The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-02
Eight Million More Who Have
Not Seen Service.
A FAILURE OF EQUIPMENT
Is the Difficulty That Now Con-
fronts the Kaiser.
Can't Increase Armament Un'
til the Factories Catch Up.
CBy J. w. T. Mason.]

New York. Dec. 2.-The French gov
ernment has revised its estimate OF tne
German field strength. Iorthlsn'
ago. the total was placed at sixty-llVe
armv corps. of which fifty were said OF
he in France and Belgium and fifteen
in the Russian operations. In the ne"
statement the French authorities now
increase the number to seventy-tnree
.nd one-half army corps. placing fifty
two in the west and twenty-one anu
Oue-half in the east. Tne exact nui'i
ber of troops in an army corps OH
war footing is concealed by the govern
ment as means of confusing the
enemy.
If is probable, however, that Ger.
man corps has minimum Oh 4V'VVo
men. ..+.,
field strength at the present time OF
1850, 900 men.
According to the census of 1910 there
are eight million males above the age
of 20 in Germany. trained to arms. Coi-
trary to a widespread belief, conscrip-
ton in Germany is not liversal. Al
most twice as many men arrive at the
military age as the government wants
for it's recruits. Hence, the eight mil
lion Germans who have had military
training do not represent the entire
available males of the nation. Tnere
are in addition about eight million
men in Germany above the age OF ~
who have never been in the army.
Eight Million Trained Men.
OF Germany's eight million men who
have done conscript duty, 4.3OO,OOO are
between the ages of 25 and 45. the re-
mainder being older than As. These
4,3OO, 900 are really Germany's present
first line strength. Practically all OF the
soldiers now in the field must have
been drawn from, them. II the odd
500. 900 be thrown aside as having be-
come physically unfit for military serv-
ice that leaves four million trained
men available. OF these approximately
only three million are now at the 'front.'
In other words Germany has reserve
of one million men less than As years
of age who have had military expert
ence as 'conscripts. How many others
besides this number are undergoing
their first instructions as volunteers is
not known. Possibly a second million
This would seem to be the extreme
limit because Germany must now be
hampered through failure of equip
ment The Germans have gained large
initial advantages over the allies be-
cause they had large reserves OF war
supplies ready for immediate use when
the hOstilties broke out. But there is
a limit even to German preparedness
and it is probable that Germany has
now reached that limit Until the
armament factories catch up with the
new demand. it is doubtful if Germany
can make any large addition to her
first line strength.
Some Needed at Home.
The total number of men Germany can
ultimately put in the field is a highly
technical matter. 1t depends upon the de-
gree to which their economic life can be
curtaied without bringing disaster to the
field forces The proportion of men who
must remain at home to keep productive
enterprises going during war time has
never been satisfactorily worked out. Ex-
perence in each individual case alone can
answer.
Among the Beers. practically all able
bodied men We're available for the war
against England; but German society is
too complex and the fighting force de-
pends too much on supplies from home
for the Boer precedent to hold. II Ger
many can maintain five million properly
equipped healthy men the fighting
line and make up all casualty losses. the
feat will be one of the marvels of the
world.