Evening star., 1939-08-23
Guard Divisions Set
For Big Push Near
PIattsburg
Heavy Invading Force
To Clash With Small
Mechunized Unit
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON,
Star Stan Correspondent.


FIELD HEADQUARTERS, 1ST
ARMY, Plattsburg, N. Y, Aug. 23.-
Marching westward from the shores
of beautiful Lake Champlain through
fertile, rolling farm lands, which
from the earliest days of American
history have been thoroughfares of
armies, troops of the 26th, 9th, 43d
and 44th National Guard Divisions
turned their faces toward the blue
peaks of Adirondacks and awaited
an enemy force of Regular Army
mechanical troops in the supreme
test of theories of warfare which
may establish American national
defense policies for years to come.
In contrast with the recently con-
cluded Sd Corps maneuvers in the
vicinity Of Manassas, Va, where the
28th and 29th National Guard Divi-
sions were on the defensive against
an invading" force of Regular
Army troops composing a provisional
division, the National Guard divi-
sions here composed the Black in
vading forces. They were opposed by
provisional corps of Regular Army
troops composed of the famous 1st
Division, the 18th Infantry Brigade
and the 7th Cavalry Brigade. wholly
mechanical.
Effectiveness Compared.
BY putting the larger, heavier
Guard divisions on the defensive
in the one case and on the offensive
| in the "big push" beginning here
today, the Nations military leaders
hope to gain vital information of
the comparative effectiveness, on
the offense and on the defense, of
two radically different types of divi-
sional organization with a view to
the final adoption of one or the
other as the basis of the United
States Army of tomorrow.
The first type of division is SUBJ
stantially that of the World War. 1t
is built up around four infantry regi-
ments, composing two brigades. 1t
is designed to do battle habitually
with one regiment of each brigade
on the battle line and one III reserve.
This is the square" type of forma-
ton which is the basic characteristic
of the present division, now standard
throughout the Army and the Ma
tional Guard, with one notable ex-
ception.
Square Idea Abandoned.
The exception is the I'd Division of
the Regular Army, fashioned after
a new pattern which is intended to
take the fullest possible advantage
of modern weapons and transporta-
tion For the sake of the Virginia
and New York problems, the Regular
Army troops have been temporarily
organized along somewhat the lines
of the I'd Division, on stream
lined pattern.
The square" division of the World
War type is designed for warfare
where mass and weight are required,
primarily for warfare of position, or
trench fighting. 1t is not primarily
an offensive formation. To further
carry out the idea of the square, the
National Guard took the field today
against the Regular Army with not
only its component four divisions
each following this pattern, but also
with its whole effective force follow
ing the same design. Two divisions,
the 26th and 9th, formed the battle
| force, with the 43d and 44th in re-
serve
The "streamlined" division, on the
other hand, completely abandons the
basic idea of the square, and is de-
signed on triangular" pattern,
with two regiments of infantry in
line and only one in reserve This
makes necessary the abandoning of
the time-honored brigade, which has
been standard American Army unit
since the days of the Revolutionary
War.
Fire Power Almost Equal.
The streamlined division has sac
rificed its brigades for a new ideal
of high mobility. 1t may be likened
to boxer, who relies on fast foot
work for victory against a much
heavier opponent who stands in his
tracks and "slugs 1t out" The
streamlined division, as a matter
of fact, resembles hyweight boxer
pitted against heavyweight slug
ger. 1t has less than half the man
power of the old -four square"
World War division. Thanks to the
new postwar weapons, however, it
has almost the fire power as the
huge World War division with its
10000 officers and men. It attains
this fire power by substituting au-
tomato rifles for the time -honored
"single-shot" weapons which Ameri-
can infantrymen have carried since
the days of the long rifles" And
so we have the spectacle of a fly
weight, light and fast on his feet.
with all the punching power of the
heavyweight, around whom he can
run circles.
Whether, actually, the stream
lined division, depending upon
mechanization for its speed and mo-
bility, can hold up under actual
| Ho1I conditions oro;oe@ &Lo l..,,;~.