The sun., 1918-09-25
GEN. PERSHING HAS
INVISIBLE QUARTERS


structed our hedging niers were either
French or British. Now. American in
structors are training American aviatert
in scores of quiet back areas In France
And II is good to have progressed &C
far Once our boys are pronounced NJ
after limited periods Of instruction In
the quiet sectors they are brought UP tC
one or another Of 1he sealed zones Of
combat. or course. Marshal Foch, com.
mander In chief OF all the allied armies
chooses the zones Of attack and de.
termines which electives he will devote
to each one Of them He names the days
on which the attack will be made, OF
sends all to winter quarters. as the case
may be. All rests on his judgment He
alone knows. should he decide for ar
offensive he conhdes his purpose to each
commander, whose business It Is to d.
rect such attacks.
Our. Gen. Pershing Is one OF these
army commanders. Army commander
are notified OF the combat zones that are
to be entrusted to them and the effec'
lives and materials assigned to them
They are also told what ultimate aims
they are to accomplish. Only Marsha
Foch. who keeps informed MS to the col
lective results OF attacks, has sufficient
knowledge to continue them, to develop
them or to stop them. II need be. III
has power to draw upon reserves from
other zones should that be necessary.
Each army commander. acting upon
this data from the top of the official
army ladder. attends to the distribution
OF his forces; to drawing up reserves
at his disposal TO establishing zones q
attack and determining the part he is to
play in gaining successive detectives. He
Also gives all orders necessary for recon-
Nuisance OF the enemy's positions: for
the preparation OF terrain and for the
organization Of supplies. He consults
with his artillery commanders on place
ments for guns the number to be in
stalled and the quantity OF shells to be
fired.
$50 Kinds of shells Used.
In the st. Mihiel battles. the FIRST to be
carried out by Gen. Pershing. more than
$50 varieties Of large calibre ammuni-
ton was used. All had to be delivered
under cover of night, days in advance OF
the attack.
Each army corps commander gives or
ders bearing upon the preparation and
execution Of the attack within the limits
OF his own area. drawing around him his
division commanders. who later carry
out the details with brigade commander
oia OlllCcEs. buTlHk each AZ
tack exactitude and continuity OF COM
munication. carrying Information from
top to bottom Of the ladder, Is essential
to success. Reports pass from regi-
ment to corps during the battle. The OBJ
jectives reached, the difficulties encoun-
tered a whole mass OF information con-
tinues In stream from the army COM
manders to the commander -in-chief.
who makes the Anal decisions.
Perhaps the most interesting feature
OF our army here is the invisibiiity OF
the threads OF authority which hold IL
together. OF the liaison between our
army commanders and Marshal Foch
know nothing. as that passes out OF
American control. But of the liaison
between Gen. Pershing and his corps
commanders / can write with authority
OF personal knowledge.
This wizardry of communication has
kept pace with the army's growth from
the beginning. Take the headquarters
Of the first American army. for example.
from which all Its activities are directed.
Conceive town which carries on its
normal French existence upon the sur
face but where behind unmarked doors