Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-08
THE COMING EUROPEAN WAR.
Belgium to DO the Battle Ground of
France and Germany.

Belgium to bo the Battle Ground of
France ana Germany.
The Brussels correspondent of tho Paris
Matin has just had an interesting interview
with Major III. Girard. the officer of the
engineer corps in the Belgian army who
recently resigned his commission In order
to be free TO write his somewhat startling
pamphlet, La Betgique ct Ia Guerre
Prochainc.
"The collision between France and Ger
many, said he, may be retarded, but il
is none the less inevitable. The possi-
bility of peaceful retrocession of Alsace.
Lorraine by Germany is too absurd for dis
cussion."
After stating that the interest of Belgium
in the present situation was to become the
ally OF whichever one of the belligerents
would offer the best terms, he declared that
the Belgian fortresses were worthless, and
that tho intrenchod camp at Antwerp could
not hold out for forty-eight hours. "The
first cannon shot will be sufficient to dis
pei all the illusions of the Belgian people.
1t is well known that our army, de-
prived as II is OF the Indispensable
elements for u rapid mobilization, could
not be ready To fight until long after the
country could be invaded, occupied, and
traversed. Our resisting force consists, at
the maximum. of 10000 men, including
the militia. To hold Antwerp with tile
development given to the fortiiications of
that place, we will need at least so 900 men,
without counting the garrisons necessary
NJ Liege, Nemur, and other places. What
then would remain for us to offer battle
with at any given pointY And will we
even be able 10 dispose of that l20, 900 men?
That is very doubtful for at the moment
oil the declaration of war, which will be
sprung upon us In short order, how will
our malltiamen have time or possibility to
rejoin i their corps before being captured by
But" remarked the correspondent,
could not France and Germany ome to
blows without the necessity of ii king on
Belgium for their battle ground2"
II is impossible" replied Major Girard,
that the military chiefs of both countries
have not fully studied that matter; and
from strategic point of view, either of the
belligerents that should neglect TO take
possession of the whole or a part of Belgian
territory must compromise by that omis-
sion the result of ulterior operations My
profound conviction Is that the concentru-
ton OF the French aud German armies
will be effected on Belgian territory. For
that concentration the Germans have live
lines OF railway, capable of throwing i'm
ten days 500, 900 men between Aerschot and
Huy, at the rate OF 10000 day for each
line. Twenty-four hours after declara-
ton OF war, which will probably be in the
evening, the German cavalry will be able
TO occupy Hassell, Saint-Trond, Tirlemont,
Maestrecht, DC. Tho French concentra-
tion can be erected in the same lapse of
time on the line between Alost and Man
beuge, aid also twenty four hours after
the declaration of war the French cavalry
can occupy Alost, Termondc, Ath, &c.
You see, then. that except the militia of
Mailnes and Brussels all the rest in the
whole region between the Msuse and the
Escaut will be unable To move. In a word,
after careful study have become con-
WINGED that Belgium is completely at the
mercy of coming events"