Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-28
QUESTION OFMANPOWER ANAL YZED;
BATTLE STRENGTH, DIVISIONS AND
RESERVES OF ARMIES ARE DEFINED

! and he has forty-nine in the east. or
| en- route from east to west, plus any
new divisions he may have organized
since last December, but these are
bound to be very few. Accepting the
| highest estimate of 220 divisions as the
number he can use in the west this
year. he will be able to employ in all
! around 2,64O,00O, to which must be add
| ed certain artillery formations. includ-
ing Austrian regiments of heavy artil-
lery. But he can use this strength sew
eral times by Withdrawing various di-
visions and ref1lling the gaps in them
: from his reserves in the depots and
training camps. All told, however, it Is
exceedingly doubtful If he can muster
| ninety divisions for any single blow
again.
What About Allied Man PowerP
Now, what have the allies to meet
this storm? What did they have q
month ago? The case of the British
has occupied world attention for many
weeks. The reiterated assertions that
the British were overwhelmingly out
numbered has provoked much curiosity.
On this question we have only a little
light. Sir Douglas Haig last year gave
the total of British divisions engaged
as something less than half of 1871 the
| number of German divisions which
were engaged against the British.
There have been assertions that this
number has been increased, but the
evidence is unconvincing. The Ger
mans fix the number of British di-
visions in line as fifty. and hint that
others are with the army of maneuver.
With the British are two Portuguese
divisions. which were before the re-
cent battle recruited up to strong
excessive to credit the British with
sixty divisions in France. amounting
to at least 100000 men, and most OF
these divisions. at least fifty, to &C
when the blow fell. OF these fifty
fourteen were actually on the front
with the 9Th Army when 1t was at
tackled and we'll night destroyed. Fifty
divisions would mean at the lowest
that at the minimum the British had
100000 in fifty divisions to meet the
shock of ninety German divisions
amounting to little less than 100000.
AS for the French. they h as.s,,,a &C.
in line, another 100000, and the Bel
eians had Ave divisions, amounting to
$4,000 Thus the allies had In line
facing the Germans>five Belgian. nifty
lis divisions. with another sixty di-
visions in reserve in the army OF ma
neuver described by the Germans. and
this would mean a total OF 40 di-
visions. plus what American DIVISIONS
were ready. and the Germans count
these as 900, 900. which would repre-
sent a little less than nine American
divisions and a little more than eight
cen German divisions. The allies thus
had on the western front some 1874 d.
visions against 100 Germans. but their
divisions were stronger than the Ger.
mans and gave them slight numerical
advantage.
The German struck with the advan-
point of attack He had forty divisions
against fourteen and sixty against less
than twenty-five in the first days ne
used ninety-eight at the Somme nrst
and last, where the allies probapiy
used less than half as many. But this
great advance was due. not to his num-
bers so much as to his success IN
, breaking through the allied line be-
fore the allies could counterconcen-
trate. and this was an accident of war.
The British 5th Army failed in its mis-
SION But, despite his initial advan-
tage, the German was pinned down six
days later by forces still far his inre-
rior, for the French did mot use above
the British reserve divisions with the
army of maneuver were drawn upon,
this would not add more than ten more,
while the British Sd Army was only
partially engaged and not until the
main drive had been halter.
Allies Not Outnumbered.
It is not true. then. that the allies
are outnumbered. but it is true that
they chose to hold their lines relatively
lightly against the storm. that as a re-
suit one army was broken. although In
part through mistakes of command and
because Of poor staff work. Three
French divisions at Verdun held sew
enteen German divisions within five
miles for six DAYS. But fourteen Brit
| ish divisions failed to hold forty Ger
man divisions within thirty miles In
| the same time.
II the British have sixty divisions in
France, containing at least 100000
men, they must have another 100000
of reserves in the depots to refill vast
age gaps, and they may have 100000
on communications and in non-fighting
work. They are. then. proportionately
better off than the Germans for re-
serves. In addition the British have
!. 000. 900 men in Britain. but of these
| half are convalescent wounded and a
quarter are new men being trained. to
would leave sonly 100000 actually en-
bodied in divisions and some portion
of these must have been rushed to
France after the collapse of the 5th
! Army. Another 100000 may be set
down to side shows" Italy, Saloniki
Palestine and Mesopotamia.
All told, sixty British divisions at
the most have been fighting ninety
German divisions; but the British d.
visions are stronger than the German.
With the British have been from ten
to twenty French divisions. who have
/ fought with thirty-seven German di-
! t. vu.tf he nrtft oh