HOW GERMANY IS PREPARED FOR WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 14060, 15 May 1906, Page 10

HOW GERMANY IS PREPARED FOR WAR.

(Berlin Correspondent New Orleans “ Tinies-Democrat.”) This is not _a bad time to examine the so-called “ General Staff ” of the German army, to the leadership of which Count von Moltke—the able nephew of the conqueror of Napoleon lll.—was recently appointed by the Kaiser. I have been obtaining some special information on this unique organisation, because Germany is depending on its perfection to win her. wars of the future, and there is a fcclino- that its usefulness may be put >o the test before long. Trouble with France is, of course, always on the horizon. It is now no secret that at the time of the Delcasse incident of last June the two countries were actually on the verge of war, and there is no telling when another such crisis may.arise. In France, as is well known, the military party has long desired to wipe out the stain of the overwhelming disasters of 1870, and in ,military circles both in the Republic and Germany there is undoubtedly a desire to give a .palpable demonstration of respective fighting powers. Moreover, it is hot without significance that while one of the bestsefling books in the Fatherland ,is “ The Coming Franco-Prussian War,” by C. Roettschau, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the German army; on the other side of the Rhine the most enterprising of •French illustrated weeklies is running a serial story—with remarkable illustrations obtained from “faked” photographs—bearing exactly the same title. "What would happen in case Germany and France went to war? There is little doubt in the minds of European military experts that the story of 1870 would have to be told over again. In that struggle, it will be*remembered, it Was: the extraordinary mobility of the German forces which won, and it is now estimated that Germany could throw a fighting force of - 300,000 men on the French frontier in less than nineteen hoars, while it would take France nearly three days to effect a similar mobilisation. Moreover, while the army of France is considered throughout Europe as a thoroughly effective organisation, it is generally conceded that the German army is the model fighting force of Europe. Germany has, in fact, applied its amazing-scientific intellect to its array, and although since 1870 France has made wonderful progress in army organisation, the French directing force has neither the mental training, the stability, nor the SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION THAT BELONG TO THE GERMAN LEADERSHIP. : In the organisation of its staff officers the Kaiser’s army cannot be approached. And this is not the mere outcome of circumstances, but the result of a process of careful, natural selection, undisturbed by political change, that has gone on in obedience to a definite policy ever since the great Moltke shaped its destinies. “ Our next war,” said Moltke, “ will be one i of directive—other armies may have \ equal numbers and forces—but none will have the perfection of the German general staff.” This is the crucial point— : the key to the whole situation—with respect to the German army organisation to-day. .Many articles have been written on the , German army as a fighting unit, dealing with its numbers, marching power, mobilisation, artillery, railways and other departments, but little is known of the intimate composition and training of its staff officers. ■ While the German Empire, as such, ■ has no specific Ministry of War, there are a number of War Ministers whose stations are at Berlin, Munich, Dresden and Stuttgart, and who act Tcspeclively •. for the Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon and Wurtemberg contingents of ,lh© German, army. Orders from the Emperor direct are conveyed by the Prussian War Minister at Berlin to the War Ministers of the' other States, the Prussian Ministry, by the way, being the most important and practically the focus of the various centres of direction. The personnel of the general army officers <at Berlin is made up of 390 men, and these are THE PICK OF THE BRAINS OF THE WHOLE ARMY. In order to become head , of the Prussian central . governing body—which means chief of the general staff, one thing, and one only, is needed—merit. The position s is open to all—attainable by anyone in the army who displays | exceptional talent, and it is this fact that has given to the army that wonderful unity which is the marvel of . Europe. As any American boy may me day be,President, so any German soldier may become the chief of the German army. In accordance with this tradition the new chief of the general staff, the present Count von Moltke, had to work his way up from a minor position, no favouritism being shown him by bis famous uncle..' He began as sub-lieu-tenant, and during the. last FrancoGerman war distinguished himself on the battlefield, receiving the iron cross for bravery. During the years between 1881 and 1891 he acted as adjutant to the groat von Moltke. His. close connection with his uncle enabled