IS THE GERMAN ARMY UP-TO-DATE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 297, 14 December 1911, Page 8

IS THE GERMAN ARMY UP-TO-DATE.

RI3IAKKABLE CBJTICISMS.

1 ■ .- . c-rman Army of to-day equal t :'■ .",,.nutation, or is it living on the J" .' ~ ,i the past, and failing to adapt ~'■ , [[;,. changed conditions of modV,r T.!..-. aU-iuiportant question i» c ' ' ' .'. a ... rji.-s of trenchant articles Herman Army manoeuvres in l ." : ~,,,!.'• 0 i wiiich the last appeared i'\ uviober liii. J-h-- author ' ',' military correspondent ['.a.,.,," who .-peaks on tills subl:ie more authority because he J ,". u .',, v. ,le.-rd' to see the French : :'..- «oi K. ..' ;, ia are distinctly unfav- ( ' ';.. •Til:.."tlerman soldier. Almost p; ul in the German Army, ~' '.,'.'; ~"criticised. Taking the statf e.. I >'.:t\u out that it . ~• . ~-., c 1 with the spectacular sne- • ' crmauoever that it allows eti'V.""i\j' initiative to sink int > lie ■ "i .'-,■ on the oilier hand, it K" l,:s .''''. ..,,-,.<- -enerai actions lake -..-• places and hot:!;-; "ir".iii'i- European credit for the • ■ ,r; .--.-operation of nil arnu; ; '-'d ... r-n''rters *o away nippy :a '■'• "that all is lur 'the best in tiie .ill possible armies. •',. i.'s nothing in Oe higher leading aianounvres of a disllaguisaed infantry comes in for severe b . . i 'irettv ;:ood Infant.",-, m Count, . ' ■■ nr> and ainuinnitiou oupcr , . '-. m'j i„ the Fr-'UCO. It has all ■i „f • T'is •bataiilons, and ue\er •i.ii- distressing dencits wi'ifti , .•.-;. known la Array. It is .- ......ripiiiied. The physique of all -:.-.> is remarkably rie German infantry leaves the -ou that the near's of "he men ' - ■■• ri Lhelr work There is nothing , i eves. The things which one sc<-s ■ ~,L of men in a British or Kreiicb I ■ ,■'•; our seeks ia vain ia the uihtr ; lii.]::-. haif-eu-wei, and machine-I'ruw-i'an fooi-soldier. The feeing ~■•,. receives is t-ha". these men :ire -■ r ~ and manoeuvring, ner b.<:ai.se ,kc it but because they must, and .vltiionc the drive of the corps of V., -s taev would melt aivny in the ... o: battle. - A 1 .it u : i infantry lacked dash, .UspiayM no .. I.tJ„" "f the use of ground, intrencL- ,.' Lii-rns.-lves badly, were extremely . ■-. ... their movements, offeree vi.lne:- *. : at medium range-o. Ignored -.•rvi.-,• of security, periorjiu-d ihe up- ■ ■■■. ■ ;i ruareics in an old rime n.anunr, • ~ot trained to understand the con- : ~?. bervvecii fixe and movement, and ~i touiliy unaware of the elect of ;. ..... ru Ure. ' t is the cavalry much-better: .'!>■ cavalry drilled well ana showed s ■ 'leanrifuUy trained horses: while the . .irv of the Guard was '.ve<* bandied - i.-'i [':,.■ army point of view, lint the :, ■-■ i'..-is in many ways exceedinfrty old--l .- u»d. the was bad, ami Ulis- :■.'••■.- were made of wWch. oar Yeomaury I i -be shamed. J'r Ni II AND GERM AN ARTJI<LESY. - for the artillery, which was so la: "•■!;. responsiblD for the victories of •Li ■ : war, its armament is m . i iiuctior to the french: •* 'Jie Hernian gun can flxe three ae-..r:.:-:y laid rounds to tue l'ren'cll nve v\ ill be doing well. iia iiidifferent fire-discipline ,is a furtie i handicap, while in the "fourth era ," the air service, the Germans are fat behind the French: The artillery, with, its out-of-date toa-r-al and slow and met -ctive caeLhods ■ ■ err. eppenred so iafenor that it can : . -. r no pretensions to measure itzelf. . . .mist the on anvTditn.fi approacn-. .: , level tenas. Finally, the dirisihlfs :. : ;.-Toplanes presented the fourth, arm relatively ',■■■ "ii:;ii Army, apart from Its uumbeis, . ■■.. ■",..,,.,. jj! itself, and high state of or- , i.-a i ron. does not present any sign of b ;..ii 'illy over the best forcisn mode's, ;. ! in Home ways does not visa above :. vel of tie second, rate. ] !•• "Tiuio.V " military correspondent's cr)! en the general condition and training of the German Army BUggest thai its value is much overrate'd and tlut (ierman authorities are mistaken in ih' ir own idea of its invincibility. '■' ip ronfldpnre of the Army in ] .