Evening star. [volume], February 08, 1940, Page A-3, Image 3

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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I ■■ mmm
~ New Methods Slow
To Appear in War,
Says Maj. Eliot
Weapons Also Are Little
Advanced Over Those
In Last Conflict
By MAJ. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.
In one respect this war is running
true to historical form, and that is
in the slowness with which new
weapons, new tactical methods, are
making their appearance. In 1914,
the airplane had already had sev
eral years of development, all armies
contained embryo air forces, yet the
campaign of 1914 was fought out al
'most without benefit of military
aviation, a few reconnaissance
flights were made, but with little ef
p feet on the conduct of operations.
At the close of the year, despite
the available and known experience
of the South Africa, Russo-Japanese
’ and Balkan Wars, it was still pos
sible for British officers to doubt the
-advisability of increasing the scale
of machine gun establishment (twe
to a battalion) with which the war
had begun, and even the Germans
clearer-visioned in this respect, ap
parently did not foresee the full pos
sibilities of automatic firearms.
Chemical warfare, foreshadowed
by “horror” writers for many years
had not yet made its appearance on
the battlefield. Armored cars were
being used in small numbers and in
a spirit and ttith military results
savoring strongly of the futilities of
knight-errantry, but the tank was
still two campaigns in the future.
Very largely, as 1914 came to its
end. the war was being fought by
infantrymen armed \»ith the bolt
action repeating rifles which had
been standard for year in all armies
and by artillerymen with field guns
of models dating back to the 90s.
4 * At sea there had been equally
little, perhaps even less, in the way
of innovation. The early successes
f of the German submarines had
been somewhat of a shock to the
British admiralty's usual cheerful
complacency at a wear's outset, but
they can hardly be described as a
« surprise; nor were they being used
on the scale which later developed.
Effective anti-submarine devices
were still not in use. Naval avia
tion was no better developed than
military. The chief advance upon
the naval methods of the Russo
Japanese war was the use of radio.
Npithpr on land nnr spa did pithpr
side attempt a real “surprise by
weapons,” one of the most devastat
ing forms of tactical surprise in the
pages of imaginative fiction writers
portraying the wars of the future,
one of the rarest in actual military
history, save in the wars of civilized
peoples against savages. The Ger
mans with their gas at Yypres, the
British with their tanks on the
Somme, both had opportunities
later to effect such a surprise.
Neither did so: that is. neither em
ployed and followed up their new
weapon on a scale which might
have produced a decision. Usually
the military mind lacks confidence
• in innovations, seeks always to test
4hem out on a small scale before
trying them in a larger way, and
» thus loses whatever surprise value
they may have. The development
of new weapons has thus usually
been a matter of slow trial and
• error rather than sudden change:
4»nd it may be said that a new war
tends to begin, in the matter of
armament and tactical method,
where the last one left off.
Much Technical Development.
There has been an unusual
amount of technical development
intervening between this war and
the last, with some opportunity for
battlefield tests in Ethiopia, Spain
and China. Air forces have, in the
technical sense, moved forward very
rapidly. The development of mech
anized weapons has had a consider
able effect on the organization of
ground forces. Perhaps the great
est single advance in land warfare
has been the co-ordination of the
air arms w'ith ground troops, a co
ordination now apparently a sine
qua non for success on the offensive,
foreshadowed in Spain, exemplified
by the Germans in Poland.
< But air this was pretty well known
^before this war broke out. So far
thprp Hovp Hppn nn rpnl snmrifiPS
p Bo far as is known, chemical agents
(except smoke) have not been used
at all. The vulnerability of tanks
to accurate fire of properly concealed
• anti-tank weapons has been empha
sized in Finland as it was in Spain,
The Spanish lesson that against
well organized resistance bombing
missions require a fighter escort is
being re-emphasized along the coasts
of the North Sea. No new and start
ling anti-submarine devices have
made their appearances as far as
can be ascertained. The accuracy
of air bombing does not suggest that
any belligerent has developed a
bomb sight comparable in efficiency
to that of our own services, which
may prove indeed a surprise to the
enemy in any war in which this
country may in the near future be
come engaged.
