The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-03-07
ORGANIZATION N
PLAN FOR u. 5.
ARMY IN FRANCE
Is AGREED UPON
'EThree Line Method" of
Trench Warfare Approx
ed by War Department
SIX DIVISIONS
TO ARMY CORPS
Three or More Corps Will
Constitute American
Field Army
CHOICE OF LEADERS
LEFT TO PERSHING
ARTILLERY Equipment VIII
Be On Scale Hitherto
,Undreamed Of
CHOICE OF LEADERS
LEFT TO PERSHING
~ Associated Press.l )

Washington, March 7.-7Based upon
the three line method Of the trench
warfare evolved in France, the war
department, it was learned today,
has approved a plan Of organization
which fixes six divisions as the
strength of an army corps.
Three or more corps VIII constitute
n field army and the immediate pur-
pose of the department is to complete
the organization Of the first field
army in France in the shortest pos
sible time to give General Pershing
the strength to hold a fully "Ameri-
canized" sector of the front. The
plan leaves to General Pershing the
determination OF the number Of corps
and the number of field armies need
ed and also authorizes him to recon-
mend commanders for the higher
units.
BY the six division army corps plan
each corps viii occupy a front sec
tor with two divisions, while two
replacement 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 war
fare now In progress.
Replacement Troops.
Replacement troops sent from the
United States are fed INTO the war
machine in France at the third line.
They move forward in regular order
as their training progresses and ar
rive at front line trenches to MI in
casualty gaps only when they have
been thoroughly seasoned.
To fulfill the functions of an army
corps ii has been found necessary TO
place under d corps commander, in
addition 10 hiaasisE iufamtPy divisions,
Approximately $4,000 men known as
corps troops. These comprise artiz-
iery units, engineers, and all types of
service battalions for work on the
communication lines OF their own
corps. A similar organization of
about 10000 men is necessary for
each field army of three corps. These
field army troops maintain the lines
from the advance base Of the army
hack to the sources Of supply. In the
case Of General Pershing's forces this
line connects with the ocean trans
port service.
Included IN the corps troops are
many units OF heavy artillery equip
ped with guns ranging up to 10 and
~ inches in calibre both for fixed
emplacement and for mobile artillery.
Artillery Equipment.
The organization schedules show
that General Pershing is to be equip
ped eventually with artillery of all
calibres on a scale not heretofore
dreamed of. The proportion Of artii-
lery 10 army rides adopted by the
war department is greater than OF
either the British or French armies
and the tendency of the department
is to increase the big guns.
Included in the heavy artillery as
signed to corps or field army COM
manders win be whole brigadss of
Anti-aircraft guns, mobile howitzers
pf six. eight, ten and even twelve
inch calibre, rifles Of similar size in
cluding heavy long range naval guns
and probably, as soon as they are
available, batteries OF the monster
American 16-inch naval rifles recent
ly developed. With this array Of
guns, enemy depots twenty miles or
more in the rear of his trenches
could be kept under bpmbardment.