EUROPEAN ARMIES | AdventAI

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, January 22, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 4

EUROPEAN ARMIES.

The recent newspaper war between Germany and Russia having given rise to many speculations concerning the offensive and defensive power of several European States, some particulars respecting various armies, which have been furnished to me on good authority, may be read with interest at this moment. To begin with Germany, the re-organization of that army was fully carried out in 1866, since which time the annual recruiting has produced 1,300,000 men. After making due deductions for dead, sick, etc., the strength of the German army may now be fairly put at 1,250,000 men of the line, and the reserves and the First Landwehr, all of whom are thoroughly drilled and ready to enter the field at any moment. These men are of various ages, from twenty to thirty-two years. Besides these, the German government can call out the Second Landwehr and the Landsturm, which includes all the drilled soldiers from thirty-two to fifty years of age. These would, after making due deductions, number 1,300,000 men. All these 2,550,000 soldiers can be marched in twenty-four hours after being called out, as all the Quartermaster's arrangements are made in time of peace to enable this to be done. From this total must be deducted 200,000 for the fortresses, 150,000 for the coasts and against Denmark, and 100,000 for depots; so that 2,100,000 men are available for real warfare, the last of whom would only require a fortnight at the most to be on the frontiers.

The border fortifications on the French side are completely furnished and are fully armed. They are furnished with large stores of provisions, and communicate with the interior of the country by means of good railways. France has, of course, good fortresses also on the German frontier, and these are strengthened by smaller barricading forts, but, in addition to the fact that they will not be completed and in thorough working order before 1881, Germany has the advantage of a convex frontier, which would facilitate concentric attacks, such as are regarded by military authorities as the most successful. The strength of the French army is, on paper, 3,600,000 men; but Sir Garnet Wolseley, as well as other authorities, calculates it as only about 1,800,000, among whom are more than 600,000 undrilled men. Besides this, the status of the territorial army and the Garde Mobile is so doubtful that France is considered to have ready for the beginning of a war not more than 1,000,000 men, of whom 400,000 must be deducted for garrison, etc., leaving 600,000 really available for action. Russia's force, although given on paper at 1,800,000 men, cannot, as was explained at the beginning of the recent dispute, exceed 400,000 men on the German frontier.—Vienna Correspondence of the London Standard.