Army & Navy: Shaking Down the Stars

An embarrassing phase of postwar surplus disposal was well under way last week. By year's end, said the Army, about 500 generals will be retired from service or reduced to subastral rank. From the war's constellation of 1,540 generals, about 1,000 will be shaken out by next July. Many of them had distinguished themselves in war, but peace and demobilization had left them with little or nothing to do.

Some of them were stepping down voluntarily. Others would be sifted out by annual physical examinations, which were suspended for officers during the war. To...