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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Two Nations—One Army .. ..
Production Cbart .. .. .. .. .. 11
University Courses .. .. .. .. 18
Preparation .. . .' .. .. 14
4 ARMY- TALKS
war. It was suggested at one Pershing and the King of the Belgians.
time in 1918 that we should have And then, of course, we had liaison
a single commander-in-chief with a officers right down the chain of
combined staff, but the idea was French, British, American and Belgian-
turned down because the methods forces, wherever they were , in contact,
were so different that it was thought down to the humble person like myself
time would be wasted. Those who at divisional head-
said so were possibly right, but the quarters . Below
experiment was never made, so we me there were
cannot say for certain. usually only tem-
porary liaison
Marshal Foch Named f ' officers between
Supreme Commander
brigades and bat-
We did get something, but not until talions, appointed
we had taken a fearful beating and run .49
the risk of complete defeat from the for each particular
first German offensive . We got Marshal action.
Foch as Allied Commander-in-Chief. That was, very shortly and roughly,
I will only say about him that I do not the machinery of allied cooperation in
think we could have staved off defeat land warfare in the last war. It might
without him. I believe that the United have been better, and it might have
States Commander-in-Chief, General been worse . It certainly improved
Pershing, thought so too, though there towards the end. The picture I have
were some conflicts between the two, given here belongs to the end, to 1918,
as there are likely to be between two after Foch had taken over as
strong men. We had a Mission at the Commander-in-Chief. Collaboration
headquarters of Marshal Foch, headed with allies in other theatres of campaign
by a lieutenant-general, Sir John Du was worked mostly through conferences
Cane. This Mission did not, however, and visits.
form part of the Marshal's staff but
was simply his link with Haig and Liaison Officer's Job
British General Headquarters. Was Translating Jokes
So far as I was concerned there'
Supreme War Council is Created were some lighter moments, as when
On top of that we had, as the my French general used to take me in
United States had, in the last year of tow when he went - to dine with the
the war another piece of machinery, Australian division, and I had to
the Supreme War Council. This had translate the Australian general' s stories
its seat at Versailles, near Paris . The and wisecracks into French for the -
full Council met only occasionally, Frenchman and the French general 's
but the Military Representatives of jokes into English for the Australian.
France, Great Britain and the United Somehow the jokes never sounded
States were permanent officials, and so good when translated, however
were always at work. It was a useful hard I worked at them. There may
institution, but its actual initiative have been a point in this. It might
proved to be limited because the have occurred to me, though it did
strategy of the campaigns on the not, that some of the subtle points of
Western Front was, in fact, worked military conversations and documents
out between Foch, Petain, Haig, which I had to translate escaped in the
26 January 1911 J
same way . But I shall say a bit more move intended among other things
about language later on. to strengthen confidence in the
Now, to pass on from the last war command. Liaison officers kept the
to the present . We started off by allied armies in touch with one
realizing that, in the last, we had another . Early in this war a new
made mistakes through divided method was tried but the perfect
command before Foch came on to the solution, the " combined staff," was
scene, so we thought it best to start off not created.
in France with a single command.
Q. Does the present-day solution
And, as ours was a very small army
aid in giving men of both the
in those early days — only four
British and American Armies a
divisions went out in the first British
greater pride in service and a sense
Expeditionary Force in 1939, and there
of personal participation?
were still only to when the Germans
attacked next year—it obviously had Q . What was Gen . Eisenhower 's
to be a French commander-in-chief. solution, in North Africa, and did
it result in a better understanding of
French General Gamelin our allies ?
Past His Prime in 1939
It worked fairly well, and I do not
General Gamelin was very highly honestly think that any weaknesses
thought of in those days . (He had, by there may have been in it really
the way, been a young divisional affected the result of the German
general in my liaison days in 1918, and offensive . Some of our people saw
I had come across him, and admired weak points in the French Army, but
him .) It was not realized that he was they thought many of the troops
past his best and had not kept up with seemed pretty good. And indeed
the times, or we might have been more many of them were pretty good,
nervous about entrusting to him all hough some were not . Anyhow, we
we had in the way of troops . He was were up against a far more strongly
Commander-in-Chief of all the French armed force, overwhelmingly superior
armed forces . Our B .E .F . came in tanks and aircraft, a harder hitting
directly under his subordinate, General force altogether.
