The Washington times., 1917-12-16

and q total loss Of about 100000 men
by August, 1918.
General Maurice, replying recently
to General NudendorE. statement
mat the British in making their sh snt
gains in FLANDERS this year had lost
5000 mon, stated that they had
never that number engaged on the
sector IN question He stated further
that they had accurate knowledge
that the German losses had been 75
per cent greater than those of the
British.
There 10 nothing surprising In this
statement Not only have the British
great superiority In gundre-as
have the French-with superior OBJ
servation by aeroplane, but the Ger
mans have frequently made frGitess
, counter attacks In close order during
the furious fighting on the Somme
and before Yprea. Their losses must
necessarily be enormous.
Lost $1,000 q Week.
Now the British losses as officially
reported have been running as high as
$1,000 a week. Eighty per cent Of
these, at least, or $4,000. must have
occurred on the western front Dur
: ing the winter months the losses have
averaged about 10000 per week This
gives an average for the year OF A.
0Oe per week on this front
Increasing this by 10 per cent
gives q German loss on the British
front of 2e,750 per week.
The losses to the French at such
battles as the Marne, Champagne
yerdun. the Chemin-desDames, can
not be iess-they may indeed be more.
'SThs terrific fighting on the Rus
elan front, coupled with the Serbian
Rouu1anian and italian drives, may
readily have resulted in average cas-
ualtIes OF, say, $4,000 per week among
/ the Germans.
The total average casualties, on
an fronts, then, would reach 5o,oOO
per week. This would mean a total
! Of 4.446,O0o casualties in one year.
Now at the ratio OF ave wounded
to one dead this would give a total
of T4l 900 dead per year.
; "The Germans have made some fan
I tastic claims as to the number of
wounded that are returned to full
active serVice-claams Of well over
90 per cent. II so per cent are 20 far
restored that they can carry a rife
and endure the frightful ordeal OF
trench lighting II would be q notable
result. Assuming shat so per cent are
90 restored, we hnd that OF the
wounded $50, 200 are permanently
i crippled and rendered unit.
Die From Natural Causes.
"But there Is yet another leak in
this cistern OF man-power, which
cuTiously 10 always overlooked. We
refer to the fact that soldiers die
from sickness as we'll as civilians.
Our census OF 1910 shows that the
average death rate between the ages
of twenty and forty-five Is about s
per 1000. The damp conditions OF
trench life, coupled with the extraor-
1 dinary mental strain of modern wsF-
fare, will raise the rate above that
of American civilian life, especially as
undeveloped boys of sixteen and men
up to forty-fve years af age are
found in the German army. Assun-
ing a rate Of 10 per 1000, the loss
through sickness would reach $4,000
per year. This figure would probably
be maintained, because though the
total army has decreased the quality
OF the troops has greatly deterior-
eted.
"a summary Of these totals for
killed, permanently crippled, and dead
through sickness, gives a yearly total
OF ,89s 200 men absolutely lost. To
compensate for this Germany calls to
the colors each year about $4,000
young men. not 10000; which is a
figure they give out for public con-
sumption. The total snual loss there
fore Is l,24S.0OO. And II this rate be
maintained until August, 1918, the to-
tai net loss will be 4.ee2 500 or say
1000, 900 men.
This II will be noted agrees with
the total loss, as determined by the
allied secret service from the official
zAFtAnaFfnna rraAa ~ ha
TO the relatives Of soldiers lost at the
front
Therefore We repeat, Look at the
cisteru, not at the map"
Copyright I117 Mum 4 Co., Scientific
American. by Otis r. Wood