The Washington times., 1915-04-06
Accounts for Rise Of General
Robertson to Chief of British
General Staff.
FIELD STRATEGY GIVES WAY
Problem of Munitions Greatest
English Forces Face-Sup-
ply Strategist Recognized.
By ]. W. T. MASON.

NEW YORK, April 6-Fisld strategy
has been succeeded by supply strategy
as the most important question con-
fronting the intrenched armies in
western Europe.
The British have been the first to
recognize the full meaning Of this far
reaching change in modern. warfare.
They have met it by appointing Lieut..
Gen. Sir William Robert Robertson.
their quartermaster general. to be chief
of the Imperial general staff.
Hitherto, the head OF the general stah
has been a strategic expert, but here
after he becomes a supply specialist.
General Robertsons promotion Is due
to the unique record he has made for
well fed and their ammunition belts
well filed. When the war broke out:
the British war office supposedly had
in it's pigeonholcs minute plans for
lection. But the machinery didn't work
smoothly, and in particular there were
immense difficulties with the supplies.
Organized Motor Truck Service.
This was the circumstance that
caused General Robertson to distinguish
himself. The British quartermastcr
general belongs to the class Of English
men who do not believe England some
how will always muddle through
whether the workers do well or III. He
has American persistence and Yankee
ingenuity in his personality. and as
result the supply department of the
move with amazing ceierity between
the manufa curing centers in England
and the fghtng front in France.
General Robertson. for instance, or
between the French railroads. where
the tracks run no further. and the
British battle lines. that was the won
der of the French general staff. He
petrol engines and good highways. an
army does not have to rely on rail-
roads to maintain its most efficient
lines of communication.
General Robertson also taught the
people Of Engla nd there Is such a word
as hustle, which spells victory in war
fare. To be sure. he had the authority
OF Lord Kitchener, himself great
transport officer. to help him at home,
but Kitchener's chief work has been
General Robertson belongs the chief
credit of keeping the supplies coming
forth from England at high pressure.
Has Distinguished Career.
The new chief Of staff has been at
this kind of work since his young man
hood. In 1891 when General Robertson
was thirty-one years old. he was trans
port officer to a British punitive eX-
pedition in India. and won such high
praise that he was attached to the
auartermaster generals department at
Simla headquarters. After three years
spent feeding the British army in India.
he went as Intelligence officer with the
Chitral expedition. and won the Dis
tinguished Service Order. which ranks
just below the Victoria Cross for great
gallantry under Are. Then the general
III r.-l~ NhA
South African war broke out General
Robertson was sent to the front to
maintain military discipline among the
Tommes When the war ended Cen
eral Robertson was among the new
school Of officers who returned home to
revolutionize the antiuuated methods
Of the British imperial defense.
Part OF this time he devoted to re-
forming the quartermasters 8 depart
ment. Later he was commandant at the
British Staff College. which trains am
bilious young officers for the seneral
stan. When the European war began.
General Robertson was director of mill
tary training at the war office. Lord
Kitchener, who can detect an oreanier
by instinct Immediately selected him
to take charge of the difficult question
of supplies. ard the work Of the British
auartermaster general soon BECAME
pieces of scientific management the war
has seen.
Problem Is Munitions.
Then. as the opposing armies settled
down to siege warfare in their trenches.
the quarterma ster generals department
became Of greater importance than 1t
had ever been before. The British,
quick to see the advantage which a sup
ply genius like General Robertson might
give them. elevated him to third in au
thority throughout the army. so that
his superiors now are only Lord Kitch
ener and Field Marshal French.
The day after General Robertson was
made chief of stan. Field Marshal
n