Georges, who commanded the French
forces facing the Germans . He had Combined Staff Would
been a very fine soldier too in the last Have Exchanged All Plans
war, but more of a staff officer than
a fighting commander, which Gamelin We had no
certainly had been in his best days. time to do any-
And, though he may have been a few thing about
years younger than Gamelin, he was that, though
also past his prime . There was again if we had had
nothing in the nature of a combined a combined
staff, just a Mission and liaison staff we should
officers as before. at all events
have known
S>LM ARTr more about the
Difficulties arose in France, during French intentions and the disposi-
the last war, which hampered Allied tion of their reserves . But, as I said
operations . Finally Marshal Foch before, that would not have stopped
was named Commander-in-Chief—a the German onslaught . If a tank has
6 ARMY TALKS
e January 1.911
activities of all the main forces, what- the other hand, is a combined staff of
ever their fighting element, water . earth, equals, and that has never been achieved
or air . His .part and that of his staff before . In the same way, the air forces
is in a special degree concerned with are used as they are available for their
logistics, administration, supply, what- jobs, with little or no regard to
ever you like to call the organization nationality. At sea the picture is not
side of the campaign, which has quite so novel because combined
enormously fleets have constantly operated together
increased in its with success . On land, allied armies
importance in have often fought side by side, but
modern war now we get an army like the Fifth in
and is indeed Italy, which is one single army operating
the very basis under an American commander, but
of all opera- made up of both American and British
tions . It is troops.
probable that
the greatest Having One Language Helps Us
contribution I have mentioned the subject of
made by Allied 'Headquarters in the
language before, but I must come back
Mediterranean theater has been on the
to the subject to point out how invalu-
administrative side.
able it is to have a common language.
Combined Staff in Africa This is so obvious that many people
I believe General Eisenhower let think its importance is exaggerated
it be known from the very start that and tell British and Americans not to
he would not have anybody on his count too much upon it. They point
staff who was not ready to play his out that language may conceal differ-
part in making it a genuine and com- ences of outlook and may actually
plete combined staff or was not bring on difficulties instead of avoiding
mentally capable of doing so . And them. This is true enough, especially
now, if you go to the headquarters in social matters, but in military affairs
and want information on some particular language shared in common is an
point, you will be told : " Oh, yes, immense help . One has only to
that is Major Jones . I 'll take you think of the conferences between the
round to him, " and until you get American and British General Staffs,
into the office and see Major Jones at the day-to-day work of the Chiefs
his desk you do not have the slightest of Staff in Washington, the working
notion whether he is going to . be an of Allied Headquarters in the
American or an Englishman. Which- Mediterranean, the quick telephone
ever he proves to be, he will know all conversations in the field in Italy,
about the matter with which you are to realize what a boon it is . No
concerned. subtlety is missed ; no time is wasted ;
no " interrupter " is there to make
Axis " Cooperation " Is Based slips or hold up conversation or bring
On Subjection of Satellites in a spirit of formality.
This is something entirely new.
The Germans, of course, also get their SITMMARY
cooperation all right, but that is because Lack of a combined staff had
they treat their partners and " satellites" little to do with Allied defeats on
as complete subordinates . This, on the Continent, early in this war .
26 January 1644 11
COMBINED
FOOD BOARD
COMBINED PRODUCTION
& RESOURCES BOARD
JOINT AIRCRAFT
COMMITTEE
JOINT- MUNITIONS
ADJUSTMENT BOARD
COMBINED MIUTARY
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
COMBINED SHIPPING
ADJUSTMENT BOARD
COMBINED
METEOROLOGICAL COMMITTEE
U.S.A.
MATERIALS COORDINATING
COMMITTEES
12 AllllY TALKS
My friend said that nine times out Keys, and if any of those —s in the
of ten he was in fact wrong and that —shires even looks sideways at
the man who had brokenup his home me I 'll sock him good and proper . "
was a worker in a munition factory, a
man who got a great deal more pay Rivalries Sometimes
than the American or the Canadian Become Dangerous
soldier . But the very fact that the
Eighth Army man at once jumped to There was no great harm in that,
this conclusion is proof of the dangers and I could not help laughing at it,
and the friction that may arise when and yet I have known these regimental
forces of one nation are quartered in rivalries to become a perfect pest.
the country of another. If Britain had If they are bad, international rivalries
had a large army quartered in the are . far worse, because they become
territory of the United States, these reflected to some extent in the general
same dangers of bad feeling would relations between the two armies and
have been created. even the two peoples . Tolerance and
effort to understand the other fellow's
Little Things Hurt Too point of view are pretty considerable
That is one of the big things, but virtues, useful in time of peace and even
there are plenty of little things also more so in time of war.
which interfere with good relations We have made mistakes and have
and harmony. The bad-tempered suffered setbacks in trying to do what
American soldier and the dishonest we have set out to do: On the whole,
English taxi-driver or shopkeeper can however, I think we are between us
contribute just a grain of sand to put making a good job of it. I think there
in the works, not much in itself, but if has been a big advance lately. But
you collect enough grains you we do not want to let up on either
eventually get a can-full, and that side because there is so much stiff
does no good to any works. work to be done and it is- essential
Even if there were no international that the inter-allied machine which
difficulties, we should have our own tackles them should work smoothly.
