Evening star., 1948-09-13
U.S.. Strategy in Event Of Attack
.OutIined in Secret Report
By the Assoeioied Press

BY the Assoeiotsd Press
How would the United States wage
the initial phase of war if the
political-diplomatic argument with
Russia should give way to shooting
by the Soviet?
| The military high command. head.
ed by Defense Secretary Forrestal
gave its answer to Secretary of State
Marshall in a super secret meeting
at The Pentagon within recent days
There was no official announcement
of what the American diplomatic
chief was told. other than that he
was given an accounting of the
United States military position.
What is that position with rela-
tion to the reported military capa.
bilities OF Russia, her satellites
and the armed resources of those
European Nations that might oppose
a Russian march to the West? On
the basis Of available information
the picture is something like this
Soviet Russia, with a population
of more than 211 ,0O0, 900, has a vast
reservoir of manpower for LAND
armies. Official estimates in Wash.
ington indicate the current existence
of approximately ITS divisions Of
Russian ground force and security
troops. These total 5000, 900 mer
| 100000 regular army, the balance
the MVD security troopsD The last
report land this was months ago.
was that 43 divisions of 588 400 mer
were in the occupied areas, with
another Sc divisions of 1,114,000 In
Western Russia.
Million in Critical Areas.
Eight Soviet satellite states are
supposed to have a total of about
100 divisions of 1.121 800 men. That's
a grand total of 4121 900 men in 274
divisions deployed at Or near the
point at which war conceivably
might start.
A little less than 100000 United
States troops and only one combat
division face the Russians in Europe
about $4,000 in the United States
zone of Germany. In addition there
are 5000 in Trieste.
Back in the United States are
about 205 900 soldiers, only $4,000 OF
them actual mobile striking force
troops who could be hurried to Eur
ope as support or requirements
Other troops are pinned down to
| Ilt{,1 ~, q ~ Il.
sons at offshore posts Of the
I United States. The total Army
manpower of the United States with
its population of 145,000,000 is
about $4,000. It's goal by next june
is $4,000.
Britain Has $4,000 in Army.
Unofficial estimates place the
Army of the United Kingdom at
about $4,000 men. The population
reserve on which Britain could
draw is about 100000. s(These
figures do not include the British
Commonwealth Nations outside the
! Islea.)
The same unofficial estimates give
these ground troop figures for some
of the other Western European ma
tions which might support a battle
against Soviet aggression: France,
100000; Belgium, 10000: The Meth
erlands, 175,0O0; Norway, $4,000;
Denmark, 24,000; Sweden, $500;
Greece. 165 900.
Looking on these comparisons OF
land army power, there is one school
of military thought that contends
it would be utterly unwise for the
United States to allow itself to
grapple with the massive weight OF
the Soviet armies in the first stage
! of war.
/ Delaying Action Is Strategy.
/ This theory was pointed up by the
recent three-day mock-war maneu-
yers staged by some of the United
states forces in Germany. Maj
Gen. Frank Milburn. commander OF
the lst Infantry Division, summed
I ftfHp this way:
I an the next war, if we get hoppec
on, we will not have air and artil.
lery superiority, so every one mus
go on the assumption that We
must dig in, camouflage and tight
delaying action
What then is the relative airpowel
status?
Here the, balance may be in favol
of the United States and its friends
Or may be not. The size anc
capahility of the United States All
Force and the Navy's air arm are
pretty we'll known. But Russian
air power is guessed at, even in
some of the best military intelli.
gence circles.
The figure most commonly men,
toned for Russia is force of 14,00t
planes. Fighters predominate, with
several hundred modern jets already
in operation. But the Russians re.
portedly are building their own long
distance bomber feet. Air Secre.
tary Symington has estimated II
would be possible for the Russians
to build at least 1000 big bombers
copied after our B-29s, during this
year. :
1000 B-29s in Reserve.
For its part, the United States All
Force has about 300 B-29s in operat.
ing condition and between 1,500 ane
1000 in reserve. The total of fight.
ers is not revealed, although it i!
known that more than 1000 of then
are high-speed jets, with a large
number of World War II standard
engined planes still in use or in re
serve.