European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 25, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                              S the stars and stripes december 1964 special proficiency run inaugurated for squads 8th Tiff dive 3rd brigade holds 2 weeks of Baum older tests Germany special the army combat units throughout it Runny at All and Levels undergo or annual training to determine their combat readiness and the Worth of their past visits platoons and squads Are All hut it is extremely difficult to determine exactly the com cml readiness of any sized unit under Only simulated conditions of acl Tisil the commander must know the abilities and capabilities of his men in their various organic unit and he must construct As nearly perfect a set of test conditions As is possible in col George co of the 8lh inf i Jive 3rd so a division first this month by putting every squad in brigade through proficiency testing which was graded not by company or battalion As is comm my the but by a strict Anil demanding brigade can Tail month of prior planning a month of prior Liy More hum 30 us scr he direction of majors Norman Lammes and Hurnard treated perhaps the must exacting practical examinations for the brigades s5 has been Ghchi in Usai inuit until at any the divisions 1st and 2nd brigades Are soon to follow suit on the Ards the two weeks of Cislini it the divisions Kilimi Holder re Servallos also involved live fire training for the brigades troops on All weapons in the modern hut the squad tests were the key and it heightened spirit of  Competition arose in the squads and sustained enthusiasm throughout the bitterly cold we Uther and first heavy snows of the each battalion offered awards for its highest some it was a week off for others u three Day what evolved was a determination Umont the infantrymen themselves that they would take Home the and thai at least they would prove their battalion against the no Way can beat us one trooper from co 2nd 13th when informed that up to that Point in the grading a a Quad from the 2nd 87th was top summed up the competitive juror theres no Way top summed up the competitive i at All an 87th squad can beat us the squad is 11 including squad they Are 11 men whose individual performances must be demonstrated and ii men who Mutt perform perfectly As a single effective weapon with in Ita numerous reactions to unexpected tactical they Are highly Mobile and heavily but they must have a mind for the traditional problems of resupply and the maintenance of precise today infantry squad is As much As Ever the Backbone of Tyllo but the demands on u Are greater than Ever As an individual fighting Man and a member of the squad the infantryman is not just a Man with a gun but an integration of professional bit of everything he is a bit of everything a communications a special weapons a tracked vehicle a combat and of he u also ready to assume the leadership of the the Ord brigades recent fax brisk involving More than Moo demonstrated to Casey that there was a need for re emphasis on squad level squads and squad leaders through out the brigade have spent weeks in local areas running through squad assault courses in preparation for the Baum older the grading was divided into phases of lest inn which covered aver 1m Points of performance along the assault orders of All communications and the relay of mounted and dismounted the utilization of All capabilities for conservation of and reaction to intelligence data and unexpected situations were but some of the Points of few most passed and some the tests were con ducted with live in addition to the physical performance of the squad in its an important part of the scoring was accuracy of the course had Popup targets interspersed across the Woods and gullies which often stayed up and receded realistically up a Hill or into a Wood inc before falling faced every combat situation these unexpected aggressor attacks could mean test failure for squad that was not at perfect the squads faced every situation expected in modern artillery dogged their tracks Progress along Muddy and the appearance of Lank or anti tank situations could mean a drastic change of route or just As Laracu were graded for ammunition supplies were counted at the completion of the and precious Bonus Points could be gained by conservation of the Ord brigades intention was not to create a Fine but record of Brilliant achievement for its but to accurately test their one indication of the Stringency of the grading is that it will be almost another month before u recheck cd score can be tabulated and the winners at lost indication the 2nd 13th had walked off with the Lions share of the the 2nd 3rd co 2nd 13th was ahead of All Comers for High squad honors set for january the elated squad sgt James with his will receive due Honor at the 3rd brigades Headquarters sometime in the 2nd 13th also garnered ninth and 10th place squad first and second place platoon and top company honors went to co the brigades other two mechanized infantry the 1st 3tth and the 2nd s7lh competed in the the tells have established a system which will he followed up and improved the squad fans out along a employing cover to push the attack against a squad from co 2nd 13th to stay line during the All to Robert the on