Show FAL BATTLE capabilities OF THE ARMIES OF EUROPE do you ou know that the contending armies in europe today are battling apon their peace time footings asked 11 colonel on oil the tha general staff of the united states army and dont foret set that hat the nation that gets its ita fight ing force up to its full war strength first will gain a material advantage in ili the tha present turmoil this means that any hasty deductions made upon the basis of tights fights won VOD and lost up to dato date may soon prove absolutely misleading the question then arises which of the struggling armies can reach its war strength soonest wid and with that attained what are its ita chances for maintaining that standing in the gru allag days to come the answer la is a matter of administrative elli clency first and then follows naturally the relative merits of the reserve material upon alch which the nation can draw as aa battle after battle and disease thin the ranks of those in the field at present the germans are virtually fighting alone four other mat nations idna but their initial setbacks set backa are not property properly a true index of what la Is to come in the near lear future some figures As it Is necessary to deal with dg ures it Is just as well to begin now aa later these figures interpreted in the light of additional information have another meaning one that comes closer to the facts inspiring the aggressive gres sive policy assumed by the kalser in ili face of seemingly appalling odila odds according to authoritative information the peace arid and we the war too fool ing ot of the powers named are as follows peace war reserves ne serves total russi L 54 00 6 73 sr germany effies tea rance 40 an tria italy En kniland iland hapai jap law As between france find and germany apart from the latter s superior war footing the total of the fully trained reserves in ili the eatherl Fa fatherland therl and would be the most potent factor in ili a prolonged rl and also the justification for a vigorous initiative despite early heavy losses both germany and france have in the last two years increased the period of service from two to three years in ili france franca this lengthening if of the term with the colors colora aroused a great doal deal of opposition not lot to say ay discontent immediately 1111 mediately back of these soldiers are ins first reserves men who blit recently have finished their full touts toua of active service and of course are familiar with the latest practices now look at the foregoing figures es G ler ger banys peace footing Is only men stronger than alian that of I 1 france rance but upon the first call to arms tills this moderate immediately jumps to tile the greater figure of giving the kal r an advantage of nearly 31 21 per cent hut but this thia Is only the beginning of the difference germanys germanas Germ anys total reserve of fully trained reserves men trained with peculiar thoroughness Is today quite while the admittedly less ox ex e x aC tingly drilled reserves of france number but rank and me file hero as can plainly be seen the fatherland leads by two and a halt half times the war footing of france while still having in reserve as many as 0 france would have at best besl setting betting aside the question of the military value of the training raining ot of the german and the french soldiers thosa of 0 france carry a R maga too sloe rifle of 0 eight milli caliber ud and the german infantrymen repeats it ere era having a caliber of 78 7 8 minima assuming the same saine propulsive charge the german gun will vl carry caro further arid and travel latter flatter than the french vi we apoll making for bt better ater marksmanship at all ranges again the french rifle ride to Is heavier than the gernian german Inor increasing easing to that extent the stress upon the man who vibo has to carry it on oil long marches the soldiers of both nations can carry tile the same number of cartridges out but the saving in v weight tight in the german musket Is offset by b other weights he bo has to carry fully equipped the french foot soldier has a total bur den of pounds while the ger man infantryman has to bear pounds As aa a broad proposition the average german la Is 1 u I sturdier man than ilia his french freach rival ihal and this greater tax is wisely laid upon him french equipment in the french urmy army each company of infantry infanti j lias has tte IL 0 o following portable tools eight su vels four pick pickaxes axes double lie hauled heu abed led three axes one fuld fold ing saw and a pair of wire nippers the gera gem sn a foot soldier boedler on the liand hand does not get off bo ao easily be cause each company nus has to carry chirr small sp epa clea atles ten praxes and live hatchets sow now what does this mean that the kaiser kai sers B infantrymen are aie able to entrench themselves quick er than their french rivals and for that reason could hold an advanced po more securely and guard them selves seles against attach while hile there belter man the soldiers bol diers of the tricolor now let us see what russia rel represents re as a foes to germoni germany on the fatherland ther lands B north northern a border cinques I 1 eques 7 the czars azars army Is superior to the kai kaiser sers s in mere point of num bers in ili peace in war and in tile the total available reserves resell es and so BO far as af per aanal bravery goes tile the F soldier Is unsurpassed hut but battles are not IVO won a these days by just numbers training and handling ol of the men ara of supreme importance broadly speaking it Is doubtful it if the russian forces eve ae any ani bett better e r trained than they vwe when they measured strength with the japanese lit in 1904 05 the infantry nf antry are armed with magazine rifles of millimeter caliber and as marksmen they are nothing like the equals of the germans how they compare russia Is bu perlor to germany in ili tile the matter of infantry cavalry and artillery ai tiller in the form ot or field guns and Gerina germana German tir 1 fy 0 turn lead france in ili the ha vital feature of artillery artillery has played a prime part biart in all great wars wara and the popular iden idea Is that it la is upon these guns that the title ide of battle turns in a a measure this Is so for tho the field pieces have hae to pro hect or support the his infantry loran tr but wilh tills done the outcome of in action depends upon the conduct and gallantry gallin tr of the foot soldier for he constitutes the back backbone bono of adiv an rn 1 I tary force As aa a matter of history the french have hava led in field ordnance ever since the baranco prussian war the french were the birst to adopt the long recoil which madi made it possible to use higher propulsion charges and to r eckre better practice against the target and to them too la is owed oed the introduction of the spade upon the trall trail by b which the recoil of the carriage could be checked thus making it possible for the gun g un pointer to hold his position and to fire clr deliberately and rapidly to the french also the world Is indebted el for the higher development of tho the shrapnel obell with its withering It herLof blut of leaden bullets bu lleta |