The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-08-24

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three powers in the triple entente
there are approximately 100000 men
The troops of the Balkan states. Ser
via, Roumania, Montenegro and Bull
garia, as well as of Greece, are trained
veterans today, having emerged re-
Gently from arduous campaigns against
Turkey.
Relative Fighting Strength.
Assuming that the war must spread
from the local field to other strategic
points, the strength of the three great
powers of the entente is of vital mo-
ment. Russia is believed to have 1T
least 100000 soldiers in its army
when the full war strength of its es-
adjustment is called out. The esti-
mate for France is 100000 to 4,COO.-
600, while that OF Great Britain is less
than a fifth of that of Russia and less
than one-half of the minimum of
France, being about 10000 men, In
a clash between the three great powers
of the triple alliance and the three of
the triple entente the navies must nee
essarily play a great part, if not the
chief part.
Just what the objective will be when
the great forces are launched forth
upon foreign soil can only be deter
mined by the eXigencieS of the cam
paign. If it is a seacoast or port
then the navy may virtually decide the
struggle before the army gets to the
field to strike its blow.
Navies In the Entente.
Russia's naval complement today is
approximately 200 vessels. OF this
number thirteen are battleships, six
armored cruisers, eight cruisers, nine
ty-five destroyers, forty-two torpedo
boats, thirty-one submarines. Aiming
to waylay an enemy's navy and pre-
vent its reaching a certain point or
uniting with the navy of friendly
power. the cruisers and destroyers and
auxiliary vessels would be able to do
good work
The naval strength of France is near
ly three times that of her copartner,
Russia. France already has two Dread
nOughts atloat, twenty-Seven other bat
tleships, twenty-five armoTed cruisers.
fifteen cruisers, eighty-four destroyers.
three hundred and twenty-f0ur tOTpe-
do boats and seventy-eight subma-
rines. Thus France alone would make
a very good showing against Germany
alone on the sea, Germany having few
er vessels in number than France or
| against Austria and Italy combined,
Of
| three hundred and four vessels against
| the five hundred and ffty-two of
| France. Germany is stronger in battle
/ ships than France, but not so strong
| in armored cruisers nor in torpedo
| boats.
Great Britain's Sea Power.
A great European conflict is almost
| unthinkable unless the tremendous sea
power Of Great Britain would play
part. England's naval force is greater
than that of France. if the number Of
vessels in Il navy is to be taken as an
| indication of its effective strength. Eng
land has thirteen of the class of super
DreadnoughtS, of which class no power
in the triple alliance has even one
1
| three in the process OF building As
for Dreadnoughts. of which Germany
has seventeen, Great Britain has six
teen to supplement her thirteen super
Dreadnoughts and forty-eight other
battleships as against the thirty of
this class in the German navy. In
cruisers and destroyers, torpedo boats
and submarines, vessels for speed and
rapid action, England is again the
superior Of Germany.
Great Britain's destroyers number
two hundred and fifteen. Germany's
destroyers one hundred and fOrty-one;
Great Britain's torpedo boats number
one hundred and eighteen as against
Germany's fOrty-seven. and Great Brit
aims submarines number seventy-seven
to offset twenty-seven in the navy Of
the kaiser.