Evening star., 1943-03-10

/ SlSlItO, anu Willy IL 10 ilIIDcSSlDle 10
| reduce its size or interrupt its
training without the grayest danger
to our ultimate victory.
| We are planning to have raised by
the end of this year l943 an Army
of 8,200,0 900 men, composed of T.
100000 enlisted men and 100000
officers, This number will include
an air force of about 2i2 millions
1t also Will include the Women s
| Army Auxiliary Corps of upward
Of 50,000
These figures were not arrived at
by guess work; they were the prod
uct of months Of study by the Gen
eral Staff and the War College
They were also the product of joint
planning with the Navy over the
future work of both these services
The proposed size of the Army, the
Navy, the Coast Guard and the
Marine Corps we're all determined
at the same time, and all of these
forces were balanced within them
selves and against each other, and
also in connection with the avail
able manpower, the estimated ca
pacity of production of equipment
and the estimated availability OF
shipping for their transport.
These figures have received the
approval Of the Joint chiefs of staff
Of the Army and the Navy, and
! finally of the President, They have
/ thus had the benefit Of all the
/ brains. accumulated research and
/ Judgment which our governmental
machinery provides for that pur-
| pose, They have not been worked
out in disregard Of, but in full
I reference to. our program of ship
building and production of equip
ment.
Size Relatively Modest.
/ When we look at the estimated
! size Of the forces of our enemies
which are in the field against us,
our numbers certainly do not look
relatively too large I realize that
| the figures of the hostile forces are
estimates only, but they are based
upon the best information avail
able to those whose business it is to
! make such estimates. -
In Europe the estimated forces of
the Germans and their allies show
about 100000 men under arms.
Russian and Britain together have
/ much smaller number. In Asia
! the japanese have more than 3000,-
| 900 men. These figures represent
the aggregate of individuals in the
various forces.
When we compare the combat
units of the various forces, the dis
| parity between us is even greater
| Our plans are to produce about
! 100 American divisions of ground
forces, together with their auxiliary
| troops. Germany is estimated to
have approximately 800 divisions,
Italy 80 divisions, Germany's Euro
pean satellites another 80 divisions,
and Japan about 86 more. This
makes an aggregate of about 546.
Making all allowances for error
these figures certainly make our
ground forces seem of very modest
size in comparison.
1t is not the purpose of our mill
tary leaders to create a huge de-
fenslve army, awaiting in the United
States such unknown and uncer-
tain opportunities for its use as
may hereafter occur Their plans
are much more wise than that. The
Army is being raised on the funda-
mental and correct theory that we
shall at once take the offensive
and seize number of priceless
opportunities which are already
opening up for us to end the war
as quickly as possible.
To successfully meet these price
less opportunities we have put into
effect the most carefully planned
and co-ordinated program of mill
tary training which has ever existed
in the United States.
Year Minimum for Training.
The training contemplated by this
program for the individuals is a
process covering long time. The
Germans think two years necessary
for such training of their men. We
believe that our men can do it in
one year, but that is a minimum
Furthermore, the recruits are not
all taken into the Army at the same
| time and all graduated at the same
time. Such q method would be
| impossible for any country, even one
as rich and powerful as the United
States. And, furthermore, it would
not meet the changing requirements
Of war. 1t would be too rigid and
lnfleXible.
Each Of the reception centers and
training schools takes in a sue
ceSSion of new classes and these
groups are passed along the steps
Of the course until the final product
in the shape of army divisions is
produced at the end. During each
groups training the men are first
| instructed in the schooling of the
| individual soldier, are then crys-
! tallized into small and later large
units for training in cooperative
/ team action in modern warfare, and
finally large divisional combat forces
/ emerge from the other end of the
| system, each highly trained for its
specific task.
/ Every month the requisite num-
/ Der Of men to form a certain num-
| Der Of divisions is taken into the
/ reception centers at the entrance
/ 10 the machine and every month
at the other end that number of
/ divisions is emerging highly trained
/ for the various objectives to which
/ they are to be assigned.
/ Any one who studies this system
as 1t is now running will be as
founded at the careful planning
/ which has been required as well as
/ at the smooth continuity of the
| process Of training which it has
! produced. 1t is now proceeding
under the highest pressure Of per
fected action. Nothing like it has
/ ever existed in this country before
, 1t represents a great stream of
training toward a carefully-thought
out goal
1t has taken over two years tc
( develop and construct this system
/ to train the instructors of its schools