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Show Doughboys Laden Like Motor Trucks A MICHIGAN doughboys going Into action In the World war amazed the French by throwing away every thing except lighting tools and stripping strip-ping to their undershirts and breeches. It's no wonder, for the heaviest luden pack animal of the army Is the doughboy dough-boy himself. Inch for Inch by size or pound for pound of his own weight the truck private of Infantry carries on his buck Into battle double the burden hundled by horses or mules or motor trucks. And he Is expected to Jog cheerfully along through the ooze beside be-side the road, leaving the good going to the gns and animal transport. Army experts are racking their brains for ways to cut down the doughboy's dough-boy's load. Exhaustive study hus been given to war experience for that pur-pose. pur-pose. Through the American Legion and similar organizations efforts hnve heen made to get the men who carried the Infantry packs In France to suggest sug-gest changes. Hut as yet It has been possible, It was snld at the War department, de-partment, to get only a few ounces of weight off the backs of the trudging Infantry. Kxpenti flgirrt that th average lad for a foot soldier should not exceed CI pounds. Yet under the present organization organi-zation tables, "No. 3, rear rank," (the automatic rifleman In the Infantry must stagger along under about 1.13 pounds when fully equipped. The bulk of the doughboy's load Is fighting equipment What he carries for his own bodily comfort has always been stripped down to the absolute minimum. Aside from his "Iron rations," ra-tions," bis blanket, overcoat, extrn shoes, nioRs kit, canteen and his few essential toilet articles, the weight the Infantryman packs has a grim purpose. pur-pose. The whole Intricate business of war rpvolves around tha doughboy and his rifle and bayonet. |