ITALY'S FIGHTING STRENGTH

North Otago Times, Volume C, Issue 13147, 31 August 1914, Page 3

ITALY'S FIGHTING STRENGTH

THE ARMY AND THE NAVY. 1 , SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND IN LAND FORCES; 1 The Italian; Army, numbers, on a war footing, 400,000 combatants in the.field army, and the mobilo militia havo a nominal strength of 326,000. Of these, probably'2oo,ooo can readily take the field, making an approximate total fighting foj'ce of (100,0.00. The young Italia,n has' to serve in cither thp. army' or. the navy for 10 years,-beginning;at tjio ago of 20. . A section is posted to tho permanent army; a seeomHot also to tho permanent army 'with "unlimited leave," and the. third section is oxemp'ted from active service and goes into the Territorial,militia. ,' Tho second category form the "eoiujilcmcptarv troops," and supply a reserve to make up tho waste of war. .Tho mobile militia consists of men who have served two years, in the pormaucnt army and six years in tho reserve. These men remain in the mobilo militia four years and then'pass into tho Territorials, joining the exempted men in this form of service, and supplying the only part of this service .which can be counted upon for use in war time. Tho field army consists of twelve army corps, each of two divisions (one has three. The divisions each consist of 14,156 officers ami men, 1399 horses, and HO guns. Each army corps has also a regiment of field artillery with 110 guns in six batteries, two or throe heavy batteries, a cavalry regiment, and' a regiment of Borsagliori, or light infantry. 1 The Bersaglieri regiments consist of three battalions of infantry, ami one of cyclists, the latter being intended to assist the cavalry in the field. There arc eight regiments (about 20,000 men) of Alpiai, or frontier troops, specially organised to defend the mountain passes leading into Italy. They have with them two regiments gacli of 30 butteries of mountain artillery.. In addition there arc a regiment of eight batteries of horso artillery (in addition to the two batteries attached to each cavalry division), two regiments of heavy artillery of eight batteries each, and ten batteries of fortress artillery. Italy owned 9 airships ia 1913, and about 150 efficient aeroplanes.. The infantry are armed with the Mannlichcr-Carirano rifle, a magazine weapon) of. 0.5' mm. (.200-inch) calibre. Tlie field artillery has been, or is being, re-armed with a l)e Port q.f. gun of 75 mm. (2,05-incli) calibre. The frontier of Italy is as follows: French, 300 miles; Swiss, 418 miles; Austro-liungarrian, 184 miles; total, 1202 miles. The principal passes of the Alps are defended by fortifications, and the basin of the Po river, which stretches across, the broad "root" of the Italian peninsula, is studded with fortifications. . Tho chief strong places arc Casale, Piacenza, Verona, Mantua, Venice, and Alessandria, Several of tho towns further south are protected, including, of course, Rome. The Navy of Italy, i Italy has a formidable navy, which enjoys the distinction of having been the latest of the great Powers to have , taken part in war previous to the prer sent conflict. There arc certainly two i Dreadnoughts in service, and two otherß are understood to have been commissioned. The two certain ships are the : Conte. di CaVour, . thirteon 12-inch, i eighteen. '1.7-inch, and fourteen small , guns, 21,500 tons, 22$ knots; and'the ; Dante AlighiCri, "twelve 'l2-iflcli,. twenty -. 4,7-inch, and twelve small guns, 19,000 1 tons, 23 knots; and the other two are

the Leonardo da Vinci and 1 the Giulio Cesarc, sisters of the Con to di Cavour, Two others like them; the Duilio and the Andrea Doriii, arc Hearing completion; biit' cannot be coiiiitcil upon. There are ten very heavily armed pro-Dread-noughts, The San Opoipio and the San Marco carry each four 12-inch and eight 7,5-inch, guns; four ships carrj two 12-inch and twelve 8-inch, twi others, four J 2-inch, four S-inch, and twelve li ; inch; and another pair arc armed witli four. 10-inch and eight 7.5 inch guns, 'This category, however lakes us back into ships of tlio-ISW programme, Thcrp arc no particular!) powerful cruisers, 'l'lio constitution of the fleet on papei as at tlio end of this year is as follows: Dreadnoughts, 4; pro-Dreadnoughts, 8 armoured cruisers, 9; protected cruisers 'l3; torpedo'gunboats, 10; .destroyers 35; torpedo boats, SO; Kubiiiarincs, 25 Tlicsu figures exclude several old ship: which; have lost their lighting; valui • The 'personnel of; tliejiavy is .of liceis and ;iB,OOO nicn;' ' djieu.tciia'nt G;. S. ■Jit.N.,. lim competed a now. inmiel, fijliitiiiiiuc, m'k 1 has'- sent- it tii the-Hritisli Admirali; for trial. The invention consists of/ i ponrnng tower.whieh caiivbe detacher f/our the craft in case ot disability while unQer watoi'j,. allowing tho cutiri ; crow to ascend to the surface in safety