Evening star., 1942-11-18
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

An army-any army-may have
preponderance OF strength In mer
and equipment, particularly in thu
striking power inherent in motorized
equipment, such as tanks, but If II
hasn't that priceless an intangibl,
thing known as spirit or morale, thu
will to win at any cost, 1t won
prevail.
The American Army, now build.
ing into q relentless spearhead o1
offense, has that spirit-plus. The
plus Is the colossal amount of motor.
lied "hell on wheels" that one day
will hit back at Hitler and Hirohito
We don't see it here in Washington
where the heart and core of our wal
effort lies, and where charges o1
inefnciency and war mistakes rever-
berate. We don't see the death
dealing war birds in the sky; the
rumbling, ponderous, thick-skinnec
tanks; the paratroops hitting the
silk to capture enemy airports, OF
the slogging foot soldier, tough anc
alert, marching rs miles with full
pack and rifle and coming up at the
end ready for battle. 1t would be q
good thing for all critics Of our wal
effort to see just what is being done
by the Army in places far removed
from political talk and the blabbe1
and war of words that goes on In
Washington. I believe they would
cut down on the volume of talk and
criticism and pour everything into
speeding the war to a successful
conclusion.
The American soldier is not con-
cerned with these things. He gets
up around dawn and works hard
learning the "how" of war in all Its
Infinite details. At night he is too
tired for much else than sleep
whether it be on the ground, rolled
up in blanket; in a pup tent or on
cot in barracks. But he wants
tremendously to win this war
quickly. His offensive spirit Is hot
Nothing will blunt it, even the sight
Of comrades falling around him. A
year or less ago he might have had
a soft civilian job, but that Is behind
him now. He wants an enemy tc
shoot, or stab, or blast out of exis-
tence with artillery. That unde-
Unable quality called morale Is
high in the soldiers of our new
Army. It's hard to find soldiers fo1
policing duty nowadays because the
boys aren't doing all those trivial
things, such as failure to salute
going "over the hill" and other
things that confine man to clean
ins-up jobs on the post under the
eye of an MP detail.
Money Turned Into Guns.
Vaguely we hear in Washington
OF the billions being poured out for
guns and tanks and motorized
equipment, airplanes, Garand RI
hes, machine guns, sub-machine
guns, field radios and the multi
sudinous paraphernalia of war. 1t
6 all there. The soldiers are using
1t. It isn't a dream on blueprints
any more. For years in the old
Army. general officers on maneuvers
had to use small detachments to
represent battalion; wooden guns
and broken-down cars to represent
tanks.
They don't have to do that now.
The manpower Is there, and the
equipment Is ready. I saw miles
on miles of motorized equipment
moving along Louisiana and Texas
roads, flanked by miles OF marching
troops. Reconnaissance planes
roared overhead as tanks wheeled
across fields. This, as a major ex-
planned, was not tactical. Under
battle conditions motorized eouip-
ment would be moving at night, il
bn roads, and through woods in day.
light. Troops in column would move
ut night, and would be widely dis
persed, for ground strafing from the
air Is too deadly against troop con-
centrations. But the men and
equipment, the shooting stun, all
were there.
OF all the motorized equipment
IN this mans Army dearest to the
hearts of all soldiers Is the jeep.