GERMANY'S WANING MANPOWER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1015, 17 November 1917, Page 7

GERMANY'S WANING MANPOWER.

THE CALLING-UP OF THE 1920 CLASS. The cabled statements that during this vear Germany has exhausted 300 divisions 'against the Anglo-British forces on the western front, coupled with the announcement made on Tuesday that Von J lindenburg, in conjunction with LudendorfF, was scheming vigorously for a further development of man-power, and that all males between 17 and 60 were to be called up, again raises the question of Germany's reserve. The now combtngout process is to bo performed, as it were, with a tooth-comb. The fighting age limit is not only being extended, but the 1920 class is being called up, three years before its lime. . . . Various authorities, official and otherwise, differ considerably as to Germany's remaining man-power, as they do regarding her 'losses. Colonel Repington, the military correspondent of the London Times,* stated the other day that the ascertainable figures showed that the chance of Germany winning by dint of numbers had long since passed. "The German fighting strength is now 5.750.000. of which 2 200 000 men are on the west front and l'loo,ooo on the oast. The balance is in the depots, garrisons and administrative services There are probably 500,000 reserves' ' including 380,000 partly trained of the 1919 class, which, with the recovered wounded, are only available for reinforcements. H the 1918 lighting is on „ .similar scale to that o 1916 and 917, Germany will be compelled to use her 192021 classes next year, or weaken and reduce her divisions. She Will probably make superhuman efforts this winter to equal the British artillery output and to beat us in the air, but this will not make easier the maintenance of her infantry strongth Probably, (.blond Repington based his "calculations on an age limit O 45 or thereabouts, and did not consider £ possibility of grey-bearded sexagenarians being summoned to the ranks with boys of Mr llcnrv Wood, an able United Press correspondent with the French armies in ,l„. Held asserted as recently a« the end of &pßkr, that Germany had 6,800.000 men & 'out of a total of 14,000,000 tha hgured on her military lists, tie estimated la there were five and ahull million, on the various fronts. 600,000 in reserve, and 700.000 bovs of 17 and 18. Mr Wood says that the first mobilisation on the outbreak of war brought the strength of the army up U> four and a-half millions, a number less than that of the German casualties m the war. a.s stated iii official German documents, llien the Grsata reserve. 800.000 strong, was mobilised. These were men whose physical condition was a trifle under normal army standard. Then the class of 1914 was called out--450.000 men who became 20 years old in that year. In 1915 the call for the hrst nf the Landsturm yielded 1.100,000 men: the 1915 class another 450.000; a special call in September for the remainder of the Landsturm 130,000. and an advance call for the 1916 class 450.000. Still more men were wanted, therefore Germany embed out 300,000 more by stringent examination of those previously exempted. TWO CLASSES IN ONE YEAH.

In 1916, the 1017 class was called out early—4so,ooo boys, 18 and 19 years old. Another combing process added 300.000 more and finally in November, the 1918 class was called out'-another 450,000. This year the demand for human material was still more pressing. Another squeezing process found 150,000" more men, draining the Empire of every man who by any .stretch of medical inspection could be regarded as fit for military service. There remained no 'ot.lier re-smi-ccs, except the boys, taken as -..0n as they became 13. Now still younger bovs an- to bo taken, to make* up for the terrible wastage on the west front, where during some of the British and French offensives, some divisions suffered such heavy losses that they were withdrawn after only two days' lighting, and in numerous cases after four or six days in the front line. In some cases divisions were so shattered that thev existed practically only in name. And yet the fact remains that Germany is being beaten, but slowly, and no good' purpose is served by depreciating her efforts. The- stubbornness of her resistance is more than matched, however, by the dog. gedncss of the Allies' attacks, and before very long she must reach the _ point at which siie is no longer able to maintain her armies in the field at their present strength. Then the end will be very near.