Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 275, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1918 — America’s Achievement Behind the Lines [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

America’s Achievement Behind the Lines

Greatest Scheme of Communications Ever Used in Warfare Is Rapidlu Nearing Completion-——— ——

* The London Times has published two articles described'as “the first authorised description of what the American forces have accomplished in France during their-first eleven months’ participation in the war.” The following are extracts from these articles: a—— Americans In France are rapidly pushing to completion the longest and in many respects zj the greatest scheme of communlcations ever used in warfare. A x trip over these lines today is a /YffTmL deeply impressive experience. Since Mr. Newton D. Baker, the United States secretary of war, inspected them less than three months ago, the work is fairly leaping forward; the very landscape changes overnight. . After two solid weeks of travel, inspecting every main phase and much of the detail of this vast project, I return convinced that what the Americans have accomplished since their first detachment of troops landed in France 11 months ago will stand out in history as one of the greatest achievements of the war. The bearing of this vast work upon the whole war program is supremely Important. There is no doubt in my mind that the extent of it, the meaning of it and the future possibilities of it should be made clear to the public, both here and in the United States. It Is well at the outset to state some basic facts. The French had all their sources of supply near at hand, and the establishment of their lines of communication was a comparatively simple affair. The British, with all their sources much farther away from the fighting areas and with water transport entering as an Important factor into their scheme, had a much more difficult task in planning and'perfecting their supply service. But great as was the British problem, that which confronted the Americans when they entered the war was immeasurably greater. Their armies and all their war materials had to be brought thousands of miles from their sources of supply; the submarine campaign was at its highest point of efficiency; the adoption of .the convoy system considerably reduced the capacity of shipping* facilities, which, even in the most favorable circumstances, would have been totally Inadequate to the demands made upon them; there were no large modern ports on the coast of France; nor was there anything like sufficient railway facilities to accommodate the vast stream of men and materials which must flow steadily In, with constantly increasing volume, from the date when the first detachment of United States soldiers landed on French soil. At the same time one must realize that, from the moment war was declared, America itself was rapidly resolving into a huge engine of war. With raw materials, industries, coal and railways, all put quickly under government control and each day becoming more centralized for the sole purpose of multiplying the output of war requirements, the pressure toward France increased with startling rapidity; indeed, it was measured only by the utmost limit of available shipping space. That situation has continued right up to the present, and will continue, no matter how great the output of new ships may be, for a considerable time to come. To take care of this steadily growing volume of men, horses, guns, foods and supplies, to resolve the modest existing facilities into a permanent line of communications hundred of miles In length, adequate to care for an army of the future numbering millions, at the same time meeting all the transport requirements of the civic population scattered over the great stretch of France through which these lines extended—that was the task which • confronted the first detachment of American engineers who landed here 11 months ago. BuPwlth all their difficulties the Americans had one substantial advantage over the British, or even the French. They were able to profit by the three years’ war experience of these two nations and shape the detaite-of a considerable part of their main in accordance with the full development of toe British and French war machinery. They werenot slow to avail themselves of this advantage, and the marvellous progress they have made is due in no small measure to the quickness with which they adapted and incorporated into their own scheme certain features of organization which the British and French had evolved through a long period of actual warfare. The cordial way in which the British and French transport and other officials received the Americans and gave them every possible kind of aid and advice Is one of the many bright chapters in this story of achievement. This was the only substantial advantage the Americana had. Their handicaps were multifold, their task colossal. How splendidly they attacked their problems and conquered one after another of the obstacles which confronted them stands out in clear perspective as one passes along their great lines of communication today. Sixty days more will see the greater part of the whole vast scheme in full operation. Even now the completed part of the system is equal to all demands made upon it, and with labor and materials available in fairly equable proportions, as they are now, the actual construction work is going ahead more rapidly than ever. . ' What the American forces in France have accomplished thus far is almost incredible. For instance out of the waste lands adjacent to an old French port they have constructed a splendid line

