Evening star., 1943-09-09
GEN. fkaR5&7t&BA34oRE IS !44 I
of the
Army and the War
CHAPTER III.
Philippine Defenses Rushed - Crisis in
Supply-Protecting the Western
Hemisphere-Lease Lend
Problems

Il
Note: The Star is printing, in
daily installments, Chief of staff
George C. MdrshalPs report to
the Secretary OF War on the pc
riod July 1, 194f-Ju1e 80, 1943,
Just made public. at is a record"
Gen. Marshall iUrites, "of iDhat
ipas done and iDhy it iDas done
and is submitted a0tile America is
at 1Ddr to permit a better under r.
standing OF the great offensive
operations noiU in progress"
In August 194D 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-
quate 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 $10,000,000 from the
emergency fund for the President to
be utilized for Philippine defenses.
This, plus another $1O,000,000 from
Army Air Forces funds, was quickly
exhausted and an additional $5,000,-
OO0 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 AppropH-
alton Act, 1912, 1858 ,e0e 900 for the
Army of the Philippines, but this;
did not become available until the
act was approved on December II,
194I.
Reinfercements for Philippines.
BY October 1941, it had been
found possible to assemble 100000
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 II troop ships were
scheduled to sail between November
81 and December 8. Twelve cargo
vessels were to sail between Novem-
ber 81 and January s. 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
two, which were well out from
Honolulu with 4,5o0 troops aboard,
made Brisbane, Australia, after Is
days of silence and uncertainty. ALI
but one of the cargo vessels reached
friendly ports. The exception was
presumed captured after having
reported on January l from 600
miles south of Tahiti that an I'M
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-Pacific 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 SuInatra in Feb
ruary terminated deliveries by this
route. While this sudden reversal
Va o. lllC
earth demonstrated the mobility of
the airplane, it also demonstrated
the lack of mobility of air forces
until lengthy process of building
UP ground service forces and sup
plies lmechanics, 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-n1oving means of transporta-
tion.
The planes flew to Australia in 10
days. The ground units and ma
fayte1 70 co,.uioa ,,1o,zae o,.l