New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-27

faith in his immense army In comparison with his
fierce fighters the strongest array that Bulgaria
and the other disaTecfed States could would
look weak and insignificant
Turkey is essentially a military country not in
the sense thar Germany is France. but in rating
the nations ~ the world according 20 the size OF
their respective armies the Ottoman Empire is
always placed well I'D toward the top 81 the list
More or less secrecy Is maintained regarding the
number ~ men under in Turkey. and r is also
difcult get Trustworthy information covering the
details OF the organization and distribution Of the
force. The best authorities agree however that the
permanent army embraces something like 25eeOo
wei trained and thoroughly equipped men. and that
~ calling the active reserves force Of 10000
could De modified.
This does not take into account the L.andsturm.
second militia reserve. and tho numerous bands
90 nornad Arabs II they were drafted into service
more than Loc0o00 men could be put into tho field.
This is n statement that viii probably sur
prise n view Of the fact that such strictly military
powers Germany. France and Russia have armies
OF only from 10000 10 10000 eaoh/ In the war
with Greece Turkey did not put forth anything Ike
her fun strength and IL Is estimated that II IL had
been necessary she could have increased her fight
inE force ia that threefod The greater part Of
rho Turkish army is well disciplined, trained and
equipped. but the reserves and the tribal organza-
tions about Trustworthy the militia OF
most nations. The tribal bands form the most saw
Hge and warlike element IN the ottoman army. and
~ they could be thoroughly controlled they would
he terrible factor Tor harm. But I'm their wander
ings they Ia almost constant conflict with the
officers 81 the regular army and strong feeling OF
hatred exists between the two. The bands are all
subject 10 military service however and counted
part 81 the sultans army. In past wars they
have rendered effective service following their
peculiar and savage methods Of warfare.
As may be imagined the sultan is required to
levy heavily on the male population Of HIS empire
I'm order maintain bis large army. The ranks
ore recruited with conscrirts and few volunteers
Turkey. like practically an foreign nations. has
compulsory military service. Life in the Sultan's
army Is SNAP" FOR IL means twenty years
81 service only part OF which. however, is
actually spent with the troops in the field. All
Nussurnans over twenty years Of liable 20
military service. and this liability continues for
twenty years. Non-Mahometans are not included
in the compulsory requirements, hut they are per
r1itted escape only by paying tax OF about six
shiIinrs which is levied On all males OF age.
Nomad Arabs. though liable 70 service. furnish no
recruits and many nomad Kurds also evade ser
vice. 50 that the conscrption falls heavily upon
tho Turk About one hundred and forty thousand
Moslems become liable TO service every year, and
about nifty thousand pass annually into the Nizan.
or army, and its reserves. in order not 10 sap
the entire strength of the empire for the support
81 army. the male population OF Constantinope.
Jeddah. Medina and Mecca are exempt from mill
tary service. and sons Of wealthy parents may
purchase their discharges after short period OF
enlistment
The Turkish army is organized into a number Of
divisions accommodate
service demanded Of the Sultan's subjects. First
there Is the Nizan or the permanent army. and
fts several reserves Then comes the Redif or
I.sndwehr. which embraces the militia. The third
division Is the Landsturm. which is composed Of
men serving their last years IN the army The
conscript serves six years in the regular army,
eight years IN the Redif. and six years in the
I.andsturm when reaches the last classi-
cation his military service Is practically over, for
soldiers IN the Landsturm are called together only
rarfrF-
The empire is divided into army districts.
There are seven corresponding army corps with
headquarters as follows: Coustantinople. Adrian
orle Monastr. Erzinjan. Damascus BaEdad and
Sansa. These districts arranged 10 pro
vide for an equal distribution Of troops the
entire vast domain urder the sutan's control.
They reach from salonca 10 the Tigris and the
Persan Gulf 10 Jerusalem and the shores OF the
Red Sea. and. skipping Egypt, 10 the southeastern
shores o. the Mediterranean.
The infantry OF the regular army contains sixty
six regiments Of the line, each with four battahons
with tho exception ~ three. which have three bat
N talons regiments OF zouaves Of two battalions
III each. regiment OF hremen OF four battaiions,
and fourteen batjali0ns OF rifles. The total war
establishment OF regiment OF four battaions is
2.76i men 81 al ranks. with 207 horses. The in
fantry is armed with Mauser rifles about $4,000 OF
which have been distributed. while orders for 1s0-
CO. more stands have lately been placed The cav
airy 81 the regular Turkish army consists Of
tfirty-eiEht regiments of the line regiments OF
the guard and two eQuadrons % mounted infantry
Yamen. The court regiments are CHARTERED at
Constanunonle and the show troops Of the
sultan Each regiment has $50 horses as perfectly
matched b. found In any OF the European
armies
The Redif s organized into two bands The first
consists OF forty-eght regiments and the second OF
forty. on a war footing the organization of the
Redf rs intended he the same that OF the
Nizan. The men OF this force are armed with
Msuser rifles also In the mountain districts the
forty-eght regiments OF militia cavalry nded
by tribal leaders and associated with the regular
army. The tribes furnish the horses and equip
neut and the government provides the armament
Each of these regiments has from Ole 10 J. 152 men.
undergoing reorganization IN accordance with
scheme. which sanctioned some wears ago
whereby the force viii he modernzed and strength
ened. In the new arrangement there VIII be 10
batteries OF artillery. 16s field and mounted
batteries. with a total Of 1882 guns con- \ war
footing. the strength Of a field battery consists
81 about lS7 officers and men. with 100 horses. or
fortress batteries there s. battaliOns. OF
shich are ntrenched in the offences at CONSTANT
nople. the Bosphor1s and the DaIdanenes.
The Turkish Navy S a miserable apology the
name. being far inferior that possessed by Spain
al the beginning OF the late Spanish American
War. The vessels hying the sultan's flag are
chiefly ANTICIPATED huIkH most % which are tied Up
al foreign shpyards, waiting for repairs that the
Ottoman Government does not inclined TO pay
for. The weakest naval power earth has moth
ING 20 fear from the Sultan's navy n present All
% his ships with one exception. were built at for
eiga shipyards. OF late there has been some eKf-
sencc OF A policy 20 modernize the Turkish navy
Two vessels the small cruiser type
3eing built one the Cramps shlpyard IN Phila-
1elpha. and the other al Esuick England. The
American vessel was launched a few weeks ago
and win be ready for service IN six or eight months.
There are 5000 officers and mon IN the Turkish
nay and 900 marines. being about the same num-
Der as IN the corresponding services OF this coun-
he n1f9Ff he suit