New Britain herald., 1917-04-10
PLAN FOR AMERICAN
 ARMY IS APPROVED
London Times Military Expert En-
 d0rSeS Administrations Ideas
DON'T EXPECT FORGE AT ONCE

DON'T EXPECT FORGE AT ONCE Realization That United States Has Serious Task Ahead Emphasized Our Officers Would Be Welcomed For Training Under War Conditions
 London, April 1O.-The Times mili- tary correspondent, discussing Ameri- can participation in the war, heartily endorsed the purpose of the American government to use the regular army and the National Guard as a nucleus for the formation of national army. He recalls what a serious disadvan- tage it was to Great Britain to be compelled to throw her regular forces into the fighting line in 1914 because of Frances urgent need of help.
 "If," says he, 'the United States cares to send a regiment or two to London or Rome to affirm the solidar- ity of the allied cause it would be a graceful and rightly appreciated act. But this war is 8 very serious business and. for the national army which America proposes to create the whole Of her existing professional care is lit- tie enough. We shall not misunder- stand American action in the least if we have to wait some months until her first divisions, we'll equipped and thoroughly trained, make their ap- pearance in France.
 Hastily formed and untrained lev- fes are useless. Our new armies in 1914 took nine months in forming be- fore the first division arrived in France and this division took three months more to harden in trench war fare before it could safely engage in a great attack. America may be able to curtail these periods and send over a few divisions this autumn, but 1t will hardly be this year that America is adequately represented on the bat tie front. Germany certainly reck- oned on this delay when she deliber- ately preferred the hostility of the United States to abandonment of ruthless submarine warfare"
 Officers Require Training.
 The writer emphasizes the neces- sity of systematic training of officers and points out that the experience of the Allies has been that this can be best done at the seat of war. He con- tinues:
 "Every facility will certainly be ac- corded by the Allies if America takes the hint from our experience and sends batch after batch of officers and non-commissioned men to be trained in our schools or similar schools to be established by the American army. We fully expect that American sci ence and invention will teach the United States great deal when the Stars and Stripes come over the wa ter but meanwhile elementary pro- fessional education of all ranks is as much a necessity to the American army as it has been and still is for ours.'',
 The correspondent concludes by in sisting on the necessity of counting the submarine menace before every thing else, in order to clear the At lantic for the passage of the American army and supplies. '"To this task, he concluded, "the efforts of the Am erican and allied nations must be un- interruptedly devoted"
 Observations Please Washington Washington, April 1O.-Officers of l the army general staff noted with sat- isfaction today that military critics of some British newspapers fully recog- nize the fact that the United States is faced by months of army training before a force could be sent abroad with any assurance of it's ability to l take its place behind the veterans of the French and British armies in the trenches. The situation as outlined l by the London Times critic states ex- 1 actly the views of American military experts. | The army bill now before congress was framed by Secretary Baker after 1 thorough discussion with his military advisers. It's purpose is first to pro- 1 vide for an army to train the first in crement of troops to be summoned by draft several months from now. It will take a minimum of 100000 off, cers and men to provide the half mill lion men in that force with instruc- tions. The preliminary use of the regular army and National Guard as ] contemplated in the bill will be to
 produce that training force and at the
 same time furnish a thoroughly
 trained army of half a million men for whatever use it might be desired
 to make of it. After the 100000 off, ! cers and non-commissioned officers
 have been withdrawn and assigned to
 the new army, the first line troops 1 will need a period of further training in which the men and officers promot- ed to fill the vacancies can be seasoned to their new duties.
 | The force will act as a. school, how =
 ever, to produce additional training
 personnel for the second half mill
 lion or any other additional force
 called out
 Presumably these first line troops
 after eight or ten months of training
 could furnish a thoroughly trained