New Britain herald., 1917-08-09
|SAMMlES ALMOST READY FOR BATTLE Americans Remarkably Apt at French Training Camp EAGER FOR OFFENSIVE Instructors Expected to Leave Quar- ters Soon-Morale of Troops Shown by Enthusiasm With Which They Practice Attack.
 

American Training Camp in France, Aug. 9.-(By the Associated Press) - The deepest impression one gains aft CT three weeks with the American sol ('diers training here is the absolute earnestness with which the splendid young men of the army have under taken the task before them. There is no disposition on their part or on the part of their officers to underesti- mate in any way the seriousness of the task and the hard work which remains to be done before America can take her place in the actual firing line.
 The troops that are here feel their
 responsibility keenly. They are in
 deed, the small but effective nucleus
 about which will be built the great
 army machine which the United
 States hopes eventually to have on the battlefe1ds of France.
 The men are earnest in their de-
 sire to absorb war knowledge as
 quickly and as thoroughly as possi-
 ble so that when called upon to act
 as examples to succeeding units they
 will be found qualified. A great deal
 of this earnestness' and this will to
 do is largely the result of the en- thusiasm of the young officers, who but recently joined the colors and who have taken up the business of war with courage and determina- ton that means much to the future : of their country.
 Require Our Sympathy. In return for this service of pa triotism, in regard for sacrifices al ready made and the still greater ones yet to come. the officers and men alike of the expeditionary force want to feel always that they have understanding
 of and sympathy and support from the folks back home. That is sentiment
 tai side of the soldier, whether he be French, Br1ton or German in the firing line, or American in the training camp.
 Face to face with the great adven- ture all thoughts of self are things of the past. Their only thought of home l in the soldiers breast is that what he I is about to do will be understood and appreciated there. This spirit already pervades the young American army Under the best circumstances the , training of soldiers in the ever changing methods of modern war Is a labor requiring months of patience and painstaking efforts.
 Six months is near the ideal train ing period, but this rule applies to armies which have been fighting three years and have all the machinery es-
 tablished through wich the men are passed smootly and unendingly towards the front.
 The building of this machinery
 the great engine of war which works behind the lines-is the staggering xxyifh ic sly in way greater than anything France | or Great Britain have been called upon to do, for Americas problems are of those of France and Great Britain 1 multiplied by 5000 miles of ocean. Faith in American Will. The army that is here realizes all these difficulties but 1t also has an unshakeable faith in American genuis for accomplishment and, above all others, in the American will. 1t is not known how much longer l the French instructional division will remain with the Americans. The 1 latter are proving so apt and the training camps are so we'll eStab- lished that undoubtedly it will be only l a comparatively short time when but | few picked French officers and non- i commissioned officers will be retained 1 to assist in the training.
 | Students of the war are convinced l that the morale of the troops and the morale of the nations of the Entente 1 will prove the final factor in deciding i the titanic struggle. The morale of ] the American soldiers in France can easily be estimated by the avidity with which they take the training in offensive tactics as against defensive. |