Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-08-18
U. PICKS GUARD
TO GO ABROAD
70 States and Districts Con-
tribute to Force.
CALLED RAINBOW DIVISION"

Reading, Lancaster, Easton and Beth.
lehem Companies to be Part of First
National Guard to Go.
The first Of the Pennsylvania
national guardsmen to 90 to France
TO face the Germans will be four
companies of the Fourth infantry,
from the heart Of the "Pennsyl.
Vania Dutch" country.
The war department announced the
makeup Of n division of national
guardsmen which will be the first of
such troops to be sent abroad.
1t Will be based on the French or.
ganizatton system, recommended by
General Pershing for trench warfare
whereby tho division, with all auxiliary
troops, is made up of less than 10000
men, instead Of the $4,000 under the
present tables Of organization in the
United States service.
This division will be made up of
troops from twcnty-siX states and the
DlStrct OF Columbia, and was prompt.
~ dubbed "the Rainbow Division" In
Washington because OF its COMPOSITE
makeup.
Discussion Of tho time and Mace OF
mlo1lization or Of It's departure for
France are not permissible undor the
voluntary censorship, but 1t Is inferred.
from the tone Of Washington despatch.
cs, that It's departure will not be great.
ly delayed
The four Pennsylvania companies
chosen. composing the third battalion
OF the Fourth infantry, are Company T.
stationed at Reading; Company X, sta.
toned Mt Lancaster; Company l., sta
toned at Easton, and Company NJ, sta.
toned ut Bethlehem.
Many of the men OF these companies
are more familiar with that quaint
patois Of interior eastern pennsylya
MIA known as Pennsylvania Dutch"
than they arc with English, and have
been brought up in surroundings and
among customs running straight back
to the Fatherland.
They are valiant fighting men; como
OF stock which proved itself many
times on battlefields OF the civil war
and In engagements OF the Spanish
American war and last summer on the
border showed themselves to be good
soldiers. In one company Of the same
regiment. that from Hamburg, Pa,
most Of the conversation is conducted
In German, and In Texas last summer,
El Paso visitors to the camp we're as
tonishcd occasionally to hear the off,
GERS give orders In German.
1t Is expected the Pennsylvania bat
TALON will be commanded by Major
Quinton o. Reitzel. Of Lancaster, semi
or major o. t!,c. Fourth, who has had
special machine gun training for the
past few months at Fort Sill, Oklaho
ma.
The four companies will become the
machine gun battalion of the division
and will be numbered Machine Gun
Battalion 149. Other states contribut
ing to tho division will be Louisiana
Wisconsin, New York. Ohio, Georgia.
Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana Min.
nesota, Maryland, South Carolina, Cali.
fornia, Missouri. Virginia, North Caro-
lima. Kansas, Texas, Michigan, New
Jersey, Tennessee. Oklahoma, Nebras.
ka, Colorado and Oregon.
The New Jersey contingent In the
division will be the First Ambulance
Company of New Jersey.
Brigadier General w. A. Mann, OF
the regular army, now chief of the di.
vision of military affairs &C the war
department, has been appointed to the
command of the division, and will be
made major general. His chief of
staff will be Colonel Douglas MacAr.
thur, son Of the late Lientenant Gen
eral Macarthur.
The division will be known as the
forty,second Of the army. The second
separate troop OF cavalry of Louisiana
will be division headquarters troop.
The Pennsylvanians will be the divis.
ion machine gun battalion.