U.S. ARMY PREPARES FOR ATOMIC AGE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5286, 24 December 1946, Page 5

U.S. ARMY PREPARES FOR ATOMIC AGE

(Press Assn-

t . ■■ • ' » • - ■ SWEEPING " CHANGES FUTURE INFANTRY AND ARMOURED DIVISIONS

—Rec. 9.30 p.vi.)

WASTIIN GTON, Dec. 23. The Army has * announced sweeping changes in United States infantry and armoured divisions designed to' "look forward to the atomic age." The reorganisation plan envisages increasing infantry divisions from 14,000 men to a total between 17,000 and 18,000, a|id all divisions will be "triphibious" — transportable by land, sea and air. A " . Giant transport planes which are now being developeH may ena'ble a full division with all its weapons to be earried 'by 300: aircraft. ' It may even be possible to fly 60-ton tanks, into hattle. Fire-power will -he tripled and several inadequate weapons of the Seeond World" War will be abandoned, including vulnera'ble tank destroyers and armoured cars. Other important changes include the formation of organie tank and anti-aircraft hattalions., Armoured divisions will be given more heavy and medium tanks, as well as ' additional artillery and iantiaircraft hattalions and an additional infantry battalion. General Jacob D ever s, chief of the army ground forces, stressed that there would have to be some for^e to penetrate an enemy's territory and destroy his atomic bomb factories and robot roelcet-launching sites. That force, he added, would be the infantry!