The Washington herald., 1916-09-17

= campaign. II was obvious that IL the
effort was made and failed, there would
be no men to I'LL the gaps and the mill
| tary organization of the empire would
be unable to carry out a successful Of
fensive in 1917. Kitchener, with the sup
port Of Gen. Sir Archibald Murray, then
chief of the imperial General Staff and
later Of his successor, Sir William Rob
ertson, contended that a victory in 1916
was impossible and that the army must
be organized for a longer war. His ar
Suments won. and time has proven him
right.
The government was faced last year
represented the extreme limit of the
empires resources, II credit and the
| navy were to be maintained. To those
counselors who wished to rush through
conscription and put as many men as
possible in France, Kitchener retortsd
| that the side which could keep its
army powerful and efficient longest
would win. He brought forward the
| plan for field army of eighty-six di-
visions, supported by reserves calcu-
| lated to maintain that army at full
strength until the end of 1915, even
though the units lost 100 per cent a
| year and had to be entirely replaced.
In other words, Britain had at the be-
ginning of the 1915 campaign twice as
many reserves as she had soldiers in
the field. Each field battalion has a
reserve battalion at home from which
mon are sent to the front, as needed.
to take the place OF the fallen and the
sick. Now that the strength OF the
German divisions is visibly declining,
and the French army is on the down
grade, the wisdom OF Kitcheners plan
is becoming manifest, and this time
next year, II the war lasts so long, 1t
is hard to see how the elghty-slx di-
visions OF Britafn-stIll at full strngth,
thanks to Kitchener-can be withstood
by the depleted ranks of Hindenburg.
The war may not last until the end
OF 1918. But Kitchener, as high off,
Ger once remarked to me, has played
the war safe"
French Numbers Declining.
The armies OF France, as all students
OF the war know. have been declining
/ in numbers for some time, though they
| have been growing stronger in guns,
especially big guns, and in shells. The
decline in numbers is serious, and will
| continue to the end. for the boys of the
| younger classes who are being drafted
into the ranks do not make up more
than one-fourth or one-fifth the per-
manent wastage caused by death, wounds
and disease. 1t is improbable, however,
that the French armies are losing strength
more rapidly than those OF Gercmany
! which are bleeding on two fronts instead
of one. and in addition France has the
! inestimable advantage Of the support of
| British units which under the system
described can be kept at full strength
! long after all the other continental
armies, excepting those OF Russia and
Italy. have wasted away to shadows.
Mystery Surrounds wastage.
In order to conceal the rate of vast
age, and for other reasons. the French
have surrounded their units with much
mystery and have made frequent changes.
so that 1t is impossible for an outsider,
however we'll informed. to discuss the
strength Of the French with the approx
innate accuracy possible when dealing
with the British. But there are good
reasons to think that the French armies
now aggregate about ninety divisions or
| 10000 men. II an allowance of five
divisions either way be made as a pos
sible margin OF error, l was assured by
high authority that my estimate would
be within the mark-that is, it can be
stated with certainty that the armed
strength Of France is between 1,70O,O00
and 100000 men. l am referring to
cOmbatant strength, but so heavy has
been the drain on French man power
that it Is doubtful whether any reserves
remain in the central depots to fill gaps.
excepting the boys of seventeen and
eighteen who are in training. When heavy
| losses are incurred. 1t is necessary, as
| 1t is on the German side. to either abolish
certain units or cut down the number
/ of battalions in a division. The perma-
nent French losses have probably reach
ed during the Somme fight the appalling
! figure of two millions.
There are some eight French divisions
! at Saloniki under Gen. Sarrail. France
J has no other commitments away from
home, and her remaining eighty-two di-
visions or so are spread out from the
Somme to Switzerland.
Russian Strength Inflated.
Wild estimates are made all over the
world about the size of the Russian
/ armies; recently 1 read that the Car has
100000 men under arms. The correct
figures have not, I believe, been publish
| ed in this country. They are here given
from official German sources and repre-
sent the belief of the German intelligence
! department.
There were last month on the main
Russian front, from Riga to the Rou-
| manian border, 137 divisions of Russian
infantry, amounting to about 2,74o,OOO
men, and thirty-six cavalry divisions of
| about $4,000 horsemen. This total of
! iACoAly OSVOO'vOO men represents the larg-
est army in Europe While the much
! larger figures commonly given are en-
tirely fabulous, It is true that Russia s
supply Of men is unlimited and that she
cannot only keep her present establish
/ ment up to full strength. but form new
! divisions II sufficient arms and equip
| ment are provided by her allies, America
and Japan. In addition to the troops
on the main front, Grand Duke Nicholas
Is said by the Germans to have ten divi-
sions, or 100000 men, operating in Ar
menia and Persia against the Turks.
The Russian forces now reported in Rou-
mania may be units sent down from the
main front or fresh troops appearing
| from the interior.
Italy Holding Back.
Like England, the Italians have sentonIv
a limited portion OF their available troops
to the front There are fifty-fye Italian
divisions on the whole front, about !. 100
900 men, an army Just about the size of
that Great Britain has in France this
summer Italy is able to put at least
another l,25o,Oo0 men under arms IL and
when she wants them.
During the great Austrian attack las
spring through the mountains OF the
Trentino, Gen. Cadorna rushed up troops
from the interior and transferred soldiers
from the Isonzo front until he had 500 600
men massed in the Venetian plain wait