When I was in training in Ft. Bliss in 1954, we were taken to
some gun range to see some action.
using radar and computer guidance:
120 mm guns were firing at a (radar reflective) sleeve being towed by some plane
quite high, maybe 12,000 feet? Lots of noise, not very impressive results
75 mm "SkySweepers" shot at RCATs not very far away,
poor RCATs - a couple of bangs and that was it.
Then a single B-36 came by, quite high, and dropped some 500 pound bombs.
After a long wait for the bombs to fall -
BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,
BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,
It seemed forever!! I like fireworks, but sure got tired of BANG!!, BANG!!,BANG!!, BANG!!,
That plane sure held a lot of bombs!!! Those bombs sure were LOUD!!!
And they weren't that close - but my ears ring just thinking about it.
Cheers
Ed Thelen
|
One day I was up in the observation tower watching the gun crews take their turn at firing at an RCAT. A gun fired and the RCAT suddenly changed course. It curved around and headed directly toward the tower. The tower had an open ladder of about 20 feet. I didn't think I would have time to make it down and could have been hit on the ladder. I just laid down on the opposite side of the tower. The bursting of the shell damaged the controls of the RCAT and it crashed off to the side of the tower. I mentioned to you that the shells had a radio-detonating proximity fuse that would explode the shell within 20 feet of the target.
I'm just wondering if this could explain some of the things you find.
Victor
|
I remember about half the time we were socked in and you can only do so much maintenance so we did a lot of card playing. Mine was hearts. One time we were firing at a towed sleeve and the pilot radioed to us to back off as we were crawling up his cable. His cable was steel and our radar moved from the sleeve to the cable and was getting closer than he wanted.
As I said we were a 75 MM unit and were stationed at Loring AFB on site defense of the SAC airbase up there but they sent us to Wellfleet for target practice.
Bob
|
|
The rcat batallion in 1956 had a young corporal who had been through the NCO academy, which at the time awarded a special swagger-stick to graduates. He carried the damn thing everywhere. And, he liked to point it at you, and even JAB at you with it to make his point.
Well, the troops got tired of that, and one day the swagger stick disappeared.
Some many weeks later, as the stored inventory of rcats had been worked through to some extent, they one day flew one that had been repaired many weeks earlier, and place in the storage.
When that plane flew, and after its mission the chute opened, there hanging below on a piece of rope was the swagger stick.
He never pointed it at anyone again.
Bob Howell |
|
| When I first got to Camp Wellfleet, another GI and I went down to the water's edge. I glanced at the ocean and then started looking around. I noticed that the other guy just stood there staring at the sea. He looked. He looked. He just kept on looking. I started looking at him looking. Then I finally remembered that he was from Kansas and had probably never seen the ocean before. I had lived along the Texas coast most of my life.
Victor
|
Thank you for asking if I had any requests about Cape Cod. That made me put life in perspective. Some one wrote "You can't go Home". I never read the book but I think I know what it's about. The Cape I knew really isn't there anymore. A girl I cared about is now a grandmother (if alive) after having six children and no telling how many grandchildren.
Have a good trip. Happy hunting.
Victor
|
I have to tell you that when I was a kid, spending summers at the cape, I spent time at the camp watching them shoot the drones. We chased a drone when it crashed one day over by coast guard beach. I have an old shell casing that a solider gave me when I went to camp wellfleet as a kid. We used to watch them bomb the target ship. A friend of mine lost his finger at camp ground beach when a ordinance washed ashore and he tried to take the pin out. As a teenager, I used to hunt in the camp. I am totally amazed if you found that drone in 2007. My friends go cross country skiing in the camp and I think its great you found that.
Regards,
DJ Scholl
|
Saturday, August 23, 2008
|
LACONIA — Men of Battery C (of the 744th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, 197th AAA Group) and of the 281st Army Band, both of Laconia, were undergoing two weeks' annual training at Camp Wellfleet on Cape Cod, 50 years ago this week.
The big story at the encampment, according to The Citizen in 1958, "was the speed in which the Granite State's Guardsmen had their new M-33 acquisition and tracking radar system in operation. The great majority of the group had not even seen this new intricate equipment before they had come to camp."
The M-33 "is designed to cope with modernized aircraft and missiles."
The units "were given classes on the systems on Sunday. By Tuesday morning they had been all set up and completely test-fired — an accomplishment which the Regular Army advisors did not expect to be achieved until late this week."
Adding much to the morale of the troops "is the stirring music of the 281st Army Band, NH ARNG. It is led by CWO Ray L. Ladieu of Laconia."
The "fine music of the 281st greets the N.H. Guardsmen as they wake up in the morning. In addition to playing at reveille and at other routine camp functions, the Laconia bandsmen presented a special concert Tuesday night at the Service club. It will also give a concert ... on 'Visitors' Day.'"
|
|
|
