THE AMERICAN ARMY IN EUROPE
GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING
[Sidenote: Organization of the American army.]
With French and British armies at their maximum strength, and all
efforts to dispossess the enemy from his firmly intrenched positions in
Belgium and France failed, it was necessary to plan for an American
force adequate to turn the scale in favor of the Allies. Taking account
of the strength of the central powers at that time, the immensity of the
problem which confronted us could hardly be overestimated. The first
requisite being an organization that could give intelligent direction to
effort, the formation of a General Staff occupied my early attention.
[Sidenote: The division.]
[Sidenote: A corps comprises six divisions.]
After a thorough consideration of allied organizations it was decided
that our combat division should consist of four regiments of infantry of
3,000 men, with three battalions to a regiment and four companies of 250
men each to a battalion, and of an artillery brigade of three regiments,
a machine-gun battalion, an engineer regiment, a trench-mortar battery,
a signal battalion, wagon trains, and the headquarters staffs and
military police. These, with medical and other units, made a total of
over 28,000 men, or practically double the size of a French or German
division. Each corps would normally consist of six divisions--four
combat and one depot and one replacement division--and also two
regiments of cavalry, and each army of from three to five corps.
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