Evening star., 1914-08-01
us. ARMY OFFICERS
WATCHING EUROPE
Have Better Chance to Study
Great European Military
Machines.
GERMANY IS EXPECTED
TO MOBILIZE FASTEST
France Also Has Compact Machine.
While Russian Forces Are
Scattered.

NEW YORK. August IA washington
dispatch to the New York Times toGa
says:
General staff officers of the America
Army, whose province IL is TO be alert as
to the military plans OF the great powers.
the composition, disposition. strength and
qualifications of their armies. are making
special study of every aspect of the
imminent general war In Europe For
years they have studied the paper strength
Of the armies of Europe.
Now they feel that the opportunity is
at hand to learn what these great mill
tary machines are capable of accom-
plishing In a titanic war; whether there
are any new lessons in strategy to be
learned as a result OF the actual use Of
modern high-power weapons; whether the
submarine and the aeroplane are going
to effect radical changes in modern war
fare.
Europe is now virtually on war basis
though officially the American govern
ment knows OF only one declaration of
war-that Of Austria-Hungary against
Servia.
Watch Mobilization.
American military men are now inter-
ested in the mobilization aspects of the
European situation. In the archives Of
the general staff at the Army War Col
lege are confidential reports as to the
plans Of the European armies for mobili-
zation. the time required for putting each
army on a war footing. and similar in
formation. With the critical eyes of ex-
perts. American officers will now watch
to see the extent to which these mobiliza-
tions succeed or fall short of carefully
worked out plans.
An officer of the general staff was
asked for an opinion as to the time
likely to be engaged. He replied that
Germany was ready for instant mobiliza-
ton Of her armies.
THE Russian army he said. lis
it requires longer to mobilize 1t than to
assemble the army of compact nation
like Germany, with wonderfully well
organized military machine. The bulk OF
the army OF Russia in Europe is west Of
a line drawn north and south through
Moscow. l. would not require long to
mobilize that portion of the army west OF
be complete and were to include the
movement of troops from Asiatic Russia
and eastern Russia toward the German
or Austrian frontiers, it would require Q
long time.
German Army Compact.
The German army Is not only conn
pact, but is generally recognized as the
most advanced in the world in its de-
tailed plans and preparation for assem-
bly,. The German army will probably
be the first one modified. when once
the orders for mobilization are given.
We do not know officially whether Ger
many has actually ordered mobilization.
France Is also a compact nation for mills
tary purposes. The French army can
mobilize quickly. 1t is in better SHAPE
believed to be ready for any emergency,
We have never been able to learn the
French plans of mobilization. But there
is no doubt that the French army can
be mobilized in a very short time.
should say that the German army can
be mobilized quickest, that France ranks
next in ability to mobilize quickly. and
that France can mobilize quicker than
Austria, while it would require longer
for Russia than any of these nations.
THE system of mobilization in Ger
many is the best in the world For forty
years German stan experts have been
preparing for just such an emergency.
They have evolved plans for almost any
maneuvers. and everything needed for in
stant action is ready. Plans for the in
vasion Of every European country and
for mobilizing her armies for that pur-
pose have been worked out by the Ger
man officers. At the outbreak of hostili-
fled by telegraph.
Every Man Knows Place.
Every man In the German fighting ma
chine knows the place assigned to him
and what he has to do fey hours after
he enters the field
Officers of the general staff here as
sert that every officer is in possession Of
secret military orders that enables him
to take his proper place on the gigantic
military chessboard without further in
structions In German mobilization the
entire railway system is handed over to
the military railway department n spe-
c1al branch of the service that exercises
control over the transportation of the
army. its supplies and equipment. There
are 5000 men in the three railway regi-
ments OF the German army. In mobili-
zation and war they assume control over
the entire network OF railways Ger
many's railway cars are built with the
idea Of their possible use in army opera
tions. This is a matter OF public knowl.
edge to every one who has Travelled in
Germany who has been told the meaning
Of peculiar hieroglyphics painted on tho
front corner Of each car. These legends
indicate the number Of horses men and
the weight OF the guns each car can
carry in war.
frontier railway lines with a different
gauge, 30 that German rolling stock
would not At them. But to meet this the
Germans have built the trucks Of their
cars in such way as to be adapted to
the Russian tracks without much DIM
Guilty. The French railways have been
built with a special view to their mill.
tary use They parallel one another in
their approach to the German border.
Can Move Vast Armies.
Army officers assert that France. Ger.
many and Russia are each able at any
lime to move $4,000 men without delay.
Each of these nations can put more men
nto the field. but this number is always
instantly available. 1t is estimated that
here are from 100000 to 100000
rained men in Germany. who have seen
military service and could be called into
,ervice There are three sets of re-
serves. When these are summoned to
he colors each man knows where he is
o go. When he arrives there he finds
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