Evening star., 1943-09-09
> CTVK1
of the
Army and the War
CHAPTER III.
Philippine Defenses Rushed - Crisis in
Supply-Protecting the Western
Hemisphere-LeaseL Lend
Problems.

Note. The Star is printing, in
daily installments. Chief OF Sta6
George C. Marshalls report to
the Secretary OF War on the pc
rtod July /, f94f-JHne 80, 1943,
Just made public. ut is record"
Gen. Marshall tDriteS, "of tUhat
sCds done and aDhy it 1Dds done
and is submitted lDhile America is
at tpdr to permit better under
standinQ of the great offensive
operations no,U in progress"
In August Q94D President Roose-
velt issued proclamation mobil-
izing the Philippine National Army
and steps were taken to furnish
these partially trained forces with
whatever equipment could be made
available from the United States
in addition to that held in reserve
in the Philippines. Referring to this
mobilization of the Philippine forces
and the shipments from the United
States of troops, planes and other
munitions already effected or in
progress, Gen. Macarthur in letter
to the chief of staff ON August 80
made the following comment:
Il wish to express my personal ap-
probation for the splendid support
that you and the entire War De-
partment have given me along every
line since the formation of this
command. With such backing the
development of completely ade-
ouate defense force will be rapid"
Effort to Improve Airfields.
In early September the War De-
partment recommended to Congress
that the Philippine Independence
Act of 1884 be amended so as to
authorize the expenditure of GER
tain sugar excise tax funds and
currency devaluation funds accru-
ing in the Treasury of the United
States for defensive purposes in
the islands. These funds, amount
ing to approximately $4,000, 900,
were wanted primarily for the ex-
tension of airfields. While awaiting
legislative action the War Depart
ment obtained s10,000,000 from the
emergency fund for the President to
be utilized for Philippine defenSes.
This, plus another 100000 from
Army Air Forces funds, was quickly
exhausted and an additional $5,000,-
900 was obtained from the emer-
gency fund for the President while
the debate was in progress in Con-
gress. Still later, when the sugar
excise tax legislation did not receive
favorable action, the War Depart
ment included in the Third Supple
mental National Defense Appropri-
alton Act, 1912, 1868 900 900 for the
Army of the Philippines, but this
did not become available until the
act was approved on December II,
l941.
Reinforcements for Philippines.
BY October, 1941, it had been
found possible to assemble 500 900
tons of supplies and 10000 fully
equipped and fairly well-trained
troops as reinforcements for the
Philippine Islands. Few troop
transports were available, but with
hasty conversion of passenger ships
to troop carriers IL troop ships were
scheduled to sail between November
81 and December 8. Twelve cargo
vessels were to sail between Novem-
Der II and January 6. Six of the
troop ships and nine cargo vessels
were at sea when word of the Pearl
Harbor attack was received.
Orders were flashed to all of these
vessels to proceed to the nearest
friendly port and to observe radio
silence. -Four of the troop ships re-
turned to San Francisco. The other
ttyo, which were well out from
made Brisbane. Australia, after Is
days of silence and uncertainty. All
but one of the cargo vessels reached
friendly ports. The exception was
presumed captured after having
reported on January ! from 600
miles south of Tahiti that an un-
identified airplane had ordered her
to halt but that she was proceeding
to New Zealand. Another vessel
whose cargo included P-40 fighters,
motor vehicles, rifles. ammunition
and gasoline, was at Christmas
Island at the time the Japanese
struck. 1t Immediately put to sea
and no word was heard from it until
the 23d of December when it sailed
into Los Angeles Harbor with its
cargo intact.
New Trans-Pacific Route.
Further deliveries to the Far East
ern area were hampered by the loss
of Wake Island which necessitated
the immediate development of an
alternate trans-Paciflc route via
Christmas Island, Canton Island,
Fiji and New Caledonia. The new
route was opened to traffic during
January, 1912.
In the interim all heavy bomber
air movements were Immediately
undertaken from Miami, Fla, via
Brazil, Equatorial Africa and India
through Sumatra to Java and Aus
tralia. The loss of Sumatra in Feb
ruary terminated deliveries by this
route. While this sudden reversal
OF a movement halfway around the
earth demonstrated the mobility of
the airplane, 1t also demonstrated
the lack of mobility of air forces
until a lengthy process of building
up ground service forces and sup
plies mechanics, ordnance and
radio technicians. signal personnel,
radar warning detachments, anti
aircraft, medical and quartermaster
units, as well as the troops to cap
ture airfields and defend them
against land attack, and the accu-
mutation of repair machinery, gaso-
line, bombs and ammunition had
been laboriously completed by trans
port plane, passenger and cargo
ship-the last two largely being
slow-moving means of transporta-