THE GERMAN MANOEUVRES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3026, 24 October 1908, Page 4

THE GERMAN MANOEUVRES

There was a time when the German army was held up as a model for England, but the tendencygnow seems to be, while recognising fully the thoroughness with which the Germans prepare for war, to claim superiority for the British i\rmy in several directions. A comparison between the recent manoeuvres near the f French frontier and those on Salisbury Plain, emphasise points of differance between the two armies. The Germans still love the movement of huge bodies of men, especially cavalry, in positions in which they would be annihilated in war. The London "Daily Mail's" correspondent is sarcastic on the point.

"Another feature of the operations was the retreat of the Red army in column of route along a straight road under the murderous fire, at from 700 to 1,000 yards range, of three Blue brigades and nearly all the Blue artillery," he writes. However, allowance must be made for the fact that the Red Army represented the French. It would never have done for it to have won. Reports of English manoeuvres, on the other hand, show that troops are not exposed nearly so much. English cavalryliave been trained to dismount and use their carbines; German cavalry do not seem to have realised the great effect of the manoeuvre in certain situations. In scouting, English Yeomanry could give the German cavalry a long start and then, as the phrase goes, make rings round them.