Evening star., 1944-07-30
u. 5. Overseas
Strength Now
Near 100000
Figures Indicate
TotoI at 1914 End
May Reach $4,000
By NELSON M. SHEPHERD.

An American lighting force OF
nearly 100000 men overseas,
being reinforced at a rate OF
more than 100000 a month, was
revealed by the War and Navy
Departments last night as con-
tributing nightly to the ac-
celeration of Allied offensives in
Europe and in the Pacific.
BY the end of this year, official
figures indicate, the total of Ameri-
cans overseas may reach 100000
fighting men.
OF the Army's 100000 officers and
men, alone, more than 1000 900 had
been transferred to overseas theaters
of operations through June, a force
twice the strength of the AEF in
1918 and equal to the whole strength
Of the Army at the close of the
World War.
100000 Moved in June.
Figures disclosed by Maj. Gen C.
P. Gross. chief of transportation, re-
vealed that approximately half a
million Army men, or perhaps con-
siderably more than that, have been
moved overseas since June IL
Add to these figures the Navy's
disclosure as of that date that 1885,
600 Navy, marine and Coast Guard
personnel were "afloat or on for
eign duty the rough overall esti-
mate of 100000 fighting men over
seas indicates the mounting strength
of our fighting effort.
War Secretary Stimson announced
that by the end of this year the
Armys total overseas force will ex-
ceed 100000 men. To this num-
ber, the Navy alone is preparing to
add another 100000 now in transit
or training for overseas duty, it
announced.
Giant Shipping Task.
In keeping with the increased
tempo of the war, Gen. Gross dis
closed that the Army has more than
doubled the volume of the greatest
transportation movement in the
history of warfare in the past IL
months. And the end. he pointed
out. is not yet in sight
To the more than 100000 men
transported overseas in 81 months
since Pearl Harbor, the Army
Transportation Corps has moved
63 100000 ship tons of fighting sup
plies to 127 overseas ports through
out the world-a record that makes
our World War efforts look puny in
comparison.
Indicating the magnitude of a
full years preparations for the Nor
mandy invasion, Gen. Gross said
that since Pearl Harbor the Euro
pean theater of operations alone
had received more than $4,000 600
ship tons of cargo. compared with
the 100000 tons sent to the AEF
in the last war.
Methods Improved.
so tremendous was the volume
of supplies going to all theaters a
year ago to mount the offensives
now in progress that it totaled seven
and one-half ship tons of space for
every soldier going overseas, and
slightly more than one ship ton per
man already overseas" he reported.
At the present time, the overall
average has dropped to five ship
tons of supplies for each soldier.
Responsible in large part for this
drop are improved packaging and
slowing developments. such as twin
vehicle pack and knocked-down
freight cars Once overseas each
man now requires one ship ton Of
supplies per month to maintain him
in the field. Sen. Gross said.
Gen. Gross made public the sta
tistical picture of the great overseas
movement on the eve of the second
anniversary of the Transportation
Corps-youngest but one of the
huskiest branches of the Army.
Activities Far-Flung
The corps, which grew out of the
former Transportation Service. op-
crates the great ports of embarka-
ton. regulates the movement Of
troops and freight by commercial
carriers. supervises the operations
of one of the worlds largest mer-
chant fleets and has extensive
transportation responsibilities in
overseas theaters.
Operating military railroads on
five continents is only a "sideline"
with the far-fung corps, Gen. Gross
revealed. His railroaders have car
ried to the fighting Soviet forces
most of the 3,500,000 long tons of
supplies discharged at Persian Gulf
ports. These were hauled over the
Tfans-Iranian Railroad, called the
"single-track wonder of the world"
Missing Flyer Located
GREENVILLE. Me. July % (P-