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Page 4
HELLCAT NEWS
23 March, 1944
& Hellcat flews
Published each Thursday by the 12th Armored Division for the enlisted men in the
Division. Edited by Public Relations Office, published and distributed by Special
Service Office. Republication of credit matter prohibited without permission of
Camp Newspaper Service, War Department, 205 East Forty-second Street, New
York City. All photographs made by the 12th Armored Division unless otherwise
credited.
I
PAT DANE, M—G—M
The Wolf
• jb /
By Sansone
Hey, Blue-eyes' rh boys tell me you're a howl!"
Infantrymen Like To
Have M. G. Protection
Ever hear of the "suicide
squads?" That's what machine
gun squads were nicknamed in
World War I and the name has
somehow stuck, even though it's
open to controversy.
Suicide or not, machine-gunners
give plenty of comfort to the in-
fantryman, who is more than hap-
py to know that light machine
guns, with their tremendous fire
power, are at his side on the line.
For a bird's-eye glimpse of what
a typical machine gun section
does, let's follow the squad of
S-Sgt. Steve Piwok, C Company,
17th AIB through a recent battal-
ion problem.
At nine o'clock on a Wednesday
morning, the battalion moved out
on a tactical road march to an
assembly area where the leaders
gathered together to plan action
on the problem.
It was to be a defense position
on a long hill.. As the companies
moved into different sectors,
Piwok's squad was sent out on its
first important mission to set up
a combat outpost about 700 yards
in advance of C Company, estab-
lishing what would be a delaying
action in case of attack. Piwok
directed placement of the guns to
cover a draw at the bottom of
the hill and the squad settled
down. Darkness came, chow-time
passed and still no change of
orders, until 9:30 p. m. when the
order came to withdraw, eat sup-
per and prepare to move out.
Later that night, the battalion
bivouaced and prepared for the
final phase of the problem, an
early morning attack on the de-
fense position they had set up the
day before.
The light machine guns were
manned all through the night, one
man at each gun, while the other
members of the squad slept.
Next morning, the machine gun
section was on the right flank of
C company when the attack start-
ed. A low hill had to be captur-
ed before the assault against the
main "enemy" defenses could
begin. With one light gun laying
down a protective fire for the
riflemen, the other was advanced
in short rushes and vice versa
until the hill was seized. A nar-
row gully afforded natural cover
in the attack on the main hill,
still on the right flank of a C
Company rifle platoon. The ma-
chine guns, one commanded by
S-Sgt. Piwok and the other by
the second in command, Sgt. Her-
man Ernspiker, were settled just
past the gully when the hill was
won and the problem ended.
Then Pfc. Harlam Showers, Pfc.
S&adce Ctufra
Service Club No. 1
Tonight: Western Movie, 12 AD,
8 p.m.
Friday: Abilene High School
Dance Band, 8 p.m.
Saturday: Open night.
Sunday: Talent Hour, 8 p.m.
Monday: Bingo, 8 p.m.
Tuesday: Special Music, 8 p.m.
Wednesday: Song Fest, 7:30
p.m.
Service Club No.2
Tonight: 12th AD, Concert
Band, 8 p.m.
Friday: Dance, Blue Bonnets,
355th Army Band, 8:30 to 11 p.m.
Saturday: WAC Dance. 11th
Regimental Band, 8:30 to 11 p.m.
Sunday: Symphonic music, 2
p.m.
Monday: Abilene High School
A Cappella Choir, 8 p.m.
Tuesday: Dance, 12 AD Orches-
tra, 8:30 to 11 p.m.
Wednesday: Bingo, 8 p.m.
o
Planes Will Attack
Troops and Convoys
In order that all Hellcats may
become acquainted with the me-
thods and protections against air
attack, all columns of vehicles
and troops moving on and off the
reservation will be subject to sur-
prise bombing and strafing by
airplanes from nearby bases, di-
vision headquarters announced.
This policy will also apply to all
bivouac and assembly areas on
the reservation. Requests for spe-
cific air attacks on columns or
bivouacs must be made through
AC of S, G-3 Air.
Sidney, Raynor, Pfc. Luther Max-
ey, Tec 5 Oscar Sloan and Pvt. M.
Maximov, shouldered up their
guns and returned to their half
track. All this seems tame, and
is—just as long as it is simulated.
—Pfc. Robert Kelder
Male
Call
By
Milton Caniff,
Creator of Terry
and the Pirates
-ff WHY DOW'T V
i THE INPOKMA7
^ AT THE STATIC
LACE ?
KNOW
