NEW TURKISH ARMY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2296, 2 November 1914, Page 6

NEW TURKISH ARMY

VIGOROUS EFFORTS AT i. REVIVAL :.; . 8 ' : I GERMAN METHODS = Writing from Constantinople in. May ' laet, of "Thb New Turkish' Army," a correspondent of the London "Times" ' obsorves that "thb problem kw best to redistribute the Ottoman' Ariny'in order to meet the situation created by the Balkan War, the alleged danger of Hellenic attack on. tlio Anatolian lit— [f toral, the necessity of keeping a firmer -■, hold on the Arab lands, and the inv crease of Russian strength and mobility in .the Caucasus was among the first to be discussed by the 'Turkish military authorities after the conclusion of peace with Greece. The new scliemo provides for a total of 13 Army Curps and'two independent divisions. Five ? Army Corps (15 divisions) aro to\ be quartered in 'Thrace and Western Asia , e Minor. The threo Army Corps on the Russian frontier we to be brought up • to a'strength of nine divisions.' The Arab provinces are to be held by five Army Corps and two independent divisione, • totalling 12 divisions. Tho toi tal strength !of the Army is now, 36 . divisions, as against 43 divwions n 1910, - and is better concentrated than when - Turkey held Albania and ..Macedonia; "The old 'Redif' (territorial) formations seem to have disappeared from the Army list. The Rcdif division; extensively employed in all stages of: the Balkan War, were of small value.: U-nder-officered, short of baggage animals t. and wheeled transport, too often full of • untrained men, they were, sent into ac- ■• tion before they had a chance of "snak- - ing down, , and mostly melted away in - fhe first month of Hho i campaign. In - place of the commanders of., Redif divi- ■ sions a number of 'officers commanding: 9 reserves' have, been appointed to var- ' iouß stations. It is not known: what ' ithe military authorities propose to do with,their second line reservists in caeo of war. They.may draft them into.the first line to fill lip gaps as; the need arises; they may, again, 'extemporise a certain number of reserve divisions. "The 36. divisions are each composed of;three two-battalion regiments.and a ■ rifle battalion. To eaph Army Corps is attached a two-battalion rifle regiment. ' (The one exception is the Adriariople Army Corps, two divisions of which (the 4th and 6th) are composed of'three . three-battalion regiments and a rifle f battalion, while the rifle regiment. ; at- , tached numbers three battalions.- , ' It ie difficult to form any idea of the total ■war effective of these 285 battalions. The peace effective of those which have passed through Constantinople on their way ; to their new quarters in. Asia Minor varies from 300 to 400 bayonets. Those L stationed at Constantinople average 400. . Enver Pasha has proposed new legislation whereby service .will be reduced from three to two years and all exemptions abolished, even for the solo sup- ' ports of their families, who are to' re-. ;' .ceiye an allowance from the' Stat*. -The. fact that the Government annually ob- '. tains a 'revenue of over £900,000 fjom [' the military exemption tax renders it ' unlikely-that'military exemptions ■will be ! immediately abolished, whatever may • be urged in favour of. such admeasure.,: "As for the cavalry and; artillery, it need'only be said that tho former is ■ Under-horsed and will .not be able- to 1 put more than 50 per cent,' of its nbmi- • 'nal effective in the'field for some time ■ to come.' Owing to the heavy losses of modern material,; most of the artillery '■■' regiments stationed in Asia "are armed with old B;L. Knipp field guns, and it is, indeed, doubtful -whether the : first four Army Corps are. entirely supplied with • Q.F. pieces. :■■'.. Very heavy ■' expenditure' must lie'-incurred to. make/good' these • deficiencies. ' -Nothing seeine \to have been decided as to the reorganisation; of the Transport and Sanitary Services. The heavy losses, among officers . and men from disease.last winter, es- ( pecially in Thrace, , where _typhus rased, , show that the latter sot vice requiresi to; ! be thoroughly reformed." ' ■ : . . As is now' familiar history," the |- Turkish Army hae been "Germanised" '. by the.comparatively recent importation [ —end of last year—of a German military ' staff for the ostensible purpose of :fur-. ' bishing, up the, military .tone ! of .the Ottoman , eoldiery under a system which would free the service from political in- . fluonce. This -step oaused much com- ■ roent'at the,-time, -especially in' St.' ; Petersburg, where the .-influential'.'jou'r- : nal, "Novoe Vremya," uttered,a warning : ,in terms which,.written before the faintest breath of war, .read like a singularly accurate prophecy in , the light of these latter days.:lt said, emphatieal- . ly :—"The Turkish regiments under.the command of German officers will perform ; in Turkey the same service as-the native ," Indian regiments under the*'command of the English officers in. India. Turkey becomes a; formal colony : of .Germany.; the' Turkish Army is being 'made an auxiliary corps of the German Army. No matter how i weak the Turkish Emjjire is; it was,' nevertheless,' until recent days an independent State. Now by a quiet diplomatic turn'it is made an Imperial province of Germany; The German Lieutenant-General,'; the chief: of the Constantinople garrison, <beoomesthe de facto ,Padishah of Turkey, though without a • title. ; . ■-..'■:' ■■.■■.'. .:••■'■'•■ .' "In 1878 the Russian Army stood at Constantinople's. gates.: English -diplomacy then sent into the Sea'of Marmora , a squadron_ of battleships. They threat-ened'us-with .war.'.if we.occupied Cot stantinople. Now' Constantinople ■is openly/taken, not-by the Russian/ but by the German ; Army. Our v former enemies and'present friends now manifest rare coolness-. 1 .Theydp not notice' 6omehow that a portion of the guard, at theißrandenburg■' gates in Berlin, is transferred to the gates of the Porte on ■'the Bosphorus. ::. ! '■■ . . - : ; "Is it desirable that our 'traditional friend' should extend, his Russian frontiers to,the Black. Sea coast? Is : it''to our/advantage that he should convert his former diplomatic influence on the Bosph'orus , into de facto mle over the Straits? Is there no danger when the Turkish Army becomes a epecial colonial corps of the German Army? It is ha.rdly necessary te. answer these question*. sufficient to astitem." '■■;■'.' . .