Ellsworth American., 1919-07-02
INVASION FEARS
CALLED INFLATED
War Colleges 1915 Estimate of
Foe Exaggerated.
COULDN'T LAND SO QUICKLY

Getting ss7, 900 Men Over in is DAYS
Impossible, as Shown by Our Own
Experiment, Declares Gen. Peyton c.
March, Chief of staff-shows How
Lacking We Were in knowledge Of
Shipping Large Armies.
The experiences of the United
States in rushing troops overseas has
made it evident that estimates given
by the war department in 1915 that
Germany, if not interfered with, could
land $4,000 men in America in 16
days and 100000 men in 81 days more
were gross exaggerations, Gen Peyton
G. March, chief of staff, said. The
war department estimate was submit
ted by the war college to congress in
the year mentioned.
Our Own Record.
"On May l, 1917" said General
March, 'the army owned a troop. fleet
of ten vessels, with an estimated dead
weight tonnage of 52.725 and a troop
capacity of 10,830 men. All these
were boats which it would have been
possible in an extreme case to put into
transatlantic service, but of that
group of old vessels only one, the Bu-
ford, was permanently put into this
service.
Between April 6 and September 1,
1917 the first six months, the dead
weight tonnage of the United States
army increased from nothing to 10000
lightweight tons. The troops carried
eastward on theg2 ships ran by
months: April, none; May, 1033. Gear
ried on commercial linersl June. 70
621, Carried on commercial liners)
July, 5,437; August, 5,45S; September,
14,S13. Total troops carried, 39,002.
beginning with November II, 1918,
the date of the armistice, and running
through the six months up to and in
cluding April, we had carried west
ward III 1856 men.
"The 100000 total deadweight of
army ships on November II included
the Leviathan and other German ships
taken over during the war. The rapid
increase in the troop fleet since that
lliliV - hoC dillOSL ODlIItiN 10 lltt
making over of cargo ships into troop
carrying ships. Up to April l cargo
ships of 538,000 tons had been con-
verted into troop-carrying ships. These
ships formed 5S per cent of the troop
fleet in tonnage, although not in car
rying capacity.
Quite impossible.
"About the war department state
ment in 1915, pamphlet having the
title. Statement of a Proper Military
Policy for the United States This
statement contained an estimate of
the number of troops which could be
landed on our shores, provided there
were no interference. Germany had
the most; the estimate as to her was
3S700 men in 16 days, and an addi-
| tional 100000 in another 81 days. 1t
| was stated that these men could carry
| with them 10000 horses and all the
necessary equipment munitions. sup
| plies. and other impedimenta for
three months. In about the same
| space of time it was estimated that
| France could land 100000 men. Aus
! tria, 1SUU0, and Japan, 23S,WO, all
with large numbers of animals and
the necessary impedimenta for three
months.
"Our experience in this war shows
that these alleged facts are quite i'm
| possible. We have learned that you
cannot mobilize ships, men and sup
plies with the ease and speed calcu-
lated in the statement Ship perform
ances cannot approach the perform
ances assumed. Our fast troopships
have averaged close to 35 days for
complete turn around to France and
back, our cargo ships 20 days The
statement assumes that all ships in
Guiding cargo, would average 80 days
for that distance,
This statement shows how lacking
we were in knowledge of the problem
of shipping large armies overseas.
There was no experience of our own
or of foreign countries to guide us.
The transportation overseas of the
American army as an achievement is
literally unprecedented" 4.Tg