New-York tribune., 1919-11-23
General Staff System and
Universal Training Are
Declared Essential to
New Military Structure
Americans Best Soldiers
Infantry Still Backbonee of
Army; Morale Counts
More Than Inventions
Nenr York Tribune
V'o hirotOr Bureau

WASHINGTON, Nov. %. What
amounts to a history of Americas part
in the world war. from the viewpoint
of men charged with solution of its
problems. was issued to-day by the
War Department in the form of the an
nual report Of the Chief of Staff, Gen
eral Peyton c. March. for the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1919.
The report covers the entire period Of
nineteen months during which the
United States was a belligerent. 1t
sets forth how unparalleled difficulties
were surmounted in transporting 2,OS2,-
900 men 30 q field of battle 5000 miles
overseas. despite the ravages of subma-
rines: how that army, numbering
3 703 273 officers and men at home and
abroadw hen the armiStice was signed,
to the pur uits of peace, and concludes
with q summary of lessons learned in
the war.
Lessons Gained From War
One of the principal of these, says
General March, is that the theory that
modern wars, owing to cost and sclen-
tifc engines of destruction. must be
short, has been exploded. Another is
chat in future an efficient army admin
istration must be centered in a general
staff A third is that the infantry is
still the backbone of an army, fourth
that as a soldier the American is un-
excelled and fifth, that, granting a
reasonable amount of preparedness. the
United States, self ustaining coun-
try. is practically unconquerable.
General March in tances the lame
start of the United States, for which
he holds the old bureaucratic war or
ganization responsible For the first
eleven nj 1nths Of the war these bureaus,
each trying to make a record, acted in
dependenty of one another and mixed
and confused functions until March,
1918, when, with the Allied position ex
tremey y critical, the general was sent
from France TO become Chief of Staff,
and that body. through an order of the
Secretary of War. became the center Of
responsibility and control.
~ur lAoD-hs tnerca ter. on July =,
1918, III the fNce of an acute shortage
of ocean tonnage, the United States
had 171.67o men in conveys bound for
France This was the greatest num-
bsr OF n IN on the water at any one
time. During the final six months of
the war. the report shows, more than
in addition to supply shipments ap
proXimating 500 000 tons monthly For
this . coo 600 dead weight tons of ocean
shipping were aVaiiab e, more than half
OF which wa supple bv Great Britain.
Bureau System Condemned
Discussing the lessons of the war,
General March declare unprepared-
ness, coupled with the hTreau system
inherited from the Re- >sionary and
Civil wars cost th country cnor-
inously both in lives aNd money
at is price that it snou-d d never be
necessary TO pay again" he declares,
and rec mmends a system of universal
training to insure an adequate reserve
of offers and men, and a permanent
peace army Of FIVE corps skeletonized
10 about 90 ner cent in such way as
20 include d nucleus for all organiza-
tions which require extended training
and instruction in preparation for war.
But however many lessons the war
may have furnished. General March
says the nr;ncin es OF warfare have re-
mainod unchanged, adding:
at vas not won, as some had pre-
dicted It would be. BY some new and
terrible deVelopm MT Of modern science.
1t was Won, as has every other war in
history. by men. munitions and mo-
rale'
Peace Organization Essential
General March suggests as probably
the chief lesson of the war the neces-
sity Of having the nation so organized
in peace that its entire resources may
De instantly and effectively modified
for war.
"Ths consideration acccntuates the
necessity" ne continues. "of a War
Department organization in future