Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-11-27
National Guardsmen From.
New York and Southeast
ern States to Be First to Be
Returned to This Country,
BOTH SAW SERVICE
WITH BRITISH ARMY
Units Number Only Twelve
Thousand and Supposed
That Artillery Has Been De-
tached and Infantry Reduced

tsr MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wtRrl
Washington, Nov. 26.--News from
France today that the Twenty seventh
and Thirtieth divisions, which have
been fighting with the British Fourth
army, have been withdrawn with only
approximately 1880 officers and men
in each, does not mean that these or
ganizations have been reduced to less
than half their normal strength in the
severe fighting on the British front
before the signing of the armistice.
Army officers recalled today that
only the infantry and machine gun
units of these divisions went into ac-
tillery being used elsewhere 1t also
was regarded as more than probable
that the infantry and machine gun
units were reduced in number so as
to make the division conform in size
to the British divisions with which
they were operating.
The British divisional unit numbers
, about 200 men. The TIVE ty-seventh
division is the New York national
guard ulNfSlOll, Iy hd
Gen. John +. bryan, the only nation
al guard officer TO have served
through the war with that high rank.
The Thirtieth division was composed
of the Tennessee North Carolina and
South Carolina national guard and
was known as the "Wild Cat" division.
Both these organizations saw heavy
action with the British and were high
ly commended by British officers for
their desperate fighting when Marshal
Haig's armies were smashing the
Hindenburg line in northern France
; early in the fall and later engagements.
Their losses undoubtedly have been
heavy, but it is not regarded as prob
/ able that half their orginHl strength
/ figured in the casualty lists.
Return Date Not Fixed.
So far as known here no date for the
return Of these or any other divisions
from France has been fixed Secre-
tary Baker said today none Of the di-
visional organizations would arrive
home before Christmas as the trans
port facilities will be used in moving
casuas and sick and wounded.
When the divisions return from
| France they will bear little resem-
blance in enlisted personnel to the
| same divisions when they started over
| seas. Application Of the one army
! theory to all the forces and the sys-
| TENS of replacement employed to fill
gaps in front line organizations will
| be found to have obliterated to a large
| degree the lines which before their
departure divided the divisions into
national guard, national army or reg
ular organizations.
This fact was sharply illustrated to-
| day by news from France that the
| Seventy sixth division had reached its
embarkation port on the other side
with a full strength of sixty-one Off
| GERS and 1000 men. II went over
| filled substantially to full strength of
| 2T.000 men.
The report todaye@from France
| shows that not only have $4,000 of
| the 81 900 men of the original Seventy
| sixth been scattered in the fighting
army, but that probably large num-
ber of additional men passed through
| its ranks in the same way. The dlvi-
| sion itself was never in action or near
! the front, but it is evident that the
| bulk of its original personnel saw ac-
/ ton in other divisions.
New EngIanders Win Fame.
! 1t may be that the extraordinary de-
| pleton in the ranks of the Seventy
| sixth division represents casualties sur
| fered by the Twenty-siXth division.
! the New England national guard force
! that was first of the troops other than
| those of the regular army to reach
| France. This division saw heavy
! fighting in many sectors and won an
| envlable reputation. It's casualties are
\ certain to have been heavy and it is
| quite likely that it was kept at its
! fighting strength by replacement
! drafts from the seventy y-sixth division.
which was composed largely of men
| from the same part of the country. II
/ that is true, the Twenty-siXth when
I that does come home. will appear
more like the old Seventy sixth than
! anything else, for the bulk of its per-
sonnel will have been drawn from that
| source.
Even if the men of the Seventy
sixth have not gone into The Twenty
sixth, hut have been scattered among
other divisions. it is obvious that the
replacement system has served to
| almost entirely the localized character
| of the original divisions. All of the
active units are filled With men from
| the selective service. National guard
| and regular army indiscriminately.
and had the war continued the whole
army would have been welded togeth-
er in this fashion, until there was no
I possibility of distinguishing between
the units except by number