Ripley County democrat., 1917-11-09

Announcement Is made by the War
Department that there will be no seri-
GUS delay in supplying any element Of
the army with ordnance equipment,
either small arms or field artillery of
the small and medium callber. It was
added, however. that II may be some
time before an adequate supply of
heavy field ordnance can be provided,
but as the army experts have not as
yet determined Just how much artil-
lery of this type should be supplied,
no definite estimate as to the delay is
available.
As to small arms, the existing sup
ply Of Springfield rifles is being con-
served for the use Of Pershing's regu-
lars, and the arsenal producing Gu
pacity has been expanded so that a
very large proportion Of the troops In
France, IL not all, will go into battle
armed with this weapon, admittedly
the best military rife In the world.
: Big Plants Are Busy.
For the equipment Of National
Guard and National Army divisions
the entire plants Of several munitions
firms, notably the Eddystone plant Of
the Baldwin Locomotive company, are
being devoted to the manufacture of
the British Enfield rife Of most recent
pattern, rechambered for the standard
Springfield ammunition. With this
change the rifle is a more powerful
and more accurate weapon than as II
Is used In the British army. Three
plants engaged In the manufacture OF
the American Enfield are actually pro
ducing the rifles now at the rate Of
several thousand per day. There may
be some delay in getting to the Ma
tional Army divisions a full supply Of
rifles for training purposes, but no'
sufficient to be one of any Importance
as the first several months Of thu
training Of the majority Of the mel
will not require the continual use O.
arms. Such rifles as are available car
be passed around from company t
company. and every unit will be full,
supplied not only with Its weapons
but with ample reserves months be
fore there is any possibility Of thes
forces being sent abroad.
The artillery units Of the Nationa
Army will be given q small number o
guns of the three-lnch calibre as 500
as they are sufficiently organised =
begin handling the weapons. To sur
ply this training equipment regula
and National Guard artillery units sen
abroad 20 forward without their gun
and are equipped on the other sid
with French 75s, British trench mol
tars and practice types Of heavier cal
! bre. II has not been decided as ye
whether the divisional artillery is I
be armed with four-inch or six-inc
I howitzers In addition to the 75 ba
teries. When that decision Is reachet
: however, an ample supply Of thes
weapons for the equipment Of DIV
sions in training at home can D
turned out quicklyiby the arsenan an
!, factories. which are making rapi
!. progress with both calibres.
For Machine Gun 5attaIlons.
Equipment of the machine gun ba
talions Of the National Army will ;
/ with the vickers-Maxim heavy waite
4 cooled gun. Lewis, Browning an
o other types Of light guns are designe
r for use in the machine gun sections
v infantry companies and not for use B
o the machine gun battalions or con
d panies Of regiments, brigades or div
?. sions. The strictly machine gun Q
]. ganization. comprising fourteen M
d chine gun companies to each infal
!. try division, are purely defensi'
% units and for the establishment
semi.fortified strong points Of defen'
olong the divisional front. The Lew
ana other light machine guns inco
n porAted in the regular infantry equi
n ment are for offensive purposes al
u -.