The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-07-13
THE MILITARY TERMS REPORT OF A BAT
The New Law is Explicit in its Def
milton. Here is a List.

The new national defense act passed
by congress June 3 and just become
effective provides definite figures for
the peace and war strength of the
numerous units composing the vari-
GUS arms of the United States military
establishment
The new law is explicit in it's defin-
ition of military terms frequently
seen by newspaper readers, particu-
larly in news dispatches from the
Mexican border, such as company"
troop" battery" battalion" "regi-
ment," squadron" and brigade" H.
Here is a list of definitions of these
terms and the strength of each unit,
together with the arms equipment of
each branch of the service, as pro-
vided in the new act:
COMPANY-A company is an in
fantry unit composed of 100 men and
three officers (peace strength). There
are twelve companies to a regiment
The enlisted men are armed with ri
1es and bayonets, the officers with
sabers and automatic pistols.
TROOP-A troop is a cavalry unit
having three officers and little fewer
than company of infantry The
number of troops to regiment is
twelve. The enlisted men are armed
with sabers, rifles and automatic pis.
tolls. The officers with sabers and
automatic pistols.
BATTERY--A battery is an artil-
company in general organization, and
having few more than company of
infantry. There areNfour officers. The
held artillery includes the mountain,
light, horse and heavy artillery. There
are four guns in a battery. The Of
ficers wear sabers and automatic pis-
tolls and the men have automatic pts.
tolls. '' ''. t' .|"t. .a5 ri tat1i'.
: BATTALION-A battalion consists
of four companies in the infantry and
two or three batteries in the artillery.
SQUADRON-A squadron is made
up of four troops of cavalry and is the
cavalry synonym for battalion.
REGIMENT the infantry a reg
iment consists of three battalions of
four companies each, or twelve COM
panies; headquarters company made
up of a band of twenty-eight pieces,
regimental non-commissioned officers
and orderlies, machine gun COM
pany and supply company. A cav
airy regiment consists of three squad
rons of four troops each, or twelve
troops; headquarters troop, a ma
chine gun troop, and supply troop.
An artillery regiment contains, six
batteries, some consisting of two bat
tallions of three batteries each, and
some of three battalions of two bat
teries each. There Is also the head
quarters company and supply COM
PAM. .' III a't..it, ''.
- BRIGADE. The typical infantry
brigade contains three regiments of
infantry, and a headquarters. The
cavalry and artillery brigades have
the same number of regiments.
DlVISlON-The typical infantry di-
vision is made up of a headquarters,
three brigades of infantry, one regi-
ment of cavalry, one field artillery
brigade, one regiment of engineers
and one field signal battalion, one aero
squadron, one ammunition train, one
supply train, one engineer train and
one sanitary train. The typical cav
airy division consists of a headquar-
tiers, three cavalry brigades, one regi-
nent of h0cse artillery, one battalion
of mounted engineers, one aero squad
ron, one field signal battalion (mount-
ed, and the supply, engineer and san
itary trains.
ARMY CORPS-An army corps is
similar to a division in construction,
only, of course having larger units
of the various branches of the serv-
ice attached to it.
SIGNAL CORPS-The signal corps
's organized into companies and bat.
talions. 49, ."r.f 81
AERO CORPS-The aero corps is a I
part of the signal corps. Army Off !
Gals expect to make the aero crops
a separate department from the sig |
nal branch of the service.
q At war strength the commands |
mentioned in these figures are in
in numbers of men by about
0ne-third. ....