Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 240, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1917 — PRESENT WALL OF STEEL TO ENEMY [ARTICLE]

PRESENT WALL OF STEEL TO ENEMY

American Soldiers Will Be Armed to Teeth When They Go Into Trenches. BAKER GIVES OUT DETAILS One Hundred and Ninety-Two Guns and 480 Trench Knives Added to Equipment of Each Regiment in Reorganization. Washington.—American soldiers will be literally armed to the teeth when they go into the trenches. In addition to the usual rifles, bayonets and pistols with which the men are now armed, there will be added to the fighting equipment of each regiment 480 trench knives, 40 to each company; 192 machine guns, 16 to each company, and three one-pound cannon. Details of the men’s fighting equipment were given in a statement by Secretary of War Baker, outlining the new army organization for overseas service. 27,152 Men in Division. The new organization increased the ratio of artillery to infantry from three to nine, as at present, to three to four. A corresponding increase is made in machine gun strength. In addition, there are sections of sappers and bombers which have important parts to play in the new warfare. The strength of the new organizations will be: Divisions, 27,152; infantry brigade, 8,210; artillery brigade, 5,068; infantry company, 256, and machine gun company, 178. Each infantry regiment will have a strength of 103 officers and 3,652 men. There will be one headquarters, and a headquarters company of 313; three battalions of four rifle companies, each totalling 3,078; one supply company of 140, one machine gun company and one medical detachment of 56. “ The rifle company has 250 men and six officers. It is composed of a company headquarters and two officers and 18 men, and four platoons. Each platoon has twq sections of riflemen of 12 each, or 24 men; one section of bombers and rifle grenadiers of 22 men, and one section of auto rifle of 11 men and four guns. The 178 men of the > machine gun company will be armed with 12 heavy machine guns and four spare guns. Details of Organization. The organization of the infantry division in detail follows: One division headquarters 164 One machine guiwbattallon of \four companies Two infantry brigades, each com- ° posed of two infantry regiments, and one machine gun battalion of three companies 16,430 One field artillery brigade, composed of three field artillery regiments and one trench mortar battery...... 5,068 One field signal battalion 262 One regiment of engineers 1,666 Dne train headquarters and military police 337 One ammunition train 962 One supply train 472 One engineer train 84 One sanitary train, composed of four field hospital companies and four ambulance companies 949 Total „27.152 Each regimental headquarters will consist of seven officers and 294 men. There will be a headquarters platoon of 93, a staff section of 36, an orderlies’ section of 29; a band section of 28; a signal platoon of 77, including a telephone section; a sappers’ and bombers’ platoon of 44; a pioneer platoon of 55 for engineer work, and a cannon platoon of 33 officers and men. Sixteen Kitchens Included. The transportation equipment to each regiment will be 22 combat wagons; 16 rolling kitchens, 22 baggage and rations wagons; 16 rations carts; 15 water carts; three medical carts; 24 machine gun carts; 59 riding horses; eight riding mules; 332 draught mules; two motorcycles with side cars; one motor car and 42 bicycles. There will be 14 machine gun companies to the division. Each of the four infantry regiments will have one, each of the two brigades a machine gun battalion of three companies, and the division will have a separate machine gun battalion of four companies. This gives the division a mobile machine gun strength of ten companieswhich can be used as special needs require, while each regiment still has its own machine gun equipment in one of Its component companies. And in addition there are 48 sections of auto riflemen, each section carrying four light machine guns.