| Show WAR CHIEF SAYS U so REQUIRES 11 MILLION MEN TO WHIP AXIS HOME FRONT MUST BE ADJUSTED patterson claims nazis have 13 million men at their command jap also strong in pacific area by ROBERT P PATTERSON undersecretary of war questions raised in recent weeks as to whether america shall have the army of men which its military leadership has determined to be the minimum with which we can expect to defeat our enemies have not it seems to me given due consideration to military necessity we are out to win this war the nation has entrusted the responsibility for this victor victory to its military leaders this feader leadership the joint chiefs of staff of the army a and nd navy aft after r the most careful analysis of our enemies strength has decided that we must build an armed force of approximately which includes an army of 8 for 1943 44 our own men have been in conta contact ct only with the smallest of the axis armies a pa part rt of its tunisian force of less than a quarter of a million men but the striking force of this powerful foe has already been felt by our troops the german field armies are assisted by more than one million men in semi military organizations izat ions such as the military police engineers and supply depots which in our army are included among service troops reliable sources indicate that the combined number of those in the german and italian armed forces and those directly assisting them runs well over 13 million it is evident at this point that the superiority of our enemies in the european theater is of ominous proportions A similar analysis in the pacific area does not brighten the picture the japanese army exceeds by many divisions the forces that the united nations have been able to equip and place in opposition yet the united nations and particularly ticul arly this country have the potential power to overcome this numerical superiority these potentialities must be converted to actuality they must be harnessed and driven toward a single goal the defeat of our enemies in that drive our country the latest of the major powers to enter the war must play the most important part part army determines size after careful study of its it needs i j I 1 offensive action requires super superiority in numbers this is the reason we need an army of including officers by the end of this year the navy the marines and the coast guard need this year that r makes a total of men and women that must be in the armed forces by the end of this year this will be less than per cent of our 1 total population thirteen and a 1 half per cent of the german population 1 is in the armed forces ten million eight hundred thousand is not a figure pulled out of a hat it is the requirement determined by those charged with the heavy responsibility of winning this war general marshall says that we need so many planes and so many tanks to win the war Is there anyone in america who would question his judgment admiral king says that we need so many escort ships and destroyers to beat the axis Is there tah anyone in america who would question his judgment the expert views of our military leaders are accepted on our needs for guns and ships ishits why should anyone question their judgment as to the number of men that they need to use these weapons and man these ships the staffs of the army and the navy under general marshall and admiral king in full possession of the facts have made the military decision that a force this size is necessary to win the war our com mander in chief the president of the united states has approved this program it is americas answer to the axis the axis I 1 assure you does not like that answer in making this decision full account has been taken of the ability of american industry and labor and agriculture to produce the supplies F 7 7 77 M EO 0 for 41 4 f hv vv t 7 4 american troops land in north africa they are the vanguard of a proposed force of men who will be needed to defeat the axis ivar official says needed by our fore forces es by our allies and by our civilian economy full account has also been taken of the ability of our rapidly expanding merchant marine to deliver soldiers and ad sup supplies P lies overseas the conclusion reached was that it was a hard job but that it could and must be done but there are critics of the army program who ask why should we fight why not give more supplies to the british the chinese and the russians and let them fight for us the british with the smallest available manpower and subject to savage aerial attacks have come nearer than any other of the united V ap I 1 ROBERT P PATTERSON undersecretary oj of atar nations to the full time war employment of every man woman and child the chinese have been heroically roi cally fighting for years the russians by brilliant tactics and with indomitable courage have killed more nazis than all the other united nations combined we should give tribute to their dead for they have sacrificed countless lives but their manpower is not inexhaustible were in the war too and it will be won the hard way this is our war just as much as it is the war of the british the russians and the chinese we are sending supplies to the utmost of our ability to these and the other united nations we will continue to do so but it will be our soldiers and sailors and those of our allies that will win the final victory elemental truths are often the most difficult to grasp throughout all ages people have tried to avoid facing up to the reality that war is grim business have longed for an easy war and have hoped that somehow some way victory could be gained without risking too much or without experiencing the stark unpleasantness of the conflict but all the wishing in the world does not change the nature of war and its impact on all peoples engaged in it whether in the battle lines or at home the hour for realism has arrived for every american we must brace ourselves for mounting casualty lists and reverses on the battle front and for more arduous labors and sacrifices on the home front realism must extend from the foxholes and pill boxes on the firing line to the factories and homes ol 01 america when our country is at al war none of us can escape the responsibility of viewing the routine as well as the emergency du ties of life in the light of theil theft bearing upon the final result unconditional dit ional surrender by our enemies this nation has done a magnificent job in production for war baj bu there is an even heavier task ahead we will have serious problems be cause of the increasing drain or our manpower but similar problems have been solved in england russia germany and japan nonessential activities are out for the duration and these countries are fully mobilized to a much greater extent than we on every one rests the equal obligation to give service either in the armed forces or on the home front why should we suppose that we can wage war successfully without mobilizing our human resources with a thoroughness at least approaching that of our enemies and of our principal allies army requirements come first nation must get into indest industry ry the needs of the ar armed m ed forces must come first the problems of of turnover and absenteeism must and can be solved each of us must work to the utmost of his capability we must also tackle our farm labor problem with vigor there are white collar workers in non essen bial industries who can go back to the farms from which they came there are victory gardens to be encouraged cou raged more work can be done by women farm machinery can be pooled many steps can be taken to increase production on the farms we cannot solve our manpower problems by whittling down the size of our armed forces the problem must be tackled at its source every one wants to do his or her share to help win the war and must serve where he or she can render the best service the decision cannot be based upon personal desire with vast territories and resources at their disposal the axis cannot be defeated by a blockade victory will come from decisive military action backed by an armed force and ability so overwhelmingly superior that the further action will be futile in world war 1 I it was our american expeditionary force of added to the strength of our allies that made the enemy surrender on november 11 1918 the allies had 32 fresh divisions in reserve the germans only had two the allies had bad a total of divisions the germans had the germans were aware of these figures their ability to reason from figures is well known they decided that they could not win and they quit now as then the enemy must be made to realize that they cannot win now as then we must make them see ahat that we are going to see the job through |
