Weekly Summary No. 14
Title
Weekly Summary No. 14
Creator
United States. War Department. General staff
Identifier
WWP25146
Date
1918 August 27
Description
Secret report on the wartime strength of the United States.
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
World War, 1914-1918--United States
World War, 1914-1918--Statistics
Contributor
Danna Faulds
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
Secret
WEEKLY SUMMARY
WAR DEPARTMENT
Page
Ordnance …………………………….. 1
Quartermaster ……………………….. 1
Aviation ………………………………. 2
Chemical Warfare …………………… 2
Medical ……………………………….. 3
Engineer ……………………………… 3
Ships …………………………………. 3
Raw Materials ……………………….. 3
Personnel ……………………………. 4
No. 14 Statistics Branch
August 27, 1918 General Staff
ORDNANCE
Artillery
75 mm guns: Present shortage of equipment for troops in France will be relieved if French deliver guns as promised in August. 16 American guns were shipped to France August 1-15, the first large shipment of this caliber.
155 mm howitzers: Shortage in France will probably be serious for some months to come.
Seacoast guns: Eight additional 6” guns on wheeled mounts were floated August 1-15.
Artillery Ammunition
Situation receiving special attention. High explosive shell of all calibers desired in much larger quantities than are at present available. 75 mm shrapnel is available in excess of American needs; recent incoming cables indicate that surplus beyond American needs may be utilized by the French.
Machine Guns and Rifles
Production of light and heavy Brownings continues to break previous records. The Vickers 11 mm gun has reached the front and has met with approval in action.
Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition
Rifles: Production sufficient for immediate needs.
Ball cartridges, caliber 30: Production adequate to take care of current expenditure in France and in the United States, but will be increased to enable desired reserve to be accumulated.
Tractors and Tanks
Progress of production of 5-ton and 10-ton tractors is satisfactory, but unfilled needs are still very large. No 6-ton tanks or complete sets of components for 30-ton tanks have yet been produced.
QUARTERMASTER
Clothing
Contracts for 1,500,000 raincoats have been canceled as a result of the indictment of manufacturers and employees on charges of fraud. New contracts have already been placed for 500,000 and it is not expected that the cancellations will seriously interfere with the equipment of the army.
Animal-drawn Vehicles
Shipments have increased considerably during the last month because of seriously low stocks overseas.
Animals
A shipload of 500 animals cleared port on August 12 - the first shipment in answer to General Pershing’s recent request for 8,000 a month.
Motor Transportation
General Pershing on August 17 reported shortages of over 4,000 trucks, 7,000 bicycles, 4,500 motorcycles, and 2,000 ambulances. Large tonnage allotments have been made, and August shipments are already greater than those in July. The establishment of the Motor Transport Service as a separate corps will make possible more expeditious production and shipment.
AVIATION
Service Planes
Production of De Havilland 4 planes has been resumed, after a suspension of about two weeks. All the major defects have been corrected in the 64 planes delivered this week. A few minor changes will be made overseas. The total deliveries are 1,071, of which 765 have been floated.
Advices from abroad are to the effect that 666 Spad pursuit planes and 906 Salmson and Breguet observation planes are to be delivered by the French to the American forces in France from July 1 to September 30, 1918. These machines rank among the best models now in use.
Service Engines
A total of 5,165 Liberty engines have been produced, of which more than one half were delivered since July 1. Deliveries last week were 512. This rate represents about half the estimated maximum capacity of the factories making the engine. Shipments to the A. E. F. are progressing rapidly; 237 were floated last week, bringing the total up to 1,424.
Training Planes and Engines
The total deliveries to date are 12,235 engines and 6.540 planes, or about two engines to each plane.
CHEMICAL WARFARE SERVICE
Gases
The production of chlorine and chlorpicrin equals requirements, while that of mustard gas and phosgene is much less than requirements. Production has not yet begun on four of the 11 principal gases.
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
Overseas Stocks
Overseas reserve of general medical supplies on July 15 was 53% of the required 90 day reserve. It will be necessary to speed up production and shipment of these supplies.
