Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-22
SEVEN DIVISIONS, OR
100000 AMERICANS,
ENGAGED At FRONT
Ee,,o,,s Rainbow Division" One
of Those in Chateau Thierry
Counter Offensive.
OTHERS NEAR SOISSONS

Washington. July - Seven divisions
ard one separate regiment OF American
tr,ons nartiripatcd. and are participating.
in the great countcroiiensivc between
Chatcau-rhlcrrv and Soissons and IN the
resistance to the German onslaught IN the
Champagne The i2d, or Rainbow, Dtvi-
sion. composed OF National Guard troops
from 26 States and the District ot 'ol-
umhia. including the New York W'th
Infantry, now designated as the Tooth
Infantry. took part in the fighting III the
Champagne east of RhcImS
The SIN other divisions were associated
with the French in the COuntcrnitcnsivc
between Chateau Thicrry and Sotssons
These divisions are the lat. I'd. I'd and
ath Of the regular army. the 26th National
Guard DIVISION, composed oi troops from
the s,x New England States. and the 2Sth,
composed of the Pennsylvania National
t;uard Marines arr included IN tins mum
her
The separate regiment that has hcen
fighting III the Champagne has mt y 'cn
identified at the War Department u "
Negro unit attached Ia the new 'A'h
DIVISION, which Is composed 'htIT'lI ~
Negro troops II may I've tho iorn'r i'' "a
New York. now he AAth Naiionai
Army Regiment. commanded hy Colonel
William Harvard formerly chairman 81
the New ork tijv Public ScTvlr' '"nl
MISSION.
200 mo sE>r >HRntp
The I,icnutN oi The dlv'SlonS engage"
IN the great battle that has lrcn raging
wrst aud east III RhClmcS was dIsgt"SCd
SATURDAY hv General PcNton March
chief of the Army General Statt, ~ his
weekly oral review t. newspaper men #
military operations IN Europe '''ncral
March also Impart,,d tho information
that more than | 2On .OOO american troops
We're m Europe or on their way across the
,tIapt,c on lulv President Wilson
announced hat up to juno 80 we had sent
ov.,r4cas i0laO0N men of all branches oi
the military service
General March disclosed N answer 20
a qls,Stlon that the 11th National ARMY
DIVISION. composed mainly ol troops from
New Work state and which was trained ~
Camp Upton. Naphank. J.. u, was m
The Inc near Luncv,llc and IS operating -
a dIvlsIou. complete under ltS own 'nnn-
,napdcr llmcvjIlc i N French l"r-
rainc. lar down to the southern Cnd oi th'
long battlefront and MANI mlcS from INC
scene of the present coaitc ar"und
Rheims The Ra,nhow DIVISION was en-
,,Iaxci in this ANA before lts recent
transfer 10 Tho active scCfor cast ot tihClEus.
announcement was made last SATURDAY
H., General March thsi the 18th DIVISION
was now commanded IN MAJOR Cen
George Il Duncan
The approximate number 81 Nmerltan
troops engaged IN tho heavy hghil0g thiS
week west and cast Of Rheims Is easily
ncertainable from An estimate furnished
by General March as - tho average
strength of an American army DIVISION
Ii DIVISION was complete N the ctrrout
fighting. he SAID. It's strength ~ rombataut
tro,ns would be - 900 men. THIS means
that IN the fierce contest between
Chateau-Thicrrv and SCISSORS. west ot
Rheims. there probably were 100000
American line troops engaged l q these
numbers should bc added the men Of the
Service u supply. about 1900 - a
division. or los 900 for tho entire SIX
divisions. making a grand total q 21uo0a
American troops oi All branches q the
service in the area between 'hatealI-
Thierry and SoisSons
10000 FAST OF RHEIMS.
To the cast Of Rheims, ID the han-
pagne. the Rainbow contingent, Il N iull
divisional fighting strength, and the
Negro regiment from the 93d DIVISION.
numbered probably more than 30,Mo
men An infantry regiment under the
new battle organization consists OF 5hu3
men IN the ranks ana about $50 officers
To the total Of the Rainbow DIVISION and
the Negro troops. approximately 10 Ib1
men. should be added the divisional and
rcC;mcntal service of supply UNITS. say
10000. making the strength Of the Amer
lcan forces IN the { hamp3gnc about .AtthN'
men. making = grand tot ! OF $40 WO
Americans participating rs combat and
supply troops in tse present counter
offensive TINS Is only about one-iourih
at the number OF American troops on over
seas service.
ts was explained ~ General March,
the American divisions engaged IA the
active fighting IN the counterotiensIVe
we're not operating as corps, but are
used wherever il Is necessary Tor uS To use
them Apparently the corps organlEa-
ton announced officially last Haturda i,
has not vet been carried out some
American divisions are stil beng trained
with veteran British organizations, and
others are associated with veteran French
organizations
The divisIona! units that participated
In the heavy fighting tins week are from
ali three corps whose organization was
announced. The First and Second DIvl-
sions OF REGULAR the latter division III
cluding the Marine Corps contingenis
which made u wonderful fighting record
in Belleau Wood. and the Twenty y-sixtt
New England National Guard are il
the first corps, of which the Forty-second
or Rainbow DIVISION Is also part The
Fourth Regulars and the Twenty-eightl
PENNSYLVANIA National Guard are III tht
second corps The Third Regular Diva
saon is the third corps None Of the NegrC