The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-01-30
l3,OOO,OO0 men ON
BA TIL EFIELD IN
SPRING MP AIGN
All Nations Now at War Feel Strain.
Of Supplying Equipment for
Vast Armies at Front.
EAST TO SEE BITTER FIGHTING
Germany Able to Meet Kitchener's
New Army of 100000 Man for
:
Man-Fewer Men for Defense.
.(By j. w. T. Mason)

New York, Jan. 30.-Next week
will see the first units Of the new
army that have completed their six
months training move to the front
in preparation for the second defense
phase of the war. How the proper
ton of fighting strength will result
when both sides have completed their
reinforcing movement, can only be
roughly appropriated. The basic
date does not relate to men, but to
munitions. All three nations at war
are feeling the strain of supplying
the enormous quantities of war sup
plies that the armies demand and all
have more men than equipment.
The problem of estimating what
the new fighting strength of the rival
forces will be in the spring is there.
fore complicated by the inability of
the worlds war factories to keep up
the killing pace Of the battle field.
Issued Last Month. -
The only official figures of present
combatants are those issued by the
French war office last month, which
gave 2,236,000 as the German
strength in the west, and $4,000 as
the German strength in the east. Both
English and French official reports
have confessed that the German west.
ern armies are numerically stronger
than the allies, but not how much
stronger. The London war offices,
however, have announced there are
now four English armies in France.
The strength of the British army
probably is two army corps of $4,000
men each. This would make the
British strength on the continent
100000. It is possible that Belgium
has been able to replace casualties to
the extent of skeepin gs4zsup their
strength to SO, 600. The French
strength cannot be greater than L..
100000 because of the equipment
problem and may not be as much as
this.
Is 100000 Less.
Therefore, the western armies have
now 2,033,000 troops, or fully
equipped 100000 less than the Ger
man strength in the west.
Kitchener's new army of 100000
men ought to be fully equipped by
spring, but it is impossible that the
French will be, able to add greatly
to their own forces. Filling the de-
pleted French ranks have undoubted-
ly made heavy demands upon Frances
trained men. The French forces
probably cannot be increased more
than 100000 by spring, making the
total number of the allies in the
west, 100000.
Man for Man.
It is reasonable to assume that
Germany can meet this new force
man for man. But it will not be
necessary for her to do this, if pure
ly defensive campaign is decided up
on, since the allied forces have been
able to hold their own with numer-
ical inferiority. Germany will prob
ably consider her capable of meeting
the allies 100000 with no more
than 100000.
The spring campaign in the west
may see practically 100000 men
pitted against each other.
The eastern situation may develop
so as to COMPEL Germany to deplete
still further her western fighting
force, and this is the unknown part
Of the problem.
| To Total 100000.
To Germany's eastern strength,
$4,000 must be added, probably L.
100000 Austrians, making a total of
2,424,000. Russia has approximately
the same. Germany and Austria
may be able to raise their strength by
spring. Whether this can be sur
passed by Russia is improbable, but
the matter is uncertain. If the Slavs
do not more than equal the strength
} of the Teutonic alliance, there will