Evening star., 1940-06-09

coat, cap and trousers; 1OO6 ,1l2
overcoats, 934, ,405 wool shirts and
500 900 blankets. Col. E. 3. Gregory,
the acting quartermaster general
told House subcommittee recently
that at the beginning of this fiscal
year. there was only a nine-month
supply of uniforms available for
the Regular Army. Thus. serious
shortage in the first requisite for
soldering is indicated.
Some World War uniforms are
still in warehouses. But the vast
supply available in 1919 has been
dissipated through constant de-
mands by disaster sufferers, the C.
c. c., the r. o. T. c. and Citizens
Military Training Camps. There is
a large supply of fatigue clothes
blue denims-which could be used
for conscripts, but it would not be
conducive for high morale. Col.
Gregory estimated at least nine
months would be needed before pro-
duction could be obtained on new
supplies Of uniforms. Army officials
believe that once production is be-
gun, each of Is clothing manufac-
turers now making uniforms of vari-
Gus kinds could turn out 10000 a
week.
Discipline Problem Seen.
AS for training, officers believe 1t
will be more difficult to instill the
FIST military trait, discipline, to
American conscripts than the French
or Germans would find. Democracy,
apparently. does not make for the
type OF military discipline more es-
sential now than during the World
War when conflict was conducted
at a slower pace.
In six months, conscripts could
be taught to obey commands, yet
use initiative, march and fire a
rifle-but little more. Germany had
three-year conscription period;
France had two-year period and
the British six months-started lust
before the war.
During the World War American
troops averaged six months of train
ing in the United States, two more
in France and one month in a Quiet
sector of the front lines. But at
that time there were far fewer
types of weapons in use BY the
infantry. The 1910 version of the
doughboy must be acquainted with
the mechanics and use of tanks.
anti-tank guns, so and 80 caliber
machine guns, the 60 and 81 mill
meter mortars, in addition to the
rifle, bayonet, pistol and automatic
rifle. To acquaint infantry conscripts
with their use in mass maneuvers
would take year of strenuous
training.
Technical Training Needed.
In the field artillery, the technical
training needed is even more i'm
portant. A conscript could be taught
to become efiicient in firing a gun
with a battery within six months.
but would need a year before he
could become part of division.
A conscript could be taught to ride
horse in few months-and, Incl
dentally, there are more horses in
use in the present European war
than tanks and trucks-but a year
would be needed to train a cavalry
man. Less than a year of training
for mechanized cavalry is "piddling, ;"
one officer declared.
A mistaken popular conception has
arisen that q widespread knowledge
OF automobile driving would provide
large number of efficient tank driv-
ers. Actually, officers declared, that
knowledge is of less than elementary
use.
With the growing public recogni-
tion of the need for conscription,
popular talk in Congress is for a six
month training period, but that
time, said one off1cer who ought to
know, lis just long enough to make
them fit and have them get over the
measles"