Games for G.I.s

After 1918's Armistice Day, the doughboys of World War I spent much of their time cursing General Order 241. On the theory of completing the troops' training, Order 241 called for six solid hours of drill a day--to keep the doughboys busy enough and tired enough. World War II's brass hats have a better idea: a whopping sport program.

For months, the Army's Special Services Division has been working overtime to get the program ready for a V-E day launching. In Paris and Rome, officers and men with previous civilian sport experience have been coming out of training schools at the rate of 250 a week. Their job will be to organize company, regimental and divisional sport competition to keep G.l.s busy until they are transferred to the Pacific or sent home. Enough football equipment is available to outfit 700 squads of 25 men each, enough softball paraphernalia for 600,000 players, 36,000 basketballs (and 50,000 uniforms) for thousands more; in all, some $7,500,000 worth of athletic supplies.

The Army, which hopes to cut G.I. military chores to a minimum, hopes to have its sport program going full blast in 30 days. If British, French, Polish, Dutch, Australian and New Zealand troops join in as expected, the program may lead to Allied championships that will dwarf the peacetime Olympic Games.

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