New Anti-Aircraft Methods.
In the field of anti-aircraft de
tection and fire control new meth
ods are probably being developed
but not a great deal is knowr
about them as yet. and they do not
appear so far to possess revolu
tionary characteristics. The Ger
mans showed a tendency towarc
bold and indeed reckless employ
• „ ment of independent armored col
umns in Poland, but there is noth
ing to show that under less favor
• able conditions such methods coulc
hope for the same degree of suc
cess.
. All armies contain a far highei
proportion of automatic firearm!
than in 1914, but the problem ol
Ammunition supply on the battle
field awaits the solutions of experi
ence. As sea the magnetic mine, sc
exploited by headline-hungry news
papers, does not appear to embody
revolutionary principles. There is t
possibility that the Germans may
have a torpedo of unusual type
perhaps using a magnetic princi
ple conducive to greater accuracy
The repeated reports that torpe
doed merchant ships have ^'broker
in two” suggests that this torpedc
may be set to run at a depth some
what greater than the estimatec
draft of the target and may be de
flected upward by a magnetic device
so that explosion occurs in contact
with the ship's keel. The mos1
notable innovation in the fighl
, with the Graf Spee was the tactica
ffise of smoke by the British, long t
• feature of the maneuvers of al
navies.
The “Sunday supplement” weap
ons—death rays, bacterial bombs
new and terrible gases, and so on
THE NETHERLANDS.—SHIPS IN ICE CALL FOR HELP—The ice-breaker Friesland trapped in
the ice field in the Zuider Zee between the Isles of Urk and Elburg. Two others, the Holland and
the Ijsell, also were marooned in the ice. The Friesland was wrecked under the enormous pres
sure.
i ■■■ 1 1 1 ■ ' 1 1 l
Members of a crew cutting an appeal for help in the ice to attract flyers.—Wide World Photos.
have failed to make their appear
I ance.
Meanwhile, in Finland there is
being demonstrated all over again
the World War and Spanish les
sons—that nothing will replace
training and leadership in war, that
infantry remains the decisive arm,
that the pouring in of fresh num
bers once an attack has lost its
momentum only results in fresh
casualties, and yet that decisive re
! suits are only to be obtained by a
well-handled and well-co-ordinated
offensive, even though it be limited
in scope.
If and as this war continues, in
Finland, on the western front, at
sea. in fresh theaters of operations
perhaps, it will certainly see the
development of new weapons and
: methods. But it seems little likely
either that these will upset the old
principles, or that they will appear
so suddenly as to be overwhelming
in effect. Rather does it seem prob
able that now, as in the past, they
will come slowly into use as a result
of experimentation, of the method
of trial and error so appealing to
the cautious military mind. It
should not be forgotten that when
the fate of a nation may hang on
a decision, it is well that such de
cision be approached in no spirit
of reckless innovation or overconfi
dence in untried means.
Copyright. 1B40. by New York Tribune. Inc.
A. F. L. Charges Lewis
Blocked Labor Peace
By the Associated Press.
MIAMI. Fla.. Feb. 8.—The Amer
ican Federation of Labor today di
rectly charged John L. Lewis. C. 1. O.
chieftain, with blocking peace be
tween tire organizations and asked
President Roosevelt to make pub
lic what each of the two labor fac
tions had agreed to do "so that re
sponsibility for failure to resume
peace negotiations * * * shall be
placed where it properly belongs.”
William Green, federation presi
dent, charged Lewis with failure
to continue peaee negotiations, and
declared that the A. F. of L. had
always been willing to work toward
harmonious settlement of the long
and bitter dispute between the two
organizations.
Mr. Green made public the fol
lowing telegram he said had been
dispatched to the White House:
“The Executive Council of the
American Federation of Labor, now
meeting in Miami, respectfully re
quests that you make public the
answers made by the American
Federation of Labor and the C. 1.
