an officers’ mess and recreation facilities, for example—were excluded. There was little impression of luxury… in the early days [at Solomons]. Water flowed for half an hour night and morning. Conveniences, if they may be called so, were beneath a mining town level. … [Concrete] sidewalks did not exist; the resultant mud was adequate preparation for the trials with the mud of North Africa. There was no getting the wet mud off a shoe. … In the vestibule of each barracks was a shovel, conveniently placed there for that purpose.2 Once the program was up and running, the base was frequently manned above capacity. Morale was hampered by minimal leave time, and when leave was granted, the men found there was little to do at the remote location at the tip of Solomons Island. Sources of fresh water were scarce and the needs of the sudden influx of thousands of men caused conflicts with local residents—all vying for the same wellwater. During winter months, men going AWOL became a problem, which was aggravated by the lack of regular roll calls. The mechanism by which large numbers of incoming and departing personnel were handled was inadequate. Typewriters were endlessly churning out the necessary
Two M-4 Sherman tanks motor from an LST through the calm shallow surf at Cove Point. Overhead a Grumman F4F “Wildcat” performs simulated air cover. paperwork to process as many as 18,000 transfers and reassignments per week. With the appointment of Lt. Cdr. Camp as base commander and Lt. Cdr. Barret as executive officer on 7 December 1942, improvements to the base and training program began in earnest. Temporary quarters were built to offset crowding, and the training program was increased to ten weeks. Books and equipment began to arrive and finally the training program galvanized. The ATB now offered two distinct
Cove Point, Maryland, to the west. Landing craft and troops are in view on the beach. SEA HISTORY 166, SPRING 2019
curricula; one each for Landing Craft Tank (LCT) and Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) crews, including instruction in seamanship, navigation, gunnery, communications, and tactics. After physical and psychological examinations, trainees took classes in maintenance engineering, demolitions, firefighting, first aid, aircraft recognition, shakedown procedures, and “beachmaster” operations. The ATB also offered courses for cooks, bakers, administrative specialists, and stores specialists. Tactical training included familiarization with mockups and practice in combat loading, boat lowering, beaching of vessels, assisting stranded vessels, docking, and salvaging. Morale continued to improve with the publication of a newsletter, The Beachmaster. The graduation exercise, Operation Quick, involved simulated day and night assaults, as Admiral Hewitt wanted practice for the Torch landings. In an early October 1942 exercise, an “attacking force” landed at Cove Point. The troops were ordered to establish a beachhead and silence enemy shore batteries, and evacuate (simulated) casualties back to the transports. Planes roared overhead, lending support to the landings, while smoke barrages covered activity on the beaches. After a simulated bombardment by naval vessels and aircraft, 2
Cole, Cradle of Invasion, p. 13.
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