The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-12-08
Belgian Army Ready
To Take Up Offensive
In Flanders
(By Associated Press.)

Havre, Dec. THE Belgian army
was composed Of $4,000 men at the
beginning of the war, increased py
10000 volunteers in August, 1914
and was reduced to $4,000 men af-
ter the battle of the User. BY meas
ures applied to Belgian refugees and
by the enlistment of volunteers who
braved the live wire barriers raised
on the Holland frontier, it now has
been brought up to ten divisions OF
well trained forces ready to take
their part in the offensive in Flars
ders wherever the word is given by
the commander ithe Asso-
ciaied Press is informed by the Bel
eian minister of war.
'Tf our army mas not undertaken
Operations of wider scope up to
this time,'' said the minister, 1T is
because it does not devolve on it to
decide the movement when these op-
'eratjons should begin. The army is
only part of the combined allied
forces acting in unison and in ac-
lcordance with carefully developed
plans The army has valiantly filled
the role, more ungrateful than glor,
ious, that has been assigned to it.
1t has just proved by it's brilliant
participation in the last offensive In
Flanders that it is ready to attack
with fervor and awaits impatiently
the hour"
II Summarizing the work of the Bel.
gian army during the war and re-
Yerring to its difficulties and lack o.
equipment the minister recalled that
lin August. 1914, the army had only
one machine gun for each 1000 men,
was short Of 3-inch guns and had
. ammunition for only about 500 shots
/ for each piece. 1t had no light NOR
tars, no heavy artillery, no grenades.
no trench equipment, no am0ulances.
no ponto6n crews, and not a single
motor cycle. ut had only 1000
, bicycles. 2 captive balloons, a few su.
!, perannuated airplanes and few
posts Of wireless telegraphy.
I'VE had only $4,000 infantry at
ter the battle of the Yser," said the
. minister and its equipment was in
a pitiable state, munitions were lack
/, ing and all Of the different organ.
isms were deranged when the army
base was transferred to foreign soil.
. This remnant Of an army not only
barred the way to Calais but whilA
I, doing SO was re-organized and re-
J., inforced until now it counts three
E, times the number of men that the
j. battle OF the User left valid. The
\ front held by the Belgian army has
been gradually heightened from
;. about IL 1-2 miles after the battle
;of the User to 10 miles in June, 1916
The Belgian army organized tht.
front and held it alone until the mid
die of this year, when, as a conse
quence Of the operations of the al
lied offensive in Flanders it was re
- - duced, enabling the army to dispos.
;. of considerable reserves.
: The Belgian army prepared NOR
r tina n25O miles of trenches and re
built more tnan 200 miles of road
Eighty different lines of norma
sauge railroads were built. Batter
Nv e;uplacements were constructed h
hundreds, and thirteen thousan
:, niles of telephone wires were put II,
: or laid underground.
:, In August, 1917, the army hid
=, tWeive times as many machine gur
- as in 1914, seven times as manv f,el
!. guns and heavy pieces with five time
as much ammunition as was on han
:. at the outset of hostilities. 1t has te
einhes as many a1rplanes.
:, Belgian aviators during thrt
-. months normal activity execute
:, nearly 1900 flights, of which 1.Os
a.. wele in pursuit of adversary plane
=, All the different arms of the seryi
inn have progressed and been improy,
80 In the ratio indicated by these fl
urcs
ers The Impression that has go,
ide abroad that the Belgian army W
ore re-crganized and re-equipped entir
the ly by our allies is an error" Il
minister added. Belgium. exir
ney and deprived of all her resources,
art. ceived generous hospitality and DO
full e.ful aid from her glorious allies.
was on French and British soil tn
ust all was to be done, but Belgia