The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-10
GIANT WARS IN FIGURES.
LOSSES OF THE TROOPS OF PAST
GENERATIONS AND To-DAT

Losses or 40, 90, aud Even 10 FER Cent. In
,,oserr u,,,Ie.-Austria's 1000 BAttIes.
Cnpt. Otto Berndt OF the Austro-Hungarian
Grand General Staff has published a largo vol
umc on Warfare in Figures In 1t he has re-
duccd to percentages a vast amount oil informa-
ton which long has been the subject OF inexact
statement or nero guosswork' such US inc per
centage losses in wars, in battles ana IN sieRes'
the proportion Of losses to the number OF batter
les in action, aud the average losses OF armies OF
different lands lighting under similar circun'-
stances. All these figures concern only tno wars
OF Europe; the great rebellion in this country
and the Mexican and the Chincsc'Japahese war
are left out OF consideration.
First Capt. Berndt considers the relative peri
ODDS OF war and peace among the nations OF
Europc. His data 20 back to 1900, and cover
the years UP to last Jan. l. Turkey has the rec
ord of the most warlike nation. She has had
thirty-scvcn years OF war and 1fty'nino OF peace
since the beginning OF the century. spain comes
next with thirty.onc years OF war to siXty'fve
of peace; then comes France with twcnty.sevcn
years of war and sixty-nine OF poacc; Russia,
with n record of twcnty.four years OF war and
seventy-two of peace; Italy, with twcnty.three
years Of war and sevcnty-three of peace: Eng.
land, with u corresponding record of twcnty-one
and seventy.nve; Austria-Hungary, with one of
hiiu SNSh NV 80 A'N'hN 'o'eo,
with one of fourteen and oighty-two; Germany.
exclusive of Prussia, with one OF thirteen and
eighty.threc; Prussia, with one or twelve and
eighty.four; Portugal, with one of twelve and
eighty-four; Sweden. with one OF ten and eighty.
six, and Denmark with one of nine and eighty
seven. There was peace for European powers
in the periods OF 1sl6-1s. 1917, 1S79-S1, and
1886 up to the war between Turkey and Greece.
Consequently, in the recent times OF enormou
ornaments, Europe has enjoyed the longest
tranquil period Of the century.
Here are some Of Capt. Berndt's statements
OF losses in the great battles OF recent times.
Koeniggraetz. 22O.oS2 Prussians against 49,
1874 Austrians and Saxons; Prussian loss, 9,l72,
or IL per cent; Austrian and Saxon loss. A.
3l3. or more than 20 per cent. Wocrth, g.. 100
Germans against $500 French; German loss.
10,6io, or 10 per cent; French loss. 20, 100. or
Ala per cent. Spicern, 81. 700 Germans against
% 900 French; German loss. $40. or Ii per
cent; French loss, 1850. or 14.s per cent.
Colombey- Nouilly. $500 Germans against 81,
200 French; German loss, 1910. or 81 per cent;
French loss, 1870, or 4 per cent. Mars-la.Tour.
$4,000 Germans against ll3,5O0 French; Ger
man loss, $500, or 800 per cent; French loss,
16.930, or IL per cent. Grayclotte.St Privat,
1877, 900 Germans against 112 900 French; Ger
man loss. 2l,l3o, or 11.3 per cent; French loss,
nI,Hso, or a ia" 10 d her E Een., seaam AN ~ . DER
90 per cent; French loss, 80 5000. 42.2 per cent.
In giving the highest losses suffered by indi-
vidual bodies OF troops III reccnt battles Capt.
Berndt states that at the battle of Gravclotte-
st. Privat the Fourth Infantry Brigade OF the
ing force, the sharpshootors battalion losing ii
per cent: Of its men and all of its officers. AT
OF its fifteen company, commanders. and the
1l7th Infantry was reduced to 81 per cent. OF
its hsh,ins force; The troops s Of the left wing.
and individual companies as high as 90 to 75
per cent. each.
For the purpose Of comparison Capt. Berndt
gives the Losses in celebrated battles OF the cen
fury 1880 to 1850. Only a few OF the figures
lost 49, per cent, or s.IiOin $500: the Prus.
slams 1886. or l2.0S0 in $4,000. At Leuthen.
