GERMANY’S STRENGTH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 December 1938, Page 7

GERMANY’S STRENGTH

* MEN READY FOR WAR. TOTAL OF 1,700,000. The strength of the Germany Army is arousing great interest among all foreign military observers, particularly the British and French. Estimates of the standing army vary from 500,000 to 900,000 men. The Berlin correspondent of “The Times” quoting the German Army Year Book for 1939, states that the strength is now 39 divisions, thus giving a peacetime force of 585,000 men. Included in there were 36 divisions, including one four light divisions, three mountain troop divisions ,and a cavalry brigade. The official list for 1937 showed that there wer 36 divisions, including one mountain brigade, one cavalry brigade, one light brigade, and three tank divisions. ARMY GROUPS. The 39 divisions are organised in a number of army corps, which are themselves divided into six army groups. Besides this, there are a number of frontier infantry regiments employed as a permanent garrison for fortifications, which are organised in separate frontier commands. It would seem that the light divisions consist of motorised cavalry equipped for reconnaissance and for rapid diversions of counter-attack. Each of these divisions is equipped with 100 light tanks, many armoured cars, light artillery, and other valuable weapons. ' About 2000 tanks are mustered in the five tanks divisions, added to which there are 400 tanks belonging to the light divisions. AUSTRIAN BRIGADES. Of the three mountain brigades two are formed by Austrian troops with headquarters at Innsbruck and Graz, and one by German troops with headquarters at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The expansion of the German Army revealed by these figures is partly accounted for by new recruiting drives, as well as the incorporation of Austria in the Reich Austria’s regular Federal Army, consisting of approximately 50,000 men, was incorporated in the German Army after the absorption of the country. Apart from the absorption of the Austrian Army, the Reich will henceforth enjoy a yearly intake of probably as much as 100,000 Austrian recruits. .RESERVE FORCES. No troops from the Sudeten region are included in these figures, although the annual intake of recruits from Germany's newest, colony could not be much less than 50,000. It should also be noted that there are about 400,000 men who have received a thorough training with the Czechoslovak Army, and who, with a little training with German weapons and methods, would become a strong reservist force. The Berlin correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” expresses the opinion that the German Army consists of 51 divisions, making a peacetime strength of about 850,000 men, each standing division being backed by a reservist division. Thus, in the event of war, Germany, would be able to throw 1,700,000 men into the field. •