Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-08
NATIONAL ARMY
UNITS TO RETURN
HOME QUICKLY
Gen. March Indicates All Bui
Regular Troops Will Be
Withdrawn from France
by Midsummer.

Washington, Dec, Eight OF the
Is divisions comprising the Ameri-
can Third army now approaching the
Rhine either are national guard or
national army troops, and there is
every reason to believe that they
will be on American soil again by
mid-summer.
Gen. March. chief of staff, an
nounced today that he anticipated
no difficulty in getting these units
home within four months after peace
has been established formally by
proclamation. President Wilson, in
his recent address to congress, said
the sessions OF the conference prob
ably would be concluded by spring,
and based OH this estimate of the
time, General MarCh'S statement was
accepted to mean that these would
!. return during the summer.
1.-TWO national guard divisions, the
Thirty-second and Furty-second, and
two of the national army, the Eighty
ninth and Ninth, now are in the
front line of Major General Dick
mans army of occupation, which was
within 20 miles OF the Rhine last
night, according to General Per-
shings report. The Twenty-eighth
and Thirty-third national guard and
the Seventy-ninth national army are
in the second line, constituting the
reserve which is occupying Luxem-
burg and various rail centers in
France. including Montmedy, Lon
guyon, Etain and St. Mihiel The
First, Third, Fourth and Fifth regu-
lars comprise the remainder of the
advancing army, while the Second
and Seventh divisions are with the
reserve.
Statement by General March.
The estimate as to the possibility
that all except regular divisions will
have been withdrawn from France
by midsummer is based on General
MARGINS reply to question as to
i steps necessary to obtain an extern
sion of the enlistment period for men
in the army of occupation.
"The law about the men who were
raised in the national army is that
they must be discharged four months
after the declaration of peace" he
said That, | think, also was ex-
tended to include men who made
voluntary enlistments i'll the regular
army. | won't have any difficulty
in bringing back from France the
so-called national army divisions in
four months after the declaration of
peace. 1t is entirely possible that
we will have to ask congress for
some modification of the law to pro-
vide a longer period for the units
which will remain in Europe"
A total of 5,325 officers and l25,-
Sl5 men, Gen March said, have
been specifically assigned for early
return by Gen, Pershing. Included
in the additional units reported to-
day are 1926 officers and 29,38l men.
the largest organizations mentioned
being the field artillery brigades of
the Eighth (regular) and Ninety
second (national army-negro) div
isions and the Three Hundred and
-sEqty-fifth and Three Hundred and
Forty-sixth infantry regiments from
the Eighty-seventh (national army
division. The remainder of the list
consists largely of motor repair units
and auxiliary divisional troops.
No Preference in Discharge.
The Three Hundred and Forty
sixth infantry is numerically the
largest unit yet ordered home, show
ing II officers and 1882 men, while
the Three Hundred and Forty-fifth,
with IA officers and 743 men, has
apparently been stripped by replace
ment drafts The full strength of
an infantry regiment is approximate
ly 5000 men.
Discussing rehabilitation OF the
forces at home, Gen. March said
college men other than those in
officer schools, which were being
abandoned, would receive no prefer
ence as to the time of their dis
charge. The order of demobiliza-
ton providing that combat divisions
be disbanded last, he said, has not
been altered.
The system is working at a very
much greater speed" Gen. March
said. referring to rehabilitation,
and | have initiated a system by
which | get a daily record as to
officers and u weekly record as to
enlisted men. The actual number
of officers discharged at the time of
/, TIE last announcement was ll3; the
number discharged last week, up to
yesterday was 1858. The number
Of men discharged in the United