Germany's Fighting Strength

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 69, 11 August 1914, Page 6

Germany's Fighting Strength

THE FRONTIER FORTRESSES. (Specially Written for the Christehuieli Sun.) The German Collosus is afoot. One heel is not far from St. Petersburg, as the battle-cruisers go; 'the other ia set on the way to the frontier fortresses of France. Belgium, the plucky stripling, is not awed by its shadow, for, across the channel streak, England is stirring—after anxious inaction —let us say, caution. The Colossus lias begun'to bully in tlhe best Bismarckian manner. His eyes are fixed on Paris, his mind on the great Gorman traditions that were born after 1871. The eagles are gathering on the Franco-German frontier. The Teuton mobilised without warning in a night (figuratively speaking), and has looked for extenuating circumstances afterwards. As we showed last evening, ho has planned a swift descent, reckless of consequences, because of a revitalised Russian, a rejuvenated France, and tin; steady national policy of a cool arbiter beyond the North Sea, Again, his house is becoming dangerously over-crowded. Every year nearly a million babies are born to the German nation, and every, year makes that nation's domestic straits , more desperate. Where ta find breathing room for the growing millions? What of the Baltic provinces of Russia, with German names and clouds of real Germans? Further, the ambition of the Ilohenzollern is a dangerous asset, inflammatory; and lusting lor power. Kaiser Wilhelm 11. has claimed equality with the Almighty. When the German naval policy sprouted Dreadnoughts, Wilhelm, is an historic signal to the shrinking Czar, announced 'himself as "the admiral of the Atlantic." We have wandered far from the legions fronting each other on a boundary rich in history. The clash of the contending guns will shako, the world. What are the chances of Germans, of French? Sun. SPIRIT BEHIND THE TEUTON. Hilaire Belloc (who ought to know) declares that a lot of nonsense has been talked about .the German army, especially with respect with its 'numerical strength, but he and other military scientists argue that to-dav that the (ierman soldier is one of the moat highly trained fighters in the world. The Military Partly in Germany 'has seen to that. He has been brought up on the theory that there is room in Europe for only one Empire—the Hbhenzollern empire, and he applies himself in conformity to that ideal. To achieve this, the balance of power must, be displaced, so — cripple France, absorb Belgium, amd watcli across the Channel at England's front door. He will probably admit that he was lucky at Sadowa, but his instructors (he will tell his friends) have done splendid work since. So thoroughly, is fact, that he has a tendency to become a mere automaton—a sfrom; machine of war, at the direction of I'i leaders terrific in endurance, solidity, and obedience. As to approximated numbers: Germany, if obliged to call on 'her Landwehr and Landsturm, can account for ' (some say) (i,000,000 fighting men. The pick of the. army will be found in the twenty-five army corps—first line of troops. These corps account for 023,000 men, on whom are the hopes of the nation. Here is the list in order (1 to 25) culled from a recent report discussed in the Reichstag:—Berlin Guards, Stettin Corps, Brandenburg, Madgeburg, . Posen, Breslau, Westphalia, Coblentz, Altona, Hanover, Cassel, Dresden, Stuttgart, Karls'hue, Strassburg, Metz (ah, France! alas, a ruthless 'Chancellor.'), Danzic, Frankfort-on-Main, Lcipsic—the remainder are line troops and Bavarians. THE "COMPENSATORY RESERVE." Thesfl first line troops are the flower of thousands of able-bodied men bound understood that while there are tens of thousands of able-bodies men bound in legal theory to receive full military training, some receive but imperfect instruction and most of them no training at all. Universal service in Germany is that only in name. A large number of the class immediately referred to above are drafted into What it known as the "compensatory reserve." This is an of(iicial definition of that body. 'The compensatory reserve is composed of younjr men fitted for service, but in excess of the number required; all are liable to, and a certain number, receives twenty weeks' training spread over two or three years, and consisting at the maximum of no more than ten consecutive weeks at any one time." As a matter of cold fact, one of the leading authorities on this question states that out of everi, 1(H) young men in modern Germany, not more than 27 per cent, would be fully trained. Eight pel cent of the rest Would be found m the "compensatory reserve." So much for figures. 1" ranee, it is calculated, is able to place in the field, about 020,000 fully trained soldiers. So that, as concern full-fledged lighting men, she is at least on even terms with Germany. Her reserves would bring the war strength ■up to 1',300,000. In matter of artillery- experts are divided as to which country possesses the most potent artillery, but e . a disposition of late Years—especially since lflOiJ—to give tiie Ger man ordance the preference. Germainis certainly superior in point of nu rubers.