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Show ' I 1 i J I OAL 4-- Y 2 CL k. a 9 IJugwav, Utah PubllHhcd in tlic interest of the peri ionncl 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 .44 4 4 4 4 4 4 44 4 4 4 4 '44 4 4 by O. N. MalmquLst Least publicized, but not least important military installation in Utah is Dugway Proving Grounds, 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, in an isolated Tooele county valley. Importance of this CWS (chemical warfare service) project is predicated on several factors. It is making major contributions to the effective-- . ness of the United States and allied military machines for which it receives little public credit, because most of its work has been and still is under strict censorship wraps. It is the only proving grounds in the country where tests can be made on a scale simulating actual combat conditions without endangering life and property, and plans are under way to make it a permanent part of the nations defense structure. So far as CWS is concerned, there is no intention of abandoning the proving grounds after the war. The 2 war years it has been in operation have convinced officers its work should be continuous as a preparedness measure and that Dugway valley is an ideal location. Tentative plans and estimates for the permanent laboratories, workshops, living quarters, airfield and other facilities at Simpson Springs, about 13 miles from the temporary structures. Existing buildings would be used, as long as they are serviceable, for field work. what fewer than one-ha- lf the number stationed there now, exclusive of troops sent in for specialized training. The change in site from the floor of the valley to the base of the mountains at Simpson Springs 4 was prompted, because a more livable community 4 can lie developed at the latter place. 4 The permanent setup is, of course, contingent 4 4 upon willingness of Congress to make necessary 4 funds available. But CWS officers are confident that 4 the record, both before and during the war, will pro4 4. vide a vomiteUing case for continuance ofihe t y pe 4 being done there. 4 New Site 4 4 Col. J. Proposed RrBums, who located the site and super4 vised construction of the post, and who has lieen its 4 . 4 commanding officer since it was activated, is sold on 4 Dugway valley as the proper site for the permanent 4 installation. for a 4 Summarizing the 4 proving ground for modern-da- y requirements military weapons. 4 Col. Bums said: It must lie isolated to avoid danger 4 ..4 to life and property. It should be close to a railhead, 4 provide a wide range of temperatures and a variety 4 of 4 physical conditions. Dugway fills the bill on all 4 count. 4 The valley is uninhabited, except for the proving 4 4 ground personnel, and 450 square miles are available 4 for testing the effects of destructive explosives and 4 chemicals. More territory Is available if needed. The 4 seasonal 4 temperature range is 100 plus to 20 below 4 zero. And the change "within a. 4 time of the year ranges around 40 degrees.period this 4 4 The terrain offers a choice of shifting desert sands, 4 rolling hills or rugged mountains. Snow4 bnishlands, is fall heavy in the nearby mountains, but very light 4 in the 4 valley. In brief, the CWS can test there for . 24-ho- 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 : 4 4 4 4 -- 4 4 4 4 : . . 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 fay Proving? Ground Friday, Mar. 12, 1982 CTY One gun, developed by CWS at Edgewood arsen. al, Md., and extensively tested at Dugway, was the 4.2-ichemical mortar. Loaded with phosphorous (for incendiary effect and smoke) and high explosive, it has been nicknamed the Goon gun because of its devastating work on Goon hill in Italy. . ' J A Uf - - v . '',- - fj-- ifit 's ' V a '' ' x 1 ts L 'Mm. V K' ' s ? s . . ' ' S '" . i. Weapons Tested A comparatively new type petroleum jell bomb, which has been highly effective, received its testing at Dugway. A village was built there, simulating construction in certain enemy territory to determine by actual bombing what it would do in combat. ? ? 128 m The famed Bazooka gun, which Col. Burns . worked out in association with others prior to the war, was given a thorough testing at Dugwiay. As previously noted, work at Dugway is necessarishrouded in secrecy because it deals with developly ment and testing of new weapons. The foregoing examples cited can be mentioned now only because they have been in service long enough to be familiar to the enemy. Some of the things going on there now will make their effects felt oh the fighting fronts in due time. And if the U.S. has some surprises up her sleeve that sieeve might well be the Dugway Proving Grounds. Col. Bums and his . many of whom are from universities and scientists recruited top ranking industrial laboratories, are demonstrating the worth rs, . or worthlessness of ideas originating in other branches of the army, the navy, private industry and allied nations. The proving grourick is concerned not only with development and testing of new and more effective ways to destroy, but of protecting against the means of destruction. One of the important functions on the defensive side is carried on by a medical research department. Col. Bums points with particular pride to the WAC at the proving grounds. It was the 1st detachment assigned to a military post in Utah and, in the opinion of the commanding officer, richly deseryes w-wo- rk 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4. 