ITALY'S FIGHTING STRENGTH.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 26 May 1915, Page 7

ITALY'S FIGHTING STRENGTH.

FACTS ABOUT HER FORCES

' Italy keeps up an army of the same nature as the other great military Powers of Europe, but it is distinctly weaker than that of Austria, which is -herself-much the weakest of the four great combatant Powers. The first line army of Italy consists of twelve army corps, and tnree, or possibly four, cavalry'divisions, for Italy is a country poor in horses, "and produces but little cavalry. The first line army should be 600,000 strong; but, like the other Powers, Italy can bring into the fieid a number of divisions and form an army of second line of at least the same strength as the first. Behind these she would have a number of trained men at least equal in numbers to her field armies, and ready to replace all possible casualties in them. Behind these, again, there would be a number of untrained men who^ have not served in the army, but who might be placed under immediate training, as 'has been done in . Germany. it may be confidently said that she will go to war with at least two and a half millions of trained men, of whom onethird would be at once put in the field organised in army corps and armies, with a second line of equal strength soon ready to support the first.

THE MILITARY RECORD OF ■, ITALY. The kingdom of Italy is very young, and has only conducted one European war—tlmt against Austria in 1866— when that country was fully occupied by the invasion of the Prussian armies which defeated the Austrians at the battle of Sadowa. The Austrians, however, managed a few days before that battle to defeat the Italian army at Custazza,*" although they could only I •spare three army corps for the Italian'] war against the seven with which they vainly resented the Prussians. Before Italy was united, however, the northern Italian State of Piedmont had often fought the Austrians in the nineteenth century. This State is thej nucleus of the • modern Italian kingcom, and its sovereign, styled. Kingi of Sardinia, became the first King or United Italy. In these wars the1 Piedmentese were never successful, except when they acted with the French armies which Louis Napoleon sent against the Austrians in 1859 in order toi.ee North Italy from the Austrian yc__e. It is probable, however, that since Italy became one of the great Powers she has developed her patrioticspirit considerably, and that the authorities of her army have fashioned an instrument of war far more efficient than it was in the early days of Italian unity in 1866. The Italian intellect is one of the most acute in Eurooe, and the lessons in army organisation, strategy, and tactics, to be learned from the other European military Powers in recent wars have probably been well assimilated in the Italian army. The operations in Tripoli two years ago seem to show that Italy is quite' capable of organising and conducting war with ability.

THE ITALIAN NAVY

The Italian Naw is larger in comparison with those of other Powers . >an _. _ er .? vmy- Xt is lmich weaker tnan the French naw, but it is probably larger, than that, of Russia, and far more powerful than that of Austria, and as far as can be judged irom its direction and conduct in the iurk.sh war, it will give a good account ot itself against Austria and J urkey m tne Mediterranean (says the Auckland. Star). . " "