Weekly Summary No. 15

Title

Weekly Summary No. 15

Creator

United States. War Department. General staff

Identifier

WWP22481

Date

1918 September 3

Source

Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers, 1786-1957

Text

W E E K L Y
S U M M A R Y
WAR DEPARTMENT
Page

Ordnance................. 1
Quartermaster........ 2
Aviation...................3
Chemical Warfare.....3
Medical....................4
Ships........................4
Raw Materials...........4
Personnel.................5

No. 15

Statistics Branch
General Staff

ORDNANCE
Divisional Artillery
75 mm. field guns -- French delivery of 120 gun units during first half of August is less than the promised rate.
4.7" guns --Five delivered in the week ended August 17.
155 mm. howitzers -- Production continues at the rate of nearly 50 per week. There have been no carriage deliveries since the initial two in July.

Heavy Artillery
155 mm. guns "” Ten carriages were delivered during the week ended August 17. Machining of guns and recuperators is limiting factor in American production.

Heavy Howitzers
After three months during which none were accepted, five 8" howitzers were delivered during the past week by the Midvale Steel Co.

CORPS WHICH CAN BE MAINTAINED IN FRANCE WITH EACH TYPE OF ARTILLERY
The diagram shows, according to the best estimates available, the number of corps for which the appropriate complement of each type of artillery can be provided and maintained in France. Allowance has been made for guns which will probably be destroyed or must be repaired, but not for reserves otherwise. Line labelled "Strength of A.E.F." shows number of corps in France according to new army program. All figures are based on six divisions to a corps.
Artillery Ammunition
After discussion with the French it has been decided that the United States should contribute 3,000,000 rounds of H.E. shells and 800,000 rounds of shrapnel per month to the common stock of 75 mm. ammunition. Our production of complete rounds has not yet reached this rate but will do so in a few months. During the two weeks ended August 17 initial deliveries of 155 mm. howitzer H.E. shell and shrapnel began with 22,000 of the former and 2,000 of the latter. British deliveries have thus far adequately supplied our needs for 8" and 9.2" howitzer ammunition.
Machine Guns
Record production of heavy Brownings again for the week ended August 17, 1,666, nearly enough to equip an army corps, including the spare guns desired. Both light and heavy Brownings have met with approval wherever demonstrated abroad.Tanks and TractorsPreparations are being made for rapid production of the new 3-ton Ford tanks. Fifty 5-ton tractors were produced during the week ended August 17. The average for the preceding four weeks was only 18.
Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition
Rifles -------------- Production satisfactory.
Pistols -- Plans are proceeding to increase production.
Ball cartridges, caliber.30 --- Production of grades suitable for export has recently been only about half of that required by General Pershing's tonnage allotment. Reasons given are shortage of labor, indifference of labor, high rate of labor turnover, and irregularity of labor due to high rate of wages. Production per worker is only one-half of that in peace times.
QUARTERMASTER
Tonnage Allotment Over-shipped
Seventy-two per cent of the Quartermaster allotment of 221,624 tons for August was shipped overseas August 1-20. The full August allotment of animal drawn vehicles on which there was a shortage has already been over-shipped.Motor TransportTrucks "” More trucks were shipped overseas August 1-20 than in any previous month. The shipment still falls far short, however, of General Pershing's request for the month. AVIATIONSquadrons at FrontOn August 30 there were 33 service squadrons at the front.Foreign Plane DeliveriesTo July 31, 1918, there had been delivered to the A.E.F. 3,131 foreign-built planes of the following types.

Of the service planes 1,123 were delivered since May 23.
De Havilland 4
Previous records were broken with the delivery of 135 planes for the week ended August 30.Liberty EnginesLiberty engines were turned out at a record rate during the week ended August 30. A total of 831 were delivered, against the previous high record of 543. Distribution of deliveries during the week was as follows: To date 6,000 motors have been delivered.
CHEMICAL WARFARE
Livens Projectors
The actual allotment can probably be met but an increased production is essential. The scarcity of welders has been an important factor in delaying production.Extra Cannisters for Masks
Shortage continues.
Masks
Supply ample.
MEDICAL
Medical Supplies
A number of shortages are developing overseas. A large allotment of shipping space has been made for September, but production will have to be speeded up to furnish the supplies.Nurses and DoctorsA call from overseas for 1,000 nurses weekly cannot be met at present. The situation as to doctors will need constant attention to avoid serious difficulty.SHIPSThe latest index figures on turnarounds are 32 days for troop transports and 66 days for cargo transports. The latest reports on the stays of cargo transports in ports indicate an average of 16 days in France and 15 days in this country. Both of these figures represent appreciable improvements over previous performances.During August, 285,178 troops were embarked for France. This figure compares with 306,000 for July and 278,000 for June. It is the second largest month's embarkation. The total embarked to date is now nearly 1,600,000.The cargo shipment for August totaled 580,000 short tons, a serious shortage as compared with General Pershing's minimum demand of 700,000 tons. Included in this shipment were 114 consolidation locomotives, 1,622 standard gauge freight cars, 4,467 motor trucks, and 172 service planes. Shipments of animals have been resumed, the total for the month being 1,839.

RAW MATERIALS
Nitrogen Fixation Plants
Delays in construction are being experienced at nitrate plants 1 and 2. Neither plant is now expected to produce before November. At plant No. 1 the difficulty is in securing the catalyzer material required by the new process which has never been tried out on plant scale before. Delays at plant No. 2 are incidental to construction. At both plants scarcity of labor has been a source of difficulty.Plants Nos. 3 and 4 will not be producing before May, 1919.

PERSONNEL
A cable from General Pershing reports the strength of the Expeditionary Forces on August 31 as follows: American areas..................................1,321,688British Areas.......................................43,978Passing through England.....................27,065Permanently in England......................25,166Italy...................................................5,828En route to Russia...............................4,469Total...........................1,428,194

Original Format

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Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/WWI1162.pdf

Collection

Citation

United States. War Department. General staff, “Weekly Summary No. 15,” 1918 September 3, WWP22481, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.