CHAPTER XIV 



FIELD ENGINEERING 



Value of Field Engineering , 



In wartime „ when there Is urgent demand for new and im- 

 proved devices j it becomes necessary for the engineer to leave 

 his laboratory and 30 into the field „ The battlefield takes 

 the place of the peacetime proving groundo In modern war, the 

 advantage lies with the nation that can most. quickly develop 

 and introduce the best new and improved weapons and counter 

 weapons o Because of the war's urgency;, the periods of de- 

 velopment and utilization must often overlap „ 



Equipment for fighting men whose lives may depend upon 

 its performance must meet a dual requirement „ It must be 

 dependable and rugged enough to operate beyond normal main- 

 tenance periods In the types of gear dealt with by Division 6 s 

 It might have to be designed to withstand the effects. of pres- 

 sure when submerged; or the corrosion of salt water; or the 

 effects of tropical fungus growths; or the pounding of ship 

 or airplane vibration; or the shock of depth charge explosions „ 



On the other hand, equipment must also be adaptable to 

 manufacturing techniques common to mass production, must be 

 capable of easy repair or replacement of parts It must not 

 be too difficult to operate, and not be tricky in. perform- 

 ance o It must be designed to be readily integrated with other 

 shipboard or airplane equipment 



The engineer and research worker have a personal as well 

 as professional and patriotic interest in the proper design 

 of war materielo For the shortcomings of a single piece of 

 new equipment may not only cause a fighting man to lose con- 

 fidence in its effectiveness, but also cause him to lose con- 

 fidence in researchers and the whole research program c 



But the interest of the engineer does not end with de- 

 sign In developing new equipment or devices, there is a 

 complementary responsibility upon him to see that installation 



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