The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-22
RE0RGAN|zING THE ARMY.
IMPORTANT ALTERATIONS MADE
IN ARMY UNITS-EURO.
ROPEAN PLAN USED.
Company Hereafter to Consist of go
Men and Six Officers; Division OF
1900.

washington, Aug. lO.-COmplete
reorganization Of all branches of the
American army to conform with Eu-
'opean countries, as recommended
'y Major General Pershing, is pro-
Vlded for in army orders revealing
'hat the, recently announced division
"i reorganization plan is to be car
ried down into the regiments and
The administrative unit of the in
1antry arm hereafter will be a COM
pany with $50 enlisted men and six
commissioner officers. in place of
something over 100 men and three
onhcers. The company will be divided
INTO four platnoons, each in command
Oh lieutenant. There will be two
captains as first and second in COM
mand, one first lieutenant and three
second lieutenants. Reports of tho
review of American troops in Franco
yesterday show that this plan already
has been carried out in General Per-
shings forces.
The object Of assigning two cap
tains to each company, 1t is UNDER
stood, is to provide against disor-
ganization of the unit through the
loss of it's commander. The second
captain, under the European system.
does not go into battle line with the
company, if his senior is present He
is held as a reserve to reorganize the
company if necessary. Under the new
plan each regiment will have three
battalions Of four companies, making
total of 5000 men. Supplemented
by the regimental headquarters, sup
ply and machine gun organizations.
the strength of the new regiments
will be brought up to approximately
$500 mon as against little more than
1000 in existing war strength regi-
ments.
The unit organization of the field
artillery and other arms of the SER
vice has not been changed.
AS result of reducing the number
of regiments in a division, the di-
vision instead Of $4,000 men will to-
tai hereafter about 10000 men, 49,
600 of them infantry
The advantages of the system in
addition to the better adaptation of
the divisional unit to trench warfare
lies chiefly in the reduction in over
head expense. One colonel and his
regimental staff, including his three
battalion commanders, now will ham
die $500 men instead of a little more
than 1000.
Today's orders show that provis-
ion has been made for organization
of 32 new infantry divisions in addi-
ton to the regular divisions out of
troops already called to the colors,
including the first increment of 687,-
600 drafted men. system Of nu-
merical designations has been worked
out under which any division number
below 26 will be regulars; between
26 and IS National Guard and 76
and above National Army Regular
infantry brigadcs will be numbered
from 1 to so. inclusive; National
Guard from 81 to $50 and National
Army from Isl up. Regular regi-
ments will he numbered from / to
100, National Guard from 101 to 800
and National Army from 3O1 up.
Assignments of brigade, regimental
or other numerical designation will
be in accordance with the numerical
order of divisions with the result that
any person familiar with the system
will know that the three hundred
and thirty-fifth infantry, for in
stance. is attached to the one hun
dred and siXty-seventh brigade of
the eighty-fourth infantry division
and that it is composed of National
Army troops while the three hun
dredth infantry regiment. by the
same process would be i'm the one
hundred and fiftieth brigade and the
seventy-fifth division, composed Of
National Guard troops.
The department approved today
collar sigma to designate the three
elements of the army. Regulars will
wear the standard L. S. Monogram;
National Guardsmen will wear a sim
ilar monogram with the initials n. G..
superimposcd and National Army
men will have the initials n. a.
superimposed on the u. S.
PRESIDENT PREPARES FOR AC-