Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-02-27
But, 100000 Reserves Re-
main to Replace 100000
Monthly Toll.
EXPECT TO RAISE
BUT 100000 MORE
September Is Date Set for
K.aiser's Strength to
Begin Decline.
(By JOHN l.. BALDERSTON)
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.


Syndicate.)
r ONDON, Feb. 2.-Calculations,
A,ompiled from official sources, con-
cerning the available number of men
would not only interest the public, but
would prove more interesting than
any other data that could be presented
about the war excepting for one fact
that is, the public has lost faith in
figures of all kinds because the eX-
perts have appeared consistently
wrong.
In this story I purpose to take the
statistics compiled by the French
headquarters staff concerning the Ger
man army and show that by the extra
ordinary recruiting efforts now being
made IN Germany the actual decline
in the number of men on the lighting
fronts cannot be postponed beyond
September. These figures | believe to
be accurate in the main.
Present Status.
Germany. on February /, had 2iO
divisions, or 4 900, 900 men in the field.
Some 100000 men are being used IN
guarding lines of communication ana
in garrison duty in the occupied ter
ritories. One hundred divisions, or
100000 Germans are believed to be
on the east front, ten divisions or 2OO,-
600 men in the Balkans and Turkey.
and upon the west front facing the
British and French are ninety DIVISIONS
comprising 100000 men. This great
force of 240 divisions represents the
full strength Of the war machine, with
the exception of 100000 reserves kept
back on February / to fill the gaps,
and this figure of 100000 includes
400. goo lads of the class of 1917, VINO
are only now beginning their training.
Concerning the actual size of the
German armies at present, as gwen
above. there is little disagreement IN
official circles. The crucial questions
are those ot The rate of wastage from
death. wounds and disease and the
number of fresh recruits who can be
put into line as a result OF the ire
mendous efforts now going on in the
Fatherland.
Colonel Feyler, the Swiss military
,critic, has estimated that Germany
modified in the first year or war
7.75O.OOO men, and since this figure
does not include the classes or 1912
1916 and 1917. or the last ban OF the
I.andsturm, the untrained men up 10
forty-five, ii does not conflict with the
opinion of the French staff that the
total mobilizable strength of Germany,
trained and unframed, up to and in
GLIDING the class of 1917, is 100000
men.
Opinions Agree.
Concerning losses, where for more
than a year there were the WlldeS,
differences in the belief, even OF the
staff experts of the allied countries,
there is now practical unanimity or
opinion. The statement that the Ger
mans have lost since the beginning
of the war 100000 men month per-
manently incapacitated by death'
wounds or disease is now generaliy ac-
cepted and is borne out by the Of
fetal figures of the Germans them
selves. The German lists are doc
torcd" in regard to wounded and SICK,
but their total of 5SS,9S6 killed ana
356,153 missing and prisoners TO
January /, is regarded as correct ana
bv analogy with their own complete
figures. by careful examination OF the
ratio OF killed to wounded in all the
allied armies and by other intricate
methods which 1t would take column
to explain, the staff experts contend
that the German official lists when
properly interpreted verify the rate or
wastage given, which means that the
German armies up to FEBRUARY l lost
permanently about 100000 men,
100000 a month for eighteen months
of war.
Subtracting 100000 men out Of
action from the total of 100000, the
figure 100000 is obtained, and this
lrnpfipued on Page Nine)