II h72 23,6 90 A sSs PrSssI lss. 9 ~ per or $500 ssas; n or 3 81 s'5 So
At Kunnersdorf, 1850, the Russians aud Aus.
ri. 'Fisn P1 lSs. ans pr psr cent ont aS g a5' in .s y &. COZ g
%. 500. and the Austrians So per cent. or 9.40O
cent, or $500 in SIS. 900. and the Austrians and
Kussians 80 per cent, or ZOO in $500; A.
in 10000. md the Austriuns 81 per cent, or
$1,000 in 10000. At Leipsic Napoleon lost "a
Per cent cent oG or 60:G % sin IN i, "a a6 zoe 96S ana the ALI s
Capt. Berndt concludes that. with some allow.
ances, the losses Of an army are usually proper
shown in the field, and hence that the armies Of
recent times are not up to the fighting mark Of
those that met in the Napoleonic days. The
bloodicst battles OF modern history. he records.
were Leipsic, where the total loss was la. OOO
and Aspern. where IL was nearly SO. 900.
A conclusion equally uncomplimentary with
the above to, modern warriors is drawn by
Capt. Berndt from his figures regarding the
losses of Generals on the battlefield. For in
stance. the Generals killed on both sides at
Kunnersdorf numbered y. at MarenGo II. at
Leipsic ton the side OF the allies 81, and at
Waterloo 81. On the other hand, but u Gen
Koeniesraets. and ID on the German Side at
Woerth, M~ars-la-Tour, Gravelotte and Sedan,
Capt. Bcrndt next gives a comparison, by
wars. of the losses as they were long ago and as
they arc, under. modern conditions. The table
Is3ijj, 'is.5; Italian war Is4s-i9,, So; Austro-
Is: war in India us59,, I3.5: ~-Prmssian
war Of 1866, II; Franco-prussian war, l2.5.
siderably from the above total losses. They are
tabulated by Berndt so as to give the following
f Is: R1ss seE Po1is sears Is; vat italian hni No az isasel Saf 3:
1853. 9; Danish war OF 1854. q; Austro Prus,
sian, g.; Franco'Prussian. first period, 9.5; sec
Numerically the greatest battles of modern
Koeniggraetz. with 100000; WaRram, with
$4,000; Grayelotte. with 800. Q Dresden
hhsas!; VIE HIS, SSs %iIS ? sSIte5iGobi o Mith Ss 1929;
with 25l,O00; Sedan. with 2l4.OOo; Waterloo.
with 2lT7.O00; Lisaine ls7Ol., with $4,000:
1875, 600.
In the chapters devoted to the consideration
of weapons and their efficiency, Capt. Berndt
remarks that, much ms total losses in battle have
differed In the battles Of different periods. the
number Of killed and MORALLY wounded in battle
seems to have remained almost stationary.
Despite all advancement In the invention of
firearms the hre OF the enemy in battle was not
more deadly In the war of 1901 than In that
of the dawn Of the century. The proportion Is
one man dead to four men hit: Tho question
then Is: How many shots hitf" Up TO 1860
the figures showed that one shot out Of. lao
wounded an enemy. At Gravelotte.st; Privet.
however, but one shot out of 400 fred by the
Saxon Corps struck a Frenchman, and at Mars
la-1our 1t required 452 shots to wound one man.
Capt. Berndt agrees with other authorities,
whom he quotes. that IN the next great war not
Formerly soldiers fired less often but with moro
care; the small calibre repeater IL not such a
vast Improvement In actual warfare as has
been taken for, granted. The very case with
which 1t Is handled and fired turns much OF itH
ability TO destroy into mere waste. Those are
some of the conclusions to be drawn from Capt,
Berndts figures and his OH them.
Capt. Bcrndt gives some statistics which show
most strikingly the decline of cavalry rs n factor
in war: At kolin $3.50 there were 570 cavalry
to the thousand OF infantry; at Eylan, 800; In
tho seven yoars' war. from $50 to $40: In The