BULLETS AND BILLETS.

Kumara Times, Issue 441, 23 February 1878, Page 4

BULLETS AND BILLETS.

At the present, moment the subjoined j statistics relating to the war of 1870-71, \ compiled from the carefully prepared i returns of ti\e German General Staff, ; tt.ay not be without interest. The total \ strength «f the German land forces en- ; gaged in the campaign against France amounted to 887,876 men. In killed, wounded, and missing they lost 127,867 : men. The percentage of loss in each rank is shown by the following:— General loss:—Generals, 11-28 ; staff officers, 26-96; colonels, majors, captains, and riding-masters, 22*22; lieutenants-, 25-56; surgeons and high officials, 1-10; j non-com missioned officers and privates, 14-21 Killed—Generals, 2-56 j staff officers, 8-67; colonels, majors, captains, and riding-masters, 7-03 ; lieutenants, 7-30 ; surgeons, and high officials 0-29 • non commissioned officers and privates, 2-60 ; Wounded— j Generals, 8-72 ; staff officers, 18-22; colonels, majors, captains, and ridingmasters, 15-17; lieutenants, 17-60; surgeons, and high officials, T 27 ; non coinmisioned officers and privates, 9-98. Missing.—Generals, none; staff-officers, 0-07; colonels, majors, captains, and riding-masters, 0.02 ; lieutenants, 0-42 ; surgeons and high officials, 0-54; noncommissioned officers and privates, 1-63. These figures give some results that are perhaps not generally known. Passing by the surgeons and " high officials," who cannot fairly be classed as fighting men, •we find that the next best thing to being a general—so far as safety in action is concerned—is to be a private, and that the brain of an army—the Staff—if the experience of the German Army be a guide, suffers far more than the regimental officers or the rank and file. More than a fourth of the German 'Staff engaged in the last war were " hit," and a large portion of them were killed, while of every 100 privatas and noncommisioned officers engaged in the campaign scarcely more than 14 were killed,;• wounded, and missing, and only about'two and a half killed outright.— Swiss-Times.