Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-02-14
Allotted
1889 Men for
National Guard
Air Strength Exceeds
Total Flyers Assigned
Virginia, Maryland
By Nelson IA. Shepord

Dy NeiSon M Sneporo
Allotments Of 1889 National
Guard members for the District of
Columbia, 1906 for Maryland and
1882 for Virginia were included
today in the tentative War De-
partment plans for a National
Guard Of 622,500 officers and men,
more than double its prewar
strength.
More liberal than earlier esti-
mates, especially in the air arm,
the postwar National Guard calls
for ST. 900 ground forces personnel
and 47,600 in the air forces. This
leaves $500 who, officials said, prob
ably would comprise special service
and administrative details.
The tentative breakdown for the
District Guard includes $500 men
in antiaircraft units and 789 in an
air force comprising one control and
warning squadron and one fighter
squadron, all to be located in Wash.
ington. The air strength, because
OF the strategic position of Wash
ington. exceeds the combined air
strengths allotted to Maryland and
Virginia.
No d. c. Unit In 18th.
Maryland will have 1894 men In
the ground forces and 384 airmen.
while the Virginia allotment is 49,
$40 ground and 312 air.
Under the plan outlined by Maj.
Gen. Butler B. Miltenberger, chief
of the National Guard Bureau, no
District unit has been assigned to
the 18th Division, formerly com.
posed of Guardsmen from the Dis.
trict, Maryland, Virginia and Penn
sylvania. The old 29th Division.
recently deactiyated after its return
from Europe, will be reformed with
troops from Maryland and Virginia.
officials said it is possible, too,
that the 29th Division: headquarters
would be established in Virginia.
The old division had headquarters
at Fort George G. Meade, Md, for
years before the war.
Principal Components Listed.
The principal Maryland Guard
components will be two regiments
OF the 29th Division, and one Air
Forces fighter squadron, located in
Baltimore. Virginia will have one
18th Division regiment, separate
regimental combat team and one Air
Forces fighter squadron.
1t was believed the antiaircraft
units for the District National
Guard might come from a reacti-
waited 260th Coast Artillery Regi-
ment in which District men served
at Guadalcanal. The $500 men in
the Ground Forces allotted to the
District, however, constitute the
peacetime strength of brigade.
| Here is breakdown of the nu-
merical strength planned for the
District Guard:
Air: Control and Warning Squad
ron, 4o5 men: Fighter Group Head
quarters, 70; Fighter Group, $50;
Flight utility, 35; Detached Squad
ron sub-depot, II.
| Ground: Antiaircraft Group and
Headquarters Battery, 81 men; AA
Battalion, automatic weapons and
semi-mobile guns, 638 men; IA
| Battalion, semi-mobile guns, Sill
men; AA Battalion tsearchlight) -,
$50 men: Engineer Searchlight Bat
talon, maintenance detachment,
men; Signal radar maintenance
units, s; Ordnance Maintenance
Company CAD, 127 men; Quarter
master Truck Company, SO men:
Military Police Battalion, $40 men;
band, 20 men.
18th to Follow Federal Lines
The reorganization of the 18th
Division will be along much the
same lines as when it was indicted
into Federal service, except for the
absence of the District Engineer
and other units. The 29th was
changed to triangular division
for wartime duty. 1t then COM
/ prised two Maryland regiments, the
1 115th and 175th; and the 116th
i regiment of Virginia infantrymen.
The other Virginia infantry regi-
ment. the 176th, was detached. But
under the new assignments, Mary
land will have only one infantry
regiment.
4 Officials said the reason that head
quarters of the 10Th Division prob
ably would be located in Virginia
perhaps Camp Pickett, is because OF
the practice to place it in the State
which supplies the division COM
mander. The choice, it was said, lies
between three men.
They are Brig. Gen. William H
Sands, Brig. Gen. George M. Alex
ander and Brig. Gen. Evarts Walton
Opie, all Virginians. Gen. Sands,
the senior, formerly commanded the
division artillery.
The 622, 500 men in the proposed
National Guard would be in addition
to postwar Regular Army esti-
mated to number 1,500,000 by. mid
summer. the War Department an
nounced, and an organized Reserve,
in which 225, 1858 officers and 1858
men already have joined.
| Gen. Miltenberger said the new
National Guard will have as its prin-
cipal units about % infantry divi-
sions, two armored divisions and
some Is regimental combat teams.
The postwar Air Forces will include
about II wings, 81 groups and "a
squadrons, as well as IL control and
warning groups.