Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-05-27
AHies Are Depending Uncle Sam Make Good in War

the battles two years ago in which the
Australian and Canadian soldiers
proved their sterling worth The
British think that our men will be
very much like the soldiers of their
own dommions; they could pay US no
higher compliment
As the bulk of the British armies
which are no" giving the Germans a
bad time were raised since the war
began from = population as little
acquainted with military training as
( onr men, there could be no disposi-
/ tion mere to underestimate the worth
OF raw American troops. Many of
ticrrs have waNed most enthusiastic
to me, AID pointed out how the en-
durance and strength, If not the pluck,
OF British battalions has necessarily
det"riora.cd as older and weaker meh
have been put into khaki. when
your army comes across. said n
famous general sadly. lit Will be made
up of the finest infantry i'm the world
the finest infantry LETT IN the world
for the best soldiers there ever were
in the world, the old British eXpcdi-
uonary force, no longer exist.
Importance of New Institution.
The only doubt among men who are
gong thru the mill themselves on the
battle front concerns the ineXperience
OF American infantry and artillery Of
ilccrs. and all with whom | have
/ talked are most anxious that the full
est possible expert instruction in
modern fighting be carried out in the
, United States even If this involves the
withdrawal of much-needed officers
from the present campaign. IL is
hoped that no considerations of pride
VIII prevent the American authorities
IRON making use of foreign advice
The British armies have had the same
experience. Their stair work and
their artillery technique early in the
war were vastly inferior to the
French, as was inevitable since the
hrltish forces were volunteer lcvies
and the French were made nm of
professional soldiers During the first
two years of war. it is now freely ad-
mittcd. certain British leaders were
unwilling to 80 to school to their
, French colleagues and aNoidable
"regrettable Incidents and swollen
casualty lists were the result False
pride of this kinG no longer exists be-
tween the French and British armies.
Each has much TO learn now from the
other. and every new idea evolved in
the camp of one ally is promptly
studied by all.
There has been much comment at
the front as to where an American
army would go If it came over | re-
member a semi jocular discussion at
British general headquarters many
months ago, at time when the entry
of .he United States seemed cX-
tremcly doubtful
The general opinion of a number OF
distinguished officers was that for
political reasons Americans would
prefer to fight on Belgian soil. The
allied line in Belgium would not care
to relinquish the salient of Ypres
which has been drenched in British
/ blood and with Ipres ruled out there
/ remained sector next to the rem
/ nahts of King Albert's army which
seemed the natural place for Amcri-
/ cat troops. We even worked out a
! Hypothetical line to be held by one
/ American division. and settled on thC
/ town which would be used as Ameri-
/ can headquarters; a piece of guess
work likely to be vitiated by an allied
| advance in this region long before the
, stars and Stripes are carried into
martVred Belgium.
But despite the enormous i'm
: pOrtanCe of the formation of great
cause from disaster If things should
I go wronS this year. there is every
confidence that victory is at hand and
that if a 1918 campaign is necessary
At all II will be very brief. There
have been up to this spring. among
soldiers in France and in London
three main schools of thot about the
result of future struggles in France
/ one, which | called the optimist
schc oil, held that some day by good
luck or good management the Brit
ish or French would somewhere break
clean thru the German line and q
colossal disaster would result. with
hundreds of thousands of prisoner.
and thousands of captured guns, q
, victory that would end the war at q
single blow. As opposed to this view
equally distinguished officers believed
that the trench lines were perman
ent The war will end hundred
wards east or a hundred yards ives
of whore we are standing today" wal
sentiment | have often heard in thu
trenches tho seldom read IN the news
papers.
All Speculation Worthless.