Evening star., 1935-11-02
Cermanv's New Army.

Germany's new conscript army, even
tually to consist of twelve divisions
totaling between five hundred thousand
and six hundred thousand men, came
formally into being yesterday, when
some two hundred thousand recruits OF
the class of 1914 reported for duty. Bar
rack yards throughout the Reich once
again buzzed with the activity OF
"Kaiser days" The Nazi dream, frult
OF the repudiated clauses OF the Ver-
sailles treaty, has at last come true.
Germany returns to the ranks OF hrSt-
class land powers, with plans and poten-
tialities destined within a few years to
make her once again the strongest MILL
tary country in Europe. 1t is an event OF
historic magnitude and little designed to
bolster Old World peace, for the Nazls'
neighbors, persuaded that Germany Is
not creating great army for decorative
purposes, are bound to meet her chal-
lenge with augmented preparations OF
their own. The countries with those
bleeding frontiers" of which the Hitler
ties prate from time to tlme-tring-
ing territory inhabited by German
oopulations now under other rule-haVe
special cause to shudder at the spec
tacle of the Reich's rising military might.
There was touch of the Hohenzollern
Uar-lord tone in the speech denVereQ
bv Air Minister Gen. Goerlng at the
opening of the Air War Academy, a
brand-new departure in German mill
tarv organization. The Fuehrer, eX-
claimed Goering, "has often enough
emphasized our will for peace. 1t Will
not be Germany's fault II TINS Will Is
disturbed. But sharp sword Will always
remain the best guarantee OF true
peace. This sword alone can maintain
and protect it" The new War Academy
will train officers in the strategic ana
technical aspects Of air warfare ana III
them for special general staff. Moth
ing so clearly betokens the paramount
stress which the Nazis lay upon the
aerial weapon.
While Germany's new army was snap
ping to attention, winston Churchill, in
the course of a Conservative election
speech calling for increased British
ornaments, depicted Nazi air power as
a graver menace to Great Britain than
the German Navy was in 1914. He de-
clared that the Reich is spending more
than $4,0O0000,000 on war preparations
this year and warned Britons that their
island realm may find itself at the mercy
of a continental power unless it creates
an air force second to none. European
states having succumbed to military die
tatorships of the most fierce and aggres-
sive kind said Churchill, "the fate OF
Ethiopia shows what would happen to
Britain upon frightful scale if we were
unable to defend ourselves"
While revived German military proweSS
Is thus depicted as threat to Western
Europe, there are indications that the
new army is turning its early attention
to the East. At least the ten divisions
already created are based on towns
within striking distance Of the eastern
border An iron ring already stretches
along the far-fung frontier from the
southeastern junction with Czechoslo-
yakia to the northeasternmost tip of
East Prussia, where Memel begins. The
disposition of German forces is thus
matter of special moment to the Soviet
Union, Poland, Lithuania and Czechoslo-
vakia and reveals the direction in which
the Nazis apparently expect first to
utilize the Reich's rehabilitated land
toouer