Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1920-05-15

recruits they would be fought for by
eager employers offering fabulous sal
aries. They received imperative or
ders that under no circumstances must
they 'oversell the army's attractions
to obtain a recruit; they were told that
the army wanted very high class of
| young men, men who would appreci-
ate and take advantage of the training
and at the same time make the kind
of soldiers that should represent our
country.
cat the beginning of the campaign
many civilian organizations offered
| their assistance. Chambers of COM
merce Rotary clubs, American Legion
posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars, min
| isters' associations and others did val
liable work in arranging meetings
where their own members and officers
of the recruiting service explained the
plans for the new army. Governors
and mayors issued proclamations call
| ing attention to army activities in their
states and cities, and in many cases
set aside special dates as "'Army
weeks"
Many branches of the service are
over their authorized strength, pend
| ing possible increase by congressional
action. The motor transport corps,
the need of which was demonstrated
in the war, is 100 per cent above au-
| thorized strength. Chemical warfare
100 per cent, medical department $50
per cent, quartermaster corps 112
per cent, and signal corps 126 per cent.
Offsetting this surplus, the infantry is
but IS per cent of authorized strength,
cavalry 81 per cent, field artillery II
per cent and coast artillery 81 per
cent.
Strength of Combat Units.
Restoration Of the army to a peace
time basis shows many apparent diff
ferences in the strength Of combat
units such as infantry regiments. The
national defense act provides for 65 in
fantry regiments, including the Porto
Rican regiment, totaling $4,000 men,
an average Of 1850 to the regiment
During the war an infantry regiment
infantry regiments, because Of the
emergency, must be maintained at
over peace-time strength. The Eighth
infantry, stationed at Coblenz and on
the right bank of the Rhine, has 115
officers and 1850 men. The Fiftieth
infantry. also in Germany, has rs Off
GERS and 1880 men. Just back from
Siberia, the Thirty-first infantry has
80 officers and 3,1O0 men. The Twen-
ty-fourth infantry, along the border
in New Mexico. has So officers and
3,4S5 men.
With the infantry only at IS per
cent Of authorized strength, and the
necessity of maintaining number Of
regiments above peace time basis,
many regiments are far below the
average strength, particularly the reg
iments back from France and made
up when they returned, Of casuals,
of requirements and men enlisted only
for the emergency. The famous First
division. now at Camp Taylor KY,
has only 5000 officers and men,. The
men Of all the infantry regiments Of
this division wear the French four
ragere looped over the left shoulder.
The present strengths Of these yegi-
ments are as follows: Sixteenth frifan.
try, 35 officers 642 men; Eighteenth
infantry, 81 officers, $50 men; Twen-
ty-sixth infantry, 33 officers, $40 men /;
Twenty-eighth infantry. "a officers,
626 men. =.
Some War Divisions. -
Down at Camp Travis. Texas Is the
Second division, which had the heav-
lest casualties of any division in
France, and took one-quarter Of the
prisoners and artillery captured by
the A. e. F. The marine brigade is
no longer with this organization, and
no infantry brigade has yet been as
signed to its place. The total strength
of the Second division is 211 officers
and 2,O56 enlisted men. Like the First
division, the infantry regiments Of the
Second are proud wearers Of the
fourragere. The Ninth infantry, which
fought in China and took the village
of Vaux in a brilliant attack in the
Chateau Thierry sector, has 3 on1-
GERS and 372 men. The Twenty-third
infantry, which fought alongside Of
the Ninth in 1912, in the Civil war and
in France, has 80 officers and 1877
men.
The Third division, which fought at
the Marne st. Mihiel and the Argonne-
Meuse, has 313 officers and 2,795 en-
listed men at Camp Pike, Ark. The
Thirty-eighth infantry, which repulsed
six German regiments and took 600
prisoners at the Marine in July, 1918.
has SO officers and 312 men. The Thir-
tieth infantry, which stormed Hill, 204.
west of Chateau Thierry. has At Off
GERS and 228 men. OF the other in
fantry regiments Of the Third division,
the Fourth has 80 officers and 352 men,
and the Seventh "a officers and 278
men.
The Fourth division, thrust into &C