Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-26

The vital need of the allies on the
western front is men and moro men. !"
was the message which Maj. Gen. Leon
ard Wood. L. S. A.. yesterday afternoon
brought to the Senate military affairs
committee straight from the battle front
With as little delay as possible. Gen.
Wood said, the United States should put
into training 5000. 900 men. At least g.
500, 900 men should be hurried to France
as soon as they can be got ready. he said.
For several hours Gen. Wood talked
to the senators behind closed doors. He
spoke particularly of the part this coun-
try must play.
Man power is diminishing with the al
lies on the western front. The French
and the British are outnumbered by tie
Germans, he said, now that Russia has
been eliminated from the situation. The
call. therefore, is for American soldiers.
Gen. Wood said he regarded the Ma
ional Army as splendid body Ct men,
drawn, as it is, from the best in the
country He would have it shipped to
France as fast as the boats to carry it can
be procured.
In this connection he dwelt upon the
great need OF speeding up the produce
ton of ships in this country.
Is Sure Allies Will Halt Hun Drive.
OF the present German drive, Gen.
Wood said he was confident 1t would
be halted by the British line. The ad-
vance made by the Germans was to be
ish have intrenched positions in their
rear to which they may fall back if
it becomes necessary. and still hold the
enemy.
have thrust themselves forward into
the British line will find themselves in
a worse position than the British be
fore long, more or less cut of as they
said. have hesitated to throw their re-
serves into counter attacks until the
Germans have gone far enough to com
init themselves to this drive. But
predicted. and with success.
Gen. Pershing's army, Gen. Wood said.
is a splendid body of men, but far too
moral morale is "a sd S But it has no
combat airplanes OF it's own. The
Americans must rely upon the French
for these airplaneS. and the French
have need of their own airplanes. In
consequence, the American line at times
has been practically without airplane
protection. The German planes have
flown almost at will over the lines ana
have come so low that they have been
fred at with revolvers by the Ameri-
cans in the trenches.
AV1dClOu o1IUdllOu ocAAooSs
He admitted that the aviation situa-
ton. so far as the American Army is
concerned. is serious. Gen Wood ad-
planes in France. The raw material
should be shipped as fast as possible
to the other side, where skilled men
could handle it While he admitted
details about the liberty motor. Gen.
Wood said he believed the motors now
used abroad would be better for combat
machines unless perhaps the twelve
efficient. Planes driven by the liberty
motors. he said. might well be used
for bombing expeditions.
Pershings army not only has not a
combat airplane of its own, he said,
but it has not a single piece of heavy
ordnance made in this country. So
far as the latter is concerned, he added,
it did not matter so much, for the
French and the British factories have
an ample capacity to turn out the guns
for the American Army as we'll as their
own forces.
Gen. Wood believes. however. that it
is of vital Importance that this country
proceed to turn out at the greatest
possible speed all the guns and air
planes it can. All of the war industries
here should be speeded up.
Gen. Wood laid stress upon the need
for training the American Army to
warfare. Sooner or later, he said,
either the allies or the Germans would
break through and the fighting would
have to come in the open.
was that the general staff here should be
enlarged. and that its advice should be
carefully needed by the War Department.
He commented upon the large and efficient
staff with which Gen Pershing has sur
rounded himself.
Urges Universal Training.
Cen Wood strongly advocated universal
military training He told the committee
that it should be begun without delay
It Is folly, he said. to hold to the rule Of
liability Of military service and not pre-
pare tho men to serve and fight efficient
". The United States he said. is going
to need a vast Army before this war Is
over. and the way to get it as quickly as
possible and have 1t efficient Is to adopt
the lines proposed by Senator Harry New
Of Indiana In an amendment to the bill to
bring about the regisdati Of men who
date Of registration for the draft Gen.
Wood said that by the adoption of such
a plan there would be a steady and con-
slant supply Of young men, trained for
war, to draw from as tho need for re-
plenishing the Army and charging it,
arose
The sooner we got $500, 900 men to
France the sooner the war will close"
said Gen Wood. Man power he indicated,
would be decisive and the United States
would have to do its full part in this mat
ter.
Report Gratifies Senators.
The senator's heard Gen. Woods state
ment with the keenest interest, decIar-
ing afterward that his story had given
them more information than any which
has yet been presented to them in their
investigation of the conduct of the war.
Those who discussed his testimony
declared that 1t had indicated the
charges made on the floor of the Senate