GENERAL EISENHOWER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 292, 9 November 1942, Page 5

GENERAL EISENHOWER

Lieut.-Ceneral D. D. Eisenhower, Com-mander-in-Chief of the United states Armed Forces in the European theatre, who is in supremo command of the Allied forces which have landed in French North Africa, is well equipped by his training to direct such important operations as those now claiming the world’s attention. In the Philippines, under General MacArthur between 1935 and 1940, General Eisenhower was entrusted with the development of surface sea defence in coastal waters of tho islands, and in this capacity he is credited with the perfecting of the “Q” boat, from which the German E-boats are said to have been developed. General Eisenhower was also in direct charge under General MacArthur of the Philippine Air Force. He became a licensed pilot and has thus a first-hand knowledge of flying, as well as some actual experience with navy matters. General Eisenhower, however, is essentially and primarily a tank specialist. His interest in armoured warfare dates back to the earliest days of tanks themselves. He was one t of the first American tank officers in tho World War. As commanding officer, of the Tank Corps Training Centro, in 1918, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for “unusual zeal, foresight, and marked administrative ability in the organisation, training and preparation for overseas service, of technical troops of the Tank Corps.” He is furthermore a graduate of tho United States Infantry Tank School. Ho is also a graduate of the United States Army Industrial College. Here he received specialised training in precisely those problems of production, replacement and supply which play such a vital role in modern mechanised warfare. In at least two other respects he possesses special qualifications that will be needed in connection with the opening of a second front. He is a strategist, and he is a diplomat He attended the Command General Stall School in 1926, and graduated first in his class. Two years later ho also went through tho Army War College. Since then lie has hold many staff posts, and not long after the Pearl Harbour attack’ ho was made Assistant Chief-of-StafT in the War Plans Division (now the Operations Division) of the War Department General Staff. In this important position, he was in charge of the working out of the strategic, plans for army operations on all fronts, including, naturally, tho preliminary plans for an eventual attack on the Continent. He has the reputation of being both a brilliant strategist and a capable tactician in the field.