GERMAN MILITARISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1918, Page 4

GERMAN MILITARISM.

General von Freytag-Loringhoven, Depu-ty-Chief of the German General Staff, has already published a sequel to his much discussed "Deductions from the World War," says the London Times. Hie "deductions," although they seem to be still a prohibited export, are now ad-' vertised in Germany as being in their fifteenth edition, Freytag's neiv book is called "Trained National Army or Militia?" and has the sub-title, "War Teachings from the Past and the Present." The object of the book is to forestsr all attempts to undermine Prussian mill-' tarism by the advocacy of democratic schemes of military service. For the purpose of his argument Freytag is concerned to show that all improvisationseven Prussian improvisations—during the present war have proved unsatisfactory. After observing that Germany waa able to multiply her forces durin" the war only because the military foundation was so sound, and the spirit of the people so firm, he states:—"The first

new formations did not stand the teat. |lt was impossible to avoid the employment in the field as early as October, 1914—and that in particularly difficult cireumstances-of th e new reserve corps, the formation of which had been ordered in the middle of August- Hardly ever have troops, a* a whole, consisted of material so splendid in spirit and will as these new regiments. Nevertheless it was found that enthusiasm and selfsacrifice cannot be a substitute for thorough training in soldiering." Freytag •points out that the length of the war has necessarily solved many problems as regards 1 lie quality of troops that were at first untrained. But he insists repeatedly that it was "the work of a century" that really provided the foundation for all the efficiency of the new forces. Elsewhere in the//book, Freytag declares: "An army qualified to meet all the demands of the war can never be created during the war itself.' The English million army is a proof of this. All the care that was spent upon it, its wealth in technical resources, the unlimited provision of munitions, could not alter this f ac fc. .. A great Power cannot, except to its own great injury, renounce in war that better kind of defence which consists in keeping the lead and in attack." Freytag insists that only an institution like the German army can preserve "the war-like spirit and a healthy tradition." He even lays it down that the great object of military training must be "to educate war-like personalities," which needs time. He concludes thus:—"la view of Germany's central position, and when immense world political interests are for u s at stake, wo dare not play with the militia idea. It has been revealed all too plainly that the security of our future will be guaranteed only by a firmly established and well trained national army, not by a loose-knit militia."