| Show I Boyles Boyle's s e Notebook t Lack of Equipment Not Men Plagues U. U S S. S Army Chiefs I By y Hal Boyle W WASHINGTON UP Manpower Manpower wouldn't be the biggest initial problem of f. f the small American army If it a showdown with Soviet R Russia flamed into a a. a third w world war soon soon Our biggest shortage Isn't in its lt's men Its It's in equipment said sald one veteran officer Less than three years year ago the United States had the best beat equipped armies annle in history fn in the field In both Europe and the Pa Pa- Her combat troops were num numbered ered in millions Today the army still sUli has some men But most of them are engaged in occupation duties port work warehouse guard duty all i all the t tasks ks itt It 11 takes takes' to keep the framework o of a p peacetime ac army i intact tact As an emergency striking force torce the army could throw Into immediate immediate immediate im im- mediate gr ground battle only about two divisions In Europe one In America and three to four in Asia Civilian Belief But if war c came me tomorrow couldn't millions of ot trained ex- ex servicemen leap to arms and re restore restore restore re- re store almost overnight Americas America's lost combat strength That Is the belief belie of the average average average aver aver- age civilian Ignorant of ot the time and Immense work n needed eded to build modern ground armies It is a upon the table the king of h hearts This was taken by declarer who ran the diamonds and then tried the club finesse W When Wien en this failed tailed a heart was returned to West's Vests queen and the mopping up process was completed Once again crime had failed to pay Copyright 1948 1918 by C C. C H H. H Goren source of great worry to professional professional protes- protes io al soldiers upon whom the tho organization or bf the nations nation's defenses rests Millions ions U of ot men might leap up up one officer said wryly but th they y wouldn't wouldn leap eap to arms The reason 1 The arms arent aren't there any more The tremendous military surpluses of ot three years ago are gone The great stockpiles stockpiles stock stock- piles of ot weapons supplies and equipment have hav been sold broken up or donated to the armies of Greece Turkey China and other countries Today the vast arsenal of ode ode- de democracy dc- dc has In mothball reserve enough leftover equip equipment ent to outfit outfit out out- fit only a comparatively few tew ground divisions Conversion Con III Is Problem Our big problem again would be not be-not not manpower manpower but but th the conversion conversion conversion con con- version of ot our industry to a war war- I time I e footing said a man who hO helped plan the operations of World War II He estimated It wo would ld take from tram one to two years to put us even In as ae good shape again as we were the day of the Pearl Harbor attack This of ot course is no ncr secret t to Russian military experts They know the tremendous power of the American industrial colossus but colossus but they know also the months and perhaps years it takes to gear It up to the point It can pour out decisive floods of weapons of all kinds Adolf Hitler knew It too gambled gambled gam gam- bled anyway and anyway and lost But the Russians may figure they are In Ina Ina ina a better comparable position tomake to tomake tomake make the same gamble gamble and and winSome win Some military m experts expert here believe believe believe be be- lieve the Soviet ground armies could sweep w p over western E Europe rope in six weeks to two months That would put them In position to try I to neutralize British production by guided missile bombardment from across s the channel If It they succeeded th the main Industrial in industrial industrial In- In effort again would taU fall on America and America and some military men foresee or see In that case ase a prolonged world struggle perhaps lasting ten tenye ye years rs unless the atom bomb shortened shortened shortened short short- ened It That's a dismal picture But professional soldiers have to take the long view and prepare for the worst That is why they hope the Russians RUllan will wm work for tor peace through gh the United Nations rather than embark on a catastrophic adventure adventure ad ad- v venture in conquest |
