mvifl w 7n*\M ii ? i
Mounting Battle Tempo
Calls tor More Material
Big Problem Is to Route Manpower Into Critical
Work; Labor Needs Vary Throughout
Different Areas.
By BAUKHAGE
Netct Analyst and Commentator
WNC Service, Union Trust Buildinf
Washington, D. C.
What is wrong with the American
war effort on the home front?
Why all this excitement over a
new draft of manpower?
Didn't War Mobilizer Byrnes say
that our war production almost
equalled the production of the entire
world?
These questions are being asked
in many minds. I have asked them
of the men whose Job it is to get
things done in Washington, and I
want to try to put their answers
before you.
Let me quote one sentence spoken
by War Mobilizer Byrnes himself:
"Critical production no longer
feeds pipe-lines or goes into strate
gic reserves?it is going right into
battle."
If we compare "critical produc
tion" with fighting units, perhaps the
recent German counter-offensive
will help us see the picture.
When Von Rundstedt's drive
started, men and tanks and guns
and trucks, "critical production" in
other words, all had to be poured
into actual battle. The result was
that there were just not enough of
them in the right place at the right
time and our line crumbled. There
were no immediate reserves to
throw in and bolster the defense.
Later on, when the veterans from
the Third army and the First army
and the British troops arrived, the
tide was turned. They represented
the reserves of "critical produc
tion" which should have been there
all the time.
For many months on that particu
lar front only the men in the front
lines were needed. There were
enough men there to take care of
the normal enemy opposing them. It
was a minimum force without
enough reserve to take care of
maximum need and they were
thrown back.
That is the situation In war pro
duction today. Certain critical sup
plies (airplanes, tanks, other vehi
cles and their accessories, certain
types of ordnance, certain types of
ammunition) are being used so
fast in battle that if an extra strain
developed at a certain point there
would not be any reserve to call
jUpon. V
Changing Condition!
Alter Planning v """""
Why are these things lacking?
Why didn't we pile them up, as we
do other things, until we had enough
to take care of an emergency?
Chiefly, because their greatest need
developed after we started our war
programs. Reserves for the future
can only be based on present infor
mation or estimates based on previ
ous knowledge, or lucky guessing.
When the war began nobody, not
even the Japs who used amphibious
warfare in the early stages to the
best advantage, had any idea of
die type and number of landing
craft, to say nothing of the tech
nique of operating them, which are
used in the latest Allied operations.
The contrast between the Japanese
landing in Lingayen bay and the
American landing three years later
in the same place is astounding.
Byrnes used as examples of other
"unpredictables," Inventions and
improvements over old models. Jet
planes, new types of radar and the
roaay, 3D per cent or our war
production does not need to rise.
Some it is properly declining.
But there are other parts of the
program which are lagging that
should mount, because they are
"critical production." Of course,
some plants making such goods are
temporarily closed while re-tooling
for new models. Others are under
construction. But many plants lack
nothing except manpower, those, for
example, making certain types of
planes and tanks and ships. Tires
are being ground to pieces by shell
splinters in the mud of Luxem
bourg and Belgium. Tanks are roll
ing from New Guinea to the Philip
pines to the Rhine, and bigger and
better ones are demanded. There is
a constant need for all kinds of a m
munitian, but there is critical need
for certain types of ammunition,
both heavy and light.
And so we come to the main prob
lem which is really the only prob
lem today?manpower. We have the
raw material and will have the
manufacturing facilities in time.
Undersecretary of War Patterson
told the house military affairs com
mittee that in the first six months
of 1945, 700,000 men would be needed
for war production and industry
necessary to the war effort.
X have talked with the War Man
power commission experts and they
break down those figures something
like this:
One hundred and fifty thousand
men needed Immediately for critical
war production.
One hundred and fifty thousand
more for other war production to
take care of the normal turn-over,
expected replacements, etc. The
remaining 400,000 must be retained
in civilian production and services
which have to be continued in order
to maintain the total war effort.
The situation is summed up In
general terms this way: The man
power mobilization problem is not
as large as it was in 1942 and 1943
but it is more acute in certain
lines. Two things contribute to mak
ing it more acute. One is the fact
that we haven't the pool of either
civilian production or the unem
ployed from which to draw as we
had at the start. Second, because
the needs are "critical" (battle
needs) they must be satisfied im
mediately or the actual front-line
activities may be immediately af
fected.