4 4 4 4 4 V mm n. 4 4 4 4 .4 4 4 Of VI3J r.y?:i! . Complement 4 .Personnel 4 It Ls contemplated the new post would have a per4 sonnel complement of between 300 and 500, some- 4 4 4 4 4 & ' 4 4 4 i CTATc War Success Owes Much f To. Dugway Proving Ground 4 4 4 & ?? Pic. Richard Blumberg, Dugway proving grounds, demonstrates the Goon gun, a weapon developed by chemical warfare serv- - - Site They are doing an excellent job, said the colonel, and we hope to get more of them. At JLhe present the detachment numbers 140. Col. Bums first came to Utah looking for a proving grounds site in January, 1942, a few months after he returned from the Philippines. He was given the as- signment by Col. Morris E. Barker, then chief of CWSs technical division and now head of the che- . . ur combat conditions approximately those of the Sahara desert or northern Manchuokuo. Popular Misconceptions One popular misconception about Dugway Proving Ground is that its exclusively concerned with gases. The fact is, that testing and proving work is carried on and only with all sorts of gases and chemicals, lint with a wide variety of guns, bombs, incendiaries, smoke and otherweapons. . Porter, long had wanted to establish a proving grounds where testing could be done on a combat scale, but necessary funds had not been available in peace years. With the assistance of U.S. grazing service person- nel and local residents. Col. Bums looked over a numlier proposed sites and quickly decided on Dugway valley. The name Dugway was taken from an old map (published in 1903) supplied to Col. Bums by .the late Harry S. Joseph, civil engineer and mine operator, who had prospected and mined in the area for many years. Nearby Dugway mountains generally were lmown by that name, but the valley had almost lost its identity, so far as the public was concerned, since the old Lincoln highway was abandoned in favor of the cutoff across the salt flats to Wendover. The old highway passes a short distance from the executive building and some of the old wooden bridges and signs still are standing. (Reprinted from Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 8, 19-t-t-) It Is a 4.2-inc- h chemical mortar, and was nicknamed because of its devastating work on Goon hill in Italy. Army-Take- s inspection of the western Utah area. The U.S. war. department Friday To be an exempted station not obtained 150,000 acres of western under command, of the Ninth corps Utah federal range lands for use as area has been designated as the area, chemical warfare proving grounds, Dugway Chemical Warfare Proving Lieutenant Colonel J. R. Bums anGrounds, and will be under the nounced after a series of conferences with U.S. grazing service officials and supervision of the chief of the chemical warfare' service in the war inspection tours of several sites. of the for release department. Arrangements .Colonel. Bums will have command federal grazing range were completed of the area and the operating personBums . Colonel with Friday, morning which will be entirely military. of lands nel, chief and J. II.. Leech, acting Facilities, both housing and recrea in the grazing service, making a final mical warfare school at Edgewood arsenal. Col. Barker, who has been with the 5th army, visited the installation for the first time last week. The CWS, headed by Maj. Gen. William N. -- ' at Dugway. Over Vast Area ' ; ice. and tested tional, will soon lie const meted at the site, said Colonel Bums. Release of the area, sa;d Mr. Leech, will have only a negligible effect upon grazing operations. Only a small number of livestock would have grazed the area and this use will lie absorbed, said Mr. Leech. Danger zones in the area will lie carefully posted when operations begin, said Colonel Bums. The Sait Ijake Tribune, Sunday, March 8, 1942 by perminion. . , Dear Colonel Carruth: The personnel of Headquarters , U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command offer their congratulations on the 40th anniversary of U.S, Army Dugway Proving Ground on 1 March 1982 . U.S. Army Dugtcay Proving Ground has established an enviable record of ef-ftcien-cy and perThanks its to dedicated formance. high-qualit- y military and civilian personnel and their conscientious execution of developmental testing , we all can be proud of the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Grounds