Evening star., 1939-10-07
|42,500 10 Take Part
In Unprecedented
Army War Games
Entire Corps to Join in
Moneuvers; Preliminary
Winter Troining Set
By CARTER BROOKE JONES.

Secretary of War Woodring today
announced plans for the most ex-
tensive peacetime field training of
Regular Army troops in American
history. All the mobile troops in the
continental United States are to be
concentrated into five stream
lined" divisions and maneuvers on
q large scale, with the entire corps
taking part, will be launched by
spring.
Approximately 42,500 combat
troops will take part in these war
gaines Meanwhile each of the five
divisions will be concentrated for
preliminary field training during
the winter at stations in the South
where climatic conditions are ia
vorable.
Army officers described these
large-scale maneuvers as unpre-
cedented. While they denied that
the plans were the result of world
conditions, it was admitted that the
decision to place all combat troops
under actual field conditions for a
large part of the year was part of
the swift army expansion authorized
by President Roosevelt and in line
with the policy of perfecting this
country's defense.
The plan was worked out after a
conference between Secretary Wood
ring and Gen. John j. Pershing, re-
tired commander of the American
Expeditionary Force in the World
War. Gen. Pershing was said to
have approved the new training
scheme heartily.
Wants Maximum Effectiveness.
Secretary Woodring explained in
a statement that it was essential, in
view of the extremely limited num-
bers available for the defense of the
United States as an initial protec-
tive force, that the training of this
nucleus should be perfected in such
q manner as to insure its maximum
effectiveness.
THE plan," the War Department
announcement added, serves to take
advantage of climatic conditions
suitable for continuous field opera
tions in certain areas of the United
States, thus enabling troops to con-
centrate, generally under tentage for
extensive field maneuvers.
1T will utilize the permanent
housing installations of the scat
tered Northern posts from which
these troops are to be drawn for the
organization of newly-created units
until the field training program is
completed and will afford to the or
CARNATIONS being concentrated the
long-needed opportunity for COM
bat team training on large SCALE"
The new 1st Division, now scat
tered among 10 different posts in
Northeastern States, with head
quarters at Fort Hamilton, N. Y.
will be the first division concen-
trated. It has been ordered to
mobilize as soon as practicable at
Fort Benning, Ga. 1t will be fol-
lowed in rapid succession by sim
liar concentrations at other stations
Of the four other infantry divisions
into which the mobile combat
troops have been organized.
Two cavalry divisions also are to
mobilize In the South during the
Winter.
It was explained at the War De-
partment that regular Army ma
neuvers hitherto have been con-
fined to not more than two weeks q
year, with participating units seldom
larger than q division. Ohdcers de-
scribed this as "ridiculously in
adequate" for training in actual
combat conditions.
Each Of the five "streamlined'
divisions will consist of approx
mately $500 officers and men. The
divisions probably will be divided
into two corps. This will include
the entire mobile field force in the
Continental United States, it wa
pointed out. The other regula,
Army troops, not affected immedi.
ately by the new training plans, in.
clude General Headquarters Service
troops, coast artillery units, specia
harbor defenses and anti-aircraf
organizations.
| Other forces not included In tn,
plans are troops stationed In Unitet
(See ARMY, Page A-e.)