Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-20
.DWIVDLING ARMY
WORRIES ENEMY
Cermany's Rested Reserve
Forces Have Shrunk to
Thirteen Divisions
S,O6O,OOO A T. F r o N T
900, 200, Fewer Than in April,
While Allied Man.Power
Increases

By EDWIN l.. JAMES

Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918. bv New York Times Co.
With the First. American Army In
France, Sept. 20.
4 was talking this morning with a
former professor Of Cologne about Ger
'amany's success in finding substitutes for.
the articles of war she lacked. This
prisoner of war. himself chemist. was
discussing the number of German inven-
tions of this sort, when suddenly he
said: But we cannot get substitute
\ for men"
* He voiced the thought uppermost In
I the mind of every thinking German. the
{ dwindling man-power at the kaiser's
disposal. Into the theatre Of war Amer
/ lea is throwing her hundreds of thou
!. sands of fresh young fighting men, and
Germany has not the like to send against
them.
After talking with this German pro-
fessor I obtained the authoritative fig
ures as to German man-power on the
Z western front They show that the Ger
man command has about 100000 fewer
men on this front than he had in April.
and the general quality Is much poorer,
3 due not only to the fact that Germany
has had to seek recruits from the phys
ically inferior classes, but also to the
fact that the Germany armys morale
ID at the lowest point of any time in
the war.
But far more significant than the re-
duction by 100000 of the number of
German electives on the western front
10 the fact that whereas. just before
q cta cd hpr
March, the German command had sew
enty-two fresh divisions out Of the line
fully rested and prepared for mass
maneuvers, 1t has today just thirteen
such division, and his reserves are not
grouped as they were then. but are
now scattered all along the western
front, due largely to the fear of Ameri-
cans
8OsO,O0O Germans on Front
On the whole western front Germany
has 2O4 divisions, which are being main
tanned at an Average strength of $4,000
by the most heroic efforts, combing out
the civilian war workers. etc. This to-
tails 3,060,o00.
One may take the well-known esti-
mates Of French and English strength
and add the total of nearly 100000
Americans in France. to see what pre-
4 pOnneratlng strength IlaH-poWeT &hc
Allies have or will have as soon as the
Americans are in fighting trim. .'.
OF the 204 German divisions on the
western front. ia are in the line. thir-
teen have had a month or more of rest
and seventy-one are In black areas. be-
ing rebuilt after being chewed up on
the British and French front. Perhaps
twenty of these seventy-one divisions
are in shape to be thrown into fight
at a pinch.
OF the thirteen reserve divisions that
s are in good shape three are rated first
class, six second class, two third class
and two fourth class.
All these divisions on the western
front have been engaged in battle since
July 15
OF the ia divisions in the line the
army group of Crown Prince Rupprecht
mas thirty-two, that of Won Boehm has
thirty-two and the Crown Prince has
twenty-five, Won Gallwitz- has twelve
and Duke Albrecht has sixteen.
Won Gallwitz and Duke Albrecht
command the front from Verdun to the
Swiss border. 1t was Won Gallwitz
who was whipped by Pershng when the
Americans took the st. Mihiel salient
The divisions in reserve are scattered
all over the front without indication of
any concentration. 1t Is worth noticing
that recently in the hard pressure for
men the German command has been
putting into the fight divisions with
only a short rest in order to conserve
the thirteen rested divisions. This is
evidently in order to have them for
an emergency.
Fears American Army
The German command is evidently
fearing action by the Americans in
Aisace and Lorraine. Troops in the last
s few days have been taken in consider
able numbers to Colmar.
Writers of letters taken from German
prisoners persons by Americans speak
1cf the spirit and energy of the Amer
leans, and remark that all such young
men of Germany have been killed. The
letters call defeats the "strategical'
Withdrawals which the communiques call
Z. victories. Stories of hardships back
home have an effect on the German
fighters.
~ Ten or twelve letters recited a story
4 from the British front how the Tommies
y had sent back three German boys they
had captured. each with a loaf of bread
under his arm and message that Eng
lishmen were fighting men, not school
boys That incident seems to have made
q great impression On the Germans.
While the Allied military chiefs are
not placing too much dependence on the
failing German morale. there Is no doubt
that 1t is failing fast Yet. though
dispirited, the Germans are fighting
Some are disposed to accept their lot
and &C on. There are an increa sing
number who seek the opportunity to sur
render, but the majority fight on. The
Germans no longer say to the Allied SOL