production of motor vehicles will give an
idea of the immensity of America's manufacturing program. The
automobile industry as a whole expended one billion three hundred
million dollars in order to expand its factories to fill government
orders. By the month of October, 1918, 70,000 motor trucks had been
sent overseas. At the end of the war, 5-ton and 10-ton trucks were
being built at the rate of 1000 a day, and all trucks, at the rate of
shipment then prevailing, would have in a year's time made a procession
300 miles long.

If critical persons were to try to point out any weakness in America's
preparedness program, they would probably take the production of
aircraft as an instance where the government had failed. Although
America was slow in producing airplanes, it must be taken into
consideration that this was almost entirely a new departure for
American manufacturers. The delay in airplane production was due to
the fact that there was too much red tape to be unrolled before actual
work was begun. The government soon realized this and appointed one
man to have entire charge of aircraft production. Under his management
the red tape was thrown aside and business-like methods took its place.

The combined ability of the automobile engineers of the country
produced the Liberty motor which proved to be one of the best airplane
engines ever developed to lift great weights. The DeHaviland and
Handley-Page, bombing and reconnaissance planes, were immediately
equipped largely with the new Liberty. 3180 of the former and 101 of
the latter were produced in this country in the year before the
armistice was signed. Out of this number 1379 had been shipped
overseas. In the meantime the production of planes had been far
outstripped by the enlisted and commissioned personnel of the air
service. Thousands of cadets and officers were delayed in the ground
schools, at the flying schools, and at Camp Dick, Texas, the
concentration post for aviation, because of the ruinous shortage of
planes, just when the American forces newly brought into the battle
zones needed the efficient help of a great fleet of aircraft.
Airplanes are rightly called "the eyes of the army." It is
unofficially stated that less than 800 American aviators ever saw
service over the German lines, and these men, not having American scout
planes, used largely foreign models equipped with the famous French
Gnome, LeRhone, and Hispano-Suiza motors. America