G. Bolen, Co. D, of Tiffin, Ohio, has qualified at the O. C. S. here and leaves for Officers Training at Ft. Benning soon, Venetian blinds in the Mess Hall, and a combination radio-automatic phonograph In, Co. C clay room are visible proofs of the company solvency. The radio is greatly appreciated and a good-sized collection of recent records is kept In operation from dawn till raps. Recent visitors for several Co. A trainees included Mrs. Elizaboi* Scanlon, of Detroit, mother of Pvl,. William J. Scanlon; Mrs. MatheW Cahlll, of New York, wife of Corp. Cahill; Miss Ruth Erickson, of Youngstown, Ohio, sister of Pvt, Paul Erickson, who was accompanied by her friend. Miss Wilma Coleman. New Trainees Come From Odd Pursuits Pvt, Herbert Magnuson, former athletic star of the Ashland, Wis., High School, has signed up for tha football team, rr.id iiiould be the mainstay of liint vievsn. Pvt. 1-o.rrj ni?.fl:, a. former fcrave- digger in J'hliftdetphlp., :s Irarnlng how to i'nprovB and liwensn enemy business by hsrtl pi^.-t' 1 "} on Ihs bayonet course. Dels are *icins placed on the tlmn it taker, him 10 dig Â» slit trench. /\ Pvt. Vernon Ellis, an ex-bcchlvÂ« lender, Is learning how to extract shells, instead of honey. Pvt. Harry Schweger, a former paper machinery salesman from Appleton, Wis., has developed such a nostalgia for scrubbing the deck of his boat back home that he has taken over the dally duty of scrubbing his hutment's floors.
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Earthican · Jul 10, 2014

I searched the web to include a description of IRTC training from a participant. This was more difficult than I thought and easier than it should have been. At first I searched broad terms and got popular history sites but once I searched for narrow terms (place names, terminology, ...) the 'hits' got good.

I did manage to find a very detailed description, almost too detailed. I can only post the beginning and hope the link stays good for years to come.

http://www.89infdivww2.org/memories/jochen.htm

...The train continued eastward through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and, finally, Georgia. We pulled into Camp Wheeler, Georgia, near Macon, the capitol city, shortly after noon of the third day of travel. Military buses carried us to the area of the 9th Training Battalion, where we were broken down into groups of 50 for assignment to a training platoon, within a training company of the battalion. The group I was in became the 2nd Platoon in Company C of the 9th Battalion. The battalion consisted of four companies, A, B, C, and D. Each of the companies consisted of four platoons. Lt. Ward along with Sgt. Weaver and his two assistants, Cpl. Floyd and Cpl. Meadows was in charge of our platoon. Our platoon was composed of men from all parts of the U.S. and all ages from 18 to 40 were represented. This was the case throughout the battalion. Our 17 week course of training was about to begin.

The 17 week training cycle was in progress for 15 training battalions simultaneously, each of the battalions being in a different week of the cycle. Each week of the cycle was conducted by a group of specially qualified instructors who repeated it each week to successive battalions of troops. As groups of troops arrived over the course of several days, a battalion was formed and organized into the structure that it would maintain for the entire cycle. Following completion of the training cycle, the graduates would be processed for dispersal to their next destination after a period of leave to visit their family at home. A number of infantry divisions were, at this time, in the process of being filled to full strength at various locations in the U.S., while undergoing advanced training for combat duties. Many of the trainees, just graduated, were sent to these 'divisions in advanced training'. Other graduates might be sent overseas to join units already engaged in active combat. Casualties needed to be replaced. ...
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Story from an older soldier that shipped overseas immediately after IRT.

http://www.pleacher.com/wwii/wwii.html

...

A bus was waiting on Main Street between the White Swan Hotel and the First National Bank. The draftees were organized in a group and herded onto the bus. The streets were lined with family members and friends. There were cheers and flags waving and good-by tears.

We had no idea where we might be going. Most of the trip was by train. Our train trip started in Albany and changed in New Jersey. From New Jersey the train took a couple of days to get us to our destination. It was Camp Wheeler near Macon, Georgia. Basic training was the primary and only training that a foot soldier needed. It wasn’t long before we realized that we were being trained to replace soldiers that had been lost in action. Our training period would last seventeen weeks.

