The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-07
COULD PUT 100000
MEN IN THE FIELD
Uncle Sam Could Act i'm a
Moments Notice
PLANS WORKED OUT
Six Years Have Been Devoted to Sys-
tenn Which Prevents Any Such
Confusion as Experienced
in the Past
by G. Il. sTEwART

Washington. November 6-(Specia1.
war plans of the army ordnance de-
partment Is completed, and for the first
time In the history of the country IL is
declared, Uncle Sam is in readiness at
a moments notice, to arm and equip 500-
900 men to send into the field in the event
OF war with first class power. These
plans have been worked out in the past
SIX years through the systematic and I'M
remitting labor of Lieut.. Col. j. T..
Thompson of the ordnance department
under the direction of Brig Gen. VIII
liam Crozier, chief of the bureau.
Colonel Thompson points out that his
war plan" is based upon conditions as
they would actually exist in the event
of hostilities. The line of the regular
army would be increased to its maximum
enlisted strength, as provided for by
law; the entire organized militia of the
country would be mustered into the SER
vice of the United States, at full war
strength, and the remainder by the en-
listment of volunteers.
The war plan as now completed pro-
vides that this force shall be armed and
equipped at concentration camps before
the different units are sent TO the scenes
of operation.
Tables and Maps Prepared
For coordination tables and maps have
and the organized militia. for each arm of
the service, their present strength and the
number of troops required to bring each
arm to war strength as well as the num-
Der and kind of volunteers to be raised to
complete 100000 troops. The various in
creases needed in each branch of the SER
vice are shown on a map which Is d-
vided into five ordnance supply sections
corresponding as follows: Sections Nos.
and 2, eastern department; section 8,
southern department; section 4, central
department; section s, western depart
ment. The number of sets of equipment
of the different kinds required can thus
be very closely approximated The exact
number of arms and equipment of every
kind to be held on hand at the supply
arsenals throughout the country is then
determined.
Field Supply DepOts
The department has also worked out a
system of division filed supply depots.
Each depot has the necessary personnel,
TOOLS ordnance stores and supplies es-
timated as sufficient for maintaining for
six months a complete division of infan-
try or cavalry or auxiliary army troops.
These division depots are so arranged that
several may be combined into a regular
army depot.
The systems includes kilograms, let
ters and various orders which would need
only to be dated and signed, In the office
of the chief of ordnance in order to set
the machinery of equipment in operation.
The general staff of the army deems the
new 'war PLAN as applied to ordnance so
valuable in the expeditions placing OF
properly equipped troops in the field on
short notice, that 1t has directed other
departments such as engineers, quarter
master corps. medical department and sig
nal corps to prepare similar systems.
1t is declared that the great confusion
and long and tedio" delays in equipping
and arming troops that was experienced
during the preparation for the war with
Spain would be impossible under the new
war plan."