Gray Matter Newsletter

momoftwins
Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:07:05 +0000

For anyone interested in subscribing to this free newsletter that has some fabulous articles, the subscription info is at the end. In the meantime, I thought some of you future cadets (and parents) would appreciate this information on summer training - the way it used to be.

Dear reader, when last we considered the question of cadet summer activities, we ended with the cadet encampment celebrating the Tercentennial of the establishment of the first, permanent English colony at Jamestown in 1607. Let us continue and learn a bit of the genesis of modern Yearling summer training, march backs, and branch orientation trips.

The Class of 1910 spent the summer of 1909 in the traditional summer camp on The Plain, that year named Camp Delafield , in honor of the pre-Civil War superintendent. In the wee hours of the morning of 15 August, however, they boarded ship and sailed to Ft. Hancock for Coast Artillery familiarization training. In that era, the Coastal Artillery Corps was the high-tech branch of service—and they had the best locations, always with ocean views and usually near larger cities. Alcatraz , of course, started out as a Coast Artillery post, but we needn’t dwell on that. Six days later, the cadets road marched back, walking part of the way as Infantry and riding the rest of the way as Cavalry and horse drawn Artillery. All told, another six days were thus consumed. A few years later, but still prior to World War I, the summer trip was to Ft. Wright on Fishers Island for more coastal artillery training and included work with “mine planting” vessels, part of harbor defense training.

By the summer of 1920, BG Douglas MacArthur had been superintendent for a year, and he made some drastic changes. Convinced that the gap between the Civil War-era training the cadets received and the tactics and techniques of the modern battlefield of World War I was vast, he abandoned summer camp on The Plain and sent the new Yearlings to Ft. Dix while Tactical Officers replaced upper classmen in Beast Barracks. Because of the problems caused by the early graduation of so many classes due to World War I, the most senior class at the Academy had to be split into two classes to graduate in 1921 and 1922. Those who were to graduate in 1921 (only 17) were sent to Ft. Dix for two weeks training before going on the traditional full-summer furlough after two years at West Point . Those designated to graduate in 1922 went on furlough immediately.

The Yearlings of the Class of 1923 spent the entire summer at Ft. Dix , NJ . There they received Artillery instruction from the 19th Field Artillery, ascended in observation balloons, practiced Cavalry and Infantry tactics, and qualified on Individual and crew-served weapons. But there were bi-weekly hops, a cadet baseball team played Regular Army teams, and on 6 July 1920, intramural baseball, swimming and track competition was begun. On 21 July, the class traveled to a ship launching on Hog Island that introduced cadets to the Navy’s version of “hurry up and wait,” and a few weeks later they visited the Lakewood Proving Grounds, home of the Chemical Warfare Service. Then, on 17 August, it was time to hike back to West Point .

The initial road march started at 0700 but four hours later was halted to set up camp. On the third day, the cadets stopped and toured the nearby campus of Princeton University . On the fourth day, they camped for the weekend at Somerville , NJ . Reveille the following Monday was at 0400 for the mounted portion of the return march. Tuesday was spent at Millington and Wednesday at Morristown , where the cadets were guests at a hop sponsored by the community. Thursday’s encampment was at Pompton Plains , NJ , but by Friday the column had reached Ramapo , NY , and the cadets were guests at another hop. On Saturday, the column proceeded through Central Valley and on to West Point , where the Plebes were lined up in formation as the mounted column of Yearlings passed in review with colors flying.

The members of the Class of 1922, during the summer of 1921, visited Fisher’s Island by boat for coastal artillery training and later were the first class to make a summer visit to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD. There they were exposed to railroad artillery, 16-inch disappearing coastal artillery, rudimentary light tanks, and the Plate Range , a test range for armor-piercing projectiles. They spent a day at Edgewood Arsenal, a center for chemical warfare, and received a tour of the tear vapor (tear gas) and mustard gas factories there. They also visited New London , CT , to learn about submarine warfare, in addition to their training stay at Camp Dix , complete with a welcoming hop, free weekends, and the traditional march back to West Point . The Yearling Class of 1924 traveled to Camp Dix by rail for their training.

On 14 June 1925, the Class of 1926 traveled by ship to Ft. Totten (in the New York City borough of Queens ). There half the class debarked to be trucked to Mitchell Field, while the rest continued on to Ft. Wright on Fishers Island . There, they trained on and fired six- and 12-inch guns and 12-inch mortars while also learning about a relatively new technology, sound ranging. They then trucked to Mitchell Field to learn about and fly in the rudimentary aircraft of the time and enjoy visits to Manhattan and Coney Island . The Class of 1928 did much the same, but they also fired 155 mm and anti-aircraft weapons and visited New London , CT , for a submarine cruise. While at Mitchell Field (now a shopping center on Long Island ), they also visited the Curtiss aircraft plant.

Members of the Class of 1930, who earlier, while Yearlings, observed the filming of “Dress Parade” and “West Point” at the Academy, inaugurated what became known as The Virginia Trip, dividing into three groups and spending time at Ft. Monroe , Ft. Eustis and Langley Field. At Ft. Monroe, they fired large caliber disappearing guns, visited the Portsmouth Navy Yard and toured the battleship U.S.S. Nevada, undergoing refitting. Over a decade later, your humble servant’s father-in-law would be on board that vessel as it attempted to steam out of Pearl Harbor under Japanese dive bomber attack. At Ft. Eustis , the cadets were introduced to railway artillery, and at Langley Field (named for an early aviation pioneer eclipsed by the Wrights and Curtiss) they actually made take offs and landings under the supervision of instructor pilots. During a visit to Ft. Meade , they were introduced to a massive, 40-ton tank. The Class of 1932 did much the same. In a future Gray Matter, we will consider the evolution of training as the nation drew closer to a second world war.

Your humble servant, J. Phoenix, Esquire

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