of modern decks, where every day now ships are pouring forth their ‘cargoes of men and war materials, cars and machinery. This dock system is finished. It supplements the old French dock system in the town, where still more ships are constantly discharging American cargoes. A huge new warehouse system at this point is also nearing completion; even now it is able to take care of the great flood of supplies which is constantly pouring in. In the old part of this same coast town the Americans have Installed motor operation and cold storage plants, a motor reception park, and quarters for storing supplies for ordnance and aviation forces. These are more or less temporary quarters, and will be merged In the near future in the general scheme which is now being completed in the outskirts of the town.' In addition to the new docks, warehouses and extensive rallwaizyjgjgis (these latter have a trackage of miles), work is well advanced on new car assembly shop, where already, when I saw it in its incompleted state, 20 odd freight cars a day, of three different designs, were being turned out and put into immediate service. Another assembly plant has been constructed —at a different point —to handle allsteel cars, which are transported here from America “knocked-down” —that is, in sections, in order to economize shipping space. At this plant these steel -cars are now being assembled at the rate of a complete train a day, and plans are rapidly culminating for a large extension of the work. Here, too, a huge camp has been built for the negro stevedores, also a remount camp and two big rest camps, each providing for many thousands of American soldiers, who march thence from 1 the boats to be sifted and rearranged for dispatch to the various training camps farther inland. Not far from here work on a new 20,000bed hospital is forging ahead, and 30 days from now it will be virtually completed. This is the largest hospital center yet constructed. It is composed entirely of small, one-story, light, airy and attractive structures, divided into small squares, laid out on a great,"open stretch of sand, surrounded by pine trees, and altogether promises to be an ideal institution of its kind. In this same section is an immense new artillery camp all ready for the several brigades of artillery which were expected when I was there, and, like the hospital enterprise, it is in strong hands and promises well. In Includes a large remount camp, in which were several thousand horses at the time of my visit. The work in this section, which is typical of that at all the other base ports I visited, is being vigorously and intelligently directed. Strong executives are in charge, and the spirit of the workers is excellent throughout. Everywhere the Americans are realizing that they have “caught up with themselves,” and now that they can visualize the completion of what a few months ago looked so much like an Impossible undertaking they are buoyed up, happy and inspired by their success; they have conquered obstacles and overcome conditions which only great ability and indomitable spirit could possibly surmount. One realizes, after inspecting the character and extent of the work at the several base ports which the Americans have taken over, that here lies the strength of their future scheme of operations. These port schemes are great a® 11 ” today; but they are so worked out as to be capable of almost unlimited expansion. This is highly Important, for the war developments of the past two months have clearly pointed the way toward greater unity of effort by the allies and greater mobility of action by the French, British and American fighting forces. The tenis toward a pooling both of effort and supplies, the, natural outcome of centralization under a single command. This may easily resolve the American base ports in France into main reserve centers, from which their channels of distribution will radiate directly to railheads on all parts of the front, instead of mainly through the intermediate and advance area centers, which are now being constructed. These latter, in that event, would be utilized in connection withHhe great and ever-growing training centers through which, for a long time to come, the American army of 2,000,000 or more, in the making, must pass. Ak at the base ports, so I found conditions all along the hundreds of miles of the American

lines of communlca--11 on; everywhere the same kind of capable men in command, the same splendid spirit and energy, the same steady progress toward the ends in view, the same optimism as to the quick, and successful working out of the plans as a whole. At present the immense “intermediate section” looms large in the general American plan. It may or may not grow in importance as the vfar goes on,

for, as I have already indicated, the further development of the great base ports may ye ro . of some of its originally contemplated functions, but, however that may be, it is now ode of t e main pillars of the structure. It comprises a wide variety of enterprises, all on a huge scale, scattered at various points oyer a large section of the country, but skilfully linked up by rail, one branch dovetailed Into another, and all combining for the quick handling of stores for an army of millions. An “organization chart,” showing the activities centered under the commanding general of this great intermediate section, though not quite so formidable, perhaps, reminds one of a chart of the Whitehall district of London. This commanding officer Is responsible primarily for the main reserve stores, for the American expeditionary forces and the constant sending forward of their dally supplies; but in addition to that he has a large measure of responsibility for the organization and control of great camps, schools, base hospitals, rest areas, engineering and repair shops, the principal repository, for “spare parts* of all machinery used in the army, cold storage plants, oil and petrol depots, forestry work and control of a good-sized labor army, which includes many thousands of negroes, Chinamen and - German prisoners of war. A round of this huge field of operations is both instructive and Inspiring. At one point 1 went through an enormous locomotive assembling and repair works (housed in a great modern factory building now nearing completion), built for the Americans, under French supervision, by a Spanish firm; a huge oil and petrol supply station,, a 10,000-bed hospital and a number of other highly important branches of a central organization which constitutes one of the real backbone sections of the service of supply. At another point I went over great railway yards to see the rows upon rows of street structure warehouses which are being built to hold supplies for an army of a million men for 30 days; an immense refrigerating plant and countless other features, all on the same prodigious scale. Calm, quiet men are supervising it all, watching it grow before their eyes. When the telephones jingle (and they are never long in repose) there is no shouting, no excitement; just quiet, firm replies t,o the questions put. There is everywhere an air of suppressed energy rather than exuberance or “bustle."'' It is orderly progress, firmly guided by strong minds, by capable men. America has put her best executives into this work and they are rapidly “making good,” as events of the very near future are certain to prove. Farther along the line I saw much the same evidence of orderliness combined with strength In the army bakeries, in the big central camouflage plant, at the variouk advanced centers from which the army supplies are rearranged for shifting to various railheads and thence to the soldiers at the front. If, as many believe, it is going to be necessary for the Americans to put an army of 3,000,000 into the field to enable the allies to achieve a definite and conclusive military victory, then the quick development of the full American program is a matter of the highest importance to the whole allied cause. From every point of view the results 'of the first year’s work may be set down as a glorious achievement, of which Americans have every right to be proud; the year’s' record is a monument to their zeal and their wonderful ability. It is a record which promises still greater things for the near future. It spells the beginning of the end, and points clearly to an overwhelming victory for the allies. It seems to me that the more the people of France and England and the United States know about this American work in France the better. If the enemy, failing in his effort to deliver a knockout blow by flinging against the allied lines the full force of his eastern armies, released by the collapse of Russia, next turns his efforts to a concentrated peace offensive, as doubtless he will, then surely a clear knowledge of the nature and extent of the American achievement to date, of the American plans, and most of,all an understanding of the underlying determination to go the whole distance and not’ stop till the right kind of peace has been secured,- will steel the hearts of the war-weary ones and silence the traitors and pacifists among us for good and alt