MODERN WARFARE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 35, 10 August 1934, Page 9

MODERN WARFARE

MEANT FOII.FKOFESSIONALS-;

FRENCH DISCUSSION

Will Franco have a Ecichswohr —that is, a professional long-service army" The Army Committee of the Chamber of Deputies has just drawn up a report approving Marshal Petain's and General Gaineliu's proposals concerning tho reinforcement of tho "covering," says the "Manchester Guafrdian." Tho proposed reinforcement implies the formation of highly organised and mechanised units capable of quick manoeuvring and able in the event of an attack on the French frontier to offer, in the words o£ au' expert, "something' more than mere passive resistance." As Germany is numerically stronger than France, especially during the "lean" recruiting years (1935 to 1939), there has been a growing tendency among French military authorities to abandon the "democratic army" in favour of a professional army and to concentrate on quality rather than on numbers. Tho reorganisation of- the French army, which has already befiu begun, will result in the formation of a certain number of. "shock units" which may eventually become the nucleus of a French, professional army. A SOLDIER'S ARGUMENTS. lv a newly-published book entitled "Towards a Professional Army"—a book which has received tho greatest attention in, military quarters—Lieu-tenant-Colonel do Gaulle argues that a conscript is of little uso in modern warfare, which has become a highly specialised art. Moreover, the French conscript regards his military service merely as a nuisance. It is necessary, the author says, to form an army of oxperts who would be proud of their profession and of their technical skill. There is no reason, he says, why the army should not, like the Navy and the Air Forcp, be composed of specialists. One of his arguments is that, with professional armies tho waste of human life is far smaller than with conscript armies. The author says that nearly all wars in the- past were won by professionals. Napoleon's army was invincible so long as it was largely eomposnd of professionals. Its decline began when it started drawing on raw recruits. The term of service for the professional army, ho says, should bo six years. CLOSING THE "GAP!" The Army Committee "of the Chamber also discussod the plans for completing tho fortifications on tho eastern frontier, particularly in tho "gap"' between Longuyon. and Margut and along tho Saar frontier. Tho estimates under consideration amount to 1,175,000,000 francs, of which 800,000,000 francs have, indeed, already been spent.- The committee gave its unanimous approval to tho Government Bill. Tho Government must also have been seriously thinking of raising tho term of military sorvico for tho Badical Parliamentary group discussed the matter, and, while all the Radicals opposed tho extension of the service from one year to two years, a certain number of them declared themsolves in favour of eighteen months. As regards fortifications, some anxiety was caused in France some time aero by the rumour that shortly after King Albert's death Belgium had stopped work on her frontier fortifications. This has now been denied, but the uneasiness created by the report has not been completely dispelled. It is also believed that King' Leopold does | not attach as much value as his father j did to the military alliance with! France and that Belgian diplomacy is ] looking for safety in London rather I than in Paris; in othor words, it places j a higher value on a British guarantee of Belgian neutrality than on the help of tho French army.