Evening star., 1940-10-11

FinoI Step Token to Turn
Forces Into Fighting
Team of a Field Armies
The 29th National Guard Divi-
sion, composed of men from the
District, Maryland and Virginia,
has been assigned to the I'd Corps,
it was disclosed today. under the
new reorganization plan for the
Nations land forces.
Headquarters Of the 10th Division
will be established at Fort George
G. Meade, Md. The division will
mobilize there in January. by which
time the huge construction program
at Fort Meade is expected to be
completed.
Secretary Stimson announced the
final step in the conversion of the
Army into what he termed "a tao
tical fighting team" of Iour closely
knitted field armies, each with a
strength of $4,000 men.
The new plan put into effect yes
terday set up five new tactical corps
in addition to the four organized
last week. Each Of the four field
armies will be one to three of the
corpA
The I'd Corps, in which the 29th
Division will be modified, will con-
tain several other Guard units. The
corps will form part of the lst Army
commanded by 1t. Gen. Hugh A
Drum, whose headquarters will re-
main as now at Governors Island,
N. Y. He has been commander Of
the I'd Corps Area and has had the
title of 1st Army commander. Until
now the latter command had been
more or less of paper" assign
ment, as Secretary Stimson ex-
plained.
Other Divisions.
Other divisions making up this
I'd Corps will be the 28th DivisioE
of the Pennsylvania National Guard
to be mobi1ized at Indiantown Gap,
Pa. and the 44th Division to be
mobilized at Fort Dix, N. j.
Mr.. Stimson said the new reor-
ganization establishes "the field
forces of the United States Army"
under the General Headquarters
here. The old nine corps areas. into
which the country has been long
divided will. handle the general
housekeeping" duties, he explained,
leaving all matters of operations and
combat training to the four field
Army commanders, who have been
announced. Affairs will
be directed from the headquarters
in the Army War College.
Gen. Drum will be succeeded as
I'd Corps Area commander by
Brig. Gen. Irving j. Phillipson, who
has been his chief of staff at Gov
ernors Island He was formerly
legislative chief at the War Depart
ment.
The First Army, under Gen. Drum,
has eight divisions organized under
three. corps, plus three coast ar
tillery districts. The Second Army
has one corps of three divisions
and three skeleton divisions; the
Third Army is made up of ten di-
visions, organized into three groups,
with two separate cavalry brigades
and coast defense units. The Fourth
Army will have two corps of two
divisions each, plus coastal units.
Other Changes in Commanders.
Secretary Stimson also announced
three other changes in corps area
In the Sd Corps Area,
headquarters at Baltimore, Maj.
Gen. Walter S. Grant was assigned
to succeed Maj. Gen. James K. Par
sons, recently ordered to San An
tonic. Gen. Grant is newly ar
rived from the Philippines. i
Brig. Gen. John P. Smith was as
signed to command the Fourth Corps
Area at Atlanta, where he had been
chief Of staff. Brig. Gen. Robert
L. Eickelberger is to command the
5th Corps Area at Fort Hayes, Ohio.
At present he is on duty at the.
Preside Of San Francisco.
The 9th Corps Area, Fort Sam
Houston, Tex. will have Brig. Gen.
Richard Donovan as its new COM
mander. He has been the assistant
chief Of stad In that area. Brig.
Gen. Ernest D. Peek will command
the 9th Corps Area, Preside of San
Francisco, succeeding 1t. Gen. John
L. De Witt. The latter retains
Of the Fourth Army.
The 9Th Corps Area at Chicago
will be commanded by Brig. Gen.
Charles H. Bonesteel, who had been
It's chief of staf1. He succeeds 1t.
Gen. Ben LeaS, who retains COM
mand Of the Second Army.
The four new corps commanders
under the reorganization were an
nounced as follows: Mai. Gen.
Walter G. Short. 1st Corps, Colum-
bia, 6. c.; Maj. Gen. Campbell B.
Hodges. 5th Corps, Camp Beaure-
gard, La; Maj. Gen. kenyon A.
Joyce, 9th Corps, Fort Lewis, WASH
lngton, and Mai. Gen. Walter
Kruegar. 9Th Corps, Fort Sam Hous.
bou, ean Antonio.