The Alaska daily empire., 1918-12-19
How Pershing's Army Grew.
Seattle Times.)


 General Matrices review of Allied military power in the West during the present year up to the hour when tre armistice was signed and fighting ceased significantly indicates the increasingly important part that Pershngs forces played during eight fatefu months which preceded Germany's complete defeat. The British observer takes .the Belgian army whose strength did not vary greatly throughout the year. as the unit," and gives it "a value of one" On this basis, the French army in March twelve and ourths the British ten and one-haf and the Americans three-fourths.
 At that time the Germans had slight numerical superiority over the Allies and took advantage of that circumstance to launch their smashing attack against the British and the French By the middle of May as result of additional troops being brought from the enemys East Front, the foe attained his maximum strength
 From that time forward, however his relative ad- vantage declined. He could not make good the losses he had sustained durnig the hard fighting earl fer in the year, while the npourng of Americans had more than compensated for the casualties sustained by the Allies.
 By July 1s Maurice says 'the day on which Foch made his famous counter-attack the Marne the po- siton had been exactly reversed from what it had been on March 21. Both the British and the French armies had been slightly diminished in strength since the spring but this had been compensated by the growth of the American army"
 At that time the American force-on the same comparative basis mentioned above-was three, that of France eleven and one-half and that of Britain nine and one-half.
 Although the enemy's field strength thereafter de- cned steadily and there also decrease in the available power of England and France, the Ameri- can army continued to grow by leaps and bounds.
 
 November H. Maurice the relative strength of the Allies Begians, one; British eight; French, ten; Americans, six.
 In other words, army at that time three-quarters that of England and than one-haf that of France Approximately 200O, 900 Americans then were overseas, while an additional 1,970,000 in cantonments at home in training for departure during the winter of 1918 and the spring of 1919. Consequently the American force under arms and available for service within six or months considerably larger than that which England had in the field in the West November Il and as large, if not larger than that of France.
 In addition arrangemnts had been made by this country for calling out additional 2O0O 900 men just rapidly they could be accommodated at the cantonments and had the struggle continued through the winter, these drafts would have been moblized for training before spring.
 Welcome though Germany's surrender to all Americans, including every officer and soldier in the nations fighting forces the fact remains that from strictly military standpoint, the struggle ended too permit this country to exert is maximum sure upon the foe.
 If autocracy had been able to stave off defeat until 1919, the powerful army in France Flanders would have been that under General Pershings com mand'