Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-01-13
BELGIAN ARMY OF
100000 Is NOW
ONLY $4,000
BeIgium's Worn Army is Strung Along User
Canal and is Said to be More Effective
Now Than the Army OF u%uadruple Size
Five Months Ago.
REACHED USER. A BEATEN AND
DEMORALiZED ARMY OF MEN
Regiments of AristOcracy Are No More
and In Their Places Are Regiments OF
Peasants Led by Active Young Belgian
Offcers-An Officer Talks.

lAA Wit'~A NHt'Hff ~ III A~~W' tNtfA y AN~~sN
Furur-. West Flanders. Jan. a.-SiXtv
Thousand worn soldiers strung along thc
User. where they checked The rush ui thc
.Grrmun invader toward Pa ~ Culai-. arc
Jan that are lett 81 The Belgian army az
l23O.ON men under arms when the Germans
Invaded Belgium. but one 81 King Alhcrt'~
staff officers who has been with the army
since thc Siege WI Licrc, assert that thc
small Belgian iurrc today Nv y tar more
efficient machine than that which mct TIC
first German attack.
IL, said To- the Associated Prc-- CORE
~pondcut:
"Nhcn NJ reached the Yer M were \
beaten and dcmuralizcd army. altmo-l to
.thc point ot absolute Reorganization.
Fighting for week. without adequate SUPP
port from our allies. and with most oi oar
men believing that We had been lett 90 eur
fate. The rhaHcc- 90 ever again making .
fighting turrr ut our army seemed remote.
That MY drd -u ua- duc tu thr highest uui
lowest factors IN our civilization. thr in-
~plratiou and activity NJ our king and tLe
fighting spirit al our pca-antry.
The king ari~tocratic regiment of
guards i- q thing of the past. They have
been di-handcd aud their places taken hy
tw" regiments made up WI Flemish peas:
ANTS and commanded hv active vouu. of-
I~iccr~ w Belgium.
"Nhtn the critical situation along tho
N~cr wa- realized thc local pea-autrl
seemed to remember thr glory ~ their nl-t
when their people were thr terror uf thp
invading ~rauIlrl und NJ needed urly thc
.%IrtUal leadership ui cow KING tu weld them
Imt" thc lighting Force vuu -rc here today.
The KING Is commander 81 tie army ami
IdurIng those nine terrible day- m the
ltrencnc- while thc German hurled their
hosts at u-. aud wc waited wv vain tur tlr
expected support. tnc king Sa- rut urlt
lan inspiration to hi- officer uud man .-
.hc fought beside them. hut hc proved him.
self a capable military leader. Today th,
army D. an efficient fighting force. too
small. ~ course. for wr urr unable Nh give
our men leave from thc trruch,- such a-
Ithc French ami English nov enjoy. and
Tins hH- cau-cd SOME natural complaint.
Ihut m spite NJ this. a- yuu ran -er tur
yourself. the pIrt 81 The soldier could
mot he better. These men are aIl ycfrrlr-
NOW and most ~ them arc Young IN wears
THE officers arc picked iur their work with
"ut regard tu their former Ia.k ANA mann,
lut tLc highest oticcr- WI thr arm, ha,
been rclcgatcd I'd posts where to-, wv, IVY.
ing useful work. bat where they can not re-
peat any 81 the hlundcr- which marked
tine irr-t part I'D The war.
NJ have nu apologize tu mako fur nur
artillery. This service wa- the really pro-
ic~~I"nal branch ~ the army into which
officers wen for pure love VT their proic-
~ion, and from Licgr Ia the Y~er fhev have
proven themselves worthy ot the cause for
which they are fighting. Some id.a M thr
value placed on Our artillery IN Indicated
I'M ihr Tact that Y Belgian captain rt ar-
.tillcrv WAS placed wv command nf twu huu-
drcd French guns and directed their tiru
continuously for thlrty->ix hours IN one If
The hcrcc~t artillery ducl- uf the camuli.n.
only Second tu our artillery ur. thr
regular cNcl~t corps ANA thp ,uiurtHr,
motor corps. Th, c%,rlr-t- upr- wei train
rd ami thr J-lan- will lun. have cau-, in
remember their craftsmanship. Tho auto
m"bl" driver volunteered from what
might have been called the 'buttrrfiv' class
In ~"gi"tN youths. hut they have proven u
tor-h a- thr battered EARS whirh thew
drive. They have endured incredible hard
ship and many WI ihcui orcupy unmarked
%"ravc~. the sole reward tur ~omr desperate
scouting venture.
Tho les said about our infantry exist
mn "I thc beginning ui ihc war thc bother.
hui thr wura ui thc mon uu- .irrn in
Trenches ha- paid nv full tar auy ru-t
-h"rtr"mlHg in tins branch WIT tir service.
We only have d few square miles NJ Dur
country LETT and practically III ot this i-
subject t. artillery fire. hut" the same spirit
winch made the Low Cuuutri.- famous a-
battle-ground iu thc Middle Ages seems tu
hdNr revived W truarity iu ,l~ pruny Which