New-York tribune., 1919-05-25
General March Declares
American Exodus Will
Not Affect Situation ON
the man Frontier
Only Regulars to Remain
All Other Troops Will
Have Embarked for
United States June ~

WASHINGTON, May "a The Amer
lean army of occupation, combined
with the forces of the British and
French under Marshal Foch, will be
capable Of handling any military situa-
ton that can arise in Germany, Chief
of Staff March said to-day in discuss
ing the early return home of all the
United States army except the regu-
lars who are to be retained in oc-
cupied territory.
e according to the present schedule"
General March said, call divisions but
the regular divisions will have sailed
by June ~ from France. The with
drawal of the service of supply troops
as scheduled will send home in May
100000 in round numbers, in June
100000 and the remainder will be
taken care of in July. We now have
90 per cent. of the army demobilized.
"The men who are now enlisting for
service abroad are being sent over and
will join the regular divisions which
are retained there. and unquestionably
will stay there until the place is
cleaned up and final action taken by the
government in that matter"
Allied Strength Sufficient
When asked if the size of the army
of occupation was fixed with the idea
of the maximum number that would
be required in the event that Germany
refused to sign the treaty, General
March replied:
II cannot say whether the maximum
was the determining factor, but the
presumption is that the combined
forces of the French and British
armies, which are very much larger
than ours, under Foch, together with
ours, are regarded as sufficient to
handle any military problems that can
arise there"
The view held by General March that
the Allied forces are adequate to
handle any situation that may arise
By Germany refusing to sign the peace
treaty is generally held by military and
naval officers here. Negative action
lnediately followed by the advance of |
the Allied forces further into Ger
many, and the attendant loss of ter
iitory that Germany will suffer.
The total number of troops demob-
ilized, including partial reports to
date, was given by General March as
2,215,161. Sailings from overseas since
November II, last, have totalled |
= ,152, ,427.
New Troop Record
. The return movement in the week !
of May 20 established new high rec
ord for transporting troops either on
the Il
During that week 1888 officers and
men were embarked for home.
y General headquarters at Chaumont |
will be closed early in June, after
which time the Coblenz sector will be
supplied direct from Antwerp.
The official schedule for abandon
raent of the various army sectors and
areas is as follows:
Base section No. 1 est. Nazaire), to
close July 20; No. 2 (Bordeaux), July |
10; No (England), June 25; No. 4, |
closed April 20; No. 5 (Brest), July
30; No (Marseilles), June 25.
intermediate section No. est Aig-
nan -Gievres section), and advance sec
ton No. (north of Paris district, to
be cleared by June /. except necessary
centres; district of Paris to close July
10; Tours headquarters scheduled for
abandonment July 80.
- VIII Discontinue Releases
General Pershing has informed the
War Department that rehabilitation
has progressed to 6 point where he
Will discontinue releasing individual
officers and men whose discharge has
been requested for unusual reasons. If
released individually thew would mr.
rive in the United States after their
anits.
Promoting men from the ranks in
France resulted in 1872 enlisted men
attaining commission grades, General
March announced