Morning Register Des Moines, Iowa
W&CsShow I Driving Skill In Bhxckoutl
Sixteen WAC convoy drivers put out the headlights of their vehicles on a Musty? road Thursday night a$d started back to Fort Des Moines with only two bobbing, red pin points of light on the cars ahead to keep them on the road.
The only additional light the drivers had in this demonstration of blackout driving was furnished by a cloud-covered moon and myriads of fireflies.
No Light at All. The driver of the lead car, whose job was to lead the convoy home, had no light at all to aid her. She had only the sharpness of her eyes with which to pierce the blackness of the road. The six mile trip over the unnamed country road took the convoy approximately 60 minutes. When camp was reached the convoy drivers were weary-eyed. The clothes and faces of approximately 60 passengers for whom the demonstration was held, were caked with dust. They were members of an army sponsored driver education course, which ended Friday.
The command and reconnaissance vehicles, jeeps and staff cars which made up the convoy, lined up on the grounds of Fort Des Moines about 8:40 p. m. By the time the names of the convoy drivers had been called off and passengers assigned to their seats, darkness had set in.
Blackout Lights.
Each vehicle, with the exception of staff cars, was equipped with four blackout lights. In the rear were two red lights, one each on the right and left sides. In the front, similarly placed, were two bluish white lights.
Each red light had four dots. If a driver came too close to the car ahead, she saw four dots; if she was too far back, she saw only one dot; and if she was at the correct distance, two dots. The convoy pulled out of camp around 9:10 p. m. with headlights and blackout lights on the cars lit. When the dirt road was reached, the lead driver gave a hand signal to the convoy to | spread out.
The convoy made an average I speed of 25 miles an hour while headlights were on. Dust in the I road swirled up into the cars, getting into passengers' faces, clothing and eyes. Drivers, nevertheless, kept their eyes on the road at all times.
Thick Dust.
At times the dust became so thick that the outline of the car ahead could not be seen.
At road junctions, WAC military policewomen were on duty with red-hooded flashlights to see that none of the cars wandered away from the convoy. They had been taken out to their positions a short while before the convoy started and were picked up after it had gone by.
"The convoy cars kept their headlights on until they had made a complete circuit of the road. Then the command was | given to halt and the headlights! on the cars were extinguished. |
15-Minute Pause.
The drivers were given approx-i imately 15 minutes to accustom; their eyes to the darkness before the convoy started moving again, this time with only blackout lights on.
Under blackout driving conditions, the speed and distance between each vehicle was reduced. The ride back to camp was without incident. The WACs handled their cars as expertly as if it were broad daylight.
Morning Register Des Moines, Iowa
W&CsShow I Driving Skill In Bhxckoutl
Sixteen WAC convoy drivers put out the headlights of their vehicles on a Musty? road Thursday night a$d started back to Fort Des Moines with only two bobbing, red pin points of light on the cars ahead to keep them on the road.
The only additional light the drivers had in this demonstration of blackout driving was furnished by a cloud-covered moon and myriads of fireflies.
No Light at All. The driver of the lead car, whose job was to lead the convoy home, had no light at all to aid her. She had only the sharpness of her eyes with which to pierce the blackness of the road. The six mile trip over the unnamed country road took the convoy approximately 60 minutes. When camp was reached the convoy drivers were weary-eyed. The clothes and faces of approximately 60 passengers for whom the demonstration was held, were caked with dust. They were members of an army sponsored driver education course, which ended Friday.
The command and reconnaissance vehicles, jeeps and staff cars which made up the convoy, lined up on the grounds of Fort Des Moines about 8:40 p. m. By the time the names of the convoy drivers had been called off and passengers assigned to their seats, darkness had set in.
Blackout Lights.
Each vehicle, with the exception of staff cars, was equipped with four blackout lights. In the rear were two red lights, one each on the right and left sides. In the front, similarly placed, were two bluish white lights.
Each red light had four dots. If a driver came too close to the car ahead, she saw four dots; if she was too far back, she saw only one dot; and if she was at the correct distance, two dots. The convoy pulled out of camp around 9:10 p. m. with headlights and blackout lights on the cars lit. When the dirt road was reached, the lead driver gave a hand signal to the convoy to | spread out.
The convoy made an average I speed of 25 miles an hour while headlights were on. Dust in the I road swirled up into the cars, getting into passengers' faces, clothing and eyes. Drivers, nevertheless, kept their eyes on the road at all times.
Thick Dust.
At times the dust became so thick that the outline of the car ahead could not be seen.
At road junctions, WAC military policewomen were on duty with red-hooded flashlights to see that none of the cars wandered away from the convoy. They had been taken out to their positions a short while before the convoy started and were picked up after it had gone by.
"The convoy cars kept their headlights on until they had made a complete circuit of the road. Then the command was | given to halt and the headlights! on the cars were extinguished. |
15-Minute Pause.
The drivers were given approx-i imately 15 minutes to accustom; their eyes to the darkness before the convoy started moving again, this time with only blackout lights on.
Under blackout driving conditions, the speed and distance between each vehicle was reduced. The ride back to camp was without incident. The WACs handled their cars as expertly as if it were broad daylight.
