The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-02-07

secretary hnOA "alH eHrStlls
the transition
backward, In the direction Of armed
strifes earlier STYLES. An airmau
naturally has 10 operate pretty in
dependently. In action against the
foe, and tanks aren't very rumer-
ously manned per tank, either
At sea big war craft. like cruis
ers and bsttleships, carry stable
crews, but naval experts are begin
ming 70 hint az a suspicion that the
utility Of these larger vessels is de-
clining. partly due to the planes
development. but due aiso to the
activities of submarines and Of
lively little destroyers on the
oceans surface OF course even
destroyer or a sub carries a more
considerable personnel than
plane, but nothing to compare with
the numbers that battleships and
cruisers tote. Yet it's noticeable
that most OF the current wars re-
ported sinkings Of transports. plane
carriers and merchant shipping
have been attributed. not to the
bigger fighting boats, but 10 flyers.
pewee destroyers and subs. Indeed,
some Of the naval leviathans have
fallen victims to the mosquitoes
overhead and roundabout and TO
the minnows underneath
It likewise is observable that.
when U-boats are troublesome off
shore or along some sea lane still
farther off. cruisers and battleships
aren't DISPATCHED 10 dispose OF en-;
no, TIE jobs assigned 20 NUGGETS IN
the destroyer class.
They'll Be Tough
Naturally soldiers always have
been trained with a view 10 maxi
ing 'em physically tough but, dur
ing the era Of long-range hostili-
ties, II wasn't considered necessary
to educate 'em for hand-to-hand
encounters, because they very sell
dom occurred.
The other day, though, Navy
Secretary Frank Knox announced
the initiation Of a course Of In
struction for his departments aN-
ators. which will include their
preparation for rough-and-tumble
scrapping - wrestling, smuggling,
gouging. even biting in an emer-
gency. These boys will need such
accomplishments, it's explained, as
they come down in parachutes, for
example, right in their enemies
midsts.
Frank says he intends to gradu-
ate 10000 Of this type Of COM
batants yearly.
Now. that just goes to show to
what an extent, as previously re-
marked, the art OF warfare is being
individualized.
Franks bunch will be concen-
trated on until they'll be ready to
60 1t alone, each, like knights Of
yore. It's going to be so Intensive
that he reckons he can handle only
10000 Of 'em at a time. Thirty
thousand is a stable staf Of avi-
ators, but it isn't so huge figure
contrasted with the 100000 mere
ly ordinary, old-fashioned troops,
mentioned by war Secretary Henry
l. Stimson as his goal.
Frank win have only 800. 900 Of
'em If he keeps it up for te- years,
and 100000 isn't so vast an aggre-
cation alongside OF 100000, ex-
pressed in purely arithmetical
terms.
Bat oil. what personal wildcats
this crowd Of Frank Knox's will be
Ancient and Modern
TIL be a reversion 10 the middle
ages, with modern improvements,
strictly UP to date
One lone knight, in armor. with
his lance couched and hollering his
battle cry, could dash, on horse
back, into two or three regiments
Of common kerns and put the whole
outfit TO route in short order
One OF Frank knoHs graduates,
n a plans cockpit. rather than on
obsolete saddle, on some Dobbin .
rump, viii swoop down out Of the
blue, scattering bombs in every di-
rection into a horde Of Nazis. Japs
or Fascists. scratch kick and bite
EN-, and. as they streak It, take
possession Of the entire field.
The course Of training IS sched-
uled % occupy J year per candi-
date. Al the years end another
10000 will be indicted and the pro-