Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-10-20 | Page 35 | Huns Organizing Motorcycle Units

HUNS ORGANIZING MOTORCYCLE UNITS Machine Gunners Are Mounted on Wheels to Aid in Infantry Attacks. By HENRY G. WALES, Universal Service Staff Correspondent. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY. Oct. 19. A German censor has described the new motorcycle machine-gun units recently re-cently created In the German army, "Bayr-Kraftrad," os they are termed. Motorcycle machine gunners are Rejected Re-jected from amon& the strongest and most promising pupiis at the machine-gun schools They are given a Epeoal forty-day forty-day course and taught to operate motorcycles. motor-cycles. The machine ie a light weapon and Is carried strapped to the shoulder?. Ammunition Am-munition is usually carried strapped to the frme of the machine or behind the sad; die. although occasionally then; are sidecars side-cars attached for the cartridge belts. "Winged infantry," as the motorcycle machine gunners are called, are for up e on both the offense and the defense. They are so mobile that they can be rushed from point to point in the Unc and therefore usually accompay the strum truppem In a section there are five groups of ten men to a group, and a fast motor truck travels with each fcectlon carrying supplk-5. The men arc provided with leather uniform; and steel helmets and carry pistols as f?!de arms. Each station sta-tion carries an antiaircraft machine gun. The prisoner could give no information informa-tion as t: What fh'jse motorcycle machine-gun sections had done in the field, although he had learned their tactics in operation. They were to ride as near the line as they could get and leave their truck and the antlaircr;-ft machine gun, then to work up to their assigned emplacements em-placements and set up their weapons. In advancing their rnotorcyci'-a were to le ised in following up close bohmd their infantry and protecting 'ts flanks, especially especi-ally if a break-through wre effected and any tort of speed attained. No planfl had been ?aid 1or them lo co-operate with cj vnlry, because, as the prisoner pris-oner explained. Germany Is co short Of horses that nhe has ro cavalry, an officer offi-cer being finefi for trotting his hoi-e on a pa-, od thoroughfare. ::s the oats ration is only three quarte a diy for such animals ani-mals as tacy bava.