The reorganization of the Infantry} affects China in respect of one unit, the 2nd Royal Wolds Fusiliers, far og mechanization ig concerned, 'This battalion will be converted. 16) machine guns, but it Is not expected that the change will be made before next year. The organization will be' tone anti-tank company, one reconnaissance company and machine gun companies. The number of the latles not yet decided, but the experimental unit of 1935, which was tried at home, had three gun companies, each of which had three. platoons, Bach platoon had two sections with two Vickers guns each. The antly tank company had four platoons each with four guns. The trial had headquarter company but not one for reconnaissance, 'AIL the other battalions now in 'China will give up their machine gun' companies and be rile battalions of four companies and a headquarter company. The' latter will include a platoon of 3-Inch mortars and a light Bren machin gun platoon. " Esch rifle company will be in four platoons of three sections each, As well 23} being riflemen the sections will learn to use the Brow gun of which there will be $2 In a battalion, "The change is to place all the support weapons of @ brigade into one' battalion use them in support of three rifle battalions, The object is to adjust the proportion of infantry to sup porting arms and simplify tactient control. "Another result will be a reduction in the size of the Division which was becoming unwieldy.
The machine gun regiments under the plan will be the Royal Seats, Royal N. F., Royal Fusiliers, Royal Scots Fusiliers, Royal" Welch Fusiliers, A. and S. if. and the Devonshire, West Yorkshire, Cheshire, dlesex. Manchester Regiments Gloucestershire, East Surrey, Mid
and the 3rd Battalions of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards. AIL others will be rifle regiments.
Mobile Division as Spearhead The formation of " Mobile Division fas the spearhead of the ordinary Divisions will make @ formation con-isting of the Ist 'Tank Brigade, 18t and 3rd RIA, Brigades, and ist and. 2nd Cavalry "Divisions' mechanized Into moter regiments and light tank units. The Cavalry fo be mechanized are the rd Hussars this year, 9th Lancers next year and then the 1st K.DG. Queen's Bays, 4th, Tth and 10th Hussars. The Cavalry arm in future will consist of 8 thotor cavalry regiments, 3 light tank regiments, 2 armoured ear regiments and 12 horse regiments. The. cavalry light tank unit will have 58 tanks. As there will be two of these in the new Mobile Division, and the complete ist Tonk Brigade also, the number of tanks for the new formation will be 81 medium and 240 light tanks. Add to this the artillery power of two brigades and rifle and machine gun power of four mechanized cavalry Fegiments and it will be seen that the Mobile Division will be a very powerful agent for securing the break: through and maintaining the momentum of attack.
China will be treated as having an Infantry brigade "and one machine gun ballation will always be included the strength. Tt will be 1939-40 before the scheme is complete and then we shall have 15. brigades home on the new basis of one gun battalion and three rifle battalions and 12 brigades in India. The Rifle Brigade, K.RRC, Royal Ulster, Cameronians and the Light Infantey regiments are pleased that they will Felain rifle status and in this connection it is interesting to record that the Durham LI. who carried out the machine gun battalion test are to be riflemen.
The Dilwara The new motor transport Dilwara left Southampton on January 27 for her maiden voyage, but when she will be seen at Shanghai is la doubt owing to the constant changes. of! dates. and routes in the trooping programme., T have already described this new ship, the best of list kind Ju the world, in which the amenities of a first-class liner are provided Those with memories of the old Dilwara remember only discomfort, The new ship will astonish them beyond mesure, amt
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.