One thing which must be consid
ered is the geographical shift of
the American labor force, a point
which affects the general situation
for it Involves moving a worker
from place to place. And in the pres
ent need, although the West coast
(where labor is concentrated) is
still the most critical area, the
building of new factories to meet
new needs and the change in the
type of needs from one established
factory in one place to one in an
other place involves the question of
suasion or force on the worker.
For instance, there is a great need
in Utah and Wyoming for work
ers in coal mines. The scattered
foundry sections from Michigan and
Ohio, through Pennsylvania and
New York to New England are
critical areas. Even plane produc
tion, concentrated in the West, has
its problems, for, although some air
plane factories on the Pacific coast
have closed down, many of the new
factories for the flying fortresses
and other new models are in areas
other than the West coast
We have the man and woman
power in the nation to take care of
the need. It is a question of getting
the right man ii^ the right place.
OoeroptimUm
Causes Letdown
There are several reasons why
the right man (and woman) is not in
the right place now. One is due to
an error in judgment which may,
or may not, be blameworthy. Ger
many's "come-back" power, for
which I attempted to set forth cer
tain reasons in two preceding col
umns, was underestimated.
This caused a shortage in certain
types of weapons. Superabundance
in others. The latter put men out
of work and caused them to seek
non-war jobs. We had counted on a
more mobile type of warfare. We
did not think we needed the heavy
artillery to blast Germany out of
powerful defenses. We counted too
heavily on enemy vulnerability to
the bombing of German cities. That
was both a psychological and stra
tegical error.
TT^l... -si *t- _ % ?- ? at
viiuctcaujuauxjy mc iengui ox uie .
European war also had a bad psy
chological effect. It caused many
workers to quit war work for what
they thought would be mora per
manent employment. It caused
great pressure on Washington to be
gin reconversion, as War Mobilirer
Byrnes admits was wrong. He said:
". . . we could not do two things
at once . . . could not pursue an
all-out war production effort while
simultaneously releasing materials,
facilities and manpower for civilian
production."
The man and his Job were sepa
rated, too, by the improvement of
models and creation of new equip
ment. No one can be blamed for
this. But frequently, as I have
shown, it tended to place the )ob
and the man miles apart.
BARBS . . . by Baukhage
I
There is a report that Hitler cant
area hear himself property any
more. Lucky Adolph.
? ? ?
They say a girl gave the answer,
"The telephone rings," when asked
by hie professor as to what happens
whan a body is immersed in water.
Bat Unit if she frit that it would
pot a wet blanket on her converse
? .
?
An American soldier made such a
hit conducting a Berlioz symphony
in Rome that the Italians requested
a repeat He couldn't because his
three-day pass had expired.
? ? ?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said
that "Good is a food doctor but Bad
is some times a better.** But what
difference does it makeT They're
probably both in the army now. ,
?n
Fifty-Thousand-Dollar Bulls Sold
The world's top priced bolls, $50,000 each, were sold at the National
Western Stock show, Denver, Colo. Richard C. Riggs, Cantonsville, Md.,
buyer of T. T. Triumphant, 29th, the Hereford at left, is shown between
the two valuable bulls. E. F. Fisher, auto magnate, purchased the Here
ford shown on right for his Hi-Point farm in Michigan.
Yanks Check Up on Jap Pillbox
Cautiously, troopers cheek a Japanese pillbox facing the road to the
town of Manao, on Luzon island in the Philippines. Little opposition was
met with from the pillboxes or other Japanese fortifications captured by
the Americans after their landing on Luzon. Navy big guns had done
their ahare in softening up landing areas.
'I Shall Return' Pledge Kept
PACIFIC OCEAN
0 HaflHama
sum ua
Landings on Philippines, (1) at Leyte, (2) Mindoro, (J) Marindnqne,
and (4) Laion, most important of all the islands. Just two years, eight
months and four days aftat the tan of Corregidor, -American troops are
hack to retake the entire'lsland.
U. S. LST Afire in Philippines
An hands oa the rescue beat are at their posts, ready for a new Jap
attack, as they stand near the flaming LST. Cargo tanks, kicks, Jeeps
and ether material are now a mass af flames, hot the invasion fleet mores
in as General MaeArthnr's men spread sot to retake the Philippines from
the Japanese Invaders. o
i
" Kisses for Beauty
Brig. Gen. Edgar E. Home, com
manding officer of the Fifth army's
A.M.G., has a kiss for one of the
little guests at a party given desti
tute children of Florence by the
A.M.G. Some 700,000 lire was con
tributed by soldiers for the party.
