The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-09
BY MEMO
VIII. THE WORLD IN ARMS


I'm the present position, Europe is condemned
to destruction If it begins an armament race" de-
clared the French Prime Minister Dalader in Parlia
ment, in the calm certainty that his country was
sufficiently armed. What, however, is the appear
ance, not of Europe, but of the whole capitalist
world on the twentieth anniversary Of the outbreak
of WARP An armament competition unknown in the
pre-war period has been established and the whole
capitalist world converted into an armed camp
bristling with weapons.
The standing armies of the five leading imperial.
list big powers have grown from 1541 500 men in
1914 to 2123500 in 1884 Looked at specifically
this enlargement of the armies does not appear
very great. Actually, however, the present-day
armies cannot be compared with the armies of the
prewar period either quanttatvey or qualitatively
The five leading big powers, which in 1884 con-
troled eight millions of trained reserves have today
reserve army of twenty million men behind them
To this must be added the further reserve of millions
consisting of fascist and semi-mtary organizations
Thus, Germany has besides its regular army of
$4,000 men Reichswehr and police further reserve
of one million from the World War, and yet
further million from the fascist storm troops
Strongly militarzed police armies and colonial armies
and the authorization of women and youth have
strengthened the mperialist armies by several mil
lion more. The standing armies half of which con-
sist of professional soldier have an enormous fight
ing force at their disposal; the framework of their
organization can absorb millions of reserves The
number of embodied in all the fascist unions
in the world would amount today to about ten
million men.
Or even wider import is the revolution in the
sphere of the technique of war, of firing capacity
and the mobility of armies. If for example an
American division in 1914 could fire 10000 shots
per minute from its guns and machine-guns or
French division 100000 Shots today they could
fire $4,000 and 212000 shots respectively The fir
ing capacity of American division has thus been
increased by 258 per cent and that of French
division by 206 per cent If the German army
alone during the World War fired 286 0oO0 900 shells
and S,000,000,0o0 cartridges one can get an idea
of the material which will be used in the coming
war when three times the amounts used in the
past war will be consumed and correspondingy
more victims claimed. While in the course of the
Franco German War of 1901 about half million
shells were used up, the fighting on the somme
alone required million Shells But what will the
coming war be like, when one takes into account
that an American division which in 1914 fired 81
tons out OF all its guns, today is able to fire l76
tons?
The engine in an automobile tank and aero
plane will be the heart of the future war The
average daily marching capacity of twenty five
kiometers for division can be increased to 200
kilometers by motor-lorry transport as a result
OF which the fighting capacity of the soldiers has
been considerably raised. The motorzation of the
French army has, for example, advanced SO far
that possible destruction of the entire French
railway network would lead to no DELAY in the adj
vance of the army Even the development of the
tank weapon has made enormous progress The
first tank attack in 1917 was even then able to
accomplish in three hours what would otherwise
have required three months. Today France alone
possesses 8400 tanks e, more than all the powers
together at the end of the war The heavy. ninety
ton tanks carry two guns, two howitzers 18