RIFLE PRACTICE—RIFLE AND PISTOL COMPETITIONS.
RIFLE PRACTICE.
In recent years the Marine Corps has devoted a great deal of time
and energy to rifle practice, believing that one of the first
requirements of a soldier is to know how to shoot. During the period
of the war target practice was given special attention, and in 1918
it was announced that no enlisted men would be sent overseas who had
not qualified as marksman or better. This announcement created even
greater interest than before in target practice among the enlisted
personnel and gratifying results were obtained on all rifle ranges.
The Marines that arrived in France were educated riflemen, but
despite that fact rifle ranges of some character were established and
used in every spot of France and Germany where the Marines remained
long enough to make it feasible and practicable to do so.
The percentage of marksmanship qualifications of the enlisted
personnel of the Marine Corps on various dates, in the American
Expeditionary Forces and in the United States was as follows:
--------------------------------------------------------+-----------
Date and place. |Percentage.
--------------------------------------------------------+-----------
Entire Marine Corps, Apr. 6, 1917 | 48.0
Marines of American Expeditionary Forces, Nov. 11, 1918 | 68.1
Entire Marine Corps, Nov. 30, 1918 | 67.1
Entire Marine Corps, Mar. 1, 1919 | 66.0
Marines of American Expeditionary Forces, July 1, 1919 | 81.6
--------------------------------------------------------+-----------
The number of marksmanship qualifications of the last six years in
the Marine Corps was as follows:
--------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------
Classification. | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919
--------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------
Expert rifleman | 596| 883| 1,287| 1,709| 6,019| 7,851
Sharpshooter | 2,749| 2,536| 1,984| 2,373| 8,932| 10,642
Marksmen | 757| 1,471| 2,594| 6,011| 14,826| 21,918
+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------
Total qualified | 4,102| 4,890| 5,865| 10,093| 29,778| 40,411
Percentage | 0.415| 0.493| 0.591| 0.379| 0.670| 0.828
--------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+-------
RIFLE AND PISTOL COMPETITIONS.
During the period of the war the Marine Corps rifle teams, teams
representing Marine Corps units, and teams partly composed of
Marines, engaged in seven important competitions.
(_a_) The National Rifle Association and the national matches held
at Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1918. Marines won the following National
Rifle Association matches: Members’ match, 300-yard rapid-fire match,
Wimbleton cup match, Marine Corps match, President’s match, and the
grand aggregate; and took second place in the Leech cup match and
the 200-yard rapid-fire match. Of the national matches, Marines won
the national team match and United States Service match; took sixth,
ninth, eleventh, twelfth, twenty-sixth, thirtieth, sixty-seventh,
sixty-eighth, sixty-ninth, and seventy-first places in the national
individual match; took second place in the national individual
pistol match; and three Marines were among the first hundred of the
individual pistol match in which there were 942 shooters entered.
(_b_) The National Rifle Association and the national matches held at
Caldwell, N. J., in 1919. The members of the 1919 Marine Corps rifle
team squad made a splendid showing in the rifle matches, outclassing
their military and civilian competitors in almost every match held.
The Marines won 13 matches out of the 16 in which they were entered;
civilian riflemen took 2 events; and the Cavalry 1. Marines won the
following matches: Company team, enlisted men’s team, member’s,
Marine Corps cup, rapid fire, regimental team, veteran team, two-man
team, President’s, grand aggregate, national individual, United
Service, and the national team. Four Marines were on the American
Expeditionary Forces team, which took second place.
(_c_) The twenty-sixth annual Sea Girt interstate tournament held at
Sea Girt, N. J., in 1919. The Marines won 14 of the 18 matches in
which they were entered, winning the following matches: Hayes, Meany,
Spencer, two-man team (New Jersey), Wingate, Libbey, all-comers
expert, Cruikshank trophy, Rogers trophy, Sadler trophy, Dryden
trophy, McAlpin trophy, Roe all-comers long range, and Sea Girt
championship.
(_d_) The American Expeditionary Forces rifle, pistol, and musketry
competition, held on the d’Avours range at Le Mans, France, in May,
1919. The first three places in the individual rifle competition were
won by Marines; a Marine won the individual pistol match; the Fifth
Regiment of Marines stood first in the regimental standing, followed
by the Thirteenth, Sixth, and Eleventh Regiments in seventh, eighth,
and eleventh places in the order mentioned; a Marine won first place
in the individual automatic rifle competition. The Second Division
led all other divisions.
(_e_) The Inter-Allied championships held on the d’Avours range at
Le Mans, France, in July, 1919. The American Expeditionary Forces
team, on which were four Marines, defeated all nations. A Marine took
second place in the individual rifle match.
(_f_) Third Army championship (Amaroc shoot) held on the rifle range
at Wehr, Germany, under the auspices of the Third Division in June,
1919. The Marines and the Second Division won most of the honors in
this competition.
(_g_) A special Inter-Allied rifle competition for five-men teams
on a 300-meter range near Paris, France. France won and America was
second. Two Marines were on the American team.