O. to your appeal that peace nego
tiations be resumed.
"The Executive Council feels as
a matter of simple justice that this
information should be given to labor
and to the people of our Nation so
that responsibility for failure to re
sume peace negotiations, as you re
quested, shall be placed where it
properly belongs.”
Park Rights of Way
Bill Passed by House
By the Associated Press.
The House approved and sent to
the Senate yesterday a bill author
izing the Secretary of the Interior
to issue revocable permits for rights
of way across the Blue Ridge Park
way in Virginia and North Carolina.
Such permits would be issued to
owners or lessees of adjoinng land.
Reorganization Plans
May Be Divided Into
Two More Orders
First Proposal Due
To Go to Congress in
Week or 10 Days
Separation of further govern
mental reorganization plans into at
least two additional orders, by which
the expected congressional opposi
tion to specific transfer proposals
would thus be spread out rather than
concentrated on a single order, was
definitely indicated today.
Submission to Congress of the first
of the forthcoming plans in the next
week or 10 days was predicted yes
I terday afternoon by Chairman
Cochran of the Select House Com
i mittee on Reorganization after a
conference with President Roosevelt
at the White House.
Remarking later that both inter
and intra-departmental revisions,
are under contemplation. Mr.
Cochran made it clear that the divi
sion of orders is being favored as a
device for discouraging a concentra
tion of opposition.
axxcxc u^jjju.'ju.xuii lu aix\
proposal for revising a departmental
set-up.” Mr. Cochran said. "That is
one reason why we don't want to
load up an order with all the con
troversial items.”
By the terms of the reorganiza
tion law. the President's orders be
come effective unless rejected by
both branches of the Congress
within 60 days of their promulga
tion.
Already in the open is a bitter
fight over the suggested transfer of
the Forest Service from the Agri
culture to the Interior Department.
Other shifts likewise are expected to
arouse some controversy, but the
Forest Service dispute might be of
sufficient magnitude, combined with
the others, to precipitate a rejec
i tion.
In his second reorganization mes
sage. sent to Congress last May. i
President Roosevelt said he was
considering a merger of Govern
ment map-making functions, a
transfer of deportation responsibil
; ities from the Labor to the Justice
Department, and other overlapping
jurisdictions of the Agriculture and
Interior Departments.
Secretary of Interior Ickes and
Budget Director Harold D. Smith
accompanied Chairman Cochran's
group to the White House confer -
ence yesterday.
League Group Surveys
Non-Member Co-operation
By the Associated Press.
THE HAGUE. Feb. 8 — A League
of Nations committee explored to
day in a second session methods for
enlisting the co-operation of non
member nations in the League's
economic and social work.
It is proposed to establish a semi
independent central committee for
co-ordinating the League's non
political activities, with the object
of bringing in outsiders.
The United States. Brazil, Italy
and Japan are considered prime
prospects for invitations to appoint
representatives to such a committee,
provided they indicate a willing
ness to accept.
Such a central committee, when
formed, would decide whether to
put out feelers for German and
Soviet Russian co-operation.
The 10-nation organizing com
mittee. meeting in the International
Peace Palace, hoped to name today
at least some of the 14 member
nations with which it will form a
central committee.
Davenport Heads
Evening Star Club
David H. Davenport, a member
of the advertising staff of The Star
for 20 years, has been elected presi
dent of The Evening Star Club, suc
ceeding Dr. A. W Shea, head of The
Star's dental clinic.
Also elected were W. W. Millan.
vice president; Ralph Seebold. sec
retary; William Watts, treasurer;
Robert S. Jacobs, representative for
the business office; Walter J. Griggs,
representative of the composing
room, day side: Hubert A. Thebo.
representative for the composing
room, night side; John H. Cassadv,
representative for the news depart
ment: John J. Baum, representative
for the press room, and Norman J.
Miller, representative for the circu
lation department.
