The record-union., 1893-08-07
FROWNING FORTS.
Germany in a Very Tight Strait
Jacket.
The Most Wonderful Fortiflcations
Ever Seen Guard the Eastern
Frontier of France.

Frontier of France.
Germans are wont to speak of their
country as a great plum pudding set on a
platter among the Powers of the conti-
nent to tempt their voracious appetites.
Behind this figure of speech are few
fundamental facts which, in the present
conflict round the army bill, all leaders
and all parties accept as indisputable
Military and lay writers begin their de-
lenses Of militarism or their attacks upon
it with descriptions of Germany's east
ern and western borders, unprotected by
nature, marked, not by rivers, lakes or
mountain ranges, but simply by lines of
posts labeled with German Empire"
and the imperial coat-of-arms. All ac-
knowledge that Germany's western neigh
Dor is an open enemy and that her eastern
neighbor is either distant and suspicious
friend or covert foe. The differences
now dividing the parties in Germany are
not due to disputes as to these facts, but
as to the conclusions to be drawn from
them. The indisputable features of Ger
many's military situation on the eastern
and western frontiers are declared by the
New York sun to be substantially as fol-
lows:
Just back of the French frontier is the
most wonderful line of fortitications ever
constructed. From Belfort to Verdun
stretches an almost unbroken and flaw
less belt of steel. The one gap in this
belt, between Epinal and Toul, was left
open so as to render easier the operations
OF French army marching over the
border to take the offensive. Verdun
has eleven detached forts and citadel.
The circumference of the forttications is
twenty-three miles. Ten detached forts
within circumference Of twenty-tour
miles surround Toul; eight detached
1Orts within circumference of twenty
miles surround Epinal. Belfort, the key
10 southwestern Germany, the strate-
glcal position over whose possession
detached forts within a circumference of
Lwenty-one miles.
FORTS CONNECTED BY UNDERGROUND
TELEGRAPH.
Each of these four first-class fortresses
IS as strong as Metz or Strasburg-the
only two German fortresses to defend
the left bank Of the Rhine from Luxem-
bOurg to Switzerland. Verdun is notably
stronger than its vis-a-vis, Metz. Be
stand the independent forts of Geni-
court, Troyn, st. Mihel, Lionville and
Cironville. The upper Meuse is defended
by the forts OF Pagny la Blanche, Cote
and Bourlemont, Pont St. Vincent,
ErOuard and Monouvillers. South of
Epinal lie the upper Mosel forts of
Arches, Remiremont, RuDt, Chateau
Lambert and Giromagny. as well as Fort
BaIlon de Servance, which guards the
highway between Epinal and Belfort
To this list should be added the forts
further north and south, which are in
Tended to prevent the possibility of in
Nasion through Switzerland or Belgium
The fortiticauons from Nerdun to Toul
and from Epinal to Belfort are connected
by double-track railways and under
ground telegraph lines. The principal
J3rts are strengthened with armored
lowers. The number Of heavy guns con-
lrolled by each fort varies between
twenty and fifty, though several forts
lave as many as eighty each. The forts
already enumerated, together with less
Important fortified positions, have been
plaCed so thickly between Nerdun and
Beitort that, excepting only the gap be-
tween IOul and Epinal, not spot along
he line is beyond the range the heavy
artillery. All modern devices have been
.dopted to render the forts impregnable
against siege and impossible OF surprise.
f'tNtIdl lOIlS W III uOlu -,UUU or D,UOU Deatt
of cattle each, besides the usual stores
md garrison. Each is protected against
he surprise of night attack by belled
wires, traps, pitfalls and electric signals
The details of the situation beyond
Fermany's eastern frontier are somewhat
,iferent from those on the west. al
though the total effect is virtually the
same. The Russian quadrangle, which
may be roughly described as having its
corners at Odessa, Riga, Thorn and Cra-
cow, is bristling with bayonets, is fur
rowed with trenches, is gridironed with
military railways. In it are garrisoned
troops as numerous as the whole Ger
nan army OF to-day-ready to be mobIl-
iIed at an hours notice and to sweep over
he German or Austrian boundary.
These troops, moreover, are organized,
not as dependence Of the great Russian
p army of the interior, but as force COM
)lete in itself, with artillery, infantry and
cavalry. technical formations and mill
.9ry stores in exactly the proportions re-
luired for complete and independent
organization.
COLOSSAL STANDING AND OTHER ARMIES.
In the last ten years Russia has sur
rounded Noevo Georgiewsk with eight
forts. Iwangorod with eight forts, War
saw with sixteen forts, Brest- Litows k
with seven forts. In 1884 there were in
the Wilma and Warsaw districts 2I4.653
soldiers waiting to make or repel the at
lack. 70 the command of these districts
has since been added that of the districts
OF Odessa and hien, and the total force
has been swelled To 10000 men, dis
tributed among twenty-nine divisions of
infantry, twenty-nine artillery brigades.
seventeen divisions of cavalry, twenty
four mounted batteries. four brigades OF
sharp-shOoters, four regiments OF mortar
artillery, twenty-siX batteries Of fortress
artillery, miners and sappers, and rail-
way troops and the train.
Such is the straight-jacke in which
Germany has been placed by her eastern
and western neighbors. In arguing con-
cerning her ability to burst it in case OF
war, the first consideration has been the
comparative numerical strength of the
armies of Germany and her allies and OF
France and Russia. According to the
branches of the service, the strength is
Bat Squad Bat
EllOns. rOnS. terleS
Austria dungary ..-.. 45S 264 24l
Italy $40 ia 2O7
Total for triple ALI
ance.-...-.........-...-.... ,342 $50 ssE
Erance-....-.....--..-...---~ 5s4 3G4 4s(
Russ'a---..-....-..........-.. Y6Sla Sos 3ss
Total for France and
Russia....-.............. .54755 972 S6s
According to the number of men in the
standing armies:
German ..--....'-...-..- 4S6,Oot
AuStrla-H unglry 299 OOt