Other parties were also given by
G.I.S.
Lessons on Diapers
Diaper service operators, repre
sented by George Garland, left, ex
plain to Rep. Margaret Chase Smith
(Maine), and Rep. Mary T. Norton
(N. J.), that present material for di
apers is not suitable for needs.
?,!?
Not Going Anywhere
Recently arrived from Europe at
port of Boston, .these German of
ficers are being given back their
personal belongings. They are be
ing assigned to permanent prisoner
of war camps in the United States
for the duration.
Heads Dies' Group
Hep. Edward J. Hart, (N. J.
Dera.) who voted against new houe
committee on Un-American activi
ties, has been appointed aa chair
nun of the new committee.
*
Washington, D. C.
STORY BEHIND MONTGOMERY
BRADLEY COMMAND SHIFT
There is significant background
behind the appointment of British
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
to command two American armies,
thereby taking away most of the
command of Lieut. Gen. Omar N.
Bradley. There are also interesting
reasons why it was kept such a
hush-hush matter from the Ameri
can public.
General Bradley has now been
awarded the bronze star by
Eisenhower and congratulated
by Churchill to take the sting
out of his loss of the First and
Ninth armies. The idea that
Bradley made the transfer him
self also has been publicized.
Despite these maneuvers it is
known inside the war depart
ment that highest V. S. war
chiefs opposed the transfer to
Montgomery and that it was put
across by General Eisenhower
anyway.
Background of the reshuffle goes
back to the landing in Normandy
last summer when Montgomery wst
given Caen as his objective, while
Bradley was to take Cherbourg.
Bradley reached his objective ahead
of schedule in a new type of of
fensive fighting, in which U. S.
troops did not wait for supplies to
come up nor for snipers to be wiped
out.
Montgomery, using more tuiisci v
ati ve, slow-moying, old-fashioned tac
tics, sat with his army at Caen and
either could not or would not break
through until long after schedule,
and until Bradley, ignoring Mont
gomery, smashed the Nazi lines to
the south and started the lightning
dash to Paris.
'Montgomery Demoted.'
Afterward, the Stars and Stripes
carried a story that Bradley was
being promoted to the rank of full
general and would supersede Mont
gomery. The Stars and Stripes be
ing an official army newspaper, the
story naturally was true. But pub
lication in London caused such a
furor among the British that the
British broadcasting company went
on the air with an emphatic denial.
After that the shift of armies was
held up for a while, until Mont
gomery could be made a Field Mar
shal to appease both him and Brit
ish public opinion. Bradley then took
over command of all the American
armies under Eisenhower, and
Montgomery was left only with the
two British and Canadian armies in
Holland and Belgium.
Since then Monty has been wait
ing for his chance to stage a come
back. His friends of the British
press?of whom he has many?have
been doing the same. So immediate
ly following the German break
through, he began pressuring Eisen
hower to give him the American
First and Ninth armies.
Montgomery is a superb defensive
figher. When his back was to the
wall at El Alamein just a few miles
from Cairo, he did a great job.
When given offensive jobs as in
Sicily, at Caen, and at Arnhem he
failed to make the grade. ?
How much of Elsenhower's
decision to put Montgomery in
command of the .two American
armies depended upon his ability
as a defensive fighter, and how
mnch on British pressure is not
known. It is known, however,
the transfer of commands was
opposed in the war department
and was earefnlly hushed-up for
two weeks and not even all of
the top-ranking executives in
the Pentagon building knew
about it.
iuso n is a sigmncant lact that
Elsenhower Is answerable to Chur
chill as well as Roosevelt. He can
not be removed by Roosevelt with
out Churchill's O.K. and he has to
get along with both. That is an im
portant point not realized by many.
But not to be forgotten.
| Note: Rivalry among high rank
ing generals exists in every war,
probably worse in the last war. Gen
eral Pershing and Gen. Peyton
March, U. S. chief of staff, were
hardly on speaking terms. General
Pershing also sent Gen. Clarence
Ransom Edwards of Boston, hero
of New England, home from France
because of clashing personalities.
? ? ?
CAPITOL CHAFF
C. At the dinner of the Washington
radio correspondents. President
Roosevelt smoked cigarettes without
a holder, while Assistant Pres. Jim
my Byrnes used a long black holder.
C. In London they tell Americans,
"You've got to understand our Win
ston. He believes in government foi
the people, not government by the
people."