him . to receive a special insight into the mind of the greatest military genius since Napoleon. It is,probably this very intimacy that has equipped him for the high post he holds to-dajh Naturally, it is the dream of every soldier, and every petty officer, in the , German Army, to obtain a post of some kind in the directing force. General staff officers must above all things bo quick of conception, accurate in judgment down to the most minute detail; and must be capable of planning and executing all the great movements of troops and war material from place to place. • The training of officers who have attained staff rank is the most exacting. When men in the ranks display such marked ability that they seem suitable for staff positions, they are sent various special technical academies located in different parts of the country. Thus, there is a magnificent shooting school for infantry officers at Spandau;in Berlin, there is one of the finest fencing academies in the world,/ while at various points are. numbers of schools and technical institutes for EVERYTHING, FROM FIELD SURGERY TO HORSE-SHOEING. . The famous Kriegs Akadcmie, or War College, has not its counterpart in the world. Here officers intended for the general .staff learn strategy and high command. The Kriegs Akadcmie has been imitated by other nations, but it stands to-day alone as the finest scientific military institute of its kind. Graduates with high honours, at other war colleges have failed again and again to pass the ordinary “exams’’ of the KriegsThe artillery officers in the German Army are trained in several schools of gunnery, graded so as to take each man through a thorough course. They are even taught pyrotechnics, and must know how to make up their own powder, and, if need bo, cast their own guns. Officers go through the ammunition factories and artillery workshops, and besides being skilled mechanics have to pass a master’s examination in higher mathematics and the study of •projectiles. On joining the general staff, German officers are assigned to the study of army organisation, 'topography and intimate conditions of all European countries, and besides tins have to keep up their scientific studios. Each officer of the general staff must be a linguist ofi

the first order, capable of speaking English, French, Italian and other modern tongues, and must be able not i only to speak these languages, but to i road them without difficulty, j Besides the special corps of experi- ! mental scientists, there are several corps of railway experts. These men must be capable of undertaking every department of railway work, from building locomotives to constructing roads. Their principal station in ■ time of peace is near Berlin, where they operate a railway thirty-three miles in extent. This road is run as far as Juterbog, and those who study its working are composed of three regiments drafted from Prussia, Saxony, Wurtemburg and Baden. In time of rapid movement of the army from place to place, or at a mobilisation, this RAILWAY FORCE HAS PROVED WONDERFULLY EFFECTIVE. Attached to every army corps is a special scientific department, hut besides this there is a battalion at Potsdam whose whole work is given up to j experimentation and scientific research. This battalion tries beforehand every conceivable suggestion that would make for efficiency. All new weapons, Government preparations of explosives, and every detail of army equipment is submitted to most rigorous tests. It was this corps that ascertained that the buttons on certain uniforms could be soon at longer distances than those on others; and that provided covering for such buttons so as not to attract the enemy’s rifle fire. This battalion has charge of telegraphic experiments and new devices in signali ling. It was through this department j that the German Army was the first in i Europe to adopt the magazine rifle. In this battalion all the conditions of actual war are reproduced. Naturally, its manoeuvres are kept secret from the outer world. This special scientific body is peculiar to the German Army. Other European | armies have scientific officers and i schools, but there is no peculiar body which submits all modern improvements to actual tests such as would occur in war. It was from this body of military scientists that the suggestion came for | the great “test rides” for cavalry offi- ! cers, ivhicb were carried out between j Insterburg, near the Russian frontier, ■ to Strasburg. The idea has also been ■ adopted by France and other European armies, but originated with Germany. Even the horses of the German cavalry corps undergo special training under the most scientific methods. All horses are bought at the age of three years, 'and have to undergo a special “hardening” process, where their muscles are trained down to the exact I limit or efficiency. They undergo one j year’s'training before they are ( placed I in the cavalry service, and they are I not given their full activity until they ! are six years old. j The German horse batteries are said I to be the quickest and best trained in i Europe., The gunners follow