THE GERMAN ARMY

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 120, 17 November 1936, Page 10

THE GERMAN ARMY

GREATER STRENGTH'

EXPANSION OF SCHEME

With the enrolment of the new contingent of recruits the last stage is entered- of the military programme laid down in the German Army Law of March 16,1935, which introduced conscription, wrote the Berlin correspondent of "The Times" on October 20. It appears, however, that the scheme is at the same time being expanded beyond the thirty-six division total proclaimed

The Law prescribed that the German peace army, including the absorbed State Police units, should be composed of-thirty-six divisions organised in twelve army corps. In his Reichstag speech of May 21, 1935, Herr Hitler, in Point 8 (out of which the Anglo-German Naval Agreement grew) said: "The German Government have announced the extent of the expansion of the new German defence forces. In no circumstances will they depart therefrom."

When the two-year Conscription Law was promulgated on August 24 of this year it was understood that it was intended only to complete the expansion to the thirty-six divisions and twelve corps commands laid down in-the Army Law. On October 6 the XI and XII Corps Commands duly came into being, the former's headquarters being at Hanover, the latter at Coblenz. It was to be assumed that the XII Corps Command, with adjustments with other corps areas, would cover the reoccupied demilitarised Rhineland zone, for which no formal provision had been made in the distribution of the first ten Corps Commands. FURTHER DIVISIONS. At the same time the formation of further divisions became perceptible from promotions and orders; indeed, their formation to complete the thirtysix division scheme had been admitted, though it might be some time before the divisions now numbered and organised could be welded together and fully equipped with artillery. A few days ago, in one of a series of lectures delivered this month by army, naval, and air force officers to which the public have been admitted, it was declared that the three armies, or groups, were now divided into twelve Army Corps—thirty-six infantry divisions, and three armoured divisions stationed at Berlin, Weimar, and Wurzburg; a total, that is to say, of thirty-nine divisions. This statement, made apparently on official authority, confirms rumours which have been in circulation for some time but were not easy to accept in view of the wording of the Army Law and Herr Hitler's declaration. It had been generally, taken for granted that*"'the programme contemplated a total of thirty-six divisions of all kinds. Only as the rumours increased did the impression gain ground that the Army Law might be interpreted as meaning thirty-six infantry divisions plus an indefinite number of armoured divisions, ah impression that now seems to be confirmed. AGAIN UNDEFINED. This means that the programme laid down by the German Army Law, as it was universally understood at the time of Herr Hitler's Reichstag declaration, no longer holds good; that, in deed, the peace strength of the German Army is again undefined unless and until a more precise definition is given to the law. As there are already three armoured divisions beyond the thirty-six infantry divisions, and as it is the theory of one school of military thought that a modern army should consist up to one-third of armoured units, the German Army might be expanded to forty-eight divisions, and this without formally exceeding the interpretation of the Army Law, which regards the thirty-six divisions mentioned as being solely infantry divisons (though the law does not speak of infantry divisions).

The strength of an armoured division, moreover, is obscure. The only public indication of it is that what was apparently less than half of one took part in the military display at the Nuremberg Rally, and was stated in the Press to contain 2000 vehicles.

The confirmation of a new and elastic definition of the apparently plain term "thirty-six divisions" is bound to arouse speculations, such as when the change of definition was made or whether, perhaps, there can have been from the first some kind of mental reservation about the meaning of the Army Law. , ■