Detroit evening times., 1945-06-19


Y as the representative the COM
= mander-of those 5000, 900 Amer
lcan men and women, TO whom
81 YOU desire 10 pay America S
tribute for military victory. In
humble realization that they,
who earned your commentator,
should properly be here 10 re-
ceive II. / am nevertheless proud
and honored 10 serve as your
agent in conveying II TO them.
REPORT FROM THE MEN
This does not seem 10 be the
moment in which 10 describe the
campaigns of the European con-
flict. They will become the
substance of history. and great
accounts they will be! But /
think YOU would want from me
some brief estimate of the quality
of the sons. relatives and friends
'you-all Amcrica-have sent to
war.
l have seen the American
proved on battle grounds Of
Africa and Europe over which
armies have been fighting for
1000 years of recorded history.
None of those battlefields has
seen a more worthy soldier than
the trained American,
Willingly, he has suffered hard
ships; without a whimper he has
made heavy sacrifices. He has en-
dured much. but he has never
faltered. His aggresSivenesS-hiS
readiness 10 close with the en-
emy-haS become a byword in the
embattled armies of Europe. You
have read many reports of his
individual exploits, but not one
tenth of them ever has been or
ever will be told. Any one OF
them is sufficient to fill a true
American with emotion--with an
intense pride of his -eeuHtFymaH,
CoNQUERS THEM ALL
Never have soldiers been called
upon 10 endure longer sustained
periods of contact with a vicious
enemy nor greater punishment
from weather and terrain The
American has been harrassed by
rife and automatic weapons,
pounded by hand grenades, by ar
--tfi1ery and rocket shells, attacked
by tanks and airplane bombs! He
has faced the hazards of count
less mines and BOBBY traps and
every form of static obstacle. He
has conquered them all!
The tempo of battle has in
creased immeasurably during the
span of this conflict. When the
Germans launched their blitz-
kriegs through Poland, the Low
Countries and France, featuring
tactical use of air-power with
mechanical units on the ground
il seemed to a fearful world that
at last had been achieved the ul-
innate in destructive force-that
nothing could stand against the
German armies.
EXCEL GERMAN METHODS
When America entered the war
arena, the arrogant Nazi machine
was at the zenith of its power.
In 1910 il had overrun practically
the whole of western Europe,
while, a year later. in the east,
it had hammered the great Red
army back into the reaches of
its ewn territory.
The Allies met this challenge
with vision, determination and a
full comprehension of the enor-
nifty of the task ahead. America
brought forth her effort from ev-
ery conceivable source. New tech
niQueS of war were developed. OF
these the most outstanding was
the completely Co-ordinated use
of ground, air and sea forces.
To his diSmay, the German
found that far from having
achieved perfection in the COM
bined employment of all types of
destructive power, his skills and
methods were daily outmoded and
surpassed by the Allies. Through
tactical and strategic unification.
the Allies successfully undertook
the greatest amphibious landings
yet attempted in warfare.
Following each of these, forces
were swiftly built on the beaches,
and sustained by our naval
strength. The next step was al
ways a speedy advance, applying
TO the astonished enemy an air
ground teamwork that inflicted
upon him defeat after defeat.
IN OVERWHELMING FORCE
The services of supply, by their
devotion TO duty performed real
miracles in supporting the battle
lines. America, and her allies
sent finally into Europe such a
mighty avalanche of aggressive
power by land, by sea, by air as
TO make the campaigns OF 1886
and 1910 seem small in contrast
The result was the unconditional
surrender OF an arrogant enemy
All this America and her allies
have done.
The real beginning. for us, was
in December, 194l, when our late
great war leader, President Roose.
welt, met with his friend and
| mariner Prime Minister Winston