Imperial Valley press., 1918-05-01
OF ARMY
IS. PRAISED BY
AN AUSTRALIAN
(By Associated Press)

Behind the British Lines in France,
April Is (By maiD-The Germans
are in for a rude awakening if they
are sincere in discountinC the Amer
lean army in France, in .hc opinion of
+. NJ Cutlack, assistant official cor
respondent with the Australian Impe
.'ial Force here.
"The Americans" he asserted, shave
a spirit for which they Kaiser would
sacrifice good half of his numbers
if he could get it into his troops to-
day." Returning from a visit to the
American forces, Mr.. Cutlack wrote:
"The dominant fact in the arrival
of the United States army is the huge
bigness of it. 1t is new-new as
paint-and keen as racehorse IN
training-or rather, a whole paddock
full of racehorses. The world will
probably not have the chance again
of seeing such a spectacle of amateur
warlike earnestness, for the Amer
cans are learning very fast.
"It saw something of the sane
sort when the Australian War Army
began long ago in 1914-the same
light-hearted enthusiasm, the same
rich, raw quality, all unframed and
inexperienced, the same outpouring Of
the very best of whole country in
an emotion Of national pride, count
ing neither cost nor returns. The
Americans are not soldiers yet, and no
people realize better than themselves
how much they have still to do to
make themselves soldiers, but they
will be great and powerful army
in probably shorter time than they
reckon upon.
"Great armies have before this
been raised for great causes, and the
British Empire has the best of rea-
sons for knowing how, with the vital
spark in him, the most unmilitary
civilian may become fine soldier
But no army you can read of in his
story ever marched with a more splen.
did ardor or faced great struggle
with serener satisfaction than tbs
American Expeditionary Force in
France. And it is such mighty ar
my. They will not tell you how big,
and you are discouraged from guess
sing, but we ran through all a spring
day in huge automobile, and still
the American host dotted the land
scape, drilling, marching, maneuver-
ing, building camps and roads.
"They are learning the art of fight
ing from the best soldiers of France
and Britain, and many of their Off
GERS as attaches of one sort or an.
other have seen a lot of this war from
the German and Turkish side as we'll.
We found a major who had watched
the Gallipoli campaign from the top
of Battleship Hill and was in the con-
fidence of Liman Won Sanders and
the Turkish HAshas. He has, there
fore, particularly warm regard for
the Australians.
I'VE went up to see the American
line in Lorraine. In their khaki and
! round tin hats among the Lorraine
hills they look and act very much like
our own men. Indeed, they might be
our own fellows. They have the same
sturdy, self-reliant look. They spread
themselves over the country in the
fashion of men accustomed to vast
spaces. They walk with the same
easy, free-limbed carriage. Their dis
cipline, like ours lis a thing which
force could never impose or main
tain, but is rather contributed volun-
tarlly to a common good in violation
, OF temperament and upbringing.
against these men, as against the
men of the British Empire, the Ger
mans have no chance"