Show army strives to take some of the risks out of warfare soldiers taught how to avoid accidental injuries in battle ordnance specialists call it bridance brisance bri sance A layman would call it the shattering power of a detonated e explosive but whatever you call it its terrifically dangerous controlled brisance bridance bri sance kills the enemy uncontrolled by rules of safety it kills and In maims airris americans to speak of safety methods in in connection with the grim business of waging war sounds incongruous yet the ardys ordnance department its ground forces its air air forces and its service forces have piled up an amazing safety record in time of war for example look at the score in the nations three score government owned contractor operated explosive producing arsenals under supervision of the U S army ordnance department in january 1941 less than 11 million pounds of powder and explosives plo were produced in the U S three years later in january 1944 we produced more than a quarter of a billion pounds of explosives and during those three years our total production was nearly 6 billion billion pounds incredible as it may appear in handling the most powerful explosives plo known to man some so sensitive they must be transported under water others so potent that a small amount penetrates five inches of concrete it is nevertheless a fact that there were only injuries during 1943 throughout till all these installations in america nor is this safety program confined to civilian workers our men in uniform have benefited greatly from modern safety methods no one would describe the job of a soldier on active wartime duty as a 11 safe job yet granting that the soldier risks his life constantly in the performance of his duty the army makes sure that he does not risk it needlessly gun tubes for example which must resist high pressures yet must K ag A i A twisted or broken ankles ankle can disable a soldier as effectively as an enemy bullet Ameri american citti fighting men learn how to jump from a moving vehicle and land without injury this is only one of the many tricks taught in army training camps also alio be light for easy aiming and transportation are tested with excess pressure rounds before acceptance to insure their safety in the hands of the troops now our projectiles are bore safe they cannot explode within the gun reflecting this c confidence in the safety of their weapons our I 1 me men n are now regarded as the finest marksmen in the world escape hatches in tanks the combat crew inside a battle tank cannot have and do not expect to have absolute safety but the army sees to it that within the limits of normal battle hazards they are protected from unnecessary risks tanks are provided with hatches on both the top and bottom surfaces for easy escape regardless of the position of the tank new automatic controls reduce drivers fatigue seats are cushioned against shock and are provided with safety belts padding is placed at many points to avoid dangerous impact shock forced ventilation cools the tank interior in summer heat and drives off toxic gun gases during combat accident prevention however in no way impairs the effectiveness of our fighting men the war department said A hard hitting tough bodied army continues to be our objective there are fewer sprained ankles wrenched knees or sprained backs in our field armies of today because safety training programs have taught men how to jump correctly from relatively great heights with rifles and pack men lifting various heavy object in the field do to without injury because they idere were taught how during training courses 1 our realistic training methods are actually safety methods experience has shown that the average recruit is as frightened by battle anoise noise and battle confusion as he is by bullets such a soldier becomes excited Fx excited cited perhaps fires his rifle unintentionally perhaps kills or wounds his own comrades instead of the enemy such a soldier is unsure of himself nerve taunt jumpy on army infiltration courses bat tle tie green soldiers are taught how to crawl across rough terrain through barbed wire while machine machi ne gun bullets whiz above their heads and TNT charges explode nearby like enemy land mines graduates of these safety in battle courses are no not t likely to suffer needless wounds or r needless death they know that in in crawling it is vital to keep the head and body down that a smart soldier crawls under barbed wire not over it that a soldier whose weapon is not clean and ready to function when needed is a soldier most likely to become a casualty mention the word doughboy to most persons and they think of a man with a rifle and a bayonet that may have been true in previous wars but it is not true in this one safety training and practice in the army ground forces goes a long way beyond this basic rifle and bay onet conception of the american foot soldier weapon training adds to the soldiers chance of survival by making him versatile with a great many more weapons than his rifle among these are hand and rifle grenades combat knife automatic pistol machine pistol carbine automatic rifle three types of machine guns two types of mortars flame thrower bazooka mines and booby traps bangalore torpedo and other demolition equipment most probably the individual infantry infantryman man will vill never be called upon to use all these weapons in combat but he he may at any time be called upon suddenly in an emergency to use any one of them the knowledge and facility gained during training increases powerfully the safety factor protecting the uniformed roan man in battle jn in addition the army ground forces protects its men in the field by careful instruction in battle and field sanitation in personal hygiene in the safe use of drinking water and in defense against diseases caused by insects insect and parasites even so small a thing as the common foot blister is not ignored in army safety practice fewer air corps accidents equally insistent on the highest possible safety standards in the dangerous business of waging war is the army air forces training command during the first six mon months of 1943 a total of million military flying hours were logged in continental tin U S during the same pe period od in 1944 the total was million despite this impressive increase I 1 crease of more than hours fatal accidents and death totals were actually reduced furthermore the improvement is continuing in july 1944 1914 the accident rate tor for training type planes was the lowest yet recorded during july in the continental U S trainees in undergraduate pilots schools logged an amazing total of flying time in PT and with only one fatal accident t graduate P pilots blots operating combat type type airplanes in transition i schools and in the replacement training training units established safety records too pilots in B 17 flying fortresses achieved an all time low in crack ups also in J july lily 1944 there were only two fatal accidents in in the high speed 1325 13 25 billy mitchells Mit chelis this is not the safety record of a commercial airline or even a com merical truck fleek fleet but the safety experience of a gia giant nt air force en in the motto of the army has never been safety first in army parlance safety is knowledge army airmen airmen achieve safety because they know typical is t the e procedure for forced landings in water which includes how to s wim swim through fire rubber boats and how to handle parachutes defense against sharks cautions to take against wind precautions prec of hazards weather and the hundreds that confront me men n adrift in airmen know how to water open conceivable precaution take every landings or any of jungle in case I 1 other type of ian landing ling which may lead to danger or difficulty be hazards cannot in war great avoided but brair trained led and disciplined knowledge of those ha hazards z 1 with a mer men avoid and the know how to of them have I 1 or to overcome some greatest organized the one of developed of all time gan iced safety programs |