We continue with Part 2 of the series.
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL TROPHY INFANTRY TEAM MATCH
By Hap Rocketto
Major General Charles Stewart Farnsworth had been appointed the first Chief of Infantry in 1920. He took his job seriously and was in the forefront of improving all aspects of the branch encompassing issues as broad as education, budget, equipment, training, morale, and as small as details in uniform accouterments. Farnsworth was instrumental in the creation of the Infantry's crossed musket branch insignia when he declared that, "…an excellent device for the infantry would be the oldest American infantry musket. (http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/crossed_musket.aspx )
As a result of his insistence, a pair of crossed 1795 model Springfield Arsenal muskets, the first official United States production shoulder infantry weapon, today adorns the lapels of the Class A uniform of every United States Army Infantryman.
Farnsworth's attention to detail meant he would cast a wide net in his search for a suitable trophy for the proposed Infantry Match. In the aftermath of the Great War communities across the nation were rushing to erect suitable monuments to veterans living and dead. One of the most popular statues was the "Spirit of The American Doughboy," created by Edward Viquesney, nearly 150 of them being erected about the country. The statue is an exquisitely detailed bronze of an infantryman aggressively striding forward, rifle in his left hand, while his right is held above his head clutching a hand grenade.
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| The United States Infantry Association Trophy |
Lack of a trophy did nothing to slow down planning for the new match that made its debut in 1922, as part of the National Rifle Association program, as match number 27 entitled “The Infantry Match-A Combat Problem.” Pages 55 through 58 of the 1922 National Match program covers the event in exquisite detail from its philosophy, conditions, targets, procedures, ammunition, time limits, scoring, penalties for failure to follow signals during the advance, eligibility, classification of teams, and awards. Trophies and medals were awarded to teams representing active duty services, the various National Guards, civilian teams which included those from the Civilian Military Training Camps, and school or college teams which also encompassed Reserve Officer Training Corps of those institutions.
In lieu of a public address system the firing was controlled by the senior range officer who had a man with a telephone, for communication with the pit, and a musician who played “Attention”, “Halt”, “Commence Firing”, and “Cease Firing” on a trumpet to control movement and firing. There was also a “semaphore,” a paddle or flag displayed from the pits, to help in controlling the team's movement
An Infantry Match team consisted of two fire teams of five men each representative of an infantry squad of the day, less its automatic rifleman and grenadier, under the command of a “corporal.” Each man in the squad, with the exception of the corporal, was issued 60 rounds of ammunition. The rifle is not mentioned but is assumed to be the service rifle which was, at that time, the Springfield 1903. A pair of teams would then advance from 500 to 200 yards in 25 yard increments.
The target was 36 feet long and six feet tall. Starting at the top was a strip one foot wide worth one point and under it was another with a three point value. In the center area of two feet, were six “F” silhouette targets upon which a hit counted for ten points while shots in between were worth five. Two more foot wide strips at the bottom completed the target with the upper worth four points and the lower two.
Using the basic Evans Skirmish Match rules a team's goal was to reach the 200 yard line in the shortest time with the most efficient use of its ammunition supply. Simply put the winner of the match was the team that moved the fastest, had the most number of hits, the most men left standing, and the fewest number of rounds expended. It was perhaps fitting that the first team to win the match was the team representing the Infantry. (National Rifle Association, National Matches 1922, The National Rifle Association, Washington, DC, 1922, pages 55-58.)
The Marine Corps would be conspicuously absent from the Infantry Trophy Match during its early years. The Marines felt, having already won the 1922 National Trophy Team Match, that, “The match had admirable qualities, for it is designed to give value not only for accuracy of fire, but also proper fire distribution. … However, to win the Infantry match required special training. Because of this, the Marines, who came in second to the Infantry in 1922, did not participate in the event in the following years.” (Barde, page 131.) The Marines preferred to concentrate on the National Trophy Team Match, considering that the more prestigious event, and would win it seven times before they returned to shooting the Infantry Trophy Match in 1936, a year in which they won both.
The match regulations and conditions would remain the same for the next three years but there would be no Infantry Match in 1926 as Congress, citing a poor economic climate, declined to provide funds for the National Matches. A reduced shooting schedule, with limited Federal assistance, would be conducted at six regional sites approved by the War Department. The bulk of the events would be fired at the regional match conducted at the National Guard facility at Sea Girt, New Jersey while matches
at Fort Screven Georgia, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Wakefield, Massachusetts, and Harrisburg, Ohio took up the remaining slack. (National Rifle Association, The National Matches: 1903-2003 The First 100 Years, The National Rifle Association, Washington, DC, 2010, pages 127-128.)
The course and conditions would be tweaked again in 1931 when it was decided to begin the match at 600 yards and restore the ammunition allotment to 60 rounds per man. The scoring also changed, the removal of 'killed' rifleman was dropped. In its stead, a target struck was simply pulled into the pits. The scoring system was changed with the first mention of bonus points via “squaring.” The number of targets hit, squared, would be added to the value of hits on the targets to determine the team's score. If 80% of all exposed targets were hit then an additional 50 points would be awarded for that stage. (National Rifle Association, The National Matches 1931, The National Rifle Association, Washington, DC, 1931, pages 53-54.)
The 1931 program also made it crystal clear that the Infantry Match was a simulation of battle when it unequivocally stated that, “The Infantry Match is a combat problem and no protests involving disabled pieces or ammunition failures of any kind will be allowed.”
As the financial crisis of the Great Depression deepened, Congress' cost cutting scissors clipped the 1932 National Match funds from the War Department's budget. To keep the spirit of the National Matches alive regional events, based on Army Corps areas, were scheduled, just as they had been in 1926. The Infantry Trophy was not scheduled for any of the eight sites and when no appropriations were made in 1933 or 1934 the same situation existed. The National Matches returned to Camp Perry in 1935 but, with limited monies available, the Infantry Trophy was not funded.
End of Part 2 - Click here for Part 3
