Albuquerque morning journal., 1915-04-29
DUTCH ARMY IS
READY To PUT UP
STRONG FIGHT
Force of 25Q,O00 Men Now
Under Arms to Defend
Country Against Any Vio-
Iation of Neutrality,

tfNsnciated FresA COrrcspnudence.)
Amsterdam, Holland. April 12.--
Holland Is keeping in training for
midable army and a small but eff
client fleet not TO be despised when
taken I'm conjunction with her now
erful coast defenses to be prepared
for the eventuahty Of having to de-
fend herself in case she is threatened
from any side during the great Euro
pean war
The nation TO a man is fully aware
OF the fact that its armed forces may
al any moment be called upon TO
strike a blow TO maintain its neutral
ity, and the statesmen forming the
government know that this necessity
may arise with terrible suddenness.
The Dutch land forces. in times OF
peace almost insignificant In numbers
as compared with the millions of
men composing the continental armies
of the great powers, have since their
mobilization at the beginning of the
war been augmented by the calling mp
of reserves until they now total over
250.00 men. Altogether seventeen
yearly classes OF troops, averaging
about 1900 men for each year from
1899 to 1915, inclusive. have been
called To the colors. Seven Of these
classes, composed OF the younger
men. belong to the landwehr, and the
other ten 10 the militia. Since Au-
gust the men have been constantly ex-
ercised and they have now reached n
condition of preparedness and fitness
such as never has been known in the
Dutch army
The army as II at present Is organ
ized comprises first the field army
of approximately 10000 men; second,
the troops forming the city garrisons
wherever they might be most re-
quired.
Formed Into Four Divisions.
The field army, which would form
the burden OF resisting any attack on
Dutch territory. is not divided into
army corps but Is formed into four
divisions, each composed of forces OF
all arms-cavalry, infantry, artillery,
engineers and transport-and these
occupy strategic points.
The garrison troops occupy the
larger cities and forts and would not
be called on to. take the field.
The surplus army is distributed all
over the country In training deputs,
where the men are continually drilled
In field work, digging trenches, erect
ing wire entanglements, shooting and
carrying out long route marches.
Besides the resistance to an invad-
er offered by the field army, Holland
possesses what is regarded as its most
valuable defensive asset in the shape
Of its system of inundation, details of
which are kept strictly secret. 1t is
known, however, that large tracts of
territory can In a short time be COW
cred with water to considerable
depth by the piercing of the dikes
protecting the low~lying country from
.encroachment by the sea, for great
part of Holland lies below sea-level.
Should the field army be defeated
in it's encounters with an invader II
would retire behind the first line of
water defense after resisting long
enough for the inundation to become
effective. In the unlikely event of
the enemy overcoming the difficulties
of the flooded country In this first
zone, the field army would retire be-
hind the second water-line enclosing
the large cities. which IT would then
defend with the assistance of the
landwehr and landsturm already
there
Frederick the Great, in discussing
the invasion of Holland is recorded
as having Sdlus 1t lS no use NY at
to march my six-foot sol
diers into n country covered with
seven feet of water" This difficulty
still exists and makes it a stupendous
for any army to attempt
the conquest Of Holland from the
land side.
AS to its naval defenses, Holland
makes no pretensions to be among
the first-class powers The blue
jackets frank among the best in the
world and they have the traditions
Of centuries behind them, but the
vessels which they man are small and
would have very little chance In an
with the heavy ships Of the
bigger nations. The most powerful of
the Dutch vessels. De Zever Provin~ |
cien, displaces only $3.50 tons, and /
there are five others of about 5000 |
IONS each, all Of them with n speed |
Of about sixteen knots. Some Of them |
are fifteen years Old Coast defense |
vessels. protected cruisers, gunboats,
lestroyers and torpedo boats, some |
IF them modern