The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-03-18
F., CREDIT FOR WINNING WAR
is Given to American Industry and
Engineering.

can industry and engineering and
American science, next TO the Ord.
nance Corps of the regular army, be-
longs the credit Of having evolved
and made possible an ordnance pro.
gram for the American army that
made victory a certainty. Major Gem
eral Clarence c. Williams, Chief of
Ordnance. declares in letter to the
officers Of his department retiring TO
civil life made public tonight
II was American industry and
science that were on trial." says the
letter. The ninety-seyen officers OF
the Ordnance Department of the old
regular army and the eleven govern
ment arsenals they administered
could never have dominated have
won the success or caused the failure
Of the 5000 officers from civilian life
and the 10000 private industrial
plants which were incorporated in
the organization for the period of the
war The enlistment in industry,
equally with the draft Of manpower,
was a success. And for that thank
you. the administrative directors and
the engineering advisors OF American
industry who came into the service
of the Ordnance Department during
the wag
! No other part OF the American war
program carried its responsibilities
and effort as to design and invention,
or production, into so many channels.
When your problem is the pro
ductlon OF 100000 separate compon.
ents in more than 5000 different
plants it continues. with these
items ranging from freed bags and
star shells to complete trains of rail-
way artillery, the Judge who can com
petently, say what your progress has
been must indeed have a profound
knowledge OF the field
! General Williams points out that
his own service took him first to
France for eight months. then back
to keep the work at home under con-
slant review.
"Of such knowledge he adds, Il
say that you did exceedingly well and
that am proud TO have commanded
such soldiers in this war. | say this
utterly without thought OF any per-
sonal responsibility for that success.
The tribute is not to me. 1t is not
to the Army Ordnance Department
Of the regular establishment nor to
the Ordnance officers of the regular
army 1t is to American industry
and engineering to American sci.
encc."
The department, General Williams
says, probably exercised direction
over a greater physical power than
was ever concentrated on single
purpose in the history of the world"
The happy attainment of our OBJ
ieciive in the war within nineteen
months gave Insufficient time for the
cQmpIeie Development OF that power. "
! he adds. Proper strategy required
the pIojection Of the ordnance pro-
gram uron a scale designed to Sc.
cure ahultimaFc. overwhelming and
continuous rate of production rather
than lesser rate OF production at
an earlier date
Obviously housewife could buy
4 an oven and bake six loayes of bread
in less time than bakery could be
built and provision made for the
needs Of an entire city But the rate
of production from the housewife
oven could never feel the city.
The ordnance objective was rate
Of production adequate for an
army Of 100000 men We could moi
sacrifice production in 1920 TO force
a quicker but lesser rate OF produc
ton in 1919 We were building iC
make ultimate victory absolutely
certain and there never was a mo
ment when the ordnance program die
no; absolutely guarantee The uliimat,
defeat OF Germany.
I'VE stood ready. durlGg the montl
tho armistice was signed to turn CT
the taps al full force that had beer
made ready 20 provide flow OF mu
nitionJ such as no nation had eve
attempted.
The fact that the American mum
tftiOns program alone was create
than that which Germany could at
tempt after thirty years OF prepare
ton for war is apparently little rea
lied in this country Bnt | have n,
doubt that Il was realized in German,
and that such realization substantial
ly contributed to victory by its re
action upon tho minds OF the militar
masters of Germany"