Evening star., 1942-10-14
Army Goal Is 7 100000 in '43;
Release Of Older Men Is Studied:
w. S. Subs Sink 5 More jap Ships
Stimson Reveals
Planned Increase
Of 3,250,000
BY the Associated Press.

Secretary of War Stimson,
arguing for the draft OF 18 and
19-year-olds before the House
Military Affairs Committee, esti-
mated today that the Army now
had 4,250,000 men and next year
would swell to 100000.
Gen. George c. Marshall, Army
chief OF staff, appearing simultane-
ously before the Senate Military
Affairs Committee, told the commit
tee he was investigating the pos
Flbll1ty OF releasing older draftees
from the Army after the drafting of
younger men.
Because the Selective Service
System does not now reach men
younger than 20, the Chief of Staff
added. the average age of the
combat Army has risen to a point
not at all acceptable to the War
Department"
Breakdown Of Needs,
Secretary Stimson gave this break
down OF the Army's 1943 needs to
the House committee:
Air forces, 100000.
Organized ground units, $500, ,000
Services of supply and related
duties, 100000.
Secretary Stimson was the first
witness in the committees hearing
on legislation to lower the draft
age IN accordance with President
Roosevelts request broadcast to the
Nation Monday night.
He pointed out that the original
draft law had contained provision
for drafting men of 18 and 10 years,
but Congress deemed it prudent"
then to postpone the induction of
the younger men.
Past Wars Are Cited.
Earlier plans for induction of
these men, he said, were based
upon history and upon experience"
adding that lin facing critical
war like this we naturally look back
to similar cases."
All major wars in which the
United States has engaged in the
past, he explained, were largely
carried through by men under 20,
from 18 to 90"
"It is contingency which we
have faced. based on experience,
that the country will have to rely
on men of those years" he con-
tinued. The truth of the power of
youth to meet an opposing youth has
been made a fundamental convic-
ton in my mind"
The Secretary said medical rec
ords disclosed that the 1919 group
had much higher percentage of
men fit for military service than
later age groups, and 'it Is also
patent" that their induction would
be less likely to disrupt industry,
agriculture and normal domestic life.
But those are matters of auxili-
ary and secondary importance" he
added, "the important thing is that
youth constitutes the perfectly in
dispensable class of men necessary
to make an Army"
"Army Getting Too Old
Mr.. Stimson declared, II want to
say to you that whatever the size
of the Army, one sole criterion for
sauging it's strength will be its strik-
ing power-based on the calculation
of mobile forces capable of offensive
action, which is the only way we
can win this war"
But he warned "our Army is
getting too old There are men
coming from the induction centers
who are too old for front line fight
ing"
Mr.. Stimson told the committee
that study of one Army group dis
closed that so PEI cent of the men
Of that outfit were over 35 and Is
per cent over 40 He gave the
average age of men in divisions
recently activated as follows: March,
26 years months; June, 27 years
S months; July, 27 years 10 months,
and August, % years 2 months.
That is too high" he said. When
the crack comes, the older men will
have to be supplanted with younger
men, unframed with the divisions
then in battle, and this would weak
en- the fighting Army.
Men over 40, should not go into
the kind Of fighting into which
American Armies have got to 60
Mr.. Stimson told the committee
there was mo comparison between
the 1918 Armies and the American
Army of today. in the elements OF
re-training and integration." that