It was during this training period that a message for me arrived. Our top sergeant called me and told me to report to the Chaplain. I did this and found out that my brother Jack had been killed in action in Italy. He was in the 34th Infantry Division. At the time of his death there were four Jackson brothers in the service. William was an Air Force radio sergeant. George (Jordy) was in the 5th Infantry Division. I was training in Camp Wheeler.

....

Our seventeen weeks of basic training ended and we started home. The onroute travel allowed me a little over a week at home. Our home was Grandma and Grandpa Stevens, wife Jean, and son David S. Jackson. I was happy that we would be together with family and friends. Little did I know that I would be away from my family for the entire war.

Chapter Two

My visit at home ended and my trip to Norfolk, VA began. Grandpa Stevens and my wife Jean drove me down to Albany. We said our goodbyes. I went searching for my train to Norfolk. I was happy to learn that information people were happy to take me there. When we arrived at Norfolk, there were soldiers waiting to take me and others to the ship that was waiting. ....
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Earthican · Jul 12, 2014

A footnote to the IRTC's is the withdrawal of infantrymen from the new Reserve divisions. These divisions were formed from a cadre of officers and NCO's taken, initially, from the Regular Army divisions plus a filler of draftees fresh from the regional Reception Centers.

http://www.history.army.mil/books/agf/AGF007/index.htm

....During the last six months of 1943 requirements for loss replacements in excess of the number available from replacement training centers were filled by withdrawing trained infantrymen from tactical units of the Ground Forces. Nondivisional infantry regiments were broken up. About 26,000 men were taken from the infantry regiments of divisions by January 1944. ....
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Table: 24,541 men
September to December 1943

Using Stanton I tried to identify the non-divisional infantry regiments that were broken-up in early to mid 1944.

33d Infantry - Cp Claiborne, LA
131st Infantry - Ft Benning. GA
138th Infantry - Cp Shelby, MS
153d Infantry - Cp Shelby, MS
176th Infantry - Ft Benning, GA
181st Infantry - Ft Dix, NJ

http://www.history.army.mil/books/agf/AGF007/index.htm

...The taking of replacements from tactical units had been thoroughly discussed in 1943. It had been rejected as a policy, though it had been resorted to as an expedient during the great underproduction of replacement training centers in the later months of 1943. The question of policy was reopened in December 1943, when General Eisenhower, in a radio to the War Department, suggested for considerations, without urgently requesting, that replacements for his theater be obtained from divisions in the United States, rather than from replacement centers.
...

It was believed at the headquarters of the Army Ground Forces at this time, as noted above, that the replacements question was virtually settled. Although 26,000 men had been taken from divisions, it was thought that this was a temporary measure, and that the undeployed tactical forces and the replacement training system were to remain in principle altogether distinct. It therefore came as a bombshell, when, on 19 January 1944, the Office of the Chief of Staff directed the Army Ground Forces to prepare a plan by which all AGF units not intended for early shipment should be used as a source of overseas replacements. By the plan as desired, overseas replacements were to be taken from men in units who had had nine months of training, and RTC graduates were to be used to fill the vacancies thus created in units.
....

The War Department decided to take replacements from divisions (and other units) until further notice, but to require that they have had only six months training rather than nine, and to give the commanding general of the Army Ground Forces a certain discretion in withdrawing personnel, so that units needed later for combat operations would not be ruined in the process....
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Table: 78,703 men
April to September 1944

I used this Google search to get a link to two tables found in the US Army official history.

procurement of ground forces "withdrawals of enlisted men" "83d"

http://books.google.com/books?id=niuxoT2im0cC&pg=PA473&lpg=PA473&dq=procurement+of+ground+forces+%22withdrawals+of+enlisted+men%22+%2283d%22&source=bl&ots=TlGQnnigsq&sig=1ZQiN-HoWt7JbPOtQStCva356AA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1BzAU9iCAe7RsQSY6YCIDw&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA

While examining these tables I noticed that among the divisions listed there are none that went to the Pacific. I am certain the 77th, 81st, 96th, and 98th Divisions gave-up men for overseas replacements.