private jealousies in wartime . Last The job ahead is so big that we cannot
year I was standing at the door of my afford to waste any of the energy
hotel in a small town during the devoted to it in needless friction.
blackout, when I - overheard the
following conversation between two Peacetime Cooperation Promised
British soldiers :
I am by trade a military historian
Soldiers Will be Soldiers No and critic, not a social investigator, so
Matter What Their Uniform I hesitate to allow myself to be led
" Let ' s go and have a drink in the into discussion about the effects of
Cross Keys. " " Not the Cross Keys. what we are now doing upon the two
Every time you go there you have to nations when peace comes again . But
fight the —shires ." " But you 're I may be allowed to say I think they
not afraid of the —shires ." " Who ought to be good . Some people on both
said I was afraid of them ? But I ' m sides will doubtless separate with no
not feeling so good tonight . I tell you memories except for the faults and
what, we'll go round to the Lamb weakness they saw or thought they saw
and Lark first. I'll feel better after on the other side. I do not believe,
that, and then we'll go to the Cross however, that this will be the general
26 January 1844' 13
impression. I hope it will not because, have adopted their infantry tactics
if we have work to do together in and training doctrines . In both
time of war, we shall also have it in Armies an effort is made to create an
time of peace. interest in current events and their
relation to the war and to the
establishment of the peace.
SUMMARY
Q . What are some of the
Both the British and American differences and similarities in the
Armies have been learning from each British and American methods of
other . Both have the same basic waging war ?
knowledge of the causes and progress Q. Can enlisted men help in
of the war . American artillery furthering a better understanding
methods surprised the British—we between the two Armies? How ?
14 AR(IIY TALKS
Preparation
S long as there have been wars there have been allied operations and
A the difficulties that attend them . If history could cut a wedge and show
a cross-section similar problems would be found through the centuries,
problems whose garb would change with the times but whose cause would be
inherent in human nature. Except under immediate pressure or danger, many
men find a strange, obstinate pleasure in defying -cooperative action and
running as nearly as possible an independent organization . We find it here
in England evidenced by Poles, Czechs, Dutch, English and American soldiers.
They prefer to stay with their own kind, to talk with men from their own
outfits, to drink at their own corner of the bar . Under conditions of hardship
or combat the barrier is lowered and mutual respect has a better chance.
ITwhich
can be a matter of satisfaction that lessons were learned during the last war
cleared the way at once to a more efficient machinery for handling
a close allied cooperation in this war . The matter of unified command has
been well controlled, and in the recent announcement of General Eisenhower's
appointment, together with the officers who will form his staff, we can see
unity of command in its latest and most significant aspects . It is of the greatest
importance and good fortune that the value of the unified command has never
been underrated by either Great Britain or the United States since our entrance
into the war. More than that, we are fortunate to have men of the calibre of
MacArthur, Eisenhower, Alexander, Montgomery and Mountbatten, who
will leave no stone unturned to carry it out.
NIFIED command carries all the way from Lend-Lease in the upper reaches
U through logistics, administration and supply to combined tactics on the
battlefield . It is greatly aided in our own participation by the fact that England
and the United States speak the same basic tongue . Whether human nature
will ever grow up sufficiently to drop its individual brands of provincialism
remains to be seen, but until that time comes we will always have the trouble-
makers who are using, however unknowingly, the best weapons of psychological
warfare against their own side . We can be sure under our Commander-in-Chief
that the large problems. of allied operations will be thoroughly taken care of.
Printed by Newnes & Pearson Printing Co ., Lid . . Ert,,or Street, N . Kensington, London, W.10 .
24 +1air.ar8 1944 15
HEN the topic now presented was first discussed by the editors, it was
W at once apparent that it could not be as competently handled by an
American as it could by the representative of a nation which had been
longer in the war than the United States, and one who consequently had greater
knowledge of the subject . An Englishman seemed very appropriate since
England had been in the war from the beginning both with allies and without.
In preparing for the discussion the leader might well make the period an
hour of " allied operation "—without difficulties. After giving the initial talk
he could have present an English soldier, a Canadian soldier, a Dutch or Polish
or Czech soldier, preferably men who had been in active combat and who could
each briefly give their views on allied operations, and then later join in the open
discussion . It is suggested that a map of Italy, indicating the present campaign,
might help in showing how the allied operation there is being conducted.
Possibly an officer on the post, or a neighbouring post, took part in the North
African campaign and could give some interesting side-lights, in which case a
map of North Africa would prove advantageous. The following questions are
listed and can be referred to :
The Topic for next week's issue of ARMY TALKS is jobs After the Ware
For additional copies of other issues inquire of the Station Special Service Officer,