Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-04-21 | Page 2 | Peeps,Army's Midget Vehicles, Prove Tops in Combat Duty

i Bantam Bantam Cars Scurry Through Rough Desert Country Like Quail 1 Hl kW M A V m i V n.- n. LN w j i S oN p r T MI v 1 0 vy 5 y H 0 r p. p 31 6 Ai d Rr S Il d r e n 4 a S I y t e r rS r'S S PEEPS PROVE THEIR WORTH IN ARMY TRAINING CENTER SOMEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA Associated Press Photo Cars pound over er over I gulley gulle sand and brush Be Behind hind them hidden by dust by-dust dust rolls a group croup of tanks i I Peeps Arm Army's Arms s Midget V Vehicles Prove rove T Tops ps in in Combat Duty u DESERT TRAINING CENTER Somewhere in California Ap April il 21 UP You'd You'd You'd never believe it seeing them scooting around city city ity streets on military police duty But those bantamweight I peeps peeps are combat vehicles too Peeps speedy and more maneuverable maneuverable maneu- maneu in rough country than almost almost al- al most any motorized vehicle except tanks are used to rush heavily armed infantry to strategic points Low and squat they can be hidden in a dip in the terrain They speed through gullies and over or around obstructions that would stall a reconnaissance car or troop truck ruck In a simulated attack directed by y Major General George S. S Patton Patton Pat- Pat Patton ton Jr who bossed American tanks anks in France in 1918 peeps flowed through and over this rough desert countr country like quail And they were almost as hard to distinguish distinguish dis dis- dis- dis among the cactus sagebrush sagebrush sage- sage brush Drush and juniper Peeps arent aren't the only mobile equipment being tested in this new tank corps training center General General Gen Gen- eral Pattons Patton's outfit comprises medium medium me me- and light tanks of the type the British praised for dependability dependability dependability depend depend- ability fire power and general superiority in Libya reconnaissance reconnaissance reconnaissance sance cars troop carriers an and li self-propelled self artillery including g the new heavy tank destroyers Gen General ral Pattons Patton's rapidly expanding expanding expand expand- ing outfit is here Ito to learn an and d perfect desert w warfare under unde r tough exacting conditions It has ha s square miles miles miles-a a range 18 0 miles long and 90 wide wide wide-in in which h to operate There are few landmarks s so o troops travel by compass or navigate navigate navi navi- gate at night by the stars 0 On overnight maneuvers soldiers eat canned rations heated over desert stoves made of small cans filled with gravel and drenched with gasoline They sleep in slit trenches two feet deep designed to protect them from being crushed should enemy tanks pass over