Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-05-26
ITALIAN ARMY IS
MARvEL0USLY FIT
New Artillery, Air Craft anc
Other Equipment Better in
Some Respects Even
Than Germany's.

Paris. May 22.--If Italy decides to en-
ter the war. she will do so as the mos,
completely equipped and prepared, and
in proportion to har size, the most pow.
erfully armed nation in the world.
Not even Germany prepared more
conscientiously than italy has beer
preparing in the last six months. and
Italy has, Furthermore. the advan-
tage of all the experience gained al
bitter cost by the other nations at war,
before she herself fired a shot.
Although the fact is known to very
few outside h Italian general staff,
Italy's entrance into the war before
March ! would have meant almost GER
tain defeat.
Three reasons existed for this state,
which now exist no longer. The first
and most important of these was artil-
lery. Tn outbreak of the war found
he italian army just commenced on
the lmense task of replacing a compar-
atively old and out-of-date artillery
equipment with modern guns. To. the
great English firm of Vickers Sons &
Maxim was %intrusted the contract for
supplying Italy with the most up-to-
date field artillery.
Not to Be Used Against Allies.
Needless to say, this was not done
without bundant assurance that none
of these guns would ever be used
against n allies. On February II the
English firm completed the last of an
order of 75-millimeter field guns of the
famous Creusot pattern, sufficient to
place the Italian army at the head of
the world in arms. And with the new
field pieces went heavy artillery. up to
and including Pinch howitzers. so that
gun for gun Austria is now more than
matched.
The two other serious DEFICIENCIES Of
the Italian army were ammunition and
horses. Both these conditions were re-
liected in the immense Importation into
war, chiefly from the United States.
The purchases of horses particularly
were carefully concealed.
For many weeks Italy has beer mob
ilized to within an inch of her life."
as n American visitor has put it.
meaning by this that the Industrial life
OF the nation has been gravely weak
ened by the withdrawal OF reservists
from their ordinary employment. But
on the other side her military strength
has beer steadily gaining. From the
outset OF the war she has had attaches
in the field with every army and every
item gained from the French. British.
ooSAA IdH eSpeF-
fence has been added speedily to the
knowledge of the general staff.
Perfected by War Experience.
On another side Italy has profited
tremendously from her study of the
war -experience-in her plans OF mobili-
zation. Before the war there was only
n pewer-Germany-which had so
comprehensive a railway plan that the
moment mobilization began a complete
military time table was substituted for
the civil time table. Now Italy has
worked out such a system for herself.
More than this. according to one
we'll informed military nan who re-
Gently returned from Rome, Italy has
prof1ted by the lessons Of the German
system of strategic railways to con-
struct a series of lines along her north
ern frontier which can serve but one
purpose-the movement Of troops.
In still another department-her in
telligence system-Italy has taken q lot
from Germany's book. and in the opin-
ion of many. has gone her preceptor
n better. The organizers of the
Italian secret service have one i'm
mems advantage over the Germans in
that the territory most Immediately
concerned, In the Trentino and around
Trieste. is largely populated by Ital-
tans. while German spies had to work
in northern France and Belgium amOng
q foreign population.