Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-06-07
A DIVISION

What is an army division? The
Dayton, Ohio, News says:
"The average man doesn't realize
what it means when he speaks of
sending a division of soldiers to
France, as is SO frequently men
toned. A division is not an import
ant matter in comparison with the
armies now fighting, but it will still
surprise the average man to know
what it consists of.
"a division is composed Of three
infantry brigades of 1859 officers
and men; one field artillery brigade
of 4,O3O officers and men; one regi-
ment Of cavalry of 1879 officers and
men: one field signal battalion of
259 officers and men; one aero
squadron of It's officers and men and
twelve aeroplanes. But this is not
ALL not by any means.
"There must be medical depart
ment with a division, and consists of
125 officers and 1882 enlisted men to-
gether with .forty-eight ambulahces.
If the division is provided with wagon
trains, then it must have 1909 wagons
supplemented by sixty-seven motor
trucks. If the division is motorized,
only 493 wagons are used, but SIT
motors are necessary. There are
ninety-two officers with the wagon
train alone.
GAS for animals-horses and mules
it requires 4,616 riding horses, and
2218 draft horses, and 1875 mules
for draft, riding and pack purposes.
Twenty thousand rifles and $500 re-
volvers is a part of the equipment, as
is also fifty three-inch guns, twenty
six 3.S howitZers carrying a thirty
pound shell, and number of machine
guns, the exact number not having as
yet been fixed. All told, there are
nearly thirty thousand officers and
men connected with a division, and
with the wagons and teams it forms
a marching column twenty miles long.
But when you have strung your
division along twenty miles of road
way, you are by no means complete.
There must be hospitals and work
shops, or tentage and lumber for such
things. There must be shoemakers
and saddlers and carpenters and
blacksmiths with their forges and
equipment There must be provision
for foodstuffs for man and beast.
Somewhere in the world there must
be at least a hundred and fifty thou
sand people looking after the division,
including those who raise the food,
those who transport it, those who pro-
vide the clothing and munitions and
medicines-about five persons in civil
life are required to look after one sol
der in action.
ITO equip division requires all
outlay of about $9,000-and the cost
is increasing every day. To maintain
it costs other millions, depending of
course upon the campaign Nine mil
lion dollars must be spent, however,
before the division is properly equip
ped or before it sees days service.
The equipment of an ordinary field
artillery of four guns costs hundred
and ten thousand dollars.
when one reflects upon the size
and equipment and cost Of equipping
single division Of troops, he can
imagine something Of the magnitude
of the struggle in Europe. In single
engagement the other day the Ger
mans threw twenty new divisions
into the struggle, to try to save the |
day-and failed. Upon several oc-
casions the dispatches have spoken of |
eight or ten divisions being put out |
of business in single engagement,
thereby that the troops were