The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-04-20
. BEHIND THE SCENES
IN WASHINGTON .

much when contrasted with the
approximately one million items
which have to be supplied by
the million to keep big armies
In the field.
Some Of the items are In short
reserve at the fronts, and the
quantities short, can't be men.
toned for reasons of military
security. But the deficiencies in
reserves that can be written
about without giving information
to the enemy show how complt-
Gated this crazy war has become
and they give some light on pres
ent drives for more manpower,
more raw materials. production.
ENOUGH FOOD, BUT FEW
DISHES
There are no apparent short
ages Of food outside Of the yeast
item, you can be thankful, but
Of things to eat the food with, or
out Of, there are still sizeable
reserve shortages. Canteens,
cups, knives, forks, spoons, and
even field ranges. for instance.
Equipment that has been lost or
thrown away to tighten battle
packs must be replaced. That
accounts for most of the short.
age. here.
The army is shy on some items
In stocks of clothing. The reason
for the shortage of ID million
service bars is that In combat
the soldiers won't wear these dec
orations. But as soon as the war
is over, every G. I. is going to
want his sleeveful on every uni
form, and up will 90 the demand.
Ditto for the officers cap insig-
mia, and chevrons for the nom
CONS. All like to look like pri-
Yates in battle. Supply stocks Of
shoes, overshoes. field Jackets,
trousers are depleted. Wear and
tear in the hard winter have
been higher than anticipated,
but current needs on all fronts
are being met, says General
Lutes.
Many Of the towns In Europe
being so shot-up they do not
provide adequate billets. and the
war in the Pacific moving faster
than had been anticipated, there
Is shortage Of shelter-half tents,
mattress covers and cots. All
items Of cotton duck have, Of
course, been short since the start
Of the war. The services just
can't get enough duck, and that
goes for camouflage nets, too.
This being also q talking war,
many items Of Signal Corps
equipment are in chronic de-
mand. Half a dozen types Of ra-
do sets, batteries by the hun
dreds of thousand and wire by
the thousands Of miles.
Incidentally, radio communi.
cation has not replaced land line
communication by q long shot.
German monitoring systems be-
ing exceptionally efficient, any
message that must be kept secret
has to 60 by wire. II the line Is
broken there often is not time to
find the break and make a repair,
so a new line is strung.
TRUCK REPAIR PARTS
NEEDED
To haul all this stuff to the
supply dumps and the front takes
transport. While the tire and
truck shortages are still critical,
the real need Is for repair parts.
Piston rings, cylinders, complete
engines, axles, trailers, caterpil-
lar tracks. For railway equip
ment it is again axles, headlights,
air hose, journals. For shops to
keep all equipment In operation.
welding and tool sets.
All these accessories to war
fare do not mean that the short
ages are confined to the stuff
Gen. George Washington never
had to worry about. There 10
plenty of fighting equipment on
the reserve list, too, from rifles
to machine guns and tripods.
mortars, howitzers, and oil types
of tanks. And ammunition for
them all.
It's the shootin'est, as well rs
the fanciest war that was ever
fought.