Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-04-07
9TH INSTALLMENT
OF FRENCH REVIEW
OF EUROPEAN WAR

to re-establish,'' it says. I'VE have for
the purpose two sources. the official lists
of losses published by the German gen.
eral staff and the notebooks. letters and
archives of soldiers and officers killed
and taken prisoners. These different doc
uments show that the final loss for five
months of the campaign has been 100000
men, or go 900 men per month.
TT is certain that the majority Of the
German regiments have had TO be COM
pletely renewed. What, then, is the sit
uation created by these enormous losses?"
This question is answered by a state
ment headed German Troops Available
for 1876
THE total of German formations known
at the beginning of January" states the
review, represented in round numbers
four million men. According to the ofi-
cial reports on German recruiting, the
entire resources of Germany in men
amount to 9,0o0,ooe But from these 5000
Geo have to be deducted men employed on
railways. in the police. and in certain ad-
mlnistrations and industries, altogether
5o1,o 900 men. The total resources available
for the war were therefore $500 900. Out
| of these about one-half. say four million.
are now at the front The definite losses
represent at least 100000 men. The
available resources amounted then, at the
beginning of January. to 3,200,o 900 men.
"Of what are these resources compose
| Chiefly of men who were unframed in
time of peace, the trained reser,ists hav-
ing almost all left the depots for the
! front. 1t has, moreover, to be noted that
out Of these 100000 men there are, ac-
ccrding to the statistics, 500 600 who are
more than 80 years Of age and are there
fore of only mediocre military value
Thus there remain 100000. Finally, the
category of the unframed in peace COM
prIses. according to the estimates of Ger.
man military authorities themselves, one
quarter of inefficients
The really available resources ca
liable of campaigning are therefore
just two million. These men, COM
prising the 1915, 1916 and 1917 classes.
| called out in anticipation constitute
the total Of available resources for tn
! operations during the u months OF
1873. AS to what the military value
! OF these troops will be- considering
the haste with which they have been
trained. the formidable losses sustain
ed in the battle of Flanders by the
newly formed corps shows very clear
ly. Their military value will Be limit
ed
When it is remembered that ac-
oording to the German documents
| themselves the definitive loss eacn
month is 100000 men. it is NANTES.
that the available resources for the
year 1915 will not suffice to fill the
gaps of a war Of ten months.
1t is then superabundantly shown
that the matter of electives has
reached the maximum OF possible eff.
fort If with the men at presen.
available she creates as it is certain
that she is preparing TO do at this
moment, fresh formations. she will BE
preventing herself if the war lasts
another ten moths as is admissible
from being able 10 complete afresh
her OLD formations. If she creates
no new formations she will have in
1915 exactly what is necessary and
no more, TO complete the existing
units afresh.
Bearing in mind the ways OIL thu
| German general staff, one may sup
pose that, disregarding the eventual
still addressing itself TO creating new
formations. The weakness to which
Germany will expose herself in the
matter of effectives has just been set
forth and it is easy to show that this
weakness will be still further aggra-
waited by the wasteage in the regi-
mental cadras."