Earthican · Jul 16, 2014

I have this memoir from a veteran that trained with the 69th Infantry Division before being "withdrawn" as an overseas replacement. Apparently based on a diary it has some firm dates. He was eventually assigned to the 34th ID in Italy.

http://www.deadfamilies.com/Wallworth/RNW-World-War-II-Part-1.html

CAMP SHELBY, MISSISSIPPI

May 21 - 31, 1943

We arrived at Camp Shelby in the afternoon. It was a large camp that contained all the living quarters, mess halls, training areas, and rifle and artillery ranges for our division as well as for individual units such as artillery battalions. We were loaded on trucks and taken over to what was to be our company area. I was assigned to C Company, First Battalion, 272nd Regiment, 69th Division. Charlie Hosking was assigned to Cannon Company also in the 272nd Regiment.

The 69th Division was activated on May 15th so we were part of the original group. I was assigned to the Weapons Platoon as a Gunner in a 60mm Mortar Squad. I think we had two Mortar Squads and three Machine Gun Squads in the Weapons Platoon.

Infantry Basic started on June 1st and was scheduled to run for 13 weeks. The Weapons Platoon Leader was Lieutenant Apple and the Company Commander was Captain James T. Carter. There were 3 other platoons in the company. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd which were rifle platoons.

Life in a training camp is not much fun. A lot of time is spent getting everybody used to taking orders and following them explicitly. There is not time to debate whether you should do something or not when you are in combat. There are an awful lot of people in this world who don’t like following orders. The Army can’t make you do something but they can make you wish that you did do it. It was really amazing that you could take a bunch of civilians and turn them into a somewhat disciplined fighting unit in 13 weeks. Actually they never are really trained until they experience combat. There is nothings that can really prepare you for that. Once the unknown is experienced you know what to expect. That doesn’t make you less afraid but it is easier to face something that you understand than it is to face the unknown.

Most of our training cadre came from the 96th Division at Camp Adair, Oregon. Our First Sergeant, Sgt. Mundy, was from that group. He seemed quite old and even though he was only about 5 ft 2 inches tall he was tough as nails. He was always after us for doing something wrong. To give you an example, one day, when we fell out for morning roll call, he told us that the next guy he caught throwing a cigarette butt on the company street, which was only dirt, would wish that hadn’t been born. Sure enough the next day he caught someone. For punishment he made the guy dig a hole 6 ft by 6 ft and 6 ft deep to bury the cigarette but that he had dropped. He had to do all the digging on his own time. That was the last time anyone was stupid enough to drop a butt on the company street. I later heard that, Sgt. Mundy was killed on the Anzio Beachhead.

June 1 to August 7, 1943

This was the time allocated for our Basic Training. The time was spent learning Military Courtesy ( who to salute & etc.), Close Order Drill (marching), rifle Manual of Arms, the Articles of War, the General Orders, and other military requirements.

We also spent a lot of time getting into good physical shape. Some of the men were in terrible condition. They couldn’t do Pull Ups, Push Ups, and couldn’t run any distance. A lot of the men’s performances improved as they lost some of the extra weight they were carrying and developed their muscles.

Our Platoon Leader, Lt. Apple, could out run any of the members of our platoon. One day I decided to try to keep up with him. I found that if I didn’t let him get a lead on me that I could stay right with him. Nobody else in the platoon was able to do this but overall we did get in much better shape by the end of the 13 weeks.

After we had become what loosely could be called soldiers we progressed to weapons training. I had to qualify on the M1 Rifle, the M1 Carbine, the Browning Automatic Rifle, and the 60mm Mortar.

Before we ever fired the M1 Rifle we had to learn all about it. This included being able to field strip and reassemble it in the dark. After that we practiced Dry Firing. Two men worked together on this phase of training. One, using a leather glove, would hit the slide so that it travelled to the rear of the receiver. This simulated the action when the weapon is fired and the slide is kicked back to extract the fired shell and load the next round. This got us used to the recoil when we fired it on the range.

