The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-29
MILITARY STRENGTH OF STATE
ONLY 3,799 men in NATIONAL
GUARD AND naval VOLUNTEERS
How the Units Are Disposed With Number of Enlist
ments and Required Enlistments to Bring Organ
izations Up to Full Fighting Strength.


and 3. 274 enlisted men. For war
service it is required to have
strength of 21O officers and 6,413 men.
1t Is thus short sixty-two officers and
S.lS7 enlisted men of the number
which it will have to have after it
is called out by the president. High
Officerslin it believe it will be called
out in the near future, and the call
will include all it's units.
On the standard of peace strength,
which is technically required at pres
ent, the military force of the state
makes a fair showing. 1t is weak
in the number of officers, but not so
weak. in the number of men. Peace
strength now required is 1873 officers
and 3,460-enlisted men. War strength
viii be obtained by recruiting.
ouantitively the Connecticut Ma
tfonal Guard is below par; from the
standpoint of quality it stands high.
Its value to the government in case
Of trouble was enhanced fully SO per
cent. by it's service at the border last
3 summer. Adjutant General George
M. Cole says. Its morale he calls
splendid. AS an efficient fighting or
ganization it stands close to the top of
all the National Guards Of the coun-
try. 1t has been praised highly by
army officials for it's showing at the
border. But it needs men.
The guard is fully equipped, ex-
Jcept in tents, for peace strength.
Units in it may not be 50 equipped to-
day. but all the necessary supplies are
4 on hand and they are being distribut-
ed as quickly as possible. Equipment
for war strength is being considered
and it will not take long to get it.
1t will be different National Guard
from that called out last June that
will be called out this spring. It
will be partly different in personnel.
because of the many designations Of
officers, it will be modified in a diff
ferent manner and it will have had
training in the field. Under the ma
tonal defense act Of June 3, 1916, it
may be drafted, into the federal SER
vice by the president and will not
have to he mustered in. From the
moment the presidents proclamation
is read to it, it passes out of the
hands of the state.
It is likely that it will be held in
armories after mobilization and not
sent to Mantle, as it was last June.
From the armories it will probably
be transferred to training camps.
Where these will be or what part
tn estate camp at Mantle will play
in the matter, is conjecture. Cen
eral Wood has been looking over pos
sible sites for training camps in New
England, however.
The guard is below the minimum
strength required by the federal gov
ernment, but it, is being recruited to
that strength. Recruiting recently
has been more productive Of results
Than formerly; enlistments are be-
coming more numerous; partly, it is
believed, because of the international
situation. -
The militia bill passed by the gem
eral assembly at its present session,
to make the state law conform to the
national defense act and the state
troops to the requirements of that
act, provides that any organization of
the National Guard which, in time
Of peace is below the required
strength may be filled to that strength
by means of drafts in the town or
city where the organization is locat-
ed or in adjacent, towns or cities.
The drafting provision has not been
put into effect because of the COM
! paratively shall difference between
present actual strength and because
of the belief that this difference
s would be made up soon by enlist
ments.
When the guard is called out, it will
be recruited to war strength. This
will be done, as it was last summer,
ny the government, through National
Euard officers. It is believed the
auard will be filed to war strength
IN a short time AS for the shortage
of officers, that is largely due to the
Afact that many are waiting for exam
nation. required by the government,
before they receive their commissions.
There are about sixty of these Off
Gers who will be examined in Hart
ford and New Haven, early in April.
The Connecticut National Guard,
outside OF the adjutant-general's, in
spector-generaIs, judge advocates
and ordnance departments, consists of
a quartermaster corps, a field hospi-
tai company, an ambulance company,
a dental corps, radio company, two
troops of cavalry, two batteries of
field artillery, thirteen companies of
coast artillery, two regiments of in.
faf1try and separate infantry COM
pany.
A regim/ht of infantry consists of
twelve lettered companies, divided in
to three battaions, and a machine gun
company, a supply company, and a
acknowledgements It has col
onel, colonel and three
majors one for each battalion. The
Coast artillery has a colonel, a lieu
tenant colonel and three majors, in
addition to the company officers The
other organizations have no officers
; higher than captains.
The present strength of organiza-
tions, the present required peace
strength and the required war
strength are shown in the following
table:
Present
"Es 5a1e Strength
Officers. Men
First regiment ...... 35 818
Second regiment ....... 38 936
Troop A .............. 70
Troop ............... II
Coast artillery (13 COM
panies) .............. As 332
Field artillery e battal-
liOns) ............... 234
Radio company ......... 70
Field hospital /. ~. -. 81