The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-07-23
PERSH|NG ZONE READY
ON french LINE SOON
Organization of American
Section of Front to Go
on Quickly.
CONTINUED From Page One)


ply, sanitary and telegraph service"
the line of communications win be Ill
vided into two sections-a base section
and an advance sectiOn---each with an
assistant chief Of staff in charge. COM
petent 10 issue orders in the name of
the comma ndcr. The advance section
commander establishes his headqllar-
tiers at the advance depot. on the rail
head Immediately behind the fighting
troops. Here he has under him Il staff
representing the uuartcrmaster. medi
cal. engineer. ordnance and signal
CORPS. To his depot are attached am
munition. supply, sanitary and enGi-
neer columns To connect with the cor
responding divisional columns attached
% the fighting troops.
Headquarters on Coast.
The commander of the base section
controls all that portion of the line of
communications mp to the dcpots, sani-
tary units and telegraph stations of the
advance section. He win probably
make his headquarters at the base on
the coast. where he has a staff similar
70 that of the advance section.
These men are responsible to the
commander of the line of communica-
tons twho in turn is responsible to the
war department at honey. that the
| reserve supplies on hand in his vari-
Gus depots shah be maintained be-
tween the maximum and minimum
amounts fixed by General Pershing.
For instance. a division (2S.334 men)
| must have 400 tons of medical stores
alone as its initial supply. For every
million men on the front a thousand
ton refrigerating plant must be main
tanned at the railhead, and storage
tanks for millions OF gallons OF gaso-
| line at the base.
Careful Check Of All Supplies.
To keep these replenished the COM
munications commander furnishes the
war department copy of a list of the
stores required, showing the maximum
and minimum amounts to be kept on
hand. r-T
He prepares and enforces stringent
lreeulations for the physical examina :
| uon Of sick and wounded men back
lfrom the front so that the force in the
| field shall not be depleted by malinger-
ing. Under his command are the Red
Cross units extending from the battle
| line to the base. nT
The Railway Division. 4@-
The second branch Of the work of
l nF t/afi &c
the service Of military railways"
The construction operation and main
| tenance OF the railways within this
zone he entrusts to an engineer Off
| Ger member OF his staff called n 'dl-
| rector Of railways" ..-.- 5y,A
This officer will take over the French
railways assigned to the American
| troops, and will assume charge Of all
captured railways in the American Sec
| tor Of the front. He will also build
| new railway lines when necessary.
No officer not attached TO the mill
tary is allowed to give orders to
| ubordinates of the railways service.
| cr to interfere in any way with the
| rnning of trains.
The work of reconstruction at the
railhead Is kept separate from opera
| ton of the line. This is the work for
| which nine new regiments of engineers
have been raised.
Whole Zone Poiiced by Army.
The third branch of the work Of the
| commander Of the line of communica :
tons Is organization of military police
These consist of troops assigned by the
| commanding general for the purpose
Within the american Zone" they will
| protect the inhabitants. enforce order
| keep all roads clear, arrest all soldiers
| and civilian army employees absent
without proper authority, keep list
| and description of all civilians with
the army, take over all prisoneN
passed back from the front and con :
| duct them to the places where they are
ordered assembled, police all railroad
| stations. depots and buildings, protect
| telegraph and telephone lines and rail-
ways from damage, and prevent spy
| ing.
This elaborate organization is de-
signed to relieve the comhatant field
force as far as possible from every
consideration except that of defeating
the enemy. Without 1t, pershing's
| men in the front line could not exist
a ft,rht 20 oil II 1a.-