Gilpin observer., 1917-05-24
ORGANIZING AN ARMY

"ucA tuc tdih VI IuuuS 10 Ct1VTy uu
the United States end OF the war
gets up into millions a great many
people shudder. although it is a diff
cult matter. for most of us to really
comprehend SO much money. 1t is al
OF us to realize the vastness of an
army division and recent bulletin
published by the National Geograph-
i.al society throws great deal of
light On the subject that will make
1t possible to conceive an idea of
what Cur government is doing in the
way Of war preparedness. Changes
have been made in many branches of
military service and administrator
because Of lessons learned from bel
lively engaged in the great European
struggle for nearly three years. A
great many interesting facts are CIV
en- in this bulletin.
| "As reorganized fer the war with
Germany an infantry division Of the
| United States army will number 65
per cent more than division of the
Germany army as now constituted.
The enemy's divisions are made up
of 1900 men and 1000 horses; the
new United States division at max
imum streng h will be composed of
1926 men, 6,S34 horses and 4,S75
mules.
According to estimates made two
years ago the cast CT fully equipping
division amounts to s7636, $50, but
since that time the cost of materials
has advanced so greatly that a con-
servative estimate required the addi-
ton of 20 per cent to this amount,
making the total in excess of $9,000,
900. Ard this takes into consideTar
tiou the immense saving effected by
the Council Of National Defense in
providing for the purchase by the gov
ernment of munitions and equipment
, at profit to the manufacturers not
to exceed 10 per cent, which is far
less than the profits ordinarily real
lied on materials sold in the world
markets.
THE new United States army divis-
icns will be composed of the follow
ing units: Three infantry brigades.
/ 1853 officers and men; one field
artillery brigade, 4,O3O officers and
men; one regiment of cavalry, 1879
officers ard men, 1,541 horses; one
/ regiment of engineers, 1,09S officers
and men; cne field signal battalion,
259 officers and men; one aero squad
ron, 173 officers and men, IL air
planes; total will wagon trains, 2S.-
235 officers and men, or total with
motor trains, 2S,334 officers and men.
The number of commissioned Off
GERS in division is SIT, with 80 ad
disional officers for the wagon trains;
80 II the division is organized with
motor trains. The medical depart
ment of a division is composed OF
125 officers, 1882 enlisted men, and
As ambulances. If the division is
equipped with wagon trains 1,0O9
wagons are required, supplemented
1 by 627 motor trucks; If equipped
with motor trains 493 wagons supple
ment khe 627 motor trucks. The to-
tai number Of riding horses required
for division and its wagon trains
is 4,616, together with 2,21S draft
horses and 4,S75 riding, pack and
draft mules.
more than 10000 rifles are requir-
ed to arm a division and it's trains,
together with 5000 pistols. The artil-
lery consists OF 500 3inoh field guns
firing either high explosive shells or
shrapnel, each projectile weighing Is
pounds, and 20 3-Sinch howitzers, the
shells fer which weigh 80 pounds.
The number Of machine guns with
which a division is to be operated is
still am open question. but the num-
ber whirh will apr ear in army charts
soon to be printed is ~ for the divis-
ion itself and 20 additional guns for
the wagon trains. The number in
all probability will be greatly increas-
ed, perhaps to as high as 30 guns fer
every 1000 rifles. making total of
600 for the division.
The length of division in march
ing order is more han fourteen miles
while the wagon trains require an ad-
diticnal six miles. mailing total of
twenty miles. If equipped with motor
trains instead of wagon trains the
length from the head Of the column
to the last of the rear guard is nine
teen miles. s."-Steamboa Pilot.
BEFORE WAR PRICES