Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-05-02
WHAT TREMENDOUS PREPARATIONS
More Aeeut the Coming War In Europe
-Frem tho POsen Courier"


The day that war is declared be-
tween France and Germany what will
happenp At first there will be, OF
course, the general mobilization ac-
cording to the new method which the
German staff has recently adopted.
On the German side that mobilization
will be effected in short time. In
less than seven days a little over L.
400, 600 men will be concentrated on
the frontier at the points fixed by the
general staff. The cars arc ready, and
the coal for the railroads was laid in
long ago.
Four or five days after the first adj
vance 800, 600 men will form the see
ond line, Finally there will be the
landstrum with about /, 100 900 on the
first call. All these troops are thor
oughlv drilled and armed with repeat
inc rifles. The artillery and cavalry
have all that is necessary for under
taking a campaign. One can imagine,
therefore, what the next war will be.
1t will be frightful and mercless. 1t
is quite possible that the victors will be
just as much exhausted and decimated
as the conquered. Certainly the
Franco-German war of 1870 will look
like child's play compared with the
coming struggle, which everybody is
talking about, but which nobody but
a mailman would desire.
We do not believe there is sensible
man in all Germany who does not pray
for long peace. because the next war
even if it should result in victory for
Germany. must make more widows and
orphans than all the wars of Europe
during the last hundred years.
Under the title of How Shall We
Attack in the Coming Warp" PAM
phlet has recently appeared in Berlin,
supposed to be the work of staff Of
ticer. 1t treats of the present con-
ditions of attack by infantry, in view
of all the changes of tactics made
necessary by the repeating rifle and
the smokeless powder. I'VE can no
longer count" says the writer, upon
our superiority in numbers and in
armament. There is only one SUI
periority of tactics, and our tactics
must be adapted 10 the conditions of
modern arms. Now, these conditions
have changed with the enemy, and we
must soon do like him. IL is high
time to study the effects which tire new
arms must have upon the tactics of bat
tie. upon the way to lead troops into
action. In future all infantry which is
not completely hors de combat is in
vulnerable in front. The success of an
attack according to the old principles
OF warfare must prove an exception
and repulse the rule. This does not
mean that a position cannot in future
be carried: every position can be car
ried, but not in front.
''In the next war the German in
fantry cannot count, as in '70-'7l, up
on the support of the artillery, for the
enemy has made as much progress in
artillery as Germany. if not more, and,
considering the range of the present
rifles. the artillery must keep itself at
a greater distance than it did in years
past, and leave the battle to be decided
by the infantry. The advantage of
superiority of individual firing also
tends to decline at long range, and,
above all, with weapons so easily ham
died as the modern small bore"
The pamphlet concludes whit the as
sertion that while the offensive is still
the best form of combat, and the one
to be recommended, it must fail en-
tirely if the enemy is not enveloped by
turning movements by which he can
be placed under converging fires.