Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-04
Foot Soldier
Still Key
Man in War
Mechanical Combat Just
Adds TO His Duties
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

through insufficient a + m o T
which explodes a magazine and
blows her to bits. That is the
traditional way in which men,
of-war dispose of each other and
so nobody says much about
that.
But then an overwhelming
combination of planes and ships
harries the Bismarck back
across the Atlantic like a pack
of hounds after sick rabbit
and, by combined fire of all
arms, sinks her in turn.
Immediately a hue and cry
goes up that Billy Mitchell was
right"-that surface warships
are obsolete and that the sea
battles of the future will be
fought in the air.
The Nazis. after having built
up a tremendous land army of
more than 200 divisions of ira
ditional infantry and artillery
formations, precede its slower
movement with the swiftest
vanguard ever known. of a few
armored divisions on gas-driven
wheels, protected and preceded
overhead by slashing air force.
These spear-point threats
pierce the Polish front along
several routes simultaneously.
They paralyze her cumbersome
mobilization and make her fairly
respectable land defenses duck
soup for the slower divisions of
the German army.
AN EXACTLY similar thing
"A happens in France through
the forest of Ardennes. The Ger
mans themselves are astonished
at the speed of this operation
and the mushy quality of the
undermined French resistance,
composed al its keystone of
Spahi colonial troops.
Exactly as in Poland, the
French concentration falls into
utter confusion through paralysis
Of important points. congestion
of roads. and a virtual blackout
Of French communications.
So Western Europe falls and
we hear that this is a war
of machines, not men, The day
Of mass armies" is said 10 be
done. Old fashioned infantry
and artillery are described as
obsolete.
American CONSUMPTION and
mass training, we learn, were
mistakes. Our great need is for
tanks, modern war planes and
armored motorization.
MORE recently. Britain makes
A'A what now appears 10 have
been a major mistake in at
tempting TO defend the island Of
Crete by pitting naval superior
ity, without overhead defense,
against overwhelming NaZi con-
troll of the air.
She gets a good licking and
loses more new cruisers and
deStroyers than she can afford
in what now, BY hindsight.
seems TO have been a spectac-
ular but sterile sweep around"
that rocky, sea-girt outpost.
Immediately we hear that the
island Of England is doomed 10
similar fate, and again that
all the old naval and military
concepts were cockeyed.
This nation would be blind as
bat at MONDAY if 1t neglected
these shattering lessons, long
anticipated by some of our best
soldiers and sailors. But it
would be equally stupid il it
failed.
New weapons and develop
ments have resulted in new
combinations and uses of arma-
ment. These have changed and
made much more difficult and
expensive the application OF the
basic principles of war. but they
have Cancelled out none of them.
THE PLAIN bad news Is that
Il no new weapons have re-
heved US Of the necessity for
providing and maintaining the
old one-naval vessels, guns,
mountains of munitions and
masses of men with cold steel
in their hands.
Above all. nothing has relieved
us OF the necessity for providing
adequate training and harden
ing of our young men for all the
arts of war-the profession of a
soldier.
On the contrary, this job has
multiplied in intricacy, difficulty
and the need for pains and time.
1t formerly wasn't so hard to
make a good Doughboy out of
a husky shoe clerk, broker or
pill-roller.
Now. most Of the men. in
mechanical divisions at least,
must have, in addition TO the
equipment of any good foot
soldier, something of the theory.
mechanics and operation Of
radio. motor transport, military
engineering, artillery, machine
gunnery and modern combat
practice.
Lets get the most out Of all