Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-12

GERS had received more than superficial
training, and most of them were unac-
customed to the management of men.
The general officers of the division were
not sanguine regarding the possibility
of bringing the instruction of their ON
GERS UP to standard. They had all
served with colored regiments of the
Regular Army, and presumably they
were In position to Judge from practical
experience just how much to expect.
In the regular service the officers Of
qualifications were equal to those of
officers of like grades throughout the
army. But 1t was well known that the
time and attention that must be devoted
to training in order to raise the level
Of efficiency of the colored regiments up
to the average was considerably greater
than for white regiments. More respon-
sibility, therefore, rested upon officers
OF colored regiments.
In the new army, with hastily trained
colored officers relatively below white
officers in general ability ahd in previ-
GUS preparation, the problem of achiev-
ing battle efficiency for colored troops
was vastly more difficult. 1t would have
been much wiser at the start to provide
these colored units with selected white
officers.
Rejected Training Proposal.
Ny diary notes the following:
"Chaumont, Sunday, August IS, 1918
Harbord came up on Friday; reported
increasing activity in S. o. s. Have
cabled for $4,000 extra engineer and
service troops for port expansion Con-
ferred with Col. Andrews. Maj. Perkins,
Red Cross, has requested service in the
army.
Went yesterday for conference with
Foch on operations, Franklin Rose
welt, Assistant Secretary of Navy, called
"Gen. Bliss came TODAY to propose
cooperation in urging the 100-division
program. Gen. Bridges, British Army,
called to discuss machine gun organiza-
ton, training and repartition Of lines
Told him that we were not in favor of
training with the allies
My visit to Marshal Foch August "a
was to discuss preparation for the
operations in the st. Mihiel sector, and
especially to urge haste in the assign
ment OF the required French auxiliary
units.
Opening the conversation, Marshal
Foch referred to a letter he had written
requesting that the 27th and Goth Di-
visions, which were still with the
British, should remain there. He
considered it important, he said, to have
them ready to assist If necessary in
the British operations then in progress.
I replied that not only were these
troops needed with our own army, but
that they were eager to serve under
their own flag. Moreover, it had been
clearly understood that they should Join
The American Army when it was formed
I think Foch fully appreciated the sit
uation and the sentiment involved but
he said the battle was going we'll on
the British front from Arras to the Disc
and he hoped that it would extend fur
ther and produce greater results.
Therefore, he wanted to count on our
two divisions to help.
Assented to Request.
While he did not give any other rea-
son, thought 1t probable that he
wished, too, thus to satisfy the insist
ent demand of the British for their
share of American troops. Moreover,
1t was certain that he would also ask
for American divisions to aid the
French, and his action in this case