Roosevelt-Garner
Contest in Illinois
Is Possible
Vice President's Backers
To Decide in Few Days
On Primary Race
Bj the Associated Press.
A contest between the forces of
President Roosevelt and Vice Presi
dent Garner for the backing of Illi
nois Democrats became a possibility
today when friends of Mr. Garner
disclosed he might enter the State's
preferential primary on April 9.
Mr. Roosevelt s name already has
been put into the race for Illinois
convention delegates by leaders of
the State Democratic organization.
The Chief Executive has given no
indication of approval or disap
proval.
Garner supporters said a decision
would be reached in a few days, al
though they described the situation
as “very much up in the air.” The
Vice President's managers have
been following the general policy of
seeking 'delegates in States without
“favorite son” candidates for the
presidential nomination.
On the Republican side, the cam
paign manager of Thomas E. Dewey
expressed regret that Senator Taft,
Republican, of Ohio, had decided
against filing in Illinois. Mr. Dewey
is the only Republican entered in
the State so far. and his backers
have' challenged all other aspirants
to follow suit.
Lacks Time for Campaign.
Senator Taft described the Illi
nois primary as "merely advisory”
because its action does not bind del
egates. and said he lacked the time
to make an adequate campaign
there. He said he would decide in
about a week whether to contest
against Mr. Dewey and Senator
Vandenberg. Republican, of Mich
igan. in Wisconsin.
All three of these men were either
on their way or preparing to leave
for the West to take part in Re
publican Lincoln Day celebrations.
Mr. Dewey is en route to Portland
Oreg, for a speech Monday, and
Senator Vandenberg will speak in
St. Paul Saturday night. Senator
Taft talked last night at Martins
burg, W. Va . expressing opposition
to price control and "over-regula
tion" of farmers. His Lincoln Day
speech will be given Monday at
Greensboro. N. C.
Senator Bridges, Republican, of
New Hampshire, another presiden
tial candidate who has traveled as
extensively as Senator Taft, warms
j up tomorrow night in Muncie. Ind ,
before speaking at Oklahoma City.
Vandenberg to Go to Chicago.
Senator Vandenberg will stop in
Chicago Saturday night to meet
some of his supporters. He said a
Wisconsin delegation, headed by Lt
! Gov. Walter S. Goodland. who tops
; the Senator's slate of 24 delegates
entered in the State primary, would
meet his train at Milwaukee.
Asserting the Vandenberg-for
President organization in Michigan
had been active in his behalf in
20 States, the Senator said he knew
of no other State primaries besides
Wisconsin where his name might be
AH I AI-A/1
He emphasized the Michigan
group was acting "on its own
responsibility.”
Senator Robert M. La Follette
comes up for renomination this
year. While no major opposition
has arisen within the Progressive
! party, he may have a hot race for
1 re-election if the Republicans main
| tain their 1938 strength in Wiscon
sin. Democratic totals in the State
j slumped in that election.
While the Republican speaking
campaign was gathering momentum,
officials at national headquarters
here gave strong indications that
Chicago would get the party conven
tion if it put up some money. Spec
, ulation over the date was centering
on June 18. The G. O. P. National
Committee meets here next Friday.
There was talk that the Demo
cratic convention, which will meet
in Chicago probably a week or two
after the Republican gathering,
might be presided over by Senator
Barkley of Kentucky, the majority
floor leader. Mentioned as possible
keynote speakers were Attorney
General Jackson and Govs. Stark of
Missouri and Cochran of Nebraska.
Europe's Blackouts
Boost U. 5. Exports
Of Light Batteries
By the Aisociated Pres*.
The old adage about the "ill
wind” which doesn’t do some
one a little good works even on
the nightly blackouts in war
ring European nations.
The Commerce Department
said today that exports of
American flashlight batteries
increased from $1,975,841 in
1938 to $3,379,608 in 1939,
which was two-thirds over
when the war began.
Soviets to Continue
War Till Mannerheim
Line Is 'Smashed'
Admiral Tributz, Baltic
Commander, States Aims
In Bestowing Awards
By I he Associated Presi.
