HUNS LYING LOW

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2691, 10 February 1916, Page 5

HUNS LYING LOW

WAR PLANS CAREFULLY VEILED * WHAT MAY HAPPEN BLOW AT THE RUSSIAN i CAPITAL Br Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, February 8. , Colonel Repington, in the "Times," points out that General von Falkenhavn has not revealed the German plans of campaign for the coming year. "The attack on Friso shows that tho West front is not invulnerable," says Colonel Repington. "We know that the Germans brought seventeen divisions westward from Russia. We were told they had massed heavy guns. Nevertheless, General von Falkenhayn may only rattle us in the west, and then turn and seek to overwhelm Russia by a stroke at Petrograd, where the Russians' greatest supply of war materials is located. It would be possible to destroy the Russian fleet. For this it would'be necessary to draw Russia's attention southward until Field-Marshal von Hindenburg was ready. There is no evidence that there are 50,000 Germans south of the Danube—possibly there are none, except a stiffening on the way to Syria and Bagdad. One hundred thousand BuiEars may be holding up 200,000 of the Allies' forces afci Salonika. Germany hopes, by a Turkish attack on Egypt, to divert 600,000 British from the principal theatro at the decisive hour. The Allies ought to display a plan of their own." ENEMY'S DECLINING STRENGTH STRIKING ANALYSIS OF MAN-POWER ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) London, February 8. Colonel Repington, the military correspondent of the "Times," publishes tho results of exhaustive investigations of Germany's man-power. He says: "Accepting 13,000,000 men of military ages at the conimoncement of the war, careful deductions for esseutial industries would leave a maximum of 0,000,000 of available fighters, including 300,000 belonging to the 1917 'class, which has not been called up. Germany has now 170 divisions in the field. Adding cavalry army troops, and ail unusually high percentage of artillery and technical services, gives a total of 3,500,000. We usually found German companies averaging 175, instead of 250, men, but recently companies of 300 were encountered on the west. Therefore, it is safest, to regard the establishments as complete. The German losses, as shown in the casualty lists, have been:— In 1914. August 9,213 September 125,423 October 279,757 November 235,285 December 201,952 In 1915. January 163,801 February 56,241 March '. 135,834 April 135,302 May 107,034 Juno 182,786 July 159,977 August 146,193 September 170,081 October 184,909 November 190,852 December 66,485. 1916. January (about) ..' 56,000 Making a total of ... *2,627,085 [*The figures are as cabled. There is a discrepancy of 40 in the total.] "These lists must be accepted, although thoy do not contain the names of some of the dead we found. Like our lists, they omit the sick and invalided, except those who died of sickin the war zone. The German medical men claim the return of 84 per cent, of the wounded to the ranks. It is Bate to estimate that 25 per cent, never return to the firing-line. Deducting 790,000 returns, and adding 630,000 as the floating population in hospitals and sanatoria, the net losses become 2,600,000. Therefore, there are 2,800,000 still available in reserve in Germany. Of these, probably; 800,000 are guarding the communications and' doing garrison duty. If the Germans lose 250,000 men por month, their power of reinforcing will end in September; but if we proceed fighting Turks, Bulgars, and what not, and destroying only 36,000 Germans monthly, the war will be interminable."