Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-06
Chief of Staff Says 1860, 900
Fighting Men Would Have
Been in France by Next
June if Kaiser Hadn't Quit
TOTAL u. S. STRENGTH ON
LAND NEARLY 5 MILLION
General March Praises CON-
gre8s for Promptly Passing
Legislation Necessary to In
sure Victory Over Germany

lsf MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED HtReI
washington, Dec, 5.--The army
program eff eighty divisions in France
by June 30, 1919, was embarked upon
with complete confidence that Ger
many could and would he defeated
during 1919 if the project was carried
OUT, General March, chief of staff, de-
clareS in his annual report to Score
tary Baker, made public today. That
conviction was based on a compre-
hensive study of the whole war stu
auon ordered by General March inn
mediately after he assumed his duties
as head of the army last March.
After a study of the situation"
the report says including as accurate
an estimate of the potential strength
or our allies on the western front and
OF the probable German strength as
was possible, ! came to the concIu-
SION that the war might be brought to
an end in 1919 provided we were able
to land in France by June 80 of that
year eighty American divisions of a
strength of,3,3G0,0O0 men.
Plan Worked Out Wen.
ION July is, 1918, / submitted to
you q formal memorandum, accom-
panied by a study of methods by
which the men could be obtained, the
supplies procured, and an analysis of
the shipping which must be obtained
in order to accomplish thes very large
military program. This was accom-
panied by an estimate of the cost of
the proposed program.
In this study | recommended to
you the adoption. as the American
program of eighty divisions in France
M 10Th .t IN
1918, based on a total strength OF the
American army of 4,S50,OOO men
This was approved by you and by the
president of the United States and
adopted as our formal military pro-
gram. To carry this program into eff |
feet required the adoption by congress
of change in the draft ages so as to |
include men between the ages of
eighteen and forty-five years, and |
also Grated a deficiency over the enor- |
nous appropriations already made by |
congress of some 81 900, 100000. The /
of the program to con-
gress accompanied by the statement |
that this increase in the army, if laws |
were passed by congress which would
make ii effective, would lead to sue
cess in 1919, produced prompt and !
favorable consideration by that body.
up to the signing of the armistice
troops were being transported to
France monthly in accordance with
that program. The results speak for
themselves
Adequate Staff Built Up.
The remainder of the report is de-
voted to a presentation of the steps
t was found necessary to take to
build up an adequate general staff
md the announcement that a COM
Dlete plan of reorganization for the
Irmy including the staff is being
worked out.
II have directed the divisions of the
general staff concerned to study and
submit for your consideration a plan
or the reorganization of our army,
which will take advantage of our eX- ,
Jerience in this war, which has
about many changes in or ;
yanization of all arms of the service,
md has developed new arms not
,nown when the war started. The ;;
ir service, the tank corps, the devel-