C The bobby sox brigade has in
vaded the sacred halls of congress.
Dozens of youngsters crowded th<
corridor outside the office of Heler
Gahagan Douglas last week, hopinj
for a glimpse of the comely con
gresswoman from Hollywood. Hei
admirers were acquainted with al
the roles she had played from th?
time they were in diapers.
Frederick Woltman of Roy How
ard's New York World-Telegram
is releasing a aeries revealing th<
highest U. S. army posts have beet
I taken over by communists. Thii
I will be news to Joe Stalin.
WHEN NEW AUTOS l
ARE HADE 1
Salesman?What kind of car are
you interested in?
Customer?Anything that is all in
one piece and has all the door han
dles on it.
Salesman?Here's a nice sedan
model.
Customer ? Quick I A pair of
smoked glasses!
Salesman?What for?
Customer?I can't stand anything
so clean and glossy. What are those
things on the side?
Salesman?Fenders.
Customer?Oh, yes; it's been so
long since I had any on my car I
thought they were something new.
0
Salesman?How do yon like the ra
diator?
Customer?How did that big dent
get into the front of it?
Salesman?We designed H that
way. So many owners have been
driving a round for the last he or
six years with their radiators all
knocked in that we thought a ear
with an undented one would seem too
radical an innovation.
Customer?Right you are! Those
new models with all the hinges tm
the doors are going to be quite a
shock, too.
Salesman?Yes; we realise that. If
you've been driving a ear so long
with the doors rattling we'll be-glad
to loosen the hinges on this IMS mod
el for you.
Customer?I think you'd better.
Salesman?What color da you pre*
fer?
Customer?Any color but gray or
mud.
Salesman?Most people are de
manding bright reds and yellows?
just to get away from the drab look
ing cars they've been driving dur
ing the war.
Customer?Naturally I Why a big
mirror in every door?
Salesman?Those are not mirrors,
it's just new bright unshattered
glass, so clean you can see your re
flection like in the prewar days.
Customer ? (astonished) ? How
wonderful!
Salesman?What do you think of
the upholstery?
Customer?I can't believe it's true.
No holes, no stains, no mice, no'
bird nests!
Salesman?You'll get used to it
after a while.
?
Customer?Wh?t are those things
on the side and ceiling?
Salesman ? Inside lights. They
really work!
Customer?Now don't exaggerate!
Salesman?Didn't the inside light*
on your old ear work?
Customer?Only for the first six
years!
Salesman?Notice those comfort
able arm rests in the rear?
Customer?Is that what they are?
Salesman?What did you think *
they were?
Customer?All I know Is that in
my old bus a pair of field mice
lived in 'em.
?
Salesman?Our new gearshift Is
quite a feature on this model. It's
quite a novelty.
Customer ? Any gearshift that
doesn't come out in my hand every
time I shift will be novelty enough.
And it is going to be a treat to reach
for a hand brake and find it there,
too! Say, what are those things on
the side of each wheel?
Salesman?Hub caps. Didn't you
have 'em on your car?
Customer?Not since Pearl Har
bor! /
? ? ?
WAR BOND SLACKER
He buys some war bonds with a
ebeer
And roots tor 'em in accents clear;
He does it with a (Tin or lan(h
While posing tor a photograph;
He says, "It's Just my duty and
To do my bit this way is (rand" . . ?
But then at sellin( out he's spry?
Who wants to be that kind at guy?
He gives no argument at aH
When war bond salesmen make a
can;
He even makes a pretty speech
About a battle on a beach;
Bat presently heU tarn 'em in;
His staying powers are quite thin;
He is no asset at the bat?
Who wants to be an egg like that?
A pox upon this patriot!?
To be his kind you'd rather net;
Tour country's bonds help win the
fight;
They're not for selling overnight!
So buy, and hang on, If you eaa,
[ As if yon were a fighting man. . . .
How would we fare in daya so tough
If soldiers' faith were short-term
stud?
? ? ?
Ain't It So!
Thumbnail description at the Sina
tra audience upon getting news ho
1 Is 111: Sad socks.
? ? ?
j LINES ON A FIRE MENACE
Smokers in the crowded stores
' Need a spell behind steel doors.
There to sit and ruminate
On the dunce capo that they rata.
? ? ?
' Hard folks, those New Englsnd
oral Wo heard of a man who gars
his wife a pair of gloves and a mow
shovel for Christmas.