The Weapons Range was about 7 miles from our barracks. When we went out to the range we generally stayed there all day. Most of the time was spent firing M1s. We all had to qualify which meant getting at least a required number of hits on a target. This wasn’t too difficult at 100 yards but at 500 yards you could barely make out the bull’s eye. Some of the men had a very difficult time qualifying. Many had never even held a gun before let alone fired one. The M1 Garand didn’t kick too much as a lot of the energy that could make the kick painful was used to eject the fired shell casing and load the next round into the chamber. Even so many of the men flinched when they fired. This leads to sometimes even missing the target let alone the bull’s eye.

When I was shooting to qualify the man on my right was shooting a 50 caliber machine gun. Even though he only fired one round at a time it was so loud that my right ear rang after each shot that he made. I never saw anyone using ear protection during WWII. I guess it wasn’t practical when in combat. I believe that the loss of some hearing in my right ear dates back to that time.

Lunch was brought out to us. We ate out of our mess kits and later washed them in water that was heated in 32 gallon garbage cans. They took us out to the range by truck but they made us march back. The last couple of miles, where the road was paved, they made us Double Time (run) the rest of the way back to our company area.

Camp Shelby in June and July is very dry and extremely hot. We had shutters and screens on our barracks windows. When the wind blew, which seemed like all the time. If you forgot to close the shutters on your windows when you returned from training in the field there would be about a 1/2” of dust on your bed. It was so hot that many of the men collapsed during marches. This also happened even on the night speed marches which followed a path that was through loose sand. That was really exhausting. Exertion in such a climate as existed in Mississippi in the summer resulted in excessive sweating. After a day in the field you could see lines on your fatigues where the salt from your sweat had dried on the fabric. A loss of too much salt can be dangerous so we had to take salt pills every day. To make sure that you took them they stationed one of the officers at the Mess Hall exit and he tossed a salt pill into your mouth on the way out.

All your clothes got pretty gamey if you didn’t get a chance to wash them. There was a joke that to tell when your socks needed washing you threw them against the wall. If they stuck, it was time to wash them.

We also had to be careful about drinking too much cold liquid especially after coming in from the field. When we were dismissed everyone made a bee-line to the coke machine in the Day Room. A few guys ended up on the ground with severe stomach cramps.

During Reviews, where we had to stand out on the parade ground in the sun, we always had a few men falling on their faces. They said that they even had several men die from sunstroke during basic training. If there were any deaths they were not in our company.

As our training progressed we got pretty good at handling our weapons. Our mortar crew was able to set up and zero in our mortar in 30 seconds. We also got so we could put a shell in a barrel at 100 yards. They also showed us how to shoot the mortar holding the tube without a base plate or bipod. This was handy if you had to fire from a slit trench when pinned down. During practice with live 60mm rounds we were able to get a tree burst. You can see all the shell fragments as they hit the dust on the ground. It is very impressive.

Everybody was uneasy about throwing live grenades. You and an instructor are in a pit. You pulled the pin, held it for a second, and then threw it. When it leaves your hand the handle flies off and then it explodes in 5 seconds. Hopefully, if you dropped it after the pin was out, you or the instructor would be able to pick it up and get rid of it before the 5 second delay was up. All the practices I observed went without any one dropping one.

The training was tough, especially the bayonet practice. Every morning we had calisthenics followed by bayonet practice. Pushing around a 9 lb rifle with a 1 lb bayonet gets old after an hour or so. After we arrived in Africa we heard that the Infantry Generals were complaining that the replacements arriving, from the U.S., in Africa and Italy were too beat up and that training should relaxed somewhat.

There were many other types of training such as learning how to use a gas mask. You were marched into a building, that contains chlorine gas, without your gas mask on. When everybody was in they let you put on your gas mask. By that time the first men into the building were out of breath and some did inhale some of the Chlorine. There was an ambulance standing by and occasionally somebody had to be shipped off to the hospital.

Later in a class in gas recognition, the instructor dropped a vial containing a diluted solution of Phosgene gas. Several of us were affected by the gas before it dissipated. It felt like someone grabbed you by the throat and you couldn’t breathe in or out. The affects lasted only a few seconds but it was scary. I often wonder if the instructor didn’t drop the vial on purpose. We also smelled diluted vials of Lewisite and Mustard Gas so we could recognize it.

