Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-10-24

ton for the needs of the French army
did not exhaust our manufacturing ca
pacity, for we furnished our various
allies with 1000 guns, 1868 airplanes
and 400 tanks.
Thus. after three and half years
lend the splendid American army that
assistance without which their entry
into action might have been indefinite
ly delayed. Not to mention the $500
officers. the % instruction camps, and
the $4,000 hospital beds placed at
their disposal. we furnished the Amer
leans with 1000 guns. 1000 aero
planes. 24O tanks. On the day Of the
armistice, of the United States army's
war material then in line. France had
manufactured 100 per cent of the
75's, 100 per cent of the 1868, howit
zers, 100 per cent of the tanks, 81
per cent Of the aeroplanes. Is per
cent of the long guns. All Of the IS
million rounds of "a and 155 shells
used by the American artillery came
from French factories. OF the IA
million tons of supplies which they
used in Europe, half, or millions,
came from France.
m0xIWuW wan COWcV
Such was our material contribution.
What of our contribution in man pow
er? Despite her low birth rate France
did not hesitate before the mortality
of war andy means of Spartan
system of neutrality-suspicious.. kept
her forces up to the maximum:
900 men in July. 1915; 4,677,OO0 men
in July, 1916: 1927 900 men ia Sep
temmber. 1917; 4,143,O00 men in No
vember, 1918.
In November. 1918, we had 500, 600
more men in line than in 1914, and
vet our losses from the beginning had
been 2,594,OOO men-1. 1864, 900 killed,
100000 severely wounded, and AGO.
600 prisoners. Throughout the war,
we bore the brunt of the enemys at
tacks on the western front. We held
three-fourths of this front up to the
spring of 1917. At that time the
British army was facing AZ German
divisions. the French army 81. Our
line, reduced about this time by %
kilometers, was increased BY another
so kilometers after the German push
on General Coughs army in March,
1918. Tn to the war of movement in
1918. the German army always main
tanned its maximum density ON the
western 'front.', 293 battalions out of
coo in November, 1914: Lass bat
talions out of 1916 in February, 1917.
and il was always the French sector
that bore the brunt Of the burden on
the western front. II. for example,
taking the first 35 months Of the war
august. 1914. to August, 1910 and
the number of enemy battalions in
line, we figure the. total German
strength deployed as 4 on the Belgian
front. it was on the British front.
% on the Russian front and 80 on the
French front.
I have told our industrial effort and
our human sacrifice. | am not one
~ those small minded Frenchmen who
believe that, in order to be great,
France must needs be ungratefui,
have said that France could not have
won without her allies. And / have
If Justice to recognize that without
France they could not have waged the
war. Have I not the right to add that
besides her splendid contribution in
war material and her contribution in
man power. France made the splendid
contribution Of her genius?
The war full of surprises was preg.
nant with its own lesson. Success
came to those who from this lesson
were able to unriddle their course Of
action, No cut-and-dried doctrine
stood the test Of events. The doctrine
of the war shaped itself from day to
day in the turmoil Of accumulated hap
penings, reserving the crown Of victory
to him who could coordinate its ever
changing demands. But whether for
artillery-strategic plans. barrage fire,
nll,nrinx fire lias0n range. finding sir.