Evening star., 1945-04-01
Troops in Europe
To Be Moved East
Writer Expects Materiel Also to
Be Transferred to Orient
BIZ ODen L. Scott.

ana some COIL uSlOIl, 10 lOllOW IIlc ctio
of the war in Europe. This period will
be a difficult one of shifting immense
forces from a war In one part of the
world to war on the other side of the
world.
There is no reason to expect rapid de-
mobilization either of men or Of industry
in the period Immediately after the Ger
man war ends. Industry will face can
collation. of many contracts but often
will get replacement orders related to
the Pacific war. Cutbacks will be rela-
lively modest, at first. There will be no
rehabilitation of men from naval serv-
ice. Army size will be reduced but with
out any hurry about it.
Every effort will be made just as soon
as major fighting ends in Europe to pre-
pare for the shift to the Pacific. Large
numbers + service troops in the Army
will be rushed to the Pacific, with no
stopover in between, to prepare the way
for the big armies to follow. Similarly,
the air forces will rush ground personnel
to get things set for the flyers and their
planes to follow as rapidly as possible.
liC 44dl ldlldo 64OdP VI loiollOo di1O IilC
Philippines offer room for very large
land and air forces preparing for the
invasion of Japan.
Shipping in this period will be tighter
than ever before. Priority in shipping
space will go to combat troops and their
equipment destined for the Pacific. Vet
erans who rate demobilization because
of long combat service will be forced to
wait until the first rush is over Some
of the troops headed for the Pacific
may get furloughs at home on the way,
but complications are promising to up
set plans for a wholesale use of this
method of satisfying a desire on the
part of veterans to get glimpse Of
home.
There will be immense stores Of gaso-
line and other supplies and equipment
to transfer from Europe to the Far East.
At the same time the Navy will be shift
ing its forces in the Atlantic and the
Mediterranean to the Pacific. In the
United States, where the main flow of
men and of traffic has been from west
to east across the country, it will have
to be reversed to flow from east to west.
East Coast ports, however, still will be
| used on big scale to load men and ma
teriel heading for the Pacific via the
| Panama Canal
| In this period, all of the wartime con-
| trols will remain. There will be cut
back in the draft of men from about
| 10000 month at present to about
| $4,000. ALLEGATIONS will continue to be
used to control the flow of materiel and
| of men into industries that are to be
used for war and that are to be given
| first call in reconversion. If Congress
finally approves tighter manpower con-
trols, workers in war plants often will
be frozen in their jobs to assure that
there will not be scramble for jobs in
industry supplying civilian needs
! Food will continue to be in tight sup
! ply during early stages of the one-war
period. The same will be true of cotton
| goods. There will be no rush to recon-
vert industries that make civilian dur
able goods ranging from automobiles to
vacuum cleaners. 1t may be several
months after the German war ends be-
fore civilian construction can get under
way on any broad scale.
The point is that decision has been
taken to get the japanese war won as
soon as possible after the German war
ends. That war will be won most
| quickly if a rapid transfer can be made
of the United States forces in Europe to
the scene of preparation for invasion of
Japan. Troops and equipment must be
related to amphibious warfare, requir-
ing extensive retraining and re-equip-
ping for the operations that lie ahead
1t is being assumed that the ma ior
job of winning the Pacific war will fall
on the United States. Great Britain
will supply some naval forces and some
air forces but not a great number of
troops. Russia might come in later
but 1t will require several months for
Russia to shift her forces from west
to east across Siberia. This country
is pretty well set to hit Japan with
some powerful blows by sea and air 1t
Is hoped that sea and air blockade can
force the japanese to give up Plans
are not being made on that basis,
however.
Planning, instead, is on the basis Of
last ditch japanese resistance 1t Is
recognized that if the Japanese insist
on fighting to the end it may be neces-
sary to kill as many as 100000 To
overcome resistance Of this type, there
is need for large forces and for over
whelning superiority in equipment of all
kinds. That superiority now exists but
there is the problem of transporting
| it to the scene of action and then Of
bringing it to bear.
There will be a great effort made
to bring the war against Japan to a
conclusion within one year of the end
of the war in Europe. The effort to
speed q turn-around from one war to
the other will be related to this plan
and it is hoped by Army and Navy
leaders that the American public will
recognize that fact and will not be too
disappointed by the modest scale of de.
mobilization after Germany is defeated.
There always is the possibility that
the japanese suddenly may give up by
unconditional surrender. expecting
thereby to save a little something from
their wreck That possibility is not
being considered, however, in the plan
ming for showdown. Plans call for a
concentration of United Stats war
making power against Japan in the
quickest possible time.