WAR NEWS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5353, 9 February 1916, Page 6

WAR NEWS.

GERMANY’S MAN POWER.

A BRITISH ESTIMATE

THE 1 LOSSES ANALYSED

Electric Telegraph—Press Association Copyright.

London, Last Night

Colonel Repington publishes an , exhaustive investigation of Germany’s man power. Accepting thirteen million men of military age at the commencement of the war and making careful deductions for essential industries there remains a maximum of nine million available fighters including three hundred thousand men belonging to the 1917 class which has not been called up. Germany has now 170 divisions in the field and adding the cavalry to the army troops and the unusually high percentage of artillery and technical services this gives a total of 3.500,000 men. We have usually found German companies averaging 175 instead of 250, but recently companies of 300 wer e encountered in the West. It is therefore safest to regard the establish men ts as complete, The German losses shown by the casualty lists have been. IN 1914. M. August .' 92,130 September 125,423 October 279,757 November 235,285 'December 201,952 IN 1915. January 103,801 February .... 90,2-11 March 135,834 April 135),302 May 107,034 June . 182,780 July 159,977 August 146,193 . September 170,1)81 October 184.909 November 190,852 December 60.485 IN 1916. January (about) 36,0 M) Total 2,627,085 • ') The lists must be accepted althou„> a tley do not contain the names if si me of the dead we have found. Listen r lists they omit the sick and in* 'ulided, except those who have di>l of sickness in the war zone. The German medical men return 4 1 per cent, of the wounded to the ranks an i it is a safe estimate that 25 per cent, never return to the firing line. Deducting 790.000 for returns to the front and adding 030.000 to the floating -population of hospitals and I sanatoria ms, the nett lossi s l>econio 2.500.000 men. Therefore, 2.800.000 arc still available as a reserve* in Germany. Probably 800.IXK men are •guarding communications and doing garrison duty. If the Gormans Inst 250,000 a month their power of reinforcing would end in September. If we proceed 'fighting Turks and Bulgars and what not. and destroying only 30,000 Germans monthly, the war will be interminable.