Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-11-16
TO SUPPLY Arms
WITHOUT DELAY
War Department Says Supplies
-, Will Be Forthcoming.
Big PLANTS ARE kept BUSY
May Be Some Time Before Adequate
+ Supply Of Heavy Field Ordnance
! Can Be Provided, But Other Equip
ment Will Be Ready When They Are
Needed.

D.
nent Will Be Ready When They Are
Needed.
! 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 caliber. 1t was
added, however, that it 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 ca
pacity has been expanded so that a
very large proportion Of the troops IN
France, If not all, will 60 into battle
armed with this weapon, admittedly
the best military rifle in the world.
Bio Plants Are Busy.
For the equipment Of National
Guard and National Army divisions
the entire plants of several munitions
firms, notably the Eddystone plant or
the Baldwin Locomotive company, are
being devoted to the manufacture OF
the British Enfield rifle Of most recent
pattern, rechambered for the standard
Springfield ammunition. With this
change the rifle Is more powerful
and more accurate weapon than as 1t
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 full supply OF
rifles for training purposes, but not
suficient to be one Of any importance,
rs the first several months Of the
training of the majority OF the men
will not require the continual use OF
arms. Such rifles as are available can
be passed around from company to
company, and every unit will be fully
supplied not only with its weapons'
but with ample reserves months BE-
fore there is any possibility OF these
forces being sent abroad.
The artillery units Of the National
Army will be given small number OF
guns Of the three-inch calibre as soon
O. they are sufficiently organized to
begin handling the weapons. To sup
ply this training equipment regular
and National Guard artillery units sent
abroad 20 forward without their guns
and are equipped on the other side
with French 75s, British trench NOR
tars and practice types Of heavier call.
bre. It has not been decided as yet
whether the divisional artillery Is to
be armed with four-inch or six-inch
howitzers in addition to the IS bat
teries. When that decision is reached,
however, an ample supply OF these
weapons for the equipment OF divl'
sions in training at home can De
turned out quickly by the arsenals and
factories, which are making rapid
progress with both calibres.
For Machine Gun Battaltons.
Equipment of the machine gun bat
talions Of the National Army will be
with the Vickers-Maxim heavy water
cooled gun. Lewis, Browning and
other types, of light guns are designed
for use in the machine gun sections OF
infantry companies and not for use by
the machine gun battalions or COM
panies Of regiments, brigades or divi'
sions. The strictly machine gun or
ganization, comprising fourteen ma
chine gun companies to each infan'
try division, are purely defensive
units and for the establishment OF
semi-fortified strong points of defense
along the divisional front. The Lewis
and other light machine guns i2cor-
porated in the regular infantry equip.
ment are for offensive purposes and
each regiment will have 48 of these
guns for that purpose.