The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1935-04-22
Fn Viii 9;S;; g.: i !
agree with
- - - them.
Macarthur on Future Warfare
(Chica % T,ih,,ual

General Douglas Macarthur, chief Of staff Of the
army has made about the first intelligent suggestion
from high authority since the outbreak Of the world
It is trusm that generalship is usually think
Ing in terms Of the last war Or even As one military
General Macarthur is of the few military thinkers
whose minds and naginatons are not dominated by
sacred formulas and who thus incapable Of draw
ing from experience the lessons teaches blood and
failure The unnecessary sacrifices imposed by military
Bourbonism make dreadful chapter in the history Of
every war; including the late which found In the
high commend both sides military pundts who could
not or would not face ntegently the radical changes
In the conditions Of warfare which the swift develop
ments Of science had brought about
Kitchener for example. and his military breaucrats
OF the British war department refused for months to
heed the appeals from the commander the field for
the high explosives necessary to deal with q deeply
entrenced enemy He had become famous for victories
his story and he intended stick it. It was only after
months OF sacrifices for the fighting and when the
pressure Of the highest civilian authority with the weight
OF terrible facts, applied that modified his re-
sistance. In due time he unostentatously side
tracked and his influence tragcaly quenched forever
in the North Even then he superseded by gen
erals no less stubborn and opinionated
This experience Of military Bourbonism was not con-
fined to the British and readers Of the records
will be glad to find that there forward looking
men in the American army.
General MacArthur,s views Of future warfare envs-
age radical change Of means and method Of equip
ment and the tactics and strategy which 1t permits
or imposes He foresees far greater mobility and the
Of relatively smaller though more powerful army
discrimination and modernzation will permit rapid move-
cheney Of the soldier. There win be fewer frontal at-
tacks. he predicts. and Americans who have read the
history Of the western front in the late viii hope he
g right In that ghastly staemate senerashp seemed
70 have better plan than to try to raise soldiers
than the machine gun could NOW down. That was the
policy Of attrbution which proposed to win the by
saughterng more men than the enemy could contrtve
70 do more hideotw policy cannot Be imagined and
for the allies It was criminal folly for It worked against
them. since the enemy had more better artillery
and. deeply entrenched In allied territory had only
70 hold their own exactns It has been estimated. three
casualties Of the allies to two Of their own Fortunately
tor the allies the Germans finally returned 70 the Of
fensive which wasted their reserves and with the aid
Of the fresh forces from America the balance turned
against them. But the had become vast shambles
the front and stupid. overweenins burocracy In the
high places ct the rear
Yet the Nys committee and the other proponents
LOT war legislation trying to put the whole var
machine In stupid and numerous strait Jacket
General Macarthur shows there = stiu opportunity
for enterprise In generalsip. It b encouraged
and developed It win prevent or dminsh the saneutn-
airy plumbers Of the great But the laundering viii
b repeated the national dsfense oct remains 70 put
competent geneTashp In the background while the s-
lat0n devised ~ men Ike Nye disquanfies competent
Management Of production and supply substituting Tor
burocratic pgheadednsss and political mismanaSe-
ment