Another time, while marching along a road to our training area, a plane came down and sprayed the whole column with tear gas. Most everybody got their gas masks on quickly but when you are sweating tear gas stings your skin. When the plane came back for a second pass some of the men threw rocks at it.

One advantage of training as a division was that each company was self contained. We had our own mess hall where food was served on plates on each table rather than having to go through a chow line. Of course you had to be fast if you wanted your share of the meat. Those were the hungriest guys that I have ever seen.

Everyone had to take a turn at KP (kitchen police). It wasn’t too bad except that you had to get up about 4 AM to get breakfast ready. After everybody had eaten then the job of washing the dishes and pots and pans began. Even though there were only about 200 men in a company there was a lot of stuff to wash. After that we had to set the tables and help the cooks get ready for lunch. Most of the time lunch was in the field so outside of helping prepare the food there wasn’t much to wash when the meal was over. The men ate out of their mess kits and had to wash their own when done. While on KP you always had the opportunity of scrounging extra food for yourself but you had to be careful not to get the Mess Sergeant mad at you by being too greedy.

We had a lot of good times though. We used to go down to the PX for beer when we were off duty. The county where we were was a dry county, no hard liquor, and only 3.2 % beer. Even though the beer was 3.2 you could still get drunk if you drank enough of it.

They had a Juke Box there which provided some entertainment. Unfortunately for most of us, being from the North, the choice of records was not what we were used to hearing. Most of the songs were country such as “I’ll Reap my Harvest in Heaven” and “Great Speckled Bird” which for some reason were played much too often. I know that these songs are country and Mississippi where we were was certainly country. But enough was enough.

I remember two guys from Harlan County, Kentucky who used to get high on beer. One night at the PX, when the MPs were telling us it was closing time, one of these two guys poured beer into one of the MP’s hip pocket while he was talking to the rest of us. We were all horrified about what was going to happen. It was so hot that the MP didn’t even notice it.

Those two guys were a little crazy. They were always telling us stories about the county where they lived and how the sheriffs didn’t last very long as someone shot them. At that time we thought this was a lot of bull but years later we found out that it was true. One of the stories was made into a movie “Walking Tall” about Sheriff Buford Poser. I always wondered if those guys made it home alive and if so what type of work they got involved in.

Near the end of Basic Training we had to go through the Infiltration Course. This course consisted of about a 100 yard stretch of ground that you had to crawl over wearing your steel helmet and carrying your rifle. The course started out by crawling over a small rise and out onto the course. Behind us there were several machine guns firing live ammunition that was supposed to be about 18” over our heads while crawling. Out in the course there were several strings of barbed wire that we had to crawl under on our back. It was about 1 foot off the ground so some of the fat guys had a tough time. As we crawled through this stuff the officers running the test were exploding 1/4 lb charges of Nitro Starch in shallow holes distributed though out the course. We always worried that we might come face to face with a coral snake while crawling along. It never happened but there were several men who froze part way through the course and they had to stop everything to get them out.

We didn’t go through the Infiltration Course very often. They had another course called the Obstacle Course that we ran through almost every day. There was no live fire on this course. It consisted of many obstacles that you had to climb over, jump over, climb up, swing over, and crawl through in a specified amount of time. Some of the men that were overweight had a tough time climbing over a 6 foot wall.

Every day after we came in to the company area, from training in the field, we had to clean our weapons for inspection by the brass. After a day in the field there is so much dust on everything that it is almost impossible to get everything spotless. The officers looked at the outside of the weapons and also in the bore. When inspecting the M1 Rifles the Platoon Lieutenant came down the lined up troops stopping in front of each man. When he stopped we put our M1 at Port Arms (across the body). The officer doing the inspecting told us that when his shoulder moved to take our M1 to let go of it quickly. He said that if he dropped it he would clean it. If he found a speck of dirt you would be in trouble as well as having to clean your weapon until it does pass inspection. The Weapons Platoon also had to clean our mortars and machine guns as well as our rifles, carbines, or pistols.

