New-York tribune., 1918-03-08
Six Divisions Now
Full Strength of
u. S. Army Corps
Three-Line Method o.
Trench Warfare Com
pels Reorganization

WASHINGTON. March 7. Based
upon the three-ine method a trench
warfare evolved in France, the War De-
partment, it was learned to-day, has ap-
proved a plan of organization which
fixes six divisions az the strength Of an
army corps.
Three or more corps will constitute :.
field army, and the immediate purpose
Of the department is to complete the
organization Of the first field army in
France in the shortest possible time to
give General Pcrshing the strength to
hold q fully "Amoricanizcd" sector of
the front. The plan leaves to General
Pershing the determination Of the num-
ber Of corps and The number of field
armies needed, and also authorizes him
to recommend commanders for tho
higher units.
BY the six division army corps plan
each corps will occupy a front sector
with two divisions, while two replace
inent or reinforcement lines Of two
divisions each will back them up. The
effect is to produce the line of depth
necessary for the type Of warfare now
in progress.
Replacement Troops Planned
Replacement troops sent from the
| United States arc fed into the war ma
chine in France at the third line They
move forward in regular order as their
t$~-1 mi, WA
line trenches to fill in casualty gaps
I only when they have been thoroughly
seasoned.
To fulfil the functions Of an army
corps it has been found necessary to
place under corps commander, in ad-
d!ticn to his six infantry divisions, ap-
pro1imately 10000 men known as corps
troops. These comprise artillery units,
engineers and all types Of service bat
taiions for work on the communication
, lines Of their own corps.
"A similar organization of about 13O,-
OOO men is necessary for each field
army Of three corps. These field army
troops maintain the lines from the ad-
vance base OF the army back to the
sources of supply In the case of Com
eral Pershings forces, this line con-
meets with the ocean transport service
Included in the corps troops are
many units OF heavy artillery equipped
with guns ranging up to 10 and 12
inches in calibre, both for fixed en-
placement and for mobile artillery.
This comprises the artillery reserve Of
the corps. Tho great general artillery
reserve OF tho field army is under diroct
command Of the army commander and
included in his so-caled army troops.
Powerful Artillery for Corps
The organization schedules show that
General Pcrshing Is 10 be equipped
eventually with artillery Of all cnlibrcs
on II scale not heretofore dreamed Of.
The proportion Of artillery TO army
yiflcs adopted by the War Department,
| is greater than that Of either tho Brit
ish or French armies and the tendency
Of the department is TO increase tho biz
guns.
Included IN the heavy artillery AS
signed to corps or field army command
ers will be whole brigades Of nnti-air-
craft guns. mobile howitzcra Of 6, 8. 10
and even IL inch calibre; rifles Of sim
ilar size, including heavy long-ranpc
naval guns, and probably, ns soon Al,
they are available, batteries OF tho
monsteY American l6-inch naval rifles
recently developed. With this array of
guns. enemy depots twenty miles or
more in the rear Of the trenches could
be KEEP, under bombardmcnt.