MANY MISTAKES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22511, 15 December 1947, Page 6

MANY MISTAKES

WAR EXERCISES LESSONS FORGOTTEN CONCERN IN AMERICA WASHINGTON, Nov. 20. The full scale amphibious manoeuvres staged by America’s combined armed services in Florida last week showed that many of the lessons learned by bitter experience in the recent war are in danger of being forgotten. For example, the Navy bungled its tide information for "H-hour,” with the result that invading amphibious craft were stranded far off-shore. Better Staff Work Needed Observers who saw the manoeuvres say it was clear ti at a great deal of staff work and further practice in planning are necessary before the benefits of the recent unification of the services can be realised The shortage of manppwer in the services was another painfully obvious fact, impairing efficiency by making it impossible to use existing equipment extensively and often enough to maintain the techniques learned during the war. For the same reason air support was inadequate because of the shortage of planes to support and screen the forces of both attackers and defenders, and the planes mainly had to be simulated. New Weapons Being Developed U.S. Marine Corps planners, in a statement reflecting on the Florida manoeuvres, said that such operations were obsolete They added that the corps was preparing new dispersed-attack methods and new weapons, which would reduce the vulnerability of larg ; » concentrations of men and material. Most of these weapons are still in the developmental stage. Air Force leaders sav they estimate that between £78.000 000 and £94,000,000 a year will be needed to keep American air power supreme in aviation research. They say that although ths United States'ended the war victoriously she was five years behind Germany in most basic research problems and 10 years behind a few In some fields the United States has now outstripped all other Powers, but research costs have risen, and Congress is still providing inadequate funds and encouragement. The Air Force estimates that it will need at least 3000 planes a year for experimental purposes, but cannot see much prospect of getting them, or its other urgent needs, unless Congress has a change of heart.