On weekends we sometimes got a pass to go to town, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. That is if our barracks passed inspection and nobody got in trouble during the previous week. Cleaning the barracks was a weekly chore on Saturday morning. The floors and latrines were mopped and dust removed from anything visible. Everything had to be spotless and your bed and footlocker had to be arranged to meet specifications. Sometimes the officer doing the inspections was unnecessarily chicken and we had to do something over again. One week someone in the company had his wallet stolen. Nobody knew who did it or if they did didn’t say anything. The whole company was restricted to camp for that weekend.

Hattiesburg wasn’t much to look at but at least we were free for an afternoon and able to buy some milk and ice cream. We never seemed to get enough of those two items back in camp. You could also buy 3.2 beer and even though the county was dry they say you could buy some White Lightening from no other than the local police.

The people in town were not very friendly. We were mostly from the North and the last division that trained in Camp Shelby was the 31st the Dixie Division. A good portion of Hattiesburg was populated by the blacks. The area where they lived was Off Limits to all the troops. Two of us accidentally wandered into the Off Limits area and before we knew what was happening we were surrounded by 5 MPs. They took us down to the MP Station but when they found out we had passes they let us go with a warning to be more careful in the future.

August 14, 1943

After 13 weeks of Basic Training we took the AGF (Army Ground Forces) Test. This was a test to determine if each individual met the required physical condition and that the company was able to function properly as a unit. Although there were several men who didn’t make it the Company passed the test and that meant we were ready to start Advanced Basic.

September 1, 1943

I was advised that due to the marks that I got on my IQ and aptitude tests that I had been accepted in the Army Specialized Training Program. This meant that I would be sent to college for up to two years. It sounded like a better deal than being in a rifle company. I also had a chance to go to Officers Candidate School but decided against it as I probably would still be in the Infantry.

Around the end of the month we were told that we were going to get two week furloughs before we started Advanced Basic Training. Mine was to start the following week. One of my friends was scheduled to go two weeks later. He asked me to swap dates with him because he had some marital problems and had to get home as soon as possible. He was very upset so I said okay as I would only have to wait an extra two weeks to go. Little did I know that this decision would change the whole course of my life and could have led to my death.

The next week, when I should have been home on furlough, an order came down from high level command that they needed 3000 infantry replacements for the Mediterranean Theater. I don’t know the total they took from the 69th Division but they took 80 men from our company. No furlough for me and no chance to go to ASTP.

....

GETTING READY TO GO OVERSEAS

September 2, 1943 Left Camp Shelby by train for a new location.

September 4, 1943 Arrived at Fort Meade , Maryland.

September 5 - October 17, 1943

Everybody is all bent out of shape because we lost our furlough. One of the wise guys from New York City got the bright idea of starting a petition to try to get the Army to give us our furloughs before we went overseas. Most of us were dumb and signed the petition. As soon as the officers received the petition they charged all of us with Mutiny. I didn’t even know they had such a thing in the Army. Well it turned out alright as our Captain, who was a West Pointer, got them to drop the charges and even got us a 3 day pass. I was fortunate being from New Jersey. I could get home and back in three days. Many of the men were from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York so it worked out alright for most.

October 18, 1943

A three day pass didn’t give me much time at home as at least a day was lost travelling both ways. I took a train from Baltimore to Newark and hitch-hiked from Newark to Ramsey, N.J. It was good to get home and see my parents and brother again. I didn’t try to see any friends because most of them were in the service anyhow. Little did I know that I wouldn’t be home again for over two years.

October 21, 1943 Returned to Fort Meade

October 26, 1943 Left Fort Meade for Camp Patrick Henry in Virginia.

October 27 -November 1, 1943

We arrived at Camp Patrick Henry. This was a holding camp for troops being shipped out of the Port of Newport News, Virginia. There was an area, near where we were quartered, that was surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by troops in two Halftracks with machine guns. We found out that all the men in this area were military prisoners from Stockades all over the country. They had been given the choice of staying in the stockade or going overseas in the Infantry. It sure was nice of them to get a choice, we didn’t.

While we were at Camp Patrick Henry, every day after breakfast, they hauled us down to the port at Newport News in cattle trucks. When we reached the docks they put us to work loading the ships that were to be in our convoy. Some of the group even had to load ammunition. We hoped that the ammo wasn’t being loaded on our ship. There were no passes from this camp. They had one of the biggest Mess Halls that I have ever seen. It was so large that they could feed 3000 men at the same time. I sure wouldn’t want to get KP in that Mess Hall.