ENGINEER
Locomotives and Cars
There was a considerable overseas shipment of cars the ten days ended August 20. The movement of locomotives was not so satisfactory.
Barbed Wire
French, British and Italians are all dependent on the United States production of barbed wire. Their needs with those of our overseas forces will use nearly the maximum capacity of the country of 41,000 tons per month.
SHIPS
The latest index figures on turnarounds are 36 days for troop transports and 76 days for cargo transports. These figures are slightly higher than the current average, which is due to this week’s boats including a larger proportion sailing in the slower convoys.
During the past week, it has been reported that the Army tanker, JOSEPH CUDAHY, a vessel of 4992 DWT has been torpedoed. The sinking occurred on her homeward voyage when four days at sea. The sinking of the LAKE EDON, a small cargo transport of 3350 DWT engaged in General Pershing’s cross channel service, four miles off Brest, was also reported.
The cargo shipment for the first twenty days of August totaled 364,000 short tons, which is at the rate of 545,000 tons for the month. This figure is only slightly above the shipment for July, 536,000 short tons, and is very seriously below General Pershing’s minimum demand of 700,000 tons.
The troop movement continues without interruption and the indication is that the shipment for the month will exceed the figure called for by the last troop program; that is, 250,000 men.
RAW MATERIALS
Steel required by the Army
A resurvey of the Army’s requirements of iron and steel has just been completed, and a comprehensive report is under preparation. The finished weight of steel required for the balance of this year will be about 3,000,000 short tons and the requirement for next year about 7,700,000 tons. The figure includes structural steel for buildings to be constructed by the army, but not for buildings erected by private concerns holding army contracts.
PERSONNEL
The proportion of combat and Service of Supply troops in the A.E.F. has remained constant for three months; 72% combat, 28% S.O.S. The proportion of troops in British areas has decreased from 13% to 10%, and the number in our own areas has increased correspondingly.
Embarkation of troops for week ended August 23, 79,204. Total embarked, 1,501,656.
The Students’ Army Training Corps, which is to be organized in all the important educational institutions in the country, has about 8,000 persons already in training for assistant instructorships. The principal instructors will be officers of the U. S. Army. Students in the corps will belong to the Army. This organization will supersede the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
WEEKLY SUMMARY
WAR DEPARTMENT
Page
Ordnance …………………………….. 1
Quartermaster ……………………….. 1
Aviation ………………………………. 2
Chemical Warfare …………………… 2
Medical ……………………………….. 3
Engineer ……………………………… 3
Ships …………………………………. 3
Raw Materials ……………………….. 3
Personnel ……………………………. 4
No. 14 Statistics Branch
August 27, 1918 General Staff
ORDNANCE
Artillery
75 mm guns: Present shortage of equipment for troops in France will be relieved if French deliver guns as promised in August. 16 American guns were shipped to France August 1-15, the first large shipment of this caliber.
155 mm howitzers: Shortage in France will probably be serious for some months to come.
Seacoast guns: Eight additional 6” guns on wheeled mounts were floated August 1-15.
Artillery Ammunition
Situation receiving special attention. High explosive shell of all calibers desired in much larger quantities than are at present available. 75 mm shrapnel is available in excess of American needs; recent incoming cables indicate that surplus beyond American needs may be utilized by the French.
Machine Guns and Rifles
Production of light and heavy Brownings continues to break previous records. The Vickers 11 mm gun has reached the front and has met with approval in action.
Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition
Rifles: Production sufficient for immediate needs.
Ball cartridges, caliber 30: Production adequate to take care of current expenditure in France and in the United States, but will be increased to enable desired reserve to be accumulated.
Tractors and Tanks
Progress of production of 5-ton and 10-ton tractors is satisfactory, but unfilled needs are still very large. No 6-ton tanks or complete sets of components for 30-ton tanks have yet been produced.
QUARTERMASTER
Clothing
Contracts for 1,500,000 raincoats have been canceled as a result of the indictment of manufacturers and employees on charges of fraud. New contracts have already been placed for 500,000 and it is not expected that the cancellations will seriously interfere with the equipment of the army.
Animal-drawn Vehicles
Shipments have increased considerably during the last month because of seriously low stocks overseas.
