New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-24
WOOD AS KA|SER'S GUEST
Will Have Royal Company at
German Manpuv"eS.
10000 MEN IN FIELD
Annual Demonstration Rough
on Soldiers, but Harder
Still Upon Officers.

Berlin, Aug 14-Major General Leonard
Wood, who will attend this years grand.
or Kaiser, maneuvres In Silesia Sep
TENDER 5 20 10 at the personal invitation
OF Emperor William. will find himself in
eminent and august company, the En-
peror's other guests including General
Polio. chief Of the General Staff OF the
Italian army; General Ramon Ruiz, chief
Of the General STAFF of the army OF the
Argentine Republic the King Of Saxonyi
Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, head OF the
Bavarian army; Prince Friedrich Wilhelm
of Prussia and a long list of distinguished
German generals headed by Field Mar
shals Won der Goltz and Count Won Haese-
Ter
Even military women" will Be repre-
scented, the Emperor having invited his
sister. the hereditary princess OF SAKE
! Meiningen IN her capacity as chief OF
the I'd Silesian Grenadiers. 10 take part
In the campaign on the native soil OF her
regiment.
The Kaiser man9uvres are held be-
! tween two army corps and involve about
seventy thousand men. The Emperor al
ways attends In person, for these arc the
| most important army exercises Of the
year. They are. however, preceded by
smaller maneuves, IN which the de-
mands upon the men and officers are
fully as great. Probably. indeed. these
| preliminary maneuvres are q harder test
! than the Kalsers man1uvres, since they
start with the men not yet conditioned 10
the hardshps Of strenuous campaigning.
For the private soldier the summer and
autumn maneuvres mean hard work. long
marches on hot days. the fording or riy-
ers. bridge building and every actual
| hardship that a real campaign can bring
except wounds. But the private 10 IN
some ways 10 be enHsd when compared
| TO officers of the rank OF major and up
ward The latter, IL Is true, have no
/ sixty-pound pack or rife TO carry, and
! they are on horseback, but an off1cer
gives every command with the conscious
ness that sharp-eyed observers are watch
/ ing him and that an error may and prob
ably will end his military career.
Every commissioned officer under nor
/ NAL conditions eventually becomes q
major as q matter of course. whether he
goes higher depends upon the yearly
/ manRuvres.
The officers test begins when the hrt~
gade divides for maneuvres. Each major
| is likely to be intrusted with the COM
mand OF his side for day. and bri.
gadier general and force OF umpires OBJ
serve him. The division man9uvres
bring more opportunities for the colonies,
and the corps maneuvres furnish the
final test
Manifold are the pitfalls awaiting the
commander Of any unit He may become
excited in the heat Of the sham baltic
and fail to keep well behind his men, sS
a commanding officer should do. Pres
entity an orderly from the General Staft
observers approaches him. Colonel,
he announces, you and your orderlies
and starr have been killed. You VIII
please withdraw"
The commanding officers are held strict
~ 10 a high degree Of perfection Not
only are mistakes counted against them,
but any officer who. uneasy at the close
scrutiny 10 which he is subjected De-
comes nervous and excited is lost There
Is no room for the nervous and excitaoie
officer In high places in the German army
Errors In the disposition Of his forces
may on occasion be overlooked. but Inc
General staff, which represents the En-
peror, demands that men inuusted with
command over others shall have no
nerves.
! Occasionally the maneuvres cost MO
or two. Colonel Bode. for instance COM
nander of the 18th Regiment OF intan-
try. dropped dead recently during neid
exercises. and from time TO time soldiers
succunnb 70 the severe tests, although.
strict as is the German army discipline
the bodily welfare OF the men Is most
carefully looked after.
The chief mortality attendant upon ths
/ autumn nanoeuvres is 20 commissions
When all is over the reports OF the crit
les come TO the Emperor's private mih-
tarv cabinet. Of which General Baron
Won I,vncker is the head. The reports are
carefully considered, and later num-
her OF unfortunates receive letter from
the cabinet in a blue envelope. There Is
no need 10 open It. The colonel, for In
stance. knows that the communication
inside means that further promotion 70
never 10 be his.