The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-26

4 However, there is one import ant fact to keep in mind. The Russians are now putting across almost the same type of advance as the American Army did in Normandy six months ago. U. s. troops then fresh and rested, at tackled in force, crashed through the Atlantic Wall along the Coast of France, then raced on through the unfortified empty shell of France.
 Likewise the Red Army after several months to bring up fresh troops and ample supplies, crashed through Germany's outer Polish defense along the ViStula river and is now racing across the flat and relatively unfortified plains of Poland.
 The Red Army will soon hit Germany's bristling TOdt Line. The thing to watch will be whether Todt Line will stop the Russians as the Siegfried Line has stopped us in Western Flu rope.
 In each case, it is important to note that artillery played a tre- mendous role. In the Normandy invasion, Allied Warship stood off in the English Channel, laid down a curtain of steel which scat tered the Germans. Before the recent Russian advance, the Red Army lined up big guns and did the same thing. When the AL lies reached the Sicgfried Line artillery was slow in coming up; still is reported insufficientJ TRAINING OF U. $. TROOPS
 However, there is one other fac- tor discussed very frankly by Americans returning from the Western Front and by men who have trained in the U. s. Army here at home. It is the fact that the German system of training and also the Russian system may better develop the enlisted men.
 The German Army, for n- stance, builds up the ego of the individual soldier. He is taughs to believe that he is the best fighter in the world, that no other soldier and no other army can stop him. The German officer, among other things, makes cere- mony of singling out each en- listed man on his birthday and lighting his cigarette in front of the entire mess hall.
 The American soldier on the other hand. is taught to sup
 press his individuality. It is drilled into him that he is merely a cog in B machine. U. $. troops have the best care in the world, the best equipment, best medical attention and best food in the wOrld-everything except the lift to their indivi- dual ego. They are hammered down instead of being built up.
 The Russian Military System was derived originally from Ger man officers stationed in Russia and is similar. The Red Army however, has gone further when it comes to building up pride ant ego. In the Red Army a man can be sergeant one month and a colonel the next. Or vice versa, if he makes a mistake. Generals who fail are busted over night.
 No one ever hears of the once famous Marshal Timoshenko any more; or Marshal Budenny. They did not obtain their objectiVes and are now retired to Moscow.
 In the U. $. Army more re-
 gently, thousands of high-type
 men have come in with eXcel- lent background but have little chance of becoming officers,
 simply because the officers
 ranks are full. They were
 filled in the early days of the
 war, and now the output of the Officers Candidate schools
 has narrowed to a mere drib- let.
 Meanwhile, enlisted men see the son of Senator "PaSs-the- Biscuits Pappy" O'Daniel given chance to take the Officers Candidate school course three times after failing twice, when ther men are given just one chance. They also see the son of the President of the United States carrying two dogs across the Atlantic by air. frnrroop apkad Iathrnn