The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-18
WORLD WAR TALK
TO SCRAP HEAP
Phrases Used by Public and Army arc
Thrown Into Discard by New
Army College
Books.
NO NEED TO BORROW
There are Plenty Of Expressions
Available Without Taking from
Foreign Text
Books.
NO NEED TO BORROW


phrases as "over the top" and
'liaison, which were common part
of the parlence of war literature and
conversation, are doomed to disap-
pear from American military phrase
ology and will not be included in the
army textbooks Of the future. The
new field service regulations Of the
United States army and the manuals
of the various arms of the service.
now being prepared by the general
staff, will differ in but minor details
from the regulations in force before
the world war, and will show prac-
tica1ly no traces of the passing vogue
of foreign methods.
The formulation of strictly Amer
lean doctrine of tactics, and the es-
Enlistment of system of uniform
instruction in all military schools is
the aim of the training section of the
general staff, according to high Off
GERS here. So-called trench war
fare" was only passing episode in
military history, in. the view of the
officers, while the fundamental prin-
ciples OF war are the same as those
employed by Napoleon at Jena and
Dy liTdnLf at GeLlySDufS.
This policy was stated to students
of the present class at the army serv-
ice schools at Fort Leavenworth,
Eas., by Brigadier General Hugh A.
Drum, director of the line school, who
was chief of staff of the first army
overseas.
Mo Need to Borrow Words.
"Our experiences in the European
war have been sufficient and the re-
suits so creditable," General Drum
said, chat we have little or no need
to borrow tactical doctrines from a
foreign country" General Drum said
that such Technology as open,
position Stabilized" and trench"
warfare would not be recognized or
employed. as the same tactical prin-
ciples apply to all of those so-called.
classes Of warfare.
Just as General Pershing insisted
on training the American expedition
ary forces for "open" warfare, SO at
the service schools, General Drum
said, "the incubation Of an offensive
spirit. which must be the primary OBJ
ject OF the course, is best obtained
by the study of open warfare offen-
sive situations"
A. the same time, 1t is the plan of
The general staff to make due allow
auces for new weapons developed IN
recent years, especially infantry
weapons. such as the one-pounder
guns, automatic rifles and machine
guns. These weapons have made
necessary the creation Of several new
units and slight notifications of old
in fantry formations.
Foreign Words ELIMINATED
Foreign words will be eliminated
from the Technology of the manuals.
For example, Information" will take
the place Of "liaison." tLiaisor Off
GERS" war product, will be known
hereafter as information officers
The service schools will compile
their own textbooks, General Drum
said and German authorities studied
before the war will be discarded.
While the use of new weapons has
caused some changes in organization,
t must not be forgotten, officers en-
,hasize. that infantry remains the
principal branch of the army and
hat other services are auxiliary
arms. In this connection it was re-
called that General Pershing, in
etter to the chief of the air service
upon the functions OF
,irplanes, said that IAN air force by
tself cannot obtain decision against
orces on the ground |
"An air force" the general added !
acting Independently, can of its own
recount. neither win war at the /
present time nor, so far as we can