Evening star., 1940-12-22
US. Armored Division Stronger
Than Panzer Unit, Officers Say
It Has More Personnel and Better Equipment, They
Assert, While Its Fire.Power Concentration
Is Seen as Mightiest in History.
Bv Richard L., S0kes
By Richard L.. Stokes.

leving that mechanized equipment has
tracks, according to many officers, are
too narrow and should perhaps be dou-
bled in width. The matter of arma-
ment is likewise in state of transition.
Both light and medium tanks are i'm
pervious to machine gun fire, whether
of 80 or so caliber. In fact, it is the
practice at field exercises to send the
tanks through live machine gun bar
RACES, from which they return with as
many as so hicks in the armor plate
The 37-millimeter anti-tank gun, with
which all tanks are armed in addition
to machine guns, fires shell which is
disastrous to light tanks, but ineffective
against medium ones except at close
range. Therefore it is planned to re-
place them in all medium tanks with
75-millimeter guns, hitherto used as field
artillery. That, in turn, will necessitate
the construction of heavy tanks, with
armor or 4 inches thick, which can
defy the deadly explosive shell of the
French IS.
Was Secret Weapon.
Contrary to popular belief, it is no
longer the primary function of tanks to
effect break-through in enemy lines.
That mission is given to diving bombers,
artillery and combat cars, which are
expected to soften" sector of the op-
ponents front often as restricted as $500
yards. Through the opening can then
be poured division after division of
armored troops, ranged in depth of
many miles. Their errand is to strike
far into enemy territory, paralyze rear
installations and nerve centers and pre-
vent the rallying of reserves which might
be able to pinch off the narrow salient
Such tactics require that an armored
division must be self contained organ
ism capable of operating independently
for several days when cut off from its
own forces. Its unit is the brigade of
which there are two. The impact
strength of each brigade consists of two
regiments of light tanks and one of
medium tanks an artillery regiment of
howitzers and throngs of machine guns,
anti-tank guns and 81-millimeter NOR
tars. Then it has an infantry regiment
for seizing ground impossible to tanks,
holding positions they have captured nd
protecting them while refueling, reor-
ganizing or resting. This regiment differs
from the usual one in that 1t moves in
armored half-track carriers and is armed
with prodigious proportion of machine
and anti-tank guns.
There is battalion of combat engi-
neers for repairing or constructing
bridges and removing obstacles. AS
communications are particularly i'm
portant each brigade has a signal COM
panyS The service echelon is largely
expanded over normal requirements
There is an ordnance company to pro-
vide ammunition and spare parts to
keep the fighting weapons and vehicles
in operation. A quartermaster battalion
supplies gasoline, oil and rations: it
includes wrecking cars for making
repairs in the field. A medical battalion
collects and evacuates wounded person.
mel. There are also two reconnaissance
companies of scout cars
Has Definite Limitation.
AS Gen. Scott was careful to point
out, the armored division has definite
limitation. 1t is sensitive to terrain, he
said cannot work in mountainous or
marshy country, and is slowed down on
fields cut by numerous streams. 1t is
weak in manpower for holding missions.
1t must be employed skillfully, he de-
clared, at the appropriate time and
place, and must promptly be followed
up by other arms. For the last purpose
the Army has developed a streamlined.
motorized triangular division of infantry
and artillery, also self contained; which
in turn is followed by the larger, stronger
but slower square or normal infantry
division, with its equipment partly mo-
torized and partly horse-drawn
Finally the writer was assured unani-
mously by officers of the new force that
the entire strategy of the blitzkrieg had
been worked out years ago in the Amer
lean Army. The German successes, ac-
cording to Gen. Scott came not as a
surprise but as confirmation Of theories
already elaborated.