Evening star., 1921-04-25
j. S. RHINE FORCES
MODEL FOR WORLD
Army of Occupation Viewed
by Experts of Various
Foreign Countries.
FULLY PREPARED TO ACT
Has Every Requirement for Effec-
tive Service Tanks
of Any Sort"
FULLY PREPARED TO ACT
By the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
COBLENZ. April 25.-A complete
outfit. a miniature army. equipped
with all necessary services. capa BILE
of taking the field at twenty four
hours notice without the assistance
of any outside elements. and one of
the best military units ever organ
lied in the worlds history of armies
such is the description that mill
tary men. allied, neutral and former
enemies. apply to the American army
of occupation as it is constituted to-
day
That the efficiency. Of the training
system of the American forces in Ger
many, the excellence of their equip
ment and their faultless military
bearing are generally recognized
throughout Europe is shown by the
fact that missions from various coun
tries have either visited Coblenz dur
ing the past few months or have ap-
piled for permission to come to this
base and get frst-hand knowledge of
how it is done.
Tribute From Swiss.
A few weeks ago the chief of staff
of the Swiss army. accompanied by
several officers. spent a week in Co
blenz as the guest of Gen. Allen. the
American commander attended in
spections, visited the barracks re-
Nle"tu tnp troops ana returned 10
Bern to tell the officers of the Swiss
army that the American army on the
Rhine was 'the most up-to-d date. the
best equipped and the best looking
military outfit of all the armies of the
world"
a commission from the Netherlands
made similar visit and was equally
favorably impressed. and now the
Finnish government has asked per
mission to send a commission to Co
blenz.
Should circumstances require the
American army on the Rhine to move
against an enemy or to occupy fur
composed OF the first and second
,brigades would furnish the bulk of
the fighting force.
Their advance would be guarded
against surprises and ambush by 300
cavalry and eighteen airplanes which
would do the scouting before the NOV
ing infantry. Three trained pilots are
available for each plane in case of
airmen meeting with accidents
One thousand artillery men, serving
eight batteries of field guns. would be
on hand to supply barrage, should
1t become necessary.
Three hundred men of the Signal
Corps battalion would look after tele- l
phone and telegraph communications.i Y
with the base at CobIenz. The railwayf
engineers battalion. which is receivj
ing constant practical training on al
little branch line on the right bank of
the Rhine, which they are operating,
would. with the assistance of the Mo-
tor Transport Corps. attend to the
service of supplies of the expedition
ary force.
The engineers first battalion would
throw pontoon bridges over such 4
streams as were traversed in the ad-
vance. Six ambulance companies, as
sisted by Medical Corps of 500. es-
tablishing field hospitals. would give L
first help to the wounded before their l
evacuation to the base hospital. i
Only one arm used in modern war |
fare is lacking-tanks. AS one officer \
remarked. facetiously: I'VE have no |
tanks of any sort in this army"
There is machine gun section with |
every company, instead Of one to
every battalion as formerly. I
Thus while the army of occupation
in Germany numbers just a little more
than half the electives of one Ameri-
can division on a war footing. it is.
nevertheless, real army in the full |
est sense of the term.