their guns on horseback, and do not ride on the caissons, as with most other armies. This is said to save a great deal of time and to aid in . THE QUICK MANIPULATION OF THE WEAPONS. No army in Europe can mobilise more rapidly than that of Germany. As soon as the mobilisation order—which must come from the Emperor—is issued, it is telegraphed to the various army corps throughout the country, and goes into effect almost, the instant it is received. The time for complete mobilisation of the German army is said to be two days and a half, while that for France is said to be five days—just double the time. In Germany all the summonses for the reserves arc already filled out and signed; and are kept constantly ready—only requiring to be stamped with a date which, by special machinery, can be done in an hour or two. Each person of the reserve is pledged to answer his summons immediately it is issued and to report to the command assigned him. Like the lifeboat drill on a big liner, each man in the German reserve knows just where to go oh receiving his smnmoiis. And with the special railway facilities always placed at the command of the German army, the whole force can be transported from' place to place with the utmost rapidity. The two great governing principles in the German army organisation are, first, the compulsory bearing of arms by every able-bodied citizen ; and, secondly, education and ability as a means toward and a necessity for advancement. Even the princes of the Royal House of Prussia must- serve their time of military training, just the same as the son of the peasant. Much has been made of military conscription in Germany, and the awful hardships of serving, in one department or another, from the seventeenth to the forty-fifth year. As a matter of fact, conscription lies vety lightly on the German people. The army is, in fact, THE GREAT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE EMPIRE. As early as the age of ten, children desiring to enter the army in positions of honour on coming of age begin their studies at one or other of the various cadet schools scattered liberally throughout the country, and from these schools they enter the various special technical institutions for the training of soldiers, according to the branch of service they wish to devote their lives to. The army, if looked at correctly, is the real life' of the people, and, while a number of persons whose love for the fatherland is not so intense as it might be, leave Germany each year and seek refuge in foreign lands, the fact remains that the army is the ideal of the Gorman who is content to stay at home. This is amply demonstrated by the 50.000 men who have joined what is known as the Krlegervereine—-or associations of men who have been honourably discharged from the army, who wish to keep up their military connections and to help each other and the country in time of stress. These Kreigervereine display the real attachment which the German populace entertain for their army institutions. The strength of the German army is approximately 500,000 men, actually with the colours. As a matter of fact, however, with the calling of the Land; wehr and Landsturn not less than 4.500.000 highly trained and efficient soldiers can be summoned to the colours. The keeping up of army feeling and training by the Kreigcrvereine--even.after men have passed out of the army—bring another 500,000, the total strength of the available force being in a crisis, 5,000,000 trained fighters, though the exact army force is given at 502,506 men, not including the oneyear volunteers. The general notion seems to be that any and everybody is drafted into the service, but this is far from being the case. In order to get into the army ai. unblemished private character is necessary. NO CRIMINALS OR LOW CHARACTERS ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE ARMY, and the profession of soldier is looked upon as a high one. Vou Moltke said, speaking of the honour of belonging to the German army “ Eternal peace is not only a dream, but not even .a happy dream. War is an institution of God—a principle of order in the world. In it the most noble virtues find their expression—courage and abnegation, fidelity to duty, even love and selfsacrifice. The soldier offers hia life. Without war the world would fall into decay and loss itself in materialism.” But while not everybody is drafted 1 into the army, no one can escape the investigations of the conscription officers. The registration of births is ' under control of the military autbori- ' ties, and no male child can come into ]

the world without being reported and his name entered “ for service.” Not only this, a record is kept of his movements on coming to proper military age. Every lodging-house keeper who takes anyone in oven for one night in Germany must report the name of his guest, age, description and profession on a form, which is promptly sent to the nearest police station under penalty of a fine or default. Thus a trace is kept of every man in Germany, and there can bo no moving about from place to place to escape conscription.