Evening star., 1943-03-10

to the number required in the final
product OF combat forces and all
must be taught to work with each
| other in carrying out the war task
Of the final division or combat force
to which each belongs.
The second point to be remem-
bered is that the whole process takes
at least a year. If you interrupt
the steady flow of entrants to the
schools in March, 1943, the effect
Of this break will be produced a
year later and then, if it proves a
| mistake, cannot be corrected for
at least another year.
In the light of the foregoing
description Of the purpose and
process Of our ArmyS training. I
think one can see more easily the
danger of meddlinp with that pro-
ce-y, Plan and process are tied
together, The plan contemplates
a succession of carefully directed
| blows at our enemies. The size and
| character of these blows and the
| aggregate forces which are neces-
sary have been carefully thought
out, Just as our present offensives
are being carried out by men who
have been through a years train
ing, the men now being brought
into the Army are to be trained
for campaigns a year ahead. Our
main object is to continually build
up force which will strike without
interruption and with cumulative ef-
feet, That purpose can be thwarted
| by mistake made now,
Must Have Lasting Punch.
The various critics who today are
asking that we should slow up or
interrupt our work fail to realize
the far-reaChing effect of Interrupt
ton. Furthermore, they Go not un-
derstand the psychology Of combat
They do not realize that battles are
won by continuous rapid blows
upon an enemy and that when an
enemy begins to show signs Of de-
mOraliZat ton these blows must be
continued and, If possible. redou-
bled in order that he may not have
time to reform his forces. Once
the enemy is checked or shaken on
the field of battle, he must be
constantly pursued and hammered
until he is completely beaten or
surrenders. The very fact that it
is known that we have trained forces
ready to do this tends towards his
Generalization.
On the other hand the COM
mander who after an initial success
stops and gives his broken opponent
time to reform and reorganize only
finds that he must fight his battle
over again. If after the battle of
Gettysburg, the Federal commander
had been able to pursue and destroy
his defeated enemy, the length of
the Civil War might have been
shortened by more than a year. On
the other hand, the fact that in
1918 Foch was ready to remorse-
lessly follow up and shatter the
German enemy who had been
shaken at scissors on July 18 and
again at st. Quentin on August 8,
permitted the last great war to be
finished in November. 1918. instead
of lasting over into 1919 as had been
expected
I speak with careful considera-
ton when I say that if we should
halt this great training establish
ment which We have now built
and timed according to the present
timetable of the war, we should
deal heavier blow to our hopes
of complete final victory than by
any loss which we are likely to sus-
tain on the field of battle.
Critics Assumption Not True
Another argument of our critics
is that by constructing too large
an Army We are making undue
inroads into our limited manpoWer.
that we are taking necessary work
erS from the factories which are
providing Army equipment and ma
chlnes, and that we are similarly
slowing down the construction of
merchant shipping which is neces-
sary to carry the Army and its sup
plies across the ocean. AS l have
already said. this argument ignores
the careful study which has been
given to this subject by our Pres
ident and his military advisers. AS
between them and their critics l
think it is she safer bet to trust the
former. But there is this further
answer to this argument which I
think is conclusive. The argument
depends upon the assumption that
there is no elasticity In the eff
cheney of the civilian industries
which are producing weapons and
ships, that every man-hour taken
away from industry and put into
the Army must result in exactly
the same ultimate loss in rapidity
of production
Every thoughtful citizen who will
give any real consideration to the
problem will know that such an
assumption is not true. Only those
who believe that our industry and
our farming and our general civilian
activity are really keyed to an all
out war are entitled to make this
argument. 1t is the duty of every
citizen to examine into his own life
and his own community and see
whether production in industry and
on the farm cannot be increased
enormously in efficiency: whether
absenteeism, threatened strikes, gen.
eral complacency, insistence of
business as usual" or even insist
ence on hopedfor standards of
living, are not going a long way to
prevent what could be accomplished
by an all-out war effort
If you are content with the pres
ent situation and with the present
results in industry. in agriculture,
and in our civilian life, then l
suggest that you go to one of our
great camps and see our boys in
uniform working. I suggest that
you read the detailed dispatches
from Tunisia and the Southwest
Pacific about the fighting efforts
Of our soldiers. / suggest that you
compare your comforts of life with
theirs, and then ask yourself again
are you content? l hope and
pray that it will not require tragic
disaster to bring our people to a
1aryF,+ NV, .F