SHIPPING OUT TO WHO KNOWS WHERE

On the Liberty ship named the Peter Minuet

October 27 - November 1, 1943

This morning they loaded us on the trucks, with all our equipment, and took us down to the port where we were loaded onto a Liberty Ship, the Peter Minuet. We sailed out of Newport News and joined a convoy that was assembling.

The forward hold on our ship had been converted to provide sleeping quarters for us. Actually it was a half a hold. There was a floor put over the cargo that was in the bottom half of the hold. All around the perimeter of the half hold were built in bunks five high. This was to be home to 500 men for however long it took to get to where ever we were going.

For once I was smart. I picked one of the top bunks. As soon as we left the dock some of the men were seasick and throwing up. I was safe up on the top bunk although I spent as much time as possible on deck as the hold became pretty smelly after a while. The open center of our hold quickly became the location of the many crap and card games that lasted through the whole trip and ran day and night.

Our ship was part of a convoy of about 30 ships. We sailed South toward Bermuda. The weather was beautiful most of the time and we used to lay out on the hatch cover over our hold. The rolling of the ship was quite pleasant to me but some of those who were susceptible to sea sickness hated it. I used to also like to spend time up in the ship’s bow. Sometimes dolphins would follow the ship and dive in and out of the bow wave of the ship.

....
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Tigershark35 · Aug 3, 2014

Hi. Researching anything about Camp Wolters. Writing biography of General Wolters and the commanders of the Camp. Anything relating to Wolters AFB or later Fort Wolters is if interest. Anything about teaining planning or construction kof an IRTC is of interest.
Thanks

Earthican · Aug 26, 2014

While web researching these entries I found Camp Hood had some amount of IRTC training late in the war that I had not known about before. I included a small amount of information as a place holder with the intent to find more, if possible. I now believe there was a conversion of some of the Tank Destroyer replacement training to Infantry training.

Recently I came cross this veteran's account of infantry/ASTP training at North Camp Hood. I had read before accounts of crouching in the bottom of a foxhole while "enemy" tanks overran the trainees. I suspect the TD School added the use of "sticky bombs" to this type of training (below).

http://www.pierce-evans.org/pwpart1.htm

....

The one thing we worried about was the wisdom of staying in a foxhole as it was about to be run over by a tank. The next day we had an exercise designed to relieve our fears. We marched out to an area where foxholes had already been dug. Each of us was assigned to a hole and given a GI sock to fill with sand, simulating a sticky grenade. As we crouched in our holes, a light tank came straight at us. Someone yelled, "OK, let's see you nail that tank with your blivit."

Most of us threw prematurely and missed the tank completely but "Rebel" Erwin waited until the last second and threw his right at the narrow slit that the tank driver used to see where he was going. It hit the sharp edges of the slit; the bag ripped open; and the tank driver got a face full of sand.

The tank driver saw "Rebel" duck back into his foxhole and headed straight at him. The tanker ran one tread of the tank directly on top of "Rebel's" foxhole and idled for a few seconds then he spun the tank on that tread pouring dirt in on top of him. Bert had a lot of dirt down his collar but eventually emerged unharmed. The demonstration was probably much more effective than originally intended. It became clear to everyone. Stay in your foxhole and let the enemy tanks run over you. You'll be all right.
....
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Steve_B · Aug 25, 2016

Hello. New to this forum. I am trying to determine where my dad (he is 97 now) did his basic training.

Dad was inducted into the army on 8-Apr-41 in Newark, NJ. The information I have from his memory is that he left Newark by train for Trenton, NJ. I've assumed that his reception center was at Ft Dix, NJ since it is very close to Trenton, but that is my assumption.

He believes he did his basic training in Georgia. Again my assumption was Ft Wheeler, Macon, Ga. but that could be incorrect.

Following basic training he was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division of the Pennsylvania National Guard, which had recently been inducted into federal service on 17-Feb-41. He was in the 111th Infantry Regiment, Company K.

Can anyone shed some light as to the likely location for his basic training, based on where he was ultimately assigned. Any other information would be most welcomed.
Thank you,
Steve

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