Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1919-06-28
INVASION FEARS
CALLED INFLATED
War Colleges 1915 Estimate OF
Foe Exaggerated.
COULDN'T LAND SO QUICKLY
Getting 3e7 900 Men over in 16 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.

Shipping Large Armies.
The experiences Of III" United
States in rushing troops overseas has
made il evident that estimates given
ny the war department in 1918 that
Germany. if not intcrfcrcd with could
land $4,000 urn IN America in IL
days and tio.~~ men in - days more
we're gross CONGREGATIONS. cen Pcyton
c. March chief of stniI. said. The
war department estimate was submit.
ted ~ the war college To congress in
the year mentioned
Our own Record.
"Ou May /, 1871. said General
MARCH tho army owned troop fleet
~ ton vessels. with an estimated dead
weight tonnage "f $3.50 and a troop
capacity ~ lOSSu men All these
were boats which il would have been
possible in an extreme ease To- put into
trans Atlantic service bur of that
group 81 Old vessels only onc. the Bu
ford was permanently put into this
service.
between April 6 and September
1917 the first six months the dead
weight tonnage of the United States
army Increased from nothing to iG09C
dcad-weight tons The troops carried
eastward on these ships ran by
months April none; May lob Gear.
ricd on commercial lin"rSl June H..
GIL Carried on commercial linrrS);
July 5437 August. 5.45s; September
l4S13 Total troops carried 390O2
beginning with November II 1918
the date Of the armistice, and running
through the six months up to and in
Guiding April. We had carried west
ward III. 4sG men
The 100000 total lightweight of
army ships on November II included
The Icviathan ana other German ships
taken over during The war. The rapid
increase in the troop fleet since that
time j. due almost entirely to the
making over Of cargo ships into troop
carrying ships Up TO April cargo
ships of 53S.ooN tons had been con
verified into troop-carrying ships These
shirS formed IS per cent of the troop
hcct ia tonnage. although not In car
ryns capacity
Quite impossible.
about the war department state.
mcnt in 1915 pamphlet having the
title. Statement Of Proper Military
Policy for the United States This
statement contained an estimate OF
the number Of troops which could he
landed Oh our shores provided thcr"
were no interference. Germany had
the most the estimate ms 20 her was
3s7 600 men IN 10 days and mn add
tional 100000 in another 81 days. II
was stated that these men could carry
with them l76.Oo0 horses and all the
necessary equipment. munitions. sup
plies. and other impcdlmenta for
three months In about the same
space of time II was estimated that
France could land 404 900 men. Aus
trin. 10000 and Japan. 23S.O00. all
with large numbers Of animals and
the necessary lmpedlmenta for three
months.
Our experience in this war shows
Tint these alleged facts are quite i'm
possible We have learned that you
rannot mobilize ships, men and sup
plIcs with the ease and speed calcu-
lated In the statement. Ship perform
ances cannot approach the perform
lnceS assumed. Our fast troopships
have averaged close 10 - days for
'omplcte turn around to France and
nack, our cargo ships 20 days The
statement assumes that ull ships. in
Guiding cargo. would average "a days
FOR that distance.
This statement shows how lacking
We were in knowledge Of the problem
u shipping lnrge 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"