European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday december 31, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 9 instructor hits a new target retirement teacher ends years of making gis feel at Home on the Range by Chris a Saks staff writer Wlsh Skadl a Botzheim. Germany Iran Szymcak was the enemy. He was trying 10 kill in first americans he met. Since then he has helped polish the shooting skills of american troops. Symczak pronounced a Iii Chak retires this week after managing the Small arms shooting Range near the Rhc Niblick Polf course for almost 40 years. It was near the end of world War ii that he fought americans on the Belgium Border near Aachen. He had already parachuted 300 Miles behind the russian lines to sabotage railroads. He fought in the assault on Crete and in Holland. A demolition and Small arms expert in the wehrmacht 2nd airborne div he helped destroy major Bridges at Weer Burg and Budapest. They were Lough fighters sync a said of his unit. They would fight in the last Bullet. They would not but staff sol. Symczak did surrender. The War hah turned against Germany. L Ixo and ammunition were strictly rationed. Sync a said he was getting stupid orders from stupid people to blow up boats on the Rhine. Sync ii decided he would t continue fighting for a Wittst cause. His unit had already engaged american troops in Belgium. On 13 april 1945 i walked Over in the american Side with 12 men he said. It came into my mind what is the purpose to continue a War like this.1 i saw no Way to survive or win. We buried our weapons in the Woods near Wuerzburg. Except for two machine guns and two pistols he said. We were afraid of the is. At this time they controlled the towns and roads. We were afraid that we would gel picked up so we took the weapons to have a Little bit of firepower in Case we got attacked by an is us was to a prison Camp in France to be processed and sent to America. After lie had been at sea n few Days however the War ended and sync 7.ak s ship turned Back for Europe. Sync a who was born in 1920 in Schwenik Prussia was put in a labor company in France. He was later transferred to Germany and released. He went to Wiesbaden because his future wife he Fricda lived there. They now have a 30-year-old daughter. He worked in a military police weapons room for four years then was asked to supervise the Range. Sync aks first Job on the Range was to smooth ruffled feathers. American soldiers and airmen share the Range with German police. The sergeant Man aging the Range had lost a brother in the War and was antagonistic to the German police. We started slowly with picnics and Beer he said. I was Lucky it worked out Good. On both sides there was understanding. They found out they needed each sync a said 20,000 american troops a year were qualifying on the Range in addition to the Ger Man police training. The Range was opened in 1955 for the Rod and gun club on weekends. He estimates now that 30.000 people a year use the Range. Manager Franz Szymczak a penises american airmen tract King firing at the Range he has i Ingui d for years. Szymczak noted some differences in the americans he began training after the War and the americans training today i would say the training is More strict today com pared to right after the War he said i a Grything was a Little bit Loose. I think we be got better riflemen. Today the instructor does a Little bit More to help the individual. Not just train 20, 30, 50 or a 100 people in a class and say of now you re Quali fied " he said training has evolved from shoot till you hit it to a Mure economical method. Instructors spend More classroom time teaching soldiers How to hit a target instead of handing him More and More am munition until his arms after fighting in a european War and train ing soldiers for almost 40 years Szymcak has some thoughts on the m-16 there is no question about the m-16 having a High firepower. The Soldier is Able to carry easily 800 m-16 rounds. With the old Type of round he could carry 300. Maybe 350 rounds. Your m-16 on full automatic is a mean one really a but. In a european War they probably will have to go to the 7.62-Calibcr rounds. For Long Dis Tance shooting and you train snipers to shoot up to a thousand Yards you be got to use a heavy Bultel the m-16 is too Light for such shooting. Hut. For ranges up to 300 Yards there is no doubt them a � is a fantastic a a Rovak said another m-16 advantage is its simplicity. It is easy u train in and to learn on. He has Strong feelings about the military dropping the .45-caliber pistol in favor of the Beretta 9mm automatic the american .45 is one of the finest pistols made in history it is still Good today. Sure the Caliper is a Little too heavy. We know the Bare la is an accurate shooting gun. Probably in the next two or three years we Wal know about More the weapon. It is Loo Early to make a statement about it. What they should have done stick with the .45 and rebuild it to 9 millimetre. 1 find it hard to believe they threw such a Fine pistol away. "1 think the was a Good weapon the p-3h was a Good weapon but still icy cannot beat the .45. Why do soldiers bad Mouth the .45it s a hard shooting gun they say the Caliper is Loo big. It s hard to shoot a Good score with the weapon. Bui when you be got someone trained really trained with the .45. Well they be broken records at International lebanese militias reveal details of pact Beirut up leaders of Lebanon s three main militias unveiled a syrian backed peace agreement sunday to end a decade of civil War strengthen with Syria and eventually give moslem More political Power. The three militia chiefs who signed the Accord saturday in the syrian capita of Damascus met syrian president Hafez Assad separately before revealing details of their Pacl slate run Damascus radio said. The radio then read the text of the agreement the first Between the fighters themselves rather than Lebanon s politicians since the bloody War poll d "1975. The conflict has Cost 100,000 lives. The final text of the agreement the fruit of three months of negotiations be tween the militias called for an imme Diate and comprehensive cease fire with Syria s help while several measures were taken to end the state of War. Despite the Call however Christian and moslem militiamen continued to Exchange sniper fire Over the Green line Battle one dividing Christian Bast Beirut from the mostly moslem West witnesses said. Militia sources said an immediate cease fire would be announced within hours. Syrian newspapers welcomed the agreement As Lebanon s salvation after 10 years of civil War that has left 100,000 dead and devastated Lebanon once the most productive and profitable nation in the Middle East. The 23-Page document also demanded total coordination in foreign policy and the deployment of syrian forces in parts of Lebanon both As a Security measure and to Stop Israel from using Lebanon As a Corri Dor to attack Syria. The present parliament is weighted six to five in favor of the christians in line with Lebanon s 42-year-old system of assigning political posts on sectarian lines a practice considered by Many As the Root of civil War. The agreement however set the length of a so called transitional period at 10 years. Veteran Christian politicians who Are also opponents of Llic Hobika of the Leb anese forces Christian militia have vowed to thwart the militia agreement by blocking it in parliament. Christian president Amin Gemayel has said he supports any peace measures. The document also reduced the Powers of Gemayel against whom the lebanese forces revolted in March on charges that he was too pro syrian. Under the present system based on a 1932 census when christians were in the majority the president is traditionally a Christian while the prime minister is a sunni and the House speaker a shiite mus Lem. The Only indirect reference to Lebanon s palestinian population and a number of moslem fundamentalist groups was a clause saying that All weapons would be collected from All lebanese and non Leb anese without pro syrian militias failed to crush mos Lem fundamentalists in the Northern port of Tripoli in september following a five week War by Nabih Herri s pro syrian amal militia to take control of Beirut s refugee Camps fro " palestinian fighters. The Arm will be returned to its bar Racks where it will be rebuilt with syrian assistance while the paramilitary internal Security forces will be strengthened the document said. The army disintegrated in february 1984
