Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

HARBORD IS CONFIDENT OF INVASIONS OUTCOME RCA Board Chairman. A.E.F. Chief of Staff in World War I. Outlines Difficulties of Landing Forces. WHEX the gi-eat invasions of Europe get under way, Americans can be confident of the ultimate results, Lieut. Gen. J. G. Harbord, Chairman of the Board of the Radio Corporation of America, told members of the Historical So- ciety of Pennsylvania meeting in Philadelphia on May 19, but he warned that "we will do our fight- ing men an injustice if we over- look the tremendous difficulties in- volved and expect an overnight mir- acle." General Harbord, who served as Chief of Staff of the American Ex- peditionary Forces in France in the last war, cited what he described as a "hypothetical invasion" by an army of 250,000 men to bring out the multiple problems of establish- ing a foothold on enemy-held soil. He said that for a force of that size more than 1,750,000 tons of equip- ment would have to be landed with the invaders, and at least 250,000 additional tons of supplies would have to be landed each month, to say nothing of replacements in men and materiel. "Suppose the leader of the inva- sion encountered no special prob- lem because of enemy air attacks or enemy submarine attacks," General Harbord declared, "he would still have enough regular and routine problems. When supplies come ashore, warehouse space and stor- age space must be found for them. He would need 2,000,000 square feet of open storage space and some 1,750,000 square feet of covered storage space. He would need to arrange for the arrival of more than 30 cargo ships a month and their unloading. Problem of Supply "If the invasion leader intended to push the enemy back—and make the invasion more than a mere land- ing— he would have to discover what rail facilities were available for taking his supplies forward, what their capacity was, the state of the rolling stock and the road- bed, what the census of the motor truck pool was, how many trained men would be available to keep the railroads functioning and the trucks running." These are only part of the task, according to General Harbord, who commanded the 2nd Division dur- ing the battles of .July, 1918, in the great Soissons offensive. He re- lated how, in addition to the sup- ply problem, there are always the fundamental problems of strategy and tactics, involving skillful use of sea and air power, landing forces and reserves. "Theories, as well as men, perish by the sword," the general declared. "What is important is to make cer- tain that we are armed against the chances and changes and accidents of war. The commander who brings 250,000 men to solid footing on a hostile shore is at the end of one chain of chances, changes and ac- cidents. We must remember that he is only at the beginning of an- other chain of chances, changes, and possible accidents." Aside from the problem of de- feating the enemy and throwing him back, a multitude of problems arise the moment an invasion starts, General Harbord continued. In Sicily, for example, the Allied Forces took on, simultaneously with the task of expelling the enemy forces from the island, the job of restoring the life of the civil popu- lation to as nearly normal as pos- sible. Other problems run the gamut, he said, from caring for the wounded, fighting disease and maintaining morale, to mastering new topography, bridging rivers and repairing enemy demolitions. In the opinion of Gleneral Har- bord, the American soldier faces these obstacles armed not only with the finest equipment but with an ingenuity typical of those who have fought successfully before for free- dom and democracy. Lancaster Wins "E" On Ai>rU 2i. the Army-Navy "E" Award for Production Achieve- ment icas presented to the workers of the RCA Victor Division's plant at Lancaster-, Penn. The "E" flag and pins, emblematic of the award, were presented respectively by Brig. Gen. John H. Gardner, U. S. .\rnnj, and Capt. L. B. Blaylock, II. S. Navy. Holding the flag in the picture at left are, left to right, J. A. King, Lancaster Plant Man- ager; Captain. Blaylock, Brigadier General Gardner, and Walter L. Kohr, President of Local B1165, I. B. E. W. Lancaster is the fourth plant of the RCA Victor Division to receive the coveted "E" aivard, the others being Camden, Harrison, and Indianapolis. [RADIO AGE 39]