New Turkish Army

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 4 November 1914, Page 7

New Turkish Army

■ VIGOROUS EFFORTS AT REVIVAL. GERMAN METHODS. Writing from Constantinople in May last, of "The New Turkish Army,'' a correspondent of the London Times observes that ''tile problem Jiow be9t to redistribute the Ottoman Army in order tc. meet the situation created by the Balkan War, the alleged danger of Hellenic attack on the Anatolian lhltoral the necessity of keeping a (inner lvold 011 :-lie Ara/b lands, and tiic increase of Russian strength and mobility in the Caucasus was among the first to be discussed by the Turkish military authorities after tho conclusion of peace with Greece. The new sciieme provides for a total of I? ,4 TIn y Corps and two independent divisions. .Five Army Corps (13 divisions) are to be quartered in Thrace and Western Asia Minor. The three Army Corps on the Russian frontier are to he brought up to a strength of nine divisions. The Arab provinces are to be held by five Army Corps and two 'tidopemlent. divisions, totalling 12 divisions. The total strength of the Army is now 3J» division.?, as siguiint 43 divisions ■in 1910, and is better concent rate.! than .when Turkey held Albania and .Macedonia.

"The old 'llodif' (territorial) forma-, t.ons seem, to have disapiicaied from; the Army list. The Eedil division, ex- : Unsively employed, in ail stages of <he' Kalkan War, were of small value. kn-tier-officered, short of 'b.ij. r animals and wheeled transport, too often full of untrained men, they wcr u sent into action before they had a chance of "s'mk'ing down,' and mostly melted away in the first month of tiie campaign ' In place of the commanders of Kcdif divisions a. number of 'officers commanding i(-serves' have been appointed to varii.ua stations. It is not known what the military authorities propose to do with ''heir second line reservists in case of war. They may draft them into the first line to fill up gaps as the need arises; they may, again, extemporise a. certain number of reserve divisions. '"Xlie 3(i divisions are each composed of three two-battalion regiments and a rille battalion. To each Army Corps is attached a two-battalion rifle regiment. Tlie on'! exception h the A<lr:anot>li> Army l>rp-t. two Jivl-ions of which (tin; •ith ami tit ; ;) are «cm;io*ed of three 11 iri'e-b:tt Lili Oil regiment:* mid a rifle battalion, while the ride .regiment attached null! I !liTs tares iiaUshW. It is difficult to ."oi-m any idc;. of tin l total was effective of (la-.-:' battalions. The v:. V',. 1 , of [.he,,, which aaw passod through Constantinople on their way to their !r:".v !|eart."rs hi Asia Minor varies from to 49t> l».vun?U. Tlio~e stationed at Coiiitaiitiuople aver4W. Knver Vasha bus proposed hkw U-gislfcticn whereby service will bo re'illl t!irp,» to tw o year-, and all exemptabolished. even for the s-:ie supports r.f tiieir families, who ai- to receive an allowance from the State. Ihe th:'.t the <lev. riirnoi:t aiiiiuallv ohtains a revenue ov ever £!)G(!i>;)i: lYoat tile military e>;p-np ion tax under.-; it unkkeiy thai military exempt ions v.iii be if.i'iiieiiiati.'lv abolished, what, v,.'r jiiav be in favor of 'audi a measure. "As fev the cavalry and art.iilcry. it need only In; said that tile rornn.:- is under-horsed and will not bs able to imt more than (30 per cent. of its nominal effective in the tieid far seme t:me to come. (hvin;.r to '.lie kea\y !e,'-es of a.o.h- in atatcrissJ, «nt of the ar'.iiivrv leginn-nt* stationed fa A-:ia aiv a'.'a ed witli, old b.L. KrupT) fit-]!! 'j>.; i|aa I it is, imleoJ. douieful e.-;>i>iier th.. Urst four Army Corps .ai", entirely ■ep-.1i,',! with Q.i' 1 . pieces. Very heavy tore r.inut !,;■ jaeu'Ti'd to make the.se deficiencies,. Si'-'.'MiS hj I.H\'f* ho; i"! u ; > to til:- V*'i)l *i:'i• i• ; .'cn. of tlji» Sanitary S<tvir<»?. The 'henry lojws «r,ioiur from; ilis>op.}j«.» h-i x.lniov, c:;pi'(-i----ai]y in* Tiinice, whe iv Iviphns Titjj'd. show that the hitter su'viee require.) to be thorov.'rli reformed."

I Ash now familiar history, the Tur'tI Arn;y Ih!-; Jx-ifi ••'Ci-rmniiias'tl'' i>v th;> comparatively recent important—rail of lasf- year--of f'prir.an miiii'arv staff for Iri - - oatciisihV purpose tif i'urWslunS •';' tlic iv.ili'tiry ton« of ;•««• Ottoman soldiery under a ui v/kic'; v.0n1.-l free- the service from pu!H>:.i; influence. This step enured ninth <r.mincat at tiic time, especially in ''; Pet? whoro infliiCTivn] TOM:*iiaJ, Novoo Vrnmya. utterwl a waning in term-! which, writ'eii Mor t > Ui« fairiifst liiratli of \vat, rca'.l liki- a e'lvjailarl v flwuvajjj! prophecy in tli,' jifrlit of tliene latter days. It said'. emphatically: ---'"The Turkish regiment-', under tlie command of German ofS(;PX« will 'p."Tform in Turkey the samn son ic.' as tlic native Tndian reciments «n<l?r J ,!:e command of th.' Krisilifh officers 77; India. Turkey becomes a formal co'onv of Gcnr-iny; the Turkish .Army is hrin:.; trade an auxiliary corps 0 f the Germaii Army. •Kb matter how weak the Turkish Empire is, it was. nevertheless, until

recent days an independent State. Now by a quiet diplomatic turn it is ma.de au imperial province of Germany. The German Lieuterianti-General, the chief of the Constantinople garrison, becomes the du facto Padishah of Turkey, though without a title. "In 1878 the Russian Army stood at Constantinople's gates. English diplomacy then sent into the ;Sca of >larmora a squadron of 'battleships. They threatened us wi.h war if we occupied Constantinople. Now Constantinople is open talcen, not by the lUissiau, but by the German Army. Our former enemies and present, friends now manifest rare coolness. They do not notice somehow tliat a portion of the guard at the Brandenburg gates in Berlin, is transferred to '.Sjc gates of the Ports on the Jjospiiorus.

"It is desirable that our 'traditional friend' should extend: his Russian frontiers ito the Black tfea coast. Is it to our advantage that lie should convert his former diplomatic influence on the Bosphonis into de facto rule over the Straits'; Is there no danger when tin' Turkish Army becosncs a special colonial corps of the Gcrwan Annv? Is it ii.irdly necessary to answer these questions. H is sufficient to ask them."