Evening star., 1944-12-21
Supply
Continued From First Page J

dispatch dated December 4, reported
that gasoline had been stolen at
the point of a gun in Paris and
that pilfering of supplies at one
time reached point where black
market operators got almost big
ger share of some trainloads than
did the front-line troops"
Recently new military police bat
talions have reduced such thefts
to manageable proportions" Mr..
Werner wrote.
War Department UNIFORMED.
The War Department said it had
no information on the extent of
supply pilfering or hijacking, re-
ferring all queries to the European
theater 1t said it had no informa-
ton indicating that lack of supplies
had hampered the Allied defensive
against the current German coun-
terohensive.
Chairman Mead disclosed that two
members of the War Investigating
Committee are going to North Africa
after Christmas and intend to discuss
the pilfering problem with Army au-
thorities there. Senators Burton, Re
publican, of Ohio, and Tunnel, Demo-
crat, of Delaware, will make the trip.
Leaving this subject aside, the re-
turning House members left with in
reviewers these impressions of the
way they found things at the fronts
when they were there:
American troops want for nothing,
including cigarettes, gasoline and sup
plies of all kinds; their morale is
high, although they want to get the
war over with quickly and return
home; the supply organization, from
buttons to tanks, is. as one member
put it. "just simply amazing and
will be recorded by history as the
greatest job of its kind ever under
taken"
Anticipating New Needs.
This appraisal of the situation fol-
lowed recent expressions of alarm
by military men over the output of
heavy ammunition, trucks and other
critical items. Even the Selective
Service regulations have been re-
vised to help increase this pro-
duction. However, most of these
calls were based on increasing out
put to meet greater demands which
are developing, rather than on ac-
tual combat shortages now.
The legislators said that in their
Army conducted travels they saw
everything there was to see, includ-
ing the supply lines in the rear and
the actual fighting at the front, and
we're within rifle shot of German
soldiers at Duren, on the western
front.
AS acting chairman of the re-
turning group, Representative Co.'S
tello, Democrat, of California
summed up the trip by saying the
committee found things in excellent
condition"
They are doing an exceptionally
fine job" he added.
"We really got the lowdoWn,' COM
mented another. They were almost
over anxious for us to have the
real facts"
THE war is a good deal tougher
than the American people think it
is" Representative Brooks, Demo-
crat, of Louisiana. commented.
The group travelled an estimated
10000 miles and returned without
two of its number who left Wash
ington four weeks ago. Representa-
tive Merritt, Democrat, of New York
was stricken with pneumonia and
remained in Paris, and Representa-
tive Clare Boothe Luce, Republican,
of Connecticut, was reported in
disposed and remained in Florence
italy.
Whether the group would file a
formal report on the trip was I'M
certain pending the War Depart
ment conference. but there was a
general agreement that there is
Aothing startling to report