the problem which confronted us could hardly be
overestimated. The first requisite being an organization that could give
intelligent direction to effort, the formation of a General Staff
occupied my early attention.

GENERAL STAFF

A well-organized General Staff through which the commander exercises his
functions is essential to a successful modern army. However capable our
division, our battalion, and our companies as such, success would be
impossible without thoroughly coordinated endeavor. A General Staff
broadly organized and trained for war had not hitherto existed in our
army. Under the Commander-in-Chief, this staff must carry out the policy
and direct the details of administration, supply, preparation, and
operations of the army as a whole, with all special branches and bureaus
subject to its control. As models to aid us we had the veteran French
General Staff and the experience of the British who had similarly formed
an organization to meet the demands of a great army. By selecting from
each the features best adapted to our basic organization, and fortified
by our own early experience in the war, the development of our great
General Staff system was completed.

The General Staff is naturally divided into five groups, each with its
chief who is an assistant to the Chief of the General Staff. G. 1 is in
charge of organization and equipment of troops, replacements, tonnage,
priority of overseas shipment, the auxiliary welfare association and
cognate subjects; G. 2 has censorship, enemy intelligence, gathering and
disseminating information, preparation of maps, and all similar
subjects; G. 3 is charged with all strategic studies and plans, movement
of troops, and the supervision of combat operations; G. 4 coordinates
important questions of supply, construction, transport arrangements for
combat, and of the operations of the service of supply, and of
hospitalization and the evacuation of the sick and wounded; G. 5
supervises the various schools and has general direction and
coordination of education and training.

The first Chief of Staff was Col. (now Maj.-Gen.) James G. Harbord, who
was succeeded in March, 1918, by Maj.-Gen. James W. McAndrew. To these
officers, to the deputy chief of staff, and to the assistant chiefs of
staff, who, as heads of sections, aided them, great credit is due for
the results obtained not only in perfecting the General Staff
organization but in applying correct principles to the m