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s3Wartime Censorship LiftedFrom Camp Ritchie Activitye-yi*»yr-leteiei-rtWashington county’s most hush-hush wartime secret —what went 011 at Camp Ritchie during recentyears—is a secret no more, following relaxation of government censorship on activities at the G-2 military intelligence training center during hostilities.Censorship was so strict that men stationed there were not permitted to identify themselves as connected with Military Intelligence, and newspapers were requested not to mention the camp by name. Now that the war is over, details of the activities there are being released, and were told by James H. Bready, writing in yesterday's Baltimore Sunday Sun.The countless stories, legends, and rumors that sprang up locally about Camp Ritchie sometimes had at least a partial foundation in truth. The noed for secrecy, however, made it impossible to debunk totally false impressions eountians gathered from chats with men stationed at Ritchie, and third-hand reports.For instance, assignment to Camp Ritchie was far from easy to obtain. If a soldier showed undue eagerness to go there, he was immediately placed under suspicion. Selection was made from any arm of service by traveling boards, and a confidential investigation made of every man's patriotism to the United States was made.Classes at Ritchie usually numbered between 300 and 500, split into sections of about 40, with about one officer to each six enlisted men. A new class started its eight-week course each month.The province of G-2 covers the organization, techniques, capacities and intentions of the enemy. Broken down from this, the following led among Ritchie interests: reading aerial photographs, interrogating enemy prisoners of war, thwarting and seizure of enemy intelligence agents, enemy order of battle, advance survey of terrain, and procurement of military information from friendly alien civilians.Charges of “softies” addressed toward Ritchie men came only from those who didn’t know the facts. The two-day and eight-day field exercise problems at Camp Ritchie were usually pronounced tougher than Paramushiro or Pii-zen by veterans who had beenthrough both.The harder field exercise, the two-day, consisted of sending out a dozen-man patrol to find its way in all weather about a 30-mile course circling the mountains about the camp. Each- of the 19 stations which must be reported to could be found only through a compass azimuth. Worst of all, Ritchie personnel thought, was the frontal ascent of High Rock, a far cry from the process when tourists used to visit the edifice. Broken legs and ankles resulted from nearly every running of the problem during the winter, when ice added to the perils.The eight-day problem consisted of hurling back an imaginary invasion of the Atlantic seaboard, complete with a sound-track recording of actual combat noises.The hills and forests surrounding the camp will be giving up souvenirs of the war for years to come—-C-ration cans, spent cartridges, and forsaken tent pins.Those who have not visited Camp Ritchie since the war began would notice instantly the changes there. Beyond the .main gate now are a new theater, PX, and chapel. The rows of stone cookhouses just above them were made over into classrooms. Above, on the hillside, are new army barracks, and yet behond, two huge stone mess-halls. Up the draw has blossomed a large quartermaster compound, and across the lake is another new cluster, principally officers’ quarters, WAC quarters, and the hospital.Bready credits Ritchie graduates with turning in “shqewd, thorough work of outstanding aid to G-2's at divisional and higher levels in appraising the enemy situation and in advising field generals thereupon”Brig. Gen. Charles Y. Banfill was in charge of the camp from the time it was taken over by G-2 until he was given a Pacific assignment in the fall of 1944. From his name, the word “Banday” was created, since every eighth day rather than every seventh was a holiday for Ritchie men.Nationally and world famous men and women were stationed at Ritchie from time to time—Man Mountain Dean, the w’restler; Julian Green, American-French novelist, and many others.nitisitc«Stitriblt;Plt;mRwun
Newspaper Details
Morning Herald
Hagerstown, Maryland, US
Mon, Dec 17, 1945
Page 1
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 05 Aug 2018
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