Evening star., 1945-03-10
Combat Troops 10 Gel
Home Leave Before
Heading for Orient
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated PreSS.
Many of the combat troops now
in Europe probably will visit the
folks at home before going to fight
In the Orient, but such soldiers as
engineers and service force men
won't.
This prospect shaped up today
from an address by 1t. Gen. Brehon
Somervell, chief of the Army Serv-
ice Forces, last night on the third
anniversary of the ASF.
The general, in discussing the
job of redeploying forces after We
day, mentioned the task of moving
troops back to this country, handling
their furloughs, re-equipping them
and shipping them to the Pacific.
He said also there will be move
ment Of men and supplies directly
from Europe to the Orient. And
he spoke of the necessity of provid-
ing new staging areas and port
facilities in the Pacific. So
Probable Picture.
These references, taken together,
apparently present this plan for We
day: Combat troops generally will
be shipped to the United States. II
usual practices are followed, many
will get about a three-week fur
Tough, then begin moving to the
Pacific.
The general mentioned getting
ready to handle troops coming back
from Europe "for redeployment or
return to their homes" ~
There has been speculation about
the number of men to be DISCHARGED
after We day, ranging from q $50, :
000-a-month figure through reports
that 1000 or 1000 veterans from
each division in Europe might be
released.
War Department officials insisted
today that until the situation in
Europe, including the size of the
occupation force, is known, it is i'm
possible to make even a rough esti-
mate of this total.
Air Force to Go Directly.
To prepare the staging areas and
port facilities for the former Euro
pean combat troops, the Army's
personnel skilled in this work must
go to the Pacific in advance-pre-
sumably Immediately upon Ger
manys defeat. Such personnel
would include service forces, engi-
neers, Signal Corps, Transportation
Corps and hospital men-about all
who are not combat men.
In addition, the Army Air Forces
already has indicated that most OF
its air crews probably will go directly
to the Pacific after We day.
In sending the ground fighting
forces back through the United
States they presumably will be re-
equipped with whatever personal
gear they need for fighting in a new
theater, although they will bring
back from Europe clothing, weapons
and other material normally carried
Although the expanding area of
American control in the Philippines
provides considerable room into
which to send more troops, the area
and supply facilities would be in
adequate to handle forces running
into the millions. For this reason,
the Philippines are considered more
as a staging and final training area
than as a huge base for thorough
retraining of troops
Tnvonforv Nona--.~-
Gen. Somervell, in referring to
the move out of Europe, said I'VE
must inventory and warehouse
millions of tons of supplies and
equipment"
War Department students of the
problem interpret this to mean that
except for food, quantity of trucks
and certain heavy engineering
equipment, the Army intends to
pack up and move out a great part
of the equipment now in Europe.
All guns, both big and little, not
needed by the Army of Occupation
are slated for removal from Europe,
as well as armor still in useful con-
dition.
A quantity of wheeled vehicles
may be left in Europe for two rea-
sons: The need of France, Belgium.
Italy and indeed all Europe for
transportation equipment to replace
destroyed vehicles; and different
conditions in Asia.
"a