The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26

y Il
ade of infantry and other troops in pro-
portion. But three of the Bayarian army
corps are OF three divisions and in the
Prussian guard the cavalry forms a sepa-
rate division of four brigades. Each in
fantry and cavalry brigade has two regi-
ments. and some infantry brigades have
rifle battaiions' attached which in some
corps are under the corps commander, and
these form corps troops as apart from di-
Vislonal troops. Each army corps COM
mander is Independently responsible for
his own district. receiving orders only from
the emperor, and thus our Capitalization in
the war office IS avoided. Above the army
corps in time of war is the field army.
There would be five of these each COM
posed OF four or five army corps. two or
three cavalry divisions, and some reserve
divisions. The strength of an army corps
If 3O,5l6 comhatants and 6,5tS uon-combat-
ants, or in al. 1904 men, with 11.735 horses
and 100 guns. But the actual fighting
strength is less than the nominal combat
ant strength-that IS. % 297 rifles, 1.2A cav
airy and TO dozen guns. The reserve de
vision would have H., 1855 rifles, 602 sabers.
and $6 guns of lighting strength. The fight
Ing strength of cavalry division is 3.6l2.
with II guns.
In the infantry each battalion has four
companies, and 175 regiments have three
hattalohs each, while 40 have two. The
Eleven regiments Prussian guard mine
of three and two of two battalions).
ono hundred and fifty-five regiments
Prussian line G24 of three battallons and
81 of two battalons).
Fifteen regiments Saxony ~ Of three
battalions and three of two battalions).
Ten regiments Wurtemberg eight of
three battalions and two of two battal-
ions).
Twenty-four regiments Bavaria twenty
two of three battalions and two of two
battalions).
Full details OF the uniform are given,
with some plates and this, on the whole,
on a better and more readily comprehensi-
BILE plan than that of the German uni
form books" whose infinite variety of
petty details Is rather irritating than in
structve, though every detail, however
minute, means something. An infantry
soldier carries 594 pounds weight in field
service order including a cowhide KNAPP
sack, 100 rounds of .309 artridges-smolle-
less cartridges of "a magazines, for the
rifle is used only as repeater, which must
tend 10 the waste of ammunition, what
ever the nominal excellence of the fire dis
cipllne-an intrenching tool and part of
tent.
The organization of the cavalry is pecu-
liar. There are FIVE squadrons to each
regiment In peace, but one is broken up to
bring the rest to war strength and form
depot. There are fourteen cuirassier
and heavy regiments only two of which
carry cuirasses, and these on palace duty,
twenty-eight Dragon regiments, only two
of which carry cuirasses, and these on
palace duty, twenty-eight dragon latter
being wholly Bavarian. The 500 batteries
of artillery are ranged In brigade divisions
of two or three and in one case four bat
teries, each battery consisting Of six guns,
nine ammunition wagons, two battery
store wagons one provision wagon and one
forage wagon and a field forge. Each
group OF six guns and the first line Wag-
ons constitute the lighting battery" But
all the batteries do not go into the field
at the outbreak of war. A certain num-
Der, not precisely determined and posi-
bly, depending on circumstances, VIII be
kept back to form cadres and depot The
number of rounds carried with battery Is
705 shrapuel, $50 high explosive and 30 case
on each wagon and timber n, on each
gun and timber 80. Our batteries as yet
carry no high-explosive shells. Then the
German field artillery consists of Krupp $
1615-pounder guns with an extreme range
of 100 yards. They have a muzzle Veloc-
ty of 1,450 foot seconds. Thus in every
respect they are heavier weapons than
ours. but our new guns are and win be
much more mobile, and could thus proba
bly, get in several shots while the German
batteries were getting into position and I'M
limbering
We have seen that the infantryman car
ries 100 rounds, but on an advance before
going into action he is loaded up with ex
ira rounds placed in haversacks, trouser
and coat pockets, and indeed wherever
they can be held. Thus each man goes
into action leaving the small arm ammu-
milton wagons empty, and carrying about
go rounds Then the small army wagons.
reflled, are posted in the nearest cover.
1T is important TO take the ammunition
from the wounded and fallen" But this
will surely lead to skulking, and we know
from the confessions of their officers even
German troops to skulk some times. The
field ammunition parks are supplied from
depots in the chief frontier fortresses, and
these are replenshed from the depots in
Germany. The organization for food sup
ply is very perfect, but too full Of detail
for description here.
As regards drill with a view to maneu-
yer "the Germans keep their men in close
order as long as possible, preferring the
loss of a few men to letting their COM
mands get out of hand a moment sooner
than Is necessary" Yet " It IS recognized
as q general principle that infantry fight
in dispersed order only" We do not seem
10 have much if anything, to learn from
Germany in the matter Of battle forma-
ton. II all our battalion and brigade
leaders acted up In practice TO the prin-
ciples of Infantry Drill, 1885, (Which
contains the principles of tactics for COM
bined arms as wel as infantry, we should
be in as good a position practically as the
Germans In respect of handling men.
But, unhappily, unlike the Germans, we
have abundance of officers who are always
trying to wrest the directions of the drill
book toward their own "fads." Sub
stantially, however. all nations, the
French first of all, have adopted the same
principles in view Of the power of modern
arms, and there is a difference only to the
extent as to which those principles are
carried out. The Germans, like ourselves,
forbid a normal attack, and leave the
scheme of attack to the divisional com
mander. Their artillery work is very like
our own. Ordinarily battery of six guns
viii fire four rounds a minute, but this
may be increased to ten, and for independ-
ent firing TO fifteen. Time shrapnel is the
chief projectile against Giving targets"
and high explosive shell is for living tar
gets behind cover. There do not seem to
be any range finders, but there Is a meth
cd, (which is not known in the British
service, Of giving small corrections of ele-
walton and length of fuse by means of
small scale plates" If the shells are
bursting too short one or mere of these