><■'•( is in one sense a source of strength ' a -ni in another of weakness It will ■ :■• .ilit'ess enable the-army an - ■lie nation ■ •; . riconrk upon a war with a Ann belief j 1 % rrorr. bat all the greater w'll -:>e : ,• .iisillnsiormient if victory is not s: ' 'lily obtained. The methods by which ' i " liormans eedulonsly propoxate in :'.. conn-tries the idea that German ;■ -us are invincible are useful In their v y. 'or they enable German diplomacy • - spenre by peaceful means results hj tich would otherwise only be obtained ' -iv rrrnt «irrifli*es in ■war. Tliers seems tin reason to doubt thai the Emperor J'i:nvclf (irmly believes In the superiority ' « f arms and in the ahfjlty of ''t:.-> 'iernruii Army to crush all opposite:-. The shnrpness of the German sword " i.. ' the weight of the Getman ,-.st are ■a • !■known Ugures in Sermau speeches. J- - p..«.sible that Germany may ooasess « .■ its who that the o-vt rween'iUiilpnce of the German A-my is ■vlioiiy wnrranted 'by the facts of i ' ■ '■'--.'•. but i. peerns likely that up to ; :"iuri'.iivo]y recent date there were ■il.'i eared to risk their careers r.::; uupaiatable and Inconvenient i I'roal highest to lowest the word ■< r.'cil everything military in Ger- ; !■< superlatively excellent, and that if • which takes place in foreign art " . i'. worth troubling about. : r Ueruian Army appears to have ,'id itself stale. Year In, year out, i ■■ i-'iiur eea«elesn round of intensive i .. i! :i; has reduced the whole army to « iioe by which individuality, inltla- ; . .1 I'rrshuess have been vigorously < ' "■;. The t'l'fort to create initia- - '.i l.ntiou has not succeeded. The - : i:,e year, always the same, ■ . ■■ a ionu of somnam'bulisn:. ; .. '■■■■ does the same thing every • i,-ry day every year, and officers .'■ to waii sixteen or seventeen 3 -■ : ■ il.Hir eomrmnles are spent and • ■■ • ,•'!-■ nrfnre t hey rise to high comr . , .i 'i lie majority of senior regtment- .:■;■. <io not possess the physical • i pons necessary for effective seri.Li.si :ho anluous strain of the ■■i .IiM.W'V HAS STOOD STILL." iriil.tary affairs Gere,any no longer i.e. i '■ world. Though "The Times" r" -;i.indent ileelares that "the German Ar ..■ ~li!l a great and a formidable ;.: ' ." no mills this suggestive qualib>. y ,11-in uu<; in almost every ser- \ ' i..r <.-■■ nov auaja nti better mill- | i ... ■ b-.s in Uermauy thau are lo be : .I liurope, Asia and i 1..v- i,oi s:it down for forty . v ■ i--< in tar sriiool of ,\loltke in vain. Ari.d j.as gone on while Germany '"■• i still. ... 1 " i-inan Army haß seen less of Hi '■'-! w.'i' Uiaa any other army which :- l.i the front rank. It practises " ' i'-es on from year to year, with 1 " ""- regard for modern progress i u-.-tiowU which were good cooagh in i -ni). int are no longer pracUcable i.. ne n.e of uioderu anna. '.I her modern army displays such , :r.'i eoptempl for the elfect of modr . :,i '. «ere this contempt due to the 1 ■ ' ' up.Tiorlty of "Jerniau troopa oyer , ,--,.. there would be something to be f ' i 'r it. but the military history of p, ~..., and the federal states did not |„..in. nor will it end, with the wur of IST'iTI. Viewing military history as a wL e. we do not find that German arms have greater triumphs to their credit ,7.11 those of Britain and of France. Tie eontemut which the German Aimj dlsolay* for the effects ojt modern Ore and professes to hold for «kj «rnHes o: i States with wmen. 11 may cuse li S&TSi only te^^MM

Thus the German Army is no longer the "perfect machine" -which, it was, or was popularly supposed to be, ten or twenty years ago. Xor should it escape notice that while Germany has been standing still the French Army has made prodigious strides. Mr Bello;, in the "Loncion .Magazine,'' has drawn attention to the splendid character of the modern Freur'i troops. Their artillery ia unmistakably the best o n the Continent; and in the matter of airmanship they are first and the rest of the world nowhere. French gfnerals have learnt wisdom j:i the hard school of misfortune, and have developed the intelligence and initiative of their lithe, hardy, cheery little soldiers with a success which Germany has not approached and may well envv.—"Daiiv Mail."