ARMED FORCES: The Pentomic Division

Old soldiers faded a little faster early in World War II, when the Army announced that its traditional four-regiment, two-brigade divisions would give way to streamlined, speedier, three-regiment units. Last week the old soldiers of even the wartime triangular divisions received a shock. Adjusting to atomic strategy and tactics, the Army announced a complete reorganization of 18 active divisions along the lines of its 19th, the “pentomic” 101st Airborne Division.

Under radically different tables of organization and equipment still being drawn up, the regiments of all 18 divisions during the next two years will be reformed into five smaller combat groups (pent) that can group quickly for major-division operations and disperse as quickly to escape atomic retaliation (-omic). To increase mobility, heavy artillery and rockets will be reassigned to corps or armies.

Though the reorganization will trim the strength of airborne divisions by one-third, and of infantry divisions by almost one-fifth, the Pentagon emphasized two points: 1) the plan does not lower the overall strength of the Army itself, or rule out future draft calls; 2) the changeover is no experiment in disarmament. Then, for old soldiers, a humane third point was added: history-rich regimental colors and numbers will somehow be preserved even in the pentomic age.