The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-08-30
FIGURES OF AMERICAS PART IN
WAR PASS ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS
Col. Leonard ?. Ayers Prepares a Remarkable Statistical Summary
Showing Comparative Costs in Men, Money and Material
for All the Countries Engaged-Costi the United
States Is 22,00O,OOO,OOO

chine guns produced to the end Of 1918
was 227
The Browning machine guns are be-
ieved to be more effective than the
corresponding weapons used in any
other army.
American production of rifle ammu-
milton amounted to approximately 81
5OO,OOO,OOO rounds, of which 1900, 000,-
600 rounds were shipped overseas.
The number of rounds OF complete
artillery ammunition produced in
American plants was in excess of 90
100000, compared with 100000
rounds secured from the French and
British.
In the first 20 months after the dec
laration of war by each country the
British did better than the United
States in the production of light artil-
lery, and the United States excelled
them in producing heavy artillery and
both light and heavy ammunition.
AT the end of the war American pro-
duction of smoke! .ss powder was As
per cent greater than the French and
British production combined. The
American production of high explo-
sives was 40 per cent greater than
Great Britain's and nearly double that
Of France.
Out of every hundred days that
American combat divisions were in
line In France they were supported by
their W artillery for rs days, by
British artillery fo five days and by
French for one and a half days.
In round numbers, America had in
France $500 pieces of artillery, of
which nearly 500 were made in Amer
lea, and Americans used on the firing
line $3.50 pieces, Of which over 10L
were made In America.
AirpIane Production.
When the United States entered the
war the allies made the designs of
their planes available to Americans,
and before the end of hostilities fur
nished from their own manufacture
$500 service planes.
Aviation training schools in the
United States graduated S,602 men
from elementary courses and 4,028
from advanced courses. More than s.
900 pilots and observers were sent
overseas.
There were produced in the United
States to November 80, 1918, nor
than 5000 training planes and more
than 10000 training engines.
The American air force at the front
grew from three squadrons in April to
45 In November, 1918. On November
IL the 45 squadrons had an equipment
of TAO planes.
OF 2,69S planes sent to the zone of
the advance for American aviators,
667, or nearly ~one-fourth, were of
American production.
American air squadrons brought
down in combat 755 enemy planes,
while their own losses of planes num-
bered only 357.
American divisions were In battle
for 200 days and engaged in 13 major
operations.
From the middle of August until the
end of the war the American divisions
held during the greater part of the
time a front longer than that held by
the British.
In October the American divisions
held 101 miles of line, or % per cent of
the entire western front.
In the battle of st. Mfhiel $4,000
Americans were engaged, compared
with about 100000 on the northern
side in the battle of Gettysburg. The
artillery fired more than 100000
shells in four hours, which is the most
intense concentration of artillery fire
recorded In history.
= The Meuse-Argonne battle lasted for
AZ days, during which 100000 Ameri-
car troops were engaged.