The sun., 1916-10-01

uniforms, and his company 10 sent to
Join a command at the front which be-
cause OF the men taken away by this
system and casualties has been shaken
up and Is one company short Of It's
former strength. Bands play the new
company through the streets, the men
are rowne with flowers. their depar-
ture accompanied by maximum publicity.
Another evidence has been afforded to
the people that Germanys man power
Is ~neXhaustible.
Though the moral effect Of this proc
ess on civilians II considerable the main
reason for the complicated and continu-
Gus formation of new companies and
d!sbanding Of old ones Is the psychic
logical effect on the soldiers themselves
Men get "!n a rut' II they are kept In
he same old trenches month after month.
even if given leave and compelled to
return TO the same ground. They do
not fight SO well in an advance " they
know the ground and the difficulties they
have to face. accordinc to the German
theory. A change, II is figured. puts
new life into a war weary and disp!rited
trench veteran. who may have STAG
mated in a Flanders dueout for months
until he would surrender II he go; the
slightest opportunity, but who II given
flowers. cheered In the streets, sent with
new comrades TO a new front. will go
into action with the spirit and vim OF
the old 1914 days.
The system by which Germany guard.
her communication and garrisous 70 y
quered territory was worked out during
the second summer of the war and t.
now In full swing. All boys OF eighteen
~ nineteen who are called up to join
the new classes and hundreds OF thou
sands Of older men rejected In the early
days Of the war as unfit are now sent
into this ~'e'apper" service. No men are
ever sent direct TO the front after only
barracks training. There are SOM
Two million soldiers employed In this
work In the rear OF the armies.
Service OF a new recruit IN the "etap-
PEN service. " he IL In good physical
trim. lasts from three to six months
Every three months each man Is exam
ined by a doctor and his condition en-
tered upon n chart. Continual drafts
are made ur in the occupied zone
OF France and Russia from 'etappen'
, veterans passed as At for active service
and those men are sent TO the front tC
!, MI gaps caused by casualties and by tn,
!. withdrawal OF trench veterans to h
!, rested az their homes and ultimatel,
formed there into now companies an'
sent elsew here.
!, Used a. Emergency Reinforcement nj
German military men are most enthu
siastic over the %"etappen' system. 7
2 not only results In the younger mel
= reaching the front trained soldiers In
? stead OF civilians with a knowledge o
y drill. as in other armies, but It actual!
I adds hundreds OF thousands Of men 4
o the armed strength of the nation through
u its value In toning up UNIT men. Won
= derful cures are performed by opel al
= - LII -- 40 NIA.t
Z and factory hands whom no milltar,
: tribunal would send to the front. Pu
In the %"etappen" service they may be
X come ht for active work. and II they d
n they eventually find their way to tn
trenches. II they do not they are stil
e serving the fatherland by taking tn
= places In the rear Of men who otherwis
Q could not be In the firing line.
Another merit Of the "etappen" sys
TEN liz it's ability to hurriedly throw 70
endorsements to a sector Unexpected
d assailed by the enemy. Otter In a SUI
v prise no reenforcements are immediatel
A available and some time Ia required IA
N regular troops to arrive from other sex
Q tors. Then an emergency call is sent OF
. TO the communication troops In the rea
~ OF the district where the attack Ii taktn
IS place and these men are rushed to IN
a scene Immediately by train. The PEI
y centage of unfit among them nay b
"a high and their value small compared I
= regular troops. but they have rifles an
:, are better than nothing.
:. Often these men, never In the hrin
line before. have pulled Generals out {
tight situations. Their presence durin
many hot actions accounts for some {
:. the extraordinary reports heard on III
is allied fronts Of unframed boys. men wit
20 physical defects and soldiers who woul
not stand up and fight serving In n
German armies. Some specimens OF u
A %"etappen" service found dead or cal
"a tured by tho enemy naturally wou'
"a convey to the opposing army Il most III
complimentary opinion Of the Germa
:. troops. had the Allies not learned bett,
durinf months of lighting.