Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-22
WAR, WAR.

From the New York Sun.
| The plan for the concentration Of the Ger
man army, or rather the armies Of the triple
alliance, appears now in the Figaro, and that
lively Partisan sheet boldly threatens to give
more precise details and prove conclusively
every one of its statements if the official press
of Germany should question its allegations
| But even il it should all turn out to be IN
founded. they point with tolerable clearness
| to certain probabilities which will be inter-
esting to the large number Of people who be-
| lieve that war must soon break out In Europe.
In 1880. says the Figaro. the plan for concen-
tration prepared by Won Moltke only left three
| army corps at the disposition of Gen. Blumen-
thai. who was charged with the duty OF watch
| ing the movements of the Russian army. 1t
| was then believe in Berlin that the car would
confine himself to a mild Intervention, and that
| at all events the mobilization Of the Russian
| army would be slow enough to permit the Ger
! mans to complete the formation of their reserve
/ forces.
| In the month of October, 1891, the cabinets
| Of Rome and Vienna asked the German govern
| ment for complete details. The Austrian gov
| eminent demanded the cooperation of six
Prussian army corps in case Of war. Negotia-
| tions were carried on tediously. In December
two staff officers of the Austrian army ap-
peared at Berlin. and OH the 18th Of January
| last an agreement was reached between the
| three governments.
| According to the terms of this agreement
Germany, in the event of war; will concentrate
| upon the western frontier three armies, COM
posed OF nine army corps and the guard, two
| Bavarian corps and the Wurtemburg division.
Seven army corps, four divisions Of cavalry and
four reserve corps, whose formation upon .
| war footing will not take more than three
| weeks, will operate against Russia.
| The army OF the north. or. in other words
| the right wing OF the German army, will be
| formed by the aid of the seventh and tenth
army corps and the Prussian guard. These
| troops will be stationed between Dusseldorf and
Aix-la-Chapelle. with the exception OF the regi-
ment OF artillery Of the guard, which will be
| sent to Metz to contribute to the formation of
the first park Of siege artillery.
The guard before leaving Berlin and its en-
vironments will wait for its reserve regiments,
| which will come from Konigsberg and Ham
over, and form junction en- route with the
regiments coming from Cassel, Cob!entz and
| Dusseldorf. The seventh corps will give four
Of its cavalry regiments to the first division
| and Will receive In exchange q regiment Of
cavalry OF the reserve. The artillery regiment
will remain at Cologne. where the guard. after
the fifth day Of the mobilization, will establish
its headquarters. The tenth corps, from
Hanover. will take up position between Gre
field and Wesel The army OF the center, COM
posed OF the fourth. eighth and eleventh
1
Ardennes, and it is easy to see that by the
| sixth day OF the mobilization it will be able to
reach the line from Treves to Cologne 1t will
be accompanied by division Of cavalry, and it
is more than probable that the cavalry regi-
ments Joined to the divisions of infantry must
soon be reinforced by tho regiments of reserve,
| and in this way one or two more divisions of
cavalry may be formed.
On the express demand Of the italian gov
eminent, the left wing will be far stronger
IL ,-r.1ll l.
| commencement Of hos.ilities of the third four
tenth, fifteenth and sixteenth army corps and
the first Bavarian corps. destined to operate
| against the French forces between the Moselle
and the Ardennes. The second Ba-
! varian corps and the Wurtemburpers are tn
make strong diversion toward Switzerland
and they will be supported in at least three days
after the declaration Of war, by four army
| corps OF the reserve. The German staff esti-
mates that under these circumstances the
Italian army will have to contend at most
| against the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth
| French army corps
| AL the Prussian army corps will be in three
| divisions, like the eleventh corps, which in
cludes. in addition to the twenty-first and
| twenty-second divisions of infantry the Hes
| sian division. All three divisions are organ
lied by means Of the reserve battalions Of the
| landwehr
| As to the eleventh and sixteenth corps, which
| are stationed in Aisace-L Lorraine they are at
present reinforced by nine battalions Of light
| infantry, two regiments of Bavarian infantry,
| considerable detschments from all the Access
| sorry services and one entire regiment of artil-
| lery, one half Prussian and the other Bavarian,
| destined to become the second park of siege
| artillery, which it is intended to transport to
! the other side of the Vosges Immediately after
| the first victory.
According to the plan Of concentration drawn
| up by Marshal Won Moltke, the Prussian guard
was to be transported directly from Berlin to
Coblentz and thence to Treves and Metz; but
this has since been modified by common accord
| between Caprivi. Waldersee and the military
| representatives of Austria and Italy, and ac-
| cording to this modification the guard will be
sent to Dusseldorf, passing through Magde-
| burg.
| In Alsace the fifteenth corps will not be &C.
| cupied with the defense of the defiles of the
Vosges. This will be contided to the ba rtalions
already caserned between Mulhouse, Colmar,
Schestadt and Saverne.
Almost all the efforts Of the German army
| will be confined to the operations of its two
wings, advancing toward Belgium and the
| valley OF the Disc. the old imperial route, and
toward Switzerland and the gap OF Belfort, the
| point of junction between the German and
| Italian armies.
| As for the concentration of the Prussian
| army Oh the eastern frontier it is only neces-
sary. in order to get clear idea of its future
phases, to follow upon the map the movements
OF the troops during the past two years.
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