THE GERMAN STRENGTH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1388, 20 April 1915, Page 4

THE GERMAN STRENGTH.

The present distribution of the enemy’s forces in the field is more or less a subject for surmise, as there is no very recent official statement to guide one In making an estimate- In the case of Germany, a semi-official statement was issued in Paris on December 2nd, which placed army corps as being actively employed in the Republic, and operations against Russia. This amounted to 73 army corps in all, comprising 26 active, 32 reserve, and 15 Landwehr corps. About the same time the Germans claimed to have formed in all xoo army corps, which was declared to be au exaggeration. Taking the French figures as correct, and assuming all formations to be up to the establishment, the Germans must have bad in the field at the time 3,212,000 men, not including cavalry divisions and miscellaneous iormalions. Since that date there is hardly any possibility of the German armies having been increased, lor, although no doubt a large number of men have been called to the colours, the demands for replacements, to keep each corps up to its full strength, more than counterbalance the new troops sent to the front. The information regarding the Austrian Army is still more meagre. The field army was originally organised in 16 army corps and eight cavalry divisions, with a total establishment of 950,000 men. In the last phase of the Servian campaign a 17th army corps was mentioned, and additional reserve corps have since, no doubt, been created, but in view of the enormous losses Austria has suffered it is extreme 1 y doubtful if she has been able to replace her casualties, aud consequently her army is at the moment no larger than when it originally took the field.