Evening star., 1940-12-15
A. P. Photo.

ag maneuDers. A. P. Photo.
terial of the Army now in formation is
the best in the world. It's officers are
fond of recalling that American citizen
troops, only a few months from office
and factory. were able to take the meas
ure of the finest Germany could offer in
the World War. The material today is
even better, they argue. Because the
depression closed normal doors of civil
employment, high school and college
students have flocked by thousands to
seek career in the Army. In reception
centers at several reservations the writer
saw their first conscript arrivals. They
appeared to be Of precisely the same type
as the enlisted men. 1t is true that
nearly all of them were volunteers.
Recruits were shown at drill the first.
second, third and fourth weeks OF their
service. The difference between begin
ners and veterans of a month was strik-
ing, in health. poise and self-confidence.
So much so that one was tempted to the
conclusion that compulsory military
training is the best thing that could
possibly happen to the youth of America.
and that in one form or another the
system should be made permanent.
No Longer Routine.
| Army life is no longer a routine of
squads right" The national mechani-
cal bent has full play To be driven are
thousands of staff. command scout and
| combat cars. to say nothing Of tanks. In
! machine shops without number are
| motor cycle automobile and airplane en-
| gines to tinker with. Then there are
crowds of strange and fascinating ma
chimes, such as range finders and sound
detectors with electric nerves and huge
ears of steel. Instruction Is open in
hundreds of trades
In remount station at Fort Bliss
were seen horses only few days from
the range which submitted without the
quiver of muscle to be saddled bridled
and mounted. The theory is that no
horse needs to buck or to be broken" :"
Instead, the animals are put through a
process called "gentling.' The same pol
icy. firm but kind, is used with American
soldiers
The day of the tough sergeant and
iron listed corporal is finished. The
change is due to motive of tactics as well
as humanity. The machine gun has
ended massed troop assaults. The mod
ern battle line tends to become great
| series of dog fights, in which the result
may we'll be determined by the private
| soldiers spirit, initiative and resources.
| The new discipline aims not to crush
but to stimulate such qualities. =
The Army's equipment is either the
finest obtainable or eventually will be so.
| The standard shoulder piece is the Ga
| rand semi automatic rife, now approach
ing a daily output Of 1000, Machine
guns are of both 80 and so millimeters in
caliber. For long-range and indirect
| fire, both rifles and machine guns are
being replaced by 80-millimeter mortars
| The general antitank gun at present
| is one of 81 millimeters., 1t is effective
against light tanks, but not medium or
heavy ones. Field artillery consists
mostly of famous French weapons of the
| World War, motorized and modernized
These are the 75-millimeter gun and the
! 155-millimeter howitzer. The latter
| the Schneider of 1918-hurl 95-pound
shell 10 miles.
=. Huge Housing Projects.
For the shelter of it's soldiers, the Army
has on foot 100 housing projects costing
more than 81 0O0,0 900 each, and 81 more
calling severally for expenditures be-
tween $6,0O0,o0o and s8,OOO,O00. A camp
for only one of its proposed SO divisions
has just been completed at Fort Benning.
The outlay was $4 200 ,000 The total con-
struction now under way is estimated
at more than $400, 600, 900.
For maneuvering fields and firing
ranges, the Army increased its controls
from 1881 900 acres on July / of this
year to 8,126,640 on December T. All
these sites are held under purchase
lease or transfer of jurisdiction over
public forests and lands from the De-
partments of Agriculture and the In
terror. .,.., '.-.--.-..
Yet the Army's new financial motto
1--WE can't spend enough" is by no
means an expression of extravaganza.
It means literally that despite its best
efforts the military establishment will
probably be able to use no more than
5000, ,ooo, 600 out of $s,5os, AL 1923, in cash
and contract authorizations, which was
placed at its disposal by Congress for
the current fiscal year. .,.
The tale for succeeding years win as
suredly be different. In the words OF
Maj. Gen. Charles L. Scott, acting
chief of the armored force during the
illness of Maj. Gen. Adna r. Chaffee,
spending has just begun" The Army
is not only the country's largest indus
try. It is well on the way toward
absorbing = major segment Of the en-
tire national economy.