GREAT FUTURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22712, 26 October 1935, Page 18

GREAT FUTURE

NEW GERMAN ARMY LESSON OF MANCEUVRES MEN STILL GREEN The new German Army, which threw off the shackles of Versailles shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power and thereby revolutionised, the political constellation of Europe, permitted the world to take its first peek at its prowess iii action and at the achievements of more than two years of German rearmament when recently it held its first large manoeuvres since the World War. Grand stand seats were given to the public, writes Otto D, Tolischus from Berlin to the New York Times. Although the army is still in the stage of transition from a small, professional, semi-disarmed troop to a standing conscript force envisaging the entire nation in arras, its manoeuvre performance was sufficiently revealing to permit the unchallengeable forecast that in the centre of Europe there is arising again one of the biggest and most efficient military machines the world has seen. In some respects it even promises to surpass the old Imperial Army, which for four years defied the world. NOT YET THAT FAR. At the same time it is necessary to emphasise that it is not yet that far along. Viewed from the purely military standpoint, the re-creation of the German Army is little short of a miracle, considering the time at its disposal, but for the present it is scarcely a menace to any bigger Power except in defence. For to create an army such as Germany would need for a war unlikely to remain confined to one front takes more than two years. During the manoeuvres it became apparent to the trained eye that, despite its actual potential excellencies, the new army was still short of various essential elements. Its material and equipment were thoroughly modern and brand new, and its quality and variety show that during the period of her disarmament Germany did not miss any of the tricks developed anywhere in the world, and even developed some of her own which are still military secrets, but which in time are likely to influence other armies as well. At the same time, however, there were also convincing indications that material and equipment are not yet as far advanced as is sometimes assumed. For the first time since the war the German army went into manoeuvres with heavy field guns, tanks, anti-tank guns, aircraft and anti-aircraft guns that were no longer wooden fakes, and the extent of the motorisation attracted attention. But there seemed to he a dearth of heavy artillery, and some of the air defence equipment that is the particular pride of General Hermann Goering, the Air Minister, appeared to be even behind that of other Powers. OFFICERS SHORT. But the most serious problem facing the new army is the obvious shortage of trained officers. Slight occasional slips that only a practised eye was likely to catch revealed that the majority of the officers at the manoeuvres were reserve officers who had been away from actual command of troops for years. The remedy for these deficiencies, however, is merely a matter of time. Against them stand the fact that the morale of the new army is superb, that its human material is excellent, and that its performance is extraordinary in respect

to the training, endurance, cheerfulness and willingness of the troops. In its present stage the army consists mainly of young volunteers, who seemed to have between nine and twelve months service behind them and who had been disciplined by the corps of noncommissioned officers that had been graduated from the military superschool of the now abolished Reichswehr., The training of the rank and file is no longer quite up to the standard set by the Reichswehr, in which every man served for 12 years and which by agreement of all military men ranked among the “ finest of the fine,” and when the conscripts are called to the colours on November 1 the standard is likely to drop a few more degrees. But it is still equal to that of any mass army in the world. A SILENT ARMY. Despite the bad manoeuvre weather and the heaviest demands upon them, the troops were always in good spirits. Many times soldiers marched 24 and 20 miles a day and launched spirited attacks afterwards. The physical endurance of the troops was undoubtedly facilitated by the premilitary training given to the youth of the Third Reich, but the National Socialist ideology of a national community has also found its way into the army and has produced a remarkable result. It is the most silent army in the world. No one raises his voice above normal. The days of the swaggering, snarling officer and bullying sergeant who vented their arrogance upon subordinates and aroused whatever anti-military sentiment existed in pre-war Germany are apparently gone. Relations between officers and men are now better than in many another army and approximate those in the French army. Commands are given in an even tone, with possibly a friendly nod by the officer or a tap on a subordinate’s shoulder. Just the same, the old iron discipline is still there, and the apparent familiarity with his superiors has not affected the smartness with which the soldier stands at attention when he is spoken to. The new army is also the simplest army in the world, which is another precipitate of National Socialist ideology —namely, that of the leadership principle. Every subordinate commander is supposed to be a “leader,” which means that the largest possible scope for personal initiative is given to him, but he must also bear responsibility. In the field especially full authority is given to the local commander to make dispositions according to local circumstances. Perhaps the most interesting thing revealed in the manoeuvres, however, is the fact that the Germans are masters of camouflage. They cherish as the biggest manoeuvre compliment an admiring exclamation by the Japanese military attache. It was “I don’t see a thing! ”