The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-11-30
TEN DIVISIONS BELCIANS NOW
 AWAIT ORDERS

Havre, Nov. 3o.-(By mail to A. P) Ten divisions strong, the Belgian
 army is ready to take it's part in the offensive in Flanders whenever the word is given. The Belgian Minister of War today told The Associated Press that the Belgian army was
 composed of IF, 600 men at the begin
 ming of the war increased by 20, GOO
 volunteers in 1914, and reduced to
 60,ooo men after the battle of the
 Yser Since then, by the enrolment
 of Belgian refugees and the enliss-
 ment of volunteers who have braved
 the Eve-wire barriers on the Holland
 frontier, it has been brought up to 10
 divisions of well-trained troops.
 eff our army has not undertaken
 operations of a wider scope up to this tfme,' said the minister, '1t is
 because it does not devolve on it to decide the moment when these oper- at1ons should begin. The army is only a. part of the combined Allied forces, acting in unison and in ac- oordance with carefully developed plans The army has valiantly filled the role that has been assigned to it. It has just proved, by its brilliant participation in the last offensive in Flanders, that 1t is ready to attack with fervor and awaits impattently the hour.''
 Summarizing the work of the Bel gian army during the war, and re- ferring to its difficulties and lack of equipment, the minister recalled that In August, 1914. the army had only one machine gun for each 1000 men, only three field guns per 400 men, with ammunition for only about 800 shots for each piece. It had no light mortars, no heavy artillery, no gren- ades no trench equipment, no am-
 bulances, no pontoon crews not a single motorcycle. It had only 1000 bicycles. two captive balloons few superannuated airp1anes, and few posts of wireless telegraphy.
 We had only 52,00O infantry after the battle of the Yser'' said the min- ister, land its equipment was in pitfable state. Munitions were lack ing and all of the different organisms were deranged when the army base was tranferred to foreign soil. This remnant of an army not only barred the way to Calais, but while doing so was reorganized and reinforced, until now 1t counts three times the num- SOA OA AAICh AIudI LhC DdlIlc OI InC Yser left valid.s The front held bv the Belgian army has been gradually heightened from about 12 and a half miles after the battle of the Yser to r miles in January. 1915, IS miles at the beginning of March, and about 19 miles in June, 1916.
 The Belgian army organized 6 this front and held it alone until the mid dle Of this year, when, as conse- quence of the operations of the AL lied offensive in Flanders. it was re- duced, enabling the army to dispose of considerable reserves. The gfgan- tic task of organizing defences in this part of the front, where water ap- pears as soon as the ground Is scratched has been frequently de- scribed. Other lines of strong defence wore not only built there by the Bel gina army. but all of the necessary communica ations with the rear were constructed, with barracks and hos pitals.
 "In August. 1917, the army had F times as many machine guns as in 1914, seven times as many field guns and heavy pieces, with five times as the outset of hostilities.
 '"The impression that has gotten abroad that the Belgian army was and re-equipped entirely by our allies is a terror" he added. Belgium, exiled and deprived of all her resources, received generous hos pitality and powerful aid from her glorious allies. It was on French and British soil that all was to be done, but Belgians themselves took up the work of reconstruction. The Belgian army created by it's own efforts the greater part of what was indispensa- ble for it to live and fight. It is build ing it's own cannon, making its own i powder and its own projectiles.''