Evening star., 1938-04-03

stated tney were ~. Ihe1r amend
ment to the army bill to prevent re-
cruits from enlisting unless they pro-
diced birth certificates was defeated
l21 to 81.
The newest army order divides the
royal artillery into two branches in
line with Hore-BeliSha' program to
modernize and mobilize the army.
They will be known as the field branch
and the coast defense-anti-a
branch.
The field branch would have lighter
pieces to take abroad in case Of war
and the coast defense heavier guns
primarily for defense.
Army Will Be Mobile.
When Britain's Army crosses the
English Channel If it should 60 to an
other war in Europe it will not be
burdened with cavalry, horse artil-
lery or the unWieldly equipment that
hampered its trek to the front in 1914.
Hore-Belisha's new fighting machine
will be compact, swiftly mobile. largely
mechanical
Regiments that formerly clattered
into action on horseback will move
up to the front in tanks and armored
cars. Artillery units will drag their
guns into position with small. power
full tractors. Most infantrymen will
man machine-gun posts, instead of
trying to pick off the enemy with
rifles.
And the private soldier will not ex-
haust himself tramp;ng country roads
or struggling through muddy fields
with 90-pound pack on his back.
Army trucks will carry raost Of the
soldiers equipment.
The 43-year-old war minister-who
set British recruiting records by
tempting young Britons with higher
pay. better living and better opportuni-
tles-wants a fighting army that can
be moved anywhere swiftly to match
the highly trained troops of Europe.
Recognizing Reserve.
He is occupied now on a plan to
reorganize Britains strategic re-
serve to create pool OF brigades
and revamp the organization of army
divisions
The role of the strategic reserve"
as defined by the war minister. is
reinforcement of internal security,
defense of territories overseas and CO.
operation in defense of territories of
any allies we might have in war"
The reserve needs a more central
position. and Hore-Belisha is knitting
new defense scheme from the cum
bersome system that has not been
changed since the World War.
To increase mobility he is replacing
the existing divisional type with two
different types, with variations within
types. along German lines.
Brltaln's army at home has five
divisions OF nine battalions each
Two OF them machine-gun battalions
The new divisional types will be-
A motorized division, based on the
light machine gun
mechanical armored division,
based on the tank, consisting of two
mechanized cavalry brigades and a
tank brigade.
"ouio SCep Up battaI10nS.
A motorized divisions peace-time
SIX battalions would be stepped up to
nine battalions in war time, supported
by artillery and other guns.
Each divisions mechanical TRANSPORT
company would be able to lift" one
infantry brigade. Carrying a brigade
at time. army trucks making two
or three trips could move a division
so miles a day.
Each anti-tank company is handing
over its guns to the artillery ana will
become a machine gun company.
Artillery will have fire units of IL
guns instead of six, less personnel
and greater concentrated fire power
another German policy.
Surplus heavy machine-gun battal-
ions are being converted to light
machine-gun battalions to form the
nucleus OF motorized divisions.
Equipped with "Bren" guns, they
will be used with other surplus infan-
try to increase the number of divi-
sions.'
Creation of new divisions is limited
by the number of new field brigades,
artillery and other divisional troops
that can be produced.
With thousands of troops locked up
in India, currently the pivotal point
of the whole army plan, Hore- Belisha
wants more "fluidity in resources" so
India could reinforce Egypt or Pales-
tine quickly or vice versa.
So, he is tightening staff cooper
alton between India and the war
ofice.
He wants to reduce the army in
India by several units and transfer
Britain's expeditionary force from
England to the middle east.
In case of trouble, troops would not
In1 ~ 4