MOSCOW. Peb. 8—The Soviet
Union is determined to continue its
offensive against Finland until the
Finnish forces holding the Manner
i heim Line are annihilated, according
to Admiral Tributz. commander of
! the Soviet Navy in the Baltic Sea.
The admiral's pledge of continued
i war was made yesterday in connec
tion with the bestowal of decorations
j on 255 naval officers and men "for
i exemplary fulfillment of tasks on
i the front against the white Finns.'
The Communist newspaper Pravda
at the same time accused Britain
> and Fiance of “striving to turn the
; war tides against the Soviet Union.
“But plans for utilizing Finland
as a base for military intervention
i against the Soviet Union shall be
; crushed by Red Army blows,’’ the
1 newspaper declared,
j “Soviet armed forces are capable
of meeting any enemy on land, air,
water or under water.
“In fierce battles at Changkufeng,
Mongolia, in the Western Ukraine
and in Finland the Red Army has
covered with glory the military
might of the U. S. S. R.“
The Pravda article was in advance
of the Army and Navy's 22d an
niversary celebration February 23.
Three Remain in Race
For 'Miss Secretary'
Three girl students were voted
finalists for the title of "Miss Wash
ington School for Secretaries" in
preliminaries yesterday in the Na
tional Press ciub auditorium.
Forty-two contestants vied for
final judging honors.
Students of the secretarial school
voted on two ballots. The first elim
i inated all but 10.
ruuun jjevws, jj.. lauiu luiimieu
tator. then put them through a
searching quiz, asking questions on
history, geography, literature, civic
affairs and current affairs.
Finalists are Ida Jeanne Dagger,
a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from
Denison University. Granville. Ohio;
Josephine S. Jenkins of Crewe. Va.,
graduate of William and Mary Col
lege. and Mona Barbara Quell, a
graduate of Lawrence College, Ap
pelton. Wis.
Final judging will be held at an
undecided date next week. Hie
winner will be presented with a
minature gold typewriter at the
school's Valentine dance February
16 at the Carlton Hotel.
Silver Shirt Chief Says
D. C. Has No Legion
The Silver Shirt Legion has no
organization in Washington. William
W. Pelley. its chief, told the House
Committee on Un-American Activ
ities today.
The legion, however. Mr. Pelley
said, has organizations in 22 States.
Acting Chairman Starnes asked
the Silver Shirt leader particularly
about Washington in view of recent
reports that the organization had a
number of members here.
More people were killed last year
in the District in traffic accidents
occurring from 5 to 10 p.m. than met
their deaths during the 12-hour
period beginning at 1 a.m.
Soviet League Expert
Ordered Out by Swiss
Br the Associated Press.
BERNE, Feb. 8.—Switzerland to
day ordered Soviet Russia's League
of Nations expert. Vladimir Soko
line, to leave the country within
two weeks.
The order was issued by both the
Swiss federal and Geneva contonal
governments, rejecting Moscow's ctf
planation for wanting to keep So
koline in Switzerland.
Sokoline was dismissed as an un
dersecretary of the League of Na
tions after Soviet Russia's expul
sion and Moscow had tried to ob
tain authorization for him to re
main in Geneva as "liaison officer”
to the International Red Cross Com
mittee.
League experts, busily co-ordinat
ing League members’ aid to Fin
land, have made no secret of their
displeasure at having a trained So
viet observer remaining in Geneva.
The International Red Cross
Committee, which appealed to Rus
sia during the Polish campaign and
since the Soviet invasion of Fin
land without reply, found Sokoline
had no authorization to confer with
it despite his new title.
Accordingly, Geneva contonal au
thorities and the federal govern
ment, which has no relations with
Russia, asked Sokoline to leave. He
said he had no comment to make
and was awaiting Instructions from
Moscow.
Speeding up divorce trials in Lon
don has reduced the number of
waiting suits from 2,600 to 500.
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