The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-08
Simonds Estimate of Allied Strength

From the American Review or Reviews
TIME question of numbers is always puzzling one
and subject has there been so much confusion
- in recent months. To the people of this country
the sudden appeal of Allies for in March, accom-
panied by the frank confession that not only were the
British and French ounumbered the Western Front
but decsvey outnumbered, came as distinct shock.
Suddenly the meaning of Russia's collapse ap
precated but there remained the puzzle to how the
thing had about in the face of compare popu-
ations and the reported numbers which France and
Britain had enrolled
The real trouble think has lain in the failure of the
military writer's to make clear the distinction between
gross numbers and organized numbers. Thus, if the
British have had average close 100000 in
France for least two this fact has been accepted
meaning that the fighting strength the organized fight
ing strength of the British Army has been steadily
100000 and the assumption has been made in the
of the French.
Now the fact is this: The British had in France
an organized strength which has been in excess
of 100000 that is, the member Of men, organized in
divisions provided with all the officers and machinery of
the divisional unit The other million has been made up
of certain percentage of engaged in the
com Blatant tasks, of held in depos to replace
wastage land the British loss last year was around
000) and of eves undergoing final training be-
fore being incorporated in existing units
Sixty British divisions with average strength Of
between 900 900 and 100000 represent approximately
the full field strength of the British Army in France To
another million. But the British could not and cannot
inside of months transform any part of their
organized force into divisions because this requires
special training of officers the creation and coordna
intricate machinery and staffs On the whole,
for such divisions stationed in Britain in
the colonies employed in "sideshows' but available
recall transport France the fighting strength
of the British Army for 1918 not, and could be-,
much above sixty divisions.
AS for the French their great losses compelled them
early in the restrict the manufacture of new
divisions They had fixed number of available.
They had certain number of divisions and fairly
of wastage through casualties They could thus
calculate how long at the existing wastage they
could maintain, say, eighty divisions of 5000 each If
they created divisions their supply
age would be used up rapdey and they would
entity have to reduce the number of divisions
Accordingly, the French early decided to maintain
their field fighting at strength of 1885, o0
Taken with the 100000 British and 100000
l3elgans and Portuguese this the western Allies
fighting strength of 225OOOO They had
this force going through the campaign
maintain it full strength but they had
increase it by creating divisions within
time which would enable them effective use Of
these units.
These 2.25OOoO represented an organized strength of
$50 German divisions The strength of the German dvi-
sion is about 125Oo while both
British is materially larger; but, purposes esa
fishing comparison shall the German divisional
strength the unit. On the Western Front then,
Allies had $50 divisions available in March the
present year. They had the maintain these
divisions, but they could not increase them number
and their effective fighting force any time might
less, but would not be than 22500OO men, organ
lied in units equivalent to $50 German divisions.