The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1897-10-21
WEAKNESS OF MODERN ARMIES.
The Opportunity Of some Possible
Enlure lcxnnler

Future Alexander.
We are by no means sure that armies
at the end of the nineteenth century
are not to some extent in the condi-
ton of the armies of the last few years
OF the eighteenth century. No doubt
the modern generals are. or shall we
say seem. less sleepy-headed than the
old hewigged Aust-ians and Prussians.
though they. il must be remembered,
were in their day reckoned men of
science; but al the same time we eN.
pect hat a good deal of our modern
military organization has become stiff
n impractical. We shall he told, no
doubt, that the Prussian army went
like clockwork in 1870. but we must
he allowed to doubt whether the clock.
work is quite Us new nov as it was
then, in spite of appearances. Besides,
Prussia had just the very force opposed
to her in 1870 against which good
clockwork would be sure to prevail
Il piece of bogus military mechanism.
Whether Prussia would have had as easy
n victory IL some Freuchman had
arisen capable of organizing ard using
q really mobile force of 0,0O0 men is
another question. IL is possible that
such a spearhead stuck into the clock.
work might have done u great deal of
damage. That, however, is speculation.
What we do know is that the prussian
army was a splendid fighting organism
at the end Of the seven years war. and
that at Jena. some 40 years after. II
proved utterly unable to meet Ma.
poleon's quick, fierce assault.
In spite, then, of the magnificent or.
ganization Of the present European
armies, and OF their vast size. we be.
lieve IL to be quite possible that some
new Alexander may arise who will or.
ganize n new method of fighting
which, for "A time ut any rate. may
bring all their far-stretched greatness
To ruin. OF course, such n genius In the
art of war may never get to the front
but that his opportunity exists in the
present bloated ornaments we have nc
sort of doubt. Yet il will be said. how
about the big battalions? An miiitar,
authorities agree that in the end. aud
considering that the European nations
are practically equal in courage aud
morale, the way to win n battle is to
confront five men of the enemy with
eight, or If possible ten, men of your
own.
That proves that big armies will al.
ways beat the small? BY no means. II
is because we entirely and absolutely
acquiesce in the big-battalion theory
providence is on the side of the big
huftulinnG0 x.a Nnn,Ianas. 1..t.
that we hold that small and properly
organized mobile armies win beat the
huge, unwieldy armies that the mod.
ern European strategists contemplate
putting in the field. Remember. your
big battalion must confront the little
battalion, not on paper, but on the
ground. Hence, If "A body of 90 900 men
a be swiftly and suddenly confronted
with a body of 10000, the big battalion
rule is on the side Of the 10000. The
fact that the 10000 belong to an or
ganization which has "A couple OF hun
dred thousand men behind il does not
matter. Unless the 200, 900 men are
available at the moment they do not
count.
An extremely mobile army. ready TO
spring first in one direction and then
in another, is quite capable of beating
an army of three or four times it's size,
and beating IT always, by having u sub.
stantial majority of combatants In
every actual engagement. OF course
the big army may be so splendidIy or
gained that II will be quite as mobile,
IL not more mobile, than the small
army. In that case the small army will
be swallowed whole. All we contend
is that the hugeness Of the European
armies tends TO make them immobilc,
and that therefore it is always posi-
bic that some clever invention in the
direction of intense mobility may give
victory to a small and apparently not
particularly well-found army In other
respects.-London Spectator.