The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1919-12-20
PRIMER ON WORLD
WAR IS COMPILED
OFFICIAL BOOKLET THAT TELLS
OF FIGHTING RECORD OF
AMERICANS ABROAD.
TWO IN THREE SAW ACTION
Twenty-Five Of Our az Divisions Took
Part in Active Combat Service
Yanks in Thirteen Major Opera
tions.
Rv LANES p. HoRNApAY.

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.
Westinghouse sort Of primer on
the world war, a summary that may be
used in public schools, has been com
piled by the war department. 1t shows
that two out of every three American
soldiers who reached France took part
In battle. The number who reached
France was 2,OS4,OOO, and of these
100000 saw active service in the
front line. American combat forces
were organized into divisions, Whlch
consisted of some $4,000 officers and
men. These were the largest on the
western front, since the British dlVl-
sion numbered about 1900 and those
of the French and Germans about r.
GOO each. There were sent overseas AZ
American divisions and several hum
dred thousand supplementary artillery
and service Of supply troops. Or the
AZ divisions that reached France ~
took part in active combat service,
while the others were used for re-
placements or were just arriving dur.
ing the last month of hostilities.
The battle record of the United States
army In this war is largely the his
tory of these % combat divisions. Sew
en- of them were regular army dlVi-
sions, II were organized from the ma
tional guard, and II were made up Of
national army troops.
American combat divisions were in
battle for 200 days, from the 18th OF
April, 1918, when the first regular divi.
sion, after long training in quiet sec
tors, entered an active sector on the
Picardy front, until the signing of the
armistice. During these 200 days they
were engaged in Is major operations,
of which IL were joint enterprises
with the French, British and Italians,
and two were distinctively American.
In Thirteen Major Operations.
American troops saw service on
practically every stretch Of the west.
ern front from British lines In Bel
GUM to inactive sectors In the VOs-
ges. On October q, 1917, Americans
entered the line in the quiet TOul Sec
tor. From that date to the armistice
American units were somewhere In
line almost continuously. II Is difficult
to cut up the year and % days which
interviewed into well-defined battles,
for In a sense the entire war on the
western front was single battle. II
Is possible, however, to distinguish Ger.
tain major operations or phases Of
the greater struggle.
Thirteen such operations have been
recognized in which American units
were engaged, Of which IL took place
In the western front and one In Italy.
Battle clasps will be awarded to the
officers and men who participated In
these engagements. These battles and
the number Of Americans engaged are
as follows: Somme, March q to April
8, 1900 men engaged; Lys, April
4 to q. 500 men engaged; Aisne. May
81 to June s, 1880 men engaged
/ Noyon- Montdidler, June 8 to Is. $1,000
men engaged; Champagne-Marne, July
Is to 18, $1,000 men engaged; Aisne.
Marine, July IS to August 6. 10000
men engaged; Somme, August 8 to
November II, $4,000 men engaged
Ypres.Lys, August 10 to November IL,
100000 men engaged; st. Mihiel. Sep.
TENDER IL to 16, 100000 men engaged
Meuse-Argonne, September 20 to Nov.
ember II, 100000 men engaged, and
Vittoria-Veneto October "a to Novem.
Der 4. 1900 men engaged.
Census Machinery Ready.
The $4,000 men and women who
are to begin taking the decennial
census Thursday, January /, are
now receiving final instructions from
the district supervisors throughout
the country. The government has
been hard pressed to obtain the serv.
ices of well-equipped enumerators in
some sections of the country, but the
force Is now practically complete. The
enumerators who will enter on their
duties January will have only their
weeks to complete the work laid out
for them where their field is in city
or large town, and 80 days where their
field of operations Is in the country
The country enumerators will have
more time in which to do their work
because in addition to counting the
people they gather agricultural stats
tics. One of the reasons for changing
the date for beginning the census from
April to January is that the farm
ers are usually busy In the early
spring. The government assumes that
during the month of January it's emu
meratOrs will find the average farmer
at leisure and in position to supply
the information the government viii
desire of him without interfering witt
his duties.
The department of agriculture is act
ing in an advisory capacity and as
sisting the bureau of the census in &C
quainting farmers with what will b,
expected of them when the enumera
tors call. Attention has been called
to the fact that considerable fgurin,
and counting will have to be done il
order to answer accurately and full,
the questions which will be submitted
by the enumerators. 1t will be tn,
policy Of the government to have it!
enumerators who work in the coun
BOOKS AND SHIPS.