performance in keeping the U.S. Army the best equipped Army in the world. This Headquarters encourages you to continue to meet these high standards and bids you our best for meeting them in the future. Sincerely, John J. Koehler, Jr. Major General, U.S.A., Commanding loved aft B y With the entry of the United States in World War II following the attack on Pearl I Iarbor in Decemlier 1941, the Department of Defense was aware of the necessity of increasing military capabilities in all areas. y chemical Recognizing the need for a large-scal- e and biological testing area, several officers and enlisted men were detached to Salt Lake City to find a remote site that would provide for tests with no possible danger to populated areas. After investigating several sites, a large area in the Great Salt Lake desert region, 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, was selected. On Feb. 6, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, by Executive Order 9953, withdrew 126,720 acres of land from the Public Domain for use by the War Department as a Chemical Warfare Range. On Feb. 12, 1942, Dugway Proving Ground, named for the nearby Dugway Mountain Range and the valley to the east, was officially established. Soon after, the War Departments Special Order . Number 42 designated Major John R. Bums, who was one of the original survey group, as Command ing Officer under the Technical Division of Chemical Warfare Service. On March 1, the new commander announced the activation of Dugway Proving Ground. Shortly afterwards, a base of operations was established at Simpson Springs, site of the old Civilian Conservation Camp. Government Well, now Ditto Technical Center, was chosen as the site of the main camp. ITans were developed and construction began on March 5, 1942. Some of these original buildings are still in use, although most have been replaced by more modem structures. More land was allocated in April of 1942 which increased the installation area to 268,400 acres. By summer 1942 limited testing was already being conducted and rapidly expanded into full-sca- le operations. For testing purposes, replicas of German and Japanese buildings were constructed as targets for incendiary bombs. Caves were dug. to simulate a. well entrenched enemy where flame throwers and various high explosives shells could be studied. Published by the Transcript-Bulleti- n Publishing Company, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Army. Opinions expressed Perhaps the most important work ever done at Dugway was the development of the M2 4.2 inch chemical mortar. This proved to be one of the most feared, respected, and versatile weapons of World War II. Armed with high explosives and white phosphorus, it was used against the Japanese cave defenses with striking success. Near the end of the .war, it was standardized as the M4 4.2 inch Recoil-les- s chemical mortar with shell (I IF) M6. Aerial spraying of toxic agents was another important project of this period. In addition to the development of toxic agents, antidotes, remedies and various types of protective clothing were tested and eventually produced. In September, 1943, a group of Navy officers was sent to Dugway to study field trials in progress. They were officially designated as the US Navy Chemical Warfare Training Unit, with responsibility to the Navy for research and training in offensive chemical warfare, and their work progressed up until November of that year. On Oct. 5, 1943, biological warfare facilities wer.' established at Dugway. These facilities were under by writers herein are their own and are not to be considered an official pression by the Depari ex- - of the Army. The appearance of the jurisdiction of the Assistant to the Chief Chemi- cal Officer for Biological Warfare. A separate installation was constructed near Granite Peak during the latter part pf 1944 for the purpose of carrying out special work connected with the biological warfare activities. This installation was approximately 30 miles west of the housing area. Because of its isolation, the research station was equipped with its own power generator, living quarters, warehouses, laboratories, medical facilities and other items necessary for its existence. To simplify the administrative work connected with the property, all buildings and utilities were incorporat- -' ed into the records of Dugway during September of - 1945. In July of 1944, Operations Headquarters were constructed. This special building contained offices, a technical library, a printing room, a vault for classified information, a briefing room and work rooms for draftsmen and other technical assistants. The new control center made it possible to centralize the staff for detailed planning of field test (Continued on page three) advertisementsinserts in this publication doesnot constitute ment by the Department of the Army of the products or services advertised. . . |