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On December 8 2002, the Army Ground Forces Association (AGFA) members John Lassiter,
Shawn Welch provided a living history display at the Annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance
hosted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House in Warm Springs,
Georgia. Many veterans were also in attendance to include Mr. Leon Beck, a veteran
of the 101st Airborne Division who served in Normandy and northern Europe in
1944-45.
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The displays focused on equipment and materials common to units assigned to
the Hawaiian Department in 1941-42. Major focus was on Infantry, Engineer and
Coast Artillery units with special focus on the arms and equipment of the individual
soldier.
A small arms display which included one of each of the following weapons: M1
Garand .30 caliber rifle, M1 .30 caliber Carbine, M1903 Springfield rifle (.30
cal), M1903 National Match (.30 cal), M2 .22 cal Springfield training rifle,
T-38 6.5mm Japanese Arisaka rifle and associated bayonets.
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A TV/VCR combination was used to show various training films demonstrating all
infantry small arms from the M1911 .45 caliber pistol through the M1918 155mm
howitzer. Also shown was a training film demonstrating the service of the 12-inch
M1895 seacoast rifle on M1917 long range carriage.
Field "mess" equipment was displayed including an officer's mess chest
which included all utensils normally associated with meal service. A coffee
pot was kept full for the participants and heated using a M1941 field stove.
A comprehensive field communications display included a BD-71 six line field
switchboard, EE-3B, EE-5 and EE-8 field telephones, a BC-611 "walkie talkie"
and a SRC-300 FM backpack field radio. Within the commo display was a group
of field desks that also had a functioning EE-8 field phone as part of the display.
The phone was connected to the BD-71 switchboard. A vintage and fully functioning
typewriter was also present and paper was provided to allow people the opportunity
to see what using a manual typewriter.
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The Coast Artillery displays included a M1910A1 Azimuth (fire control) instrument,
it's associated electrical equipment, a functioning Time-Interval bell used
to time the fire control system. Communications equipment unique to the Coast
Artillery was also displayed, including two EE-91 wall telephones from the 1941
period, a EE-71 wall phone (from the 1920's and used throughout WWII), and a
EE-31 wall telephone (first standardized in 1914 and also used into WWII). Various
handsets and head sets were also on display. All coast artillery phones were
connected to the BD-71 switchboard and this afforded the public the ability
to experience each phone and its inherent strengths and weaknesses of design
and functioning.
A Coast Artillery ammunition display included a 16-inch, 2,240 pound Mk-12 armor
piercing projectile (fiberglass), 16-inch power bag, inert 3-inch shell and
projectile and inert primers and powder tags in a display case.
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Sights for the big guns were also present. An M31 sight for 6-inch, 8-inch and
16-inch barbette carriages was displayed in a wooden mount. Displayed on the
table was an M1904 sight which was commonly used on all guns mounted in disappearing
carriages (6-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch) and many early barbette carriages.
Photos courtesy Shawn Welch.
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