Evening star., 1940-05-23
U.S. Aims at Tank Fleet Of Still Far Short Of Geronys
Skiold Increase in Rolling Other
Designed Make leuDuy Force
BY ROBERT BRUSKIN.

preparing lCS own armor-plated
spearhead for a pint-size blitzkrier.
With none of the fanfare attend
ing the increase in warplanes, the
Army high command has begun
preparations for increasing skiold
within two years its supply of roll
Ing forts now "softening" resistance
to German invaders in Europe.
The new defense appropriations
! and those made available earlier this
year provide for 734 light tanks of a
more heavily armored and more
powerfully armed type, more mod
ern than some 800 now in use. Only
10 of this new type 12-ton tank are
already available.
There will also be 1874 medium
tanks, 18-ton behemoths of which
only 13 are now in the field. This
Is the largest combat vehicle to be
used.
More Combat Cars Planned.
Fleet combat cars, which are light
tanks with armor reduced for greater
speed, will be increased from ia to
208 for use by mechanical cavalry.
Scout cars-little more than fast
armor-plated trucks armed with
several machine guns-will be in
creased from 485 to 1,346, also for
Use by mechanical cavalry for re-
connaissance.
Even after completion of the vast
program of mechanization there will
be no tanks in the United States
comparable to the reported 80-ton
monsters Of the Germans and the
70-ton tanks of the French. These.
Army officials said, were built for
special missions such as crushing
blockhouses and forts, Germany is
reported to have about 100 of these
and the French about Is. The
United States developed a Acton
tank in 1918 for crushing the Hin
denburg line. It was armed with
two British six-pounders and had
seven machine guns in addition, but
the armistice came before it could
be used. Several are now in the
huge museum maintained at the
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md,
where the new tanks were developed
by the Army Ordnance Department.
Germany Far Ahead in Tanks.
When the new American tank
sdeet of 1,136 takes the field it will
still be but a minuscle quantity by
comparison with the 5000 to 10000
reported available to German troops.
Moreover, Germany is reported
I capable OF mass production COM
parable to warplanes. In this cuun-
try there are now only two private
manufacturers of tanks. They'll de-
liver a handsomely painted 1941
model light tank to the front door
of your bomb shelter for about s22,-
600. The larger model medium
! tank. costs approximately $4,000.
Guns are extra.
Increase of the new infantry
weapons will permit the army to
have sufficient equipment for two
Infantry tank regiments. The Ger
mans are reported to have 10 tank
divisions. The French are reported
to have five. In the United States
Army's new streamlined divisions
there are three regiments.
Several hundred of the light tanks
will be presented to National Guard
units throughout the United states.
1t will be somewhat of windfall to
. the 18 scattered National Guard
companies which heretofore have,
been equipped with two older tanks
Tor each company.
In the Regular Army, the increase
has brought plans for formation of
q regiment of medium tank troops,
part to be stationed at Fort George
G. Meade, Md, some 30 miles from
the District in Anne Arundel County.
where many light tanks are also
stationed, and at Fort Benning, Ga.
the infantry school.
Pedestrian Army to Be No More,
The added equipment for mechan-
lied cavalry will permit mechan-
lzation of two horse regiments.
the 4th at Fort Ringgold, Tex, and
the 9Th at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.
Both are to be trained for use of
the fast, hard-hitting, reconnais-
sance vehicles. In addition, the
United States already has a brigade
OF the 7th Cavalry at Fort Knox,
KY, which is fully mechanical.
The new equipment, together with
the 10000 trucks and 1000 motor
. cycles and trailers delivered in time
for the Southern Army maneuvers
last month, will transform the Pc
destrian army of a decade ago, ca
.-pable OF only Is miles march a day,
to a hard-hitting infantry force ca
pable OF 100 miles a day. It will be
a small scale model of the German
Army with the new warplsnes blast
) ing ahead of the tanks, the tanks
F, clearing out opposing machine guns
and troops, and the motorized in
fantry rushing up quickly to hold
the ground, towing newly modern
lied field guns and munitions.
The new light and medium tanks
have incorporated in them features
+ learned from the bitter lessons of
actual warfare. Although far be-
. hind the other world powers in
. armament, the United States has
the advantage of starting mass
production of equipment proved in
HCtudl WdTldTe.
Lessons Of Spanish War.
! The Spanish Civil War, for in
(. stance, showed that the Soviet light
, tanks, armed with small cannon,
: were superior to those of Italians
and Germans. The new light tanks
will have .37-millimeter guns and
several .30-caliber and 50-caliber
machine guns. They are somewhat
I. slower than the models produced
, i've years ago, which are now obso-
/ descent because of light armor and
. the failure to provide them with
. small cannon. The new light tanks
. are reported, however, to be capable
i Of more than IS miles an hour on
level ground.
It carries crew of four men and