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Show Utf WHAT ARE STORMING TROOPS , Repeatedly the dispatches have car- ried references to "storming troops" employed by the Germans, and used recently on the west front in counterattacking counter-attacking General Byng's forces. Frank H. Simonds, the war writer, describes the method employed by Hindenburg in organizing and training the men who are sent over the top on the most hazardous tasks: In the month of May, 1917, when the field recruiting station of the Fifty-eighth Fifty-eighth division was situated at Mons, each company had formed two storming storm-ing sections of ten men each. They were specially recruited from young conscripts who had not yet been to .the front. When the Fifty-eighth division was transported to Russia these storming troops were formed into regiments,! organized as storm troop battalions. "School of Conical" While the Fif-iy-eighth division was oo the Russian front there was created, in June, 191? a division "School of Combat." This unit of Instruction had almost as many cadres as a normal company. Each company of infantry ;o the divi sion sent to it four men for each per-l lod of instruction, lasting a month. The purpose of the "School of Combat' Com-bat' was a double one: To exercise the men in the methods meth-ods of attack, in the style of forming attacking forces, broken to all difficulties diffi-culties (the clearing away of obstacles, progress la the field cut up by shell holes and the cleaning up of trenches.f To instruct the men in the handling of the numerous instruments which constitute the present-day armament of infantry; hand grenades, machine guns, light and ordinary; grenade throwers, lightweight mine throwers and even flame throwers. The "School of Combat", was dissolved dis-solved some days before the departure depar-ture from Russia. The men on instruction in-struction there rejoined their units. Since their arrival on the western front there has been constituted a division di-vision detachment of assault (Strum-Abteilung.) (Strum-Abteilung.) There are effective for combat 170 to 180 men who have been arranged in the proportion of four or five men per company in the three regiments of the division, These men were chosen from those who had been instructed In Russia Rus-sia in the division "School of Combat," Com-bat," or who had served as battalion assault troops. The personnel which formed the cadres of the "School of Combat" has been maintained by new detachments and augmented by the dispatch.' of three supplmentary lieutenants, oue officer per regiment. Armament These weapons which serve for instruction at the, "School 'of . Combat" remain with each storm detachment; de-tachment; three ordinary machine guns, four light machine guns, one light mine thrower and two grenade throwers. |