Evening Star Newspaper, January 24, 1931, Page 5

My Experiences in the World War THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY JANUARY « 24, 1931 SRy Gen. John J. Pershing Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces Kmerican Chief Disagrees ! With Allied Officers on| War Principles to Be Taught A. E. F. INSISTED ON RIFLE TRAINING FOR MEN Preferred British Plan Rather Than French in Preparing Forces for Trench Service. CHAPTER XIIL HE most important question that confronted us in the prepara- tion of our forces of cilizen sol- diery for efficient service was training. Except for the Spa: ish-American War, nearly 20 years be- fore, actual combat experience of the Regular Army had been limited to the independent action of minor commands in the Philippines and to two expedi- tions into Mexico, each with forces smaller than a modern American di- vision. The World War involved the handling of masses, where even a division was Telatively a small unit. It was one thing call one or two million men to the colors, and quite another thing to trans- form them into an organiz:d, instructed army capable of meeting and holding its own in battle against the best-trained force in Europe with threp years actual war experience to its credit. Few people can realize what a siupen- dous undertaking it was to teach these 'vast numbers their various duties when such a large percentage of them were| ignorant of practically everything per- taining to the business of the soldier in war. First of all, officers had to ?m\'lded and trained to command units 'rom the squad up, perhaps to the divi- sion. These officers had to learn the interior economy of feeding, housing and caring for their men, and how to lead them in battle. This great task was, of course, under the direction of the War Department. Training Section Formed. A general scheme of schools for the A E. F. was prepared by the Opera- tions and Training Section, but in order that this instruction should be as com- plete and uniform as possible and at the same time be co-ordinated’ with other activities, I decided that training should be handled by officers who could devote their entire time to it. An ad- ditional section of the Headquarters General Staff was, therefore, establish- :“;’ ul!edd‘ the 'l‘rlinlnlflsectdkloe:hw lun:; under my person: on. chief of this section Col. Paul B. Ma- lone was chosen, with Col. H. B. Fiske as_his assistant. In the preparation of courses of train- ing an especial study had been made not only of the basic principles taught by the Allies, but also of the methods employed to give them practical appli- cation. The British and French were not entirely in accord in their ideas of organization or of battle tactics, and sought to impress us with the superior- ity of their respective systems. Our of- ficers engaged in this duty were directed to keep in view the development of the most efficient fighting machine as quick- 1y as possible, and as a means to this end to adopt only sound doctrines of training and make them essentially our own. ‘The British methods of teaching trench warfare appealed to me very strongly. They taught tneir men to be aggressive and undertook to perfect them in hand-to-hand fighting with bayonet, grenade snd dagger. A cer- tain amount of this kind of training was necessary to stimulate the morale of troops by giving them confiderce in their own personal prowess. Through the kindness of Sir Douglas Haig, we were fortunate early in cur experience to have assigned to us Lleut. Gen. R. H. K. Butler and other officers of the British Army, to assist in this individual traiming. Later on several Prench and British officers also came to lecture at a number of our schools. Differ on War Principles. We found diffivulty, hcwever, in us- be | had been on the defensive, at least in | Officers tions, imposed by tren:h fighting, had rendered previous conceptions of train- ing more or less obsolete and that prep- | arations for open warfare was no 'ong- | er necessary. French publications 2nd manuals were generally in accord with this theory. It was, perhaps, logical to expect that the Prench should take this view, as nationally,” unlike the Germans, they | thought, during the past half century. It is true that on occasions the French , but it was to fur- ther the defex: idea. In the situation that folowed the first battle of the Marne, the two great armies on the western front were en- trenched against each other and neither had been able to make more than local gains. The long period dur- ing which this condition prevailed and its psychological effect, together with the natural leaning of the PFrench to- ward the defensive, to which should be added the adverse effect of their recent Spring experience, had appar- ently combined to obscure the principle | of the open offensive. If the Prench doctrine had pre- vailed our instruction would have leen limited to a brief period of training for trench fighting. A new army brought up entirely on such principles would have been seriously handicapped without the protection of the trenches. It would probably have lacked the ag gressiveness to break through the ene. my’s lines and the knowledge of how to carry on thereafter. It was evident that the victory could rot be won by the costly process of attrition, but that we should have to drive the enemy out into the open and engage him in a war of movement. Instruction in n warfare was based upon indi- vidual and group initiative, resource- fulness and tactical judgment, which | were of equal advantage in trench warfare. Took Issue With Allies. ‘Therefore, we took decided issue with the allies, and, without neglecting thor- | ough preparations for trench warfare, | undertook to train mainly for open | warfare, with the object from the start of vigorously forcing the offensive. | Our units then in training were | nearly all recruits, and many of the | officers and non-commissioned officers | were_easily influenced by the ideas of | | the French designated to assist us. To | avold the effect of. their teaching it | became necessary later to take over and | direct all instructions ourselves. For | the purpose of impressing our own doc- trine upon officers a training program was issued which laid great stress on Just Think of It— ‘The Star delivered to your door every evening and Sunday in training at an A. E. F. school in open warfare and offensive action, the following being a pertinent extract on this point: “The above methods to be employed must remain and become distinctly ou own. All instruction must contemplate the assumption of a vigorous offensive. This purpose will be emphasized n every phase of training until it becomes a settled habit of thought.” Intimately connected with the ques- tion of training for open warfare was the matter of rifle practice. The carliest of my cablegrams on this subject was in August, in which it was urged that thorough instruction in rifie practice should be carried on at home because of the difficulty of giving it in France: “Study here shows value and de- sirability of retaining our existing small arms target practice course. In view of great dificulty in securing ranges ia France, due to density of the population and cultivation, recommend as far as practicable the complete course be given in the United States before troops em- bark. Special emphasis should oe placed on rapid fire.” Couldn’'t Replace Rifle. ‘The armies on the western front in the recent battles that I had witnessed had all but discarded the rifie as a sheoting weapon. Machine ‘guns, gre- nades, Stokes mortars and one-pound- ers had become the main reliance of the average allled soldier. These were all valuable weapons for specific pur- poses, but they could not replace the combination of an efficient soldier and his rifle. Numerous instances were reported in the allled armies where men wculd chase an individual enemy throwing grenades at him instead of using the rifle. Such was the efect of associa tion that continuous effort was nec sary to counteract this tendency amot our own officers and men inspive them with confidence in the efficacy of rifle fire. Ultimately we had the sat- isfaction of hearing the French admit that we were right, both in émphasizing training for open warfare and insisting upon proficiency in the use of the rifle My view was that the rifle and bayo- net still remained the essential weapons of infantry, and my cables, stressing the fact that the basic principles of fare had not ch re sent in WoobwARD & lLOTHROP 10™ 11™ F axp G STREETS | ated an additional period of training for divisions of about three months after reaching France. As to General Staff officers, the very limited number at my disposal had been able to outline basic plans, but as our forces grew increasing numbers were needed, especially to aid in the direc- tion of troops in battle. My cables had failed to make much impression on the | War Department as to the difference in functions between staff officers with an | army in the fleld conducting operation: and those on duty at the War Depart- ment, where they were charged mainly with preliminary organization and training and with directing the procure- ment and shipment of supplies and HEADACHE REMEDY | MAGNATE EXPIRES Capt. Isaac Emerson Devot- ed Life to Travel and Recreation. equipment. In our Army abroad experts of a high order were necessary in administration, | intelligence, tactical training, and espe- cially in operations, as well as in direct- ing supply and jportation of the active armies. The following cable expressed my views: “Urgency training General Staff offi- cers for particular duty at Army Head- quarters cannot be overestimated. Their services are needed now to study details in connection with operations and other duties. Our staff officers generally have little conception of problems invoived in directing armies * * * or of strategic questions involved. * * * We are now planning for Spring campaign and suc- cess not _possible without thoroughly efficlent General Staff. Limited num- ber of officers brought in June much | overworked and unable to handle and fully consider many subjects requiring immediate action. Impossible to make this appeal and recommendation too strong and urgently request matter be taken up with Secretary of War with- out_dela To meet this lack of experienced General Staff officers with our armies, the General Staff College estab- lished at Langres, a few miles south of Chaumont, provided an _intensive course of three months, which, though brief, covered instruction in the de- tails 'of our own staff organization and | administration, our system of supply and the co-ordination and employment of our forces in combat. Well Grounded in Theory While the student officers were se- | possible to graduate thoroughly trained | service and was commissioned a leus | the urgency was so great that the|chief of the auxiliary naval force. | France. | | an endeavor to infiuence the courses of training at home. Unfortunately, h | ever, no fixed policy of in | the 'various arms, under a single au- thority. was ever carried out there. | Insensible to advice, the inclination was | to accept the views of Prench specialists and limit training to the narrow fleld | of trench warfare. Therefore, in large | measure, the fundamentals so thor-| | oughly taught at West Point for a century were more or less neglected. | ‘The responsibility for the failure of | | the War Department to take positive | action on my reccmmendations in such matters must fall upon the military | | head of the department, which was the General Staff. | | ~ There were other causes, as we shall | see liter, that led to confusion and| irregularity in training to such an ex- | tent that we were ofton compelled during the last stages of the war to send men into battle with little knowl- | edge of warfare and often with no rifle | practice at’all. To supplement. previcus instruction of | officers and men a comprehensive sys- | tem of schools was established in the | A E._P. There were centers of instruc- | tion for all units up tp divisions, includ- ing the training of replacements, and | corps schools for unit commanders and non-commissioned officers of all arms. Under the supervision of General | | Headquarters came the General Staff | College, the schools to train instructors | for corps schools, those for, candidates for commissions and those for recruits and for specialists of every staff and | supply department and every other branch of the service. | School System Indispensable, A school system would have been de- sirable in the best of armies, but it was indispensable in an army which had to be created almost wholly from raw material. The training of troops for combat was, of course, the primary | objective, and schools for instructors were merely a means to that end. To give troops the advantage of the latest developments and make up for | the defects of training at home and also secure a certain degree of uniform in standards, but especlally to afford | them the benefit of experience in the immediate atmosphere of war before | entering the battle the plans contem lected for their aptitude, it was not staff officers in such a short time, but course could not be made longer. Hav- | ing been taught a common doctrine, | After the war he maintained the Mary- with a loyal sense of co-operation well accentuated, they were fairly well erounded in theory and had to trust to the costly school of experience for the rest. The maintenance of good order among our troops under the peculiar | conditions of service in Frence was most | important, and for this purpose a mil- itary police was essential. Such force, under the control of the provost marshal general, corresponded to the police department in a well organized city. except “that its jurisdiction cluded only those in the.military serv- e. The British, whose situation was similar to our own. gave us helpful in- formation regarding their system, which, with slight modification, was dopted for our armies. In our previous wars the Provost Guard, so called, usually consisted of troops of the line detailed for the purpose. but without any special training for such duty. Col. Hanson Ely was selectes ganize the police corps and made a beginning in laying the founda- | “lnn. but, at his own request, he was shortly relieved and sent to regimen- tal duty. His successor, Col. W. H Allaire, became provost marshal gen- eral until the following Julv, when he was relieved by Col. J. C. Groome. Brig. Gen. H. H. Bandholtz, on account of his special fitness for such work from his experience as chief of constabulary in the Philippine Islands, became the permanent head of the corps in September, 1918. Due credit must be given to each of these officers but particulary to Bandholtz for the smart anpearance nd the high efficlency of this force. The military police were indispensable | in directing and handling traffic during combat activities, in preventing strag- gling and in maintaining order among scattered groups of our armies both before and after the armistice. The crganization November 1, 1918, num- bered 463 officers and 15912 men, spread over the whole of France. ‘Tomorrow: Pershing blocks Clemen- | ceau's efforts to rush our untrained troops into battle. (Copyright. 1931 in all countries by the North American Newspaper Alliance. World rights reserved. including the 'Scandi- navian. Reprodiction in whole or in part prohibited.) to or-| By the Associated Press. BALTIMORE, Md., January 24.—Capt. |Isaac E. Emerson, erganizer of the | Maryland Naval Reserves, internation- |ally known yachtsman and founder of , | the drug company that bears his name. |1s dead at the age of 71. A complica- | |tion of diseases terminated an illness | of two months' duration. | Wwith him when death occurred late yesterday afternoon at his home. in Brookland Wood, Green Spring Valley, | where he had entertained prominent . guests from all parts of the world, were his wife and daughter. | Began as Drug Clerk. | | He was a native of North Carolina, a graduate of the State university there and had built a great business from an | humble beginning. He started as a | clerk in a drug store and_there com- pounded a headache formula that later made him famous. He marketed his | bromo seltzer first on a small scale and later on a commercial basis. | " The business established, he devoted | | himself to travel and recreation. In this fleld he was especially interested in yachting and several times circumnavi- gated the globe in his own boats and over regular transportation routes. In 1894 he organized the Maryland Naval | Reserves. Later he attended the Naval War College at Newport and at_the outbreak |of the Spanish-American War he pro- | vided the entire crew for the United States ship Dixie. He, too, entered the | tenant and assigned as assistant to the He | was engaged in assembling a fleet of | speedy yachts for coast patrol service. | land Naval Reserves and was elevated | to a captaincy. Twice Married. He was twice married. His first wife was a daughter of W. Askew of Raleigh, N. C. She was a widow and had two children and divorced him in {1911. He then married Mrs. Anne | Preston McCormick of New York, who survives him. His daughter is now Mrs. Charles Minot Amory, who. as the | | wife of Alfred Gwynn Vanderbilt, was | | & social leader in New York and New- | port. He is also survived by a brother nd two sisters. | LINGLE DEATH SUSPECT WAS CABARET EMPLOYE ! |Leo Brothers Worked as “Heavy Man” When Texas Guinan Was Chicago Hostess. By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, January 24—Leo V. Brothers, St. Louisan, dicted for the murder of Alfred Lingle, Tribune re- | | porter, stood revealed today as a former | cabaret_employe. | He disclosed that he had been em- | ployed at a salary of $100 a week at | the Green Mill, a North Side cabaret, | | last Summer, when Texas Guinan was | hostess there. He insisted that he was | not a “bouncer.” « Investigators for the State, however, | sald they had learned he was hired as & “heavy man” to quiet any unruly na- | trons and to prevent hold-ups. The Herald and Examiner attributed to Brothers an assertion that a glove belonging to Lingle's slayer had been | tried on his hand and that it had been ! | found to be too small. His trial was set for March 3. | The Susquehanna 1430 W Street N.W. 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