Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-19
WAR TO CONTINUE
MANY YEARS MORE,
EXPERTS PREDICT
Allies Must Look to United States
to Furnish Millions of
Soldiers.
~ AGE LIMIT, LIKELY

Washington. April o-Statements
made In London by General Maurice,
director of military operations of the
British army. have developed the fact
that there has been an entire misconcep-
tion in this country rs to the actual and
relative strength of the British and
French armies on the western battle
front.
The sudden awakening to this fact
has brought about further rcallza-
tion of the man-power America is eX-
pected to furnish as rapidly as she can
to the Allied cause in Europe. And
glready has come consideration IN
government quarters as to whether or
not additional draft legislation shall be
recommended to Congress in the near
future looking to levy upon the manhood
of the United States far greater than is
now imposed under existing laws.
There is not the slightest doubt IN
the minds of military observers here
that the war is sure to last several years
vet. 1t cannot be ended with Germany
having so distinct an advantage OF the
military situation. Under the circ,m-
stances-with the possibility OF three
years of conflict still in Sight-lt is felt
that America NAV In less than that time
be brought to n consumption basis simliar
to the one which has been in effect IN
England and which includes men from
eighteen to forty-two years OF age
MAN-PowER ALL IMPORTANT.
Unfortunate as it may seem. there IS
no chance of avoiding the fact that,
after all is said and done, man-power
will be the deciding factor in the war
The Germans have realized 1t from the
] Al tfT,esD. 1rT
thing to get men and more men To the
fighting front. The French and British
general stats have realized it as well, but
have had more difficulty Impressing the
fact upon their governments and people
Guns and airplanes and tanks and
liquid fire and flaming shells which squirt
molten metal mean much TO the lighting
general, but in the last analysis his one
concern is manpower.
MECHANISM DOES NOT DECIDE WAR.
The generals who command troops
at the front will tell YOU that no me-
chanical invention has vet been the
deciding factor in q way. 1t always
has been the weight Of men which has
turned the scales of victory; and, It
might be added. the morale of ma
tion which steels itself TO make neces-
>ary sacrifice of men. America is the
hope OF the Allies, not only for food
and inventive genius. but for her vast
resources of fighting men.
The most surprising feature of Gen
eral AIaurice's frank talk In London
Yesterday is the development OF the
fact that the military authorities Of
the United States, as well IS the peo-
pie at large, have had the idea that
Great Britain had more men in the
Aa~-- DAE Q
is small wonder, in view of this mis-
America have wondered why the British
should only have held about one-third
Of the battlefront while France was
holding the other two-thirds.
Army commanders are not prone as
q usual thing, TO disclose the strength
of their respective commands. but as q
matter of fact both the British and
French governments recently have In
timated the number OF men they have
in the fighting zones. Members OF the
French military mission now In the United
States have announced that France still
has about 100000 men in the fighting
zone The correspondents At the British
front last year were permitted TO make
the statement AT that time that the Brit
l>h army in France amounted 10 betwe en-
100000 and 0000 900 men.
FIGHTERS oNE-FoURTH or MACHINE.
In both eases. however. it must be
understood that these figures repre-
sented the entire strength of the TWO
Allied commands the fighting men
alone The totals included all the men
working along all the lines Of communica-
ton, labor battallons, men in supply
columns and ammunition trains -mcn. III
short, who make up the vast machine
il Is necessary TO maintain behind the
fighting front. And il Is no military
secret TO disclose that often the men
behind the lines outnumber those in the
fighting positions by three and four 10
one.
So, when 1t is stated the Germans have
hurled more than a million men against
the British, il does not mean that these
million attackers have gone up against
100000 defenders The figures given
as TO the number of German divisions
engaged against the British take into
consideration only the infantry strength
Of the portion of the German army in
volved. They do not represent the ar
tillery and the millions Of men working
behind the fighting men.
The latest estimate of the number Of
German divisions hurled against the
British show the enemy has been able
10 concentrate in his two drives a num-
Der OF men almost double the entire in
fantry strength Of the British forces
In France.
Under these circumstances il Is easily
understood why General Maurice should
have asked this morning: Where is
Bluecher? What has become Of the Al
lied reserves.