Animals
A shipload of 500 animals cleared port on August 12 - the first shipment in answer to General Pershing’s recent request for 8,000 a month.
Motor Transportation
General Pershing on August 17 reported shortages of over 4,000 trucks, 7,000 bicycles, 4,500 motorcycles, and 2,000 ambulances. Large tonnage allotments have been made, and August shipments are already greater than those in July. The establishment of the Motor Transport Service as a separate corps will make possible more expeditious production and shipment.
AVIATION
Service Planes
Production of De Havilland 4 planes has been resumed, after a suspension of about two weeks. All the major defects have been corrected in the 64 planes delivered this week. A few minor changes will be made overseas. The total deliveries are 1,071, of which 765 have been floated.
Advices from abroad are to the effect that 666 Spad pursuit planes and 906 Salmson and Breguet observation planes are to be delivered by the French to the American forces in France from July 1 to September 30, 1918. These machines rank among the best models now in use.
Service Engines
A total of 5,165 Liberty engines have been produced, of which more than one half were delivered since July 1. Deliveries last week were 512. This rate represents about half the estimated maximum capacity of the factories making the engine. Shipments to the A. E. F. are progressing rapidly; 237 were floated last week, bringing the total up to 1,424.
Training Planes and Engines
The total deliveries to date are 12,235 engines and 6.540 planes, or about two engines to each plane.
CHEMICAL WARFARE SERVICE
Gases
The production of chlorine and chlorpicrin equals requirements, while that of mustard gas and phosgene is much less than requirements. Production has not yet begun on four of the 11 principal gases.
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
Overseas Stocks
Overseas reserve of general medical supplies on July 15 was 53% of the required 90 day reserve. It will be necessary to speed up production and shipment of these supplies.
ENGINEER
Locomotives and Cars
There was a considerable overseas shipment of cars the ten days ended August 20. The movement of locomotives was not so satisfactory.
Barbed Wire
French, British and Italians are all dependent on the United States production of barbed wire. Their needs with those of our overseas forces will use nearly the maximum capacity of the country of 41,000 tons per month.
SHIPS
The latest index figures on turnarounds are 36 days for troop transports and 76 days for cargo transports. These figures are slightly higher than the current average, which is due to this week’s boats including a larger proportion sailing in the slower convoys.
During the past week, it has been reported that the Army tanker, JOSEPH CUDAHY, a vessel of 4992 DWT has been torpedoed. The sinking occurred on her homeward voyage when four days at sea. The sinking of the LAKE EDON, a small cargo transport of 3350 DWT engaged in General Pershing’s cross channel service, four miles off Brest, was also reported.
The cargo shipment for the first twenty days of August totaled 364,000 short tons, which is at the rate of 545,000 tons for the month. This figure is only slightly above the shipment for July, 536,000 short tons, and is very seriously below General Pershing’s minimum demand of 700,000 tons.
The troop movement continues without interruption and the indication is that the shipment for the month will exceed the figure called for by the last troop program; that is, 250,000 men.
RAW MATERIALS
Steel required by the Army
A resurvey of the Army’s requirements of iron and steel has just been completed, and a comprehensive report is under preparation. The finished weight of steel required for the balance of this year will be about 3,000,000 short tons and the requirement for next year about 7,700,000 tons. The figure includes structural steel for buildings to be constructed by the army, but not for buildings erected by private concerns holding army contracts.
PERSONNEL
The proportion of combat and Service of Supply troops in the A.E.F. has remained constant for three months; 72% combat, 28% S.O.S. The proportion of troops in British areas has decreased from 13% to 10%, and the number in our own areas has increased correspondingly.
Embarkation of troops for week ended August 23, 79,204. Total embarked, 1,501,656.
The Students’ Army Training Corps, which is to be organized in all the important educational institutions in the country, has about 8,000 persons already in training for assistant instructorships. The principal instructors will be officers of the U. S. Army. Students in the corps will belong to the Army. This organization will supersede the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Original Format
Report
Files
Collection
Citation
United States. War Department. General staff, “Weekly Summary No. 14,” 1918 August 27, WWP25146, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.