  Decorative underline The German Empire. Prussian Hussar It was in the autumn of 1870, during the Franco-German War, that the preliminary arrangements were made for the forthcoming consolidation of the German Empire. Up to that time, Germany consisted of a multitude of States, each with its own Government and its own Army. The interests of these States, ranging as they did from kingdoms down to small principalities, were extremely conflicting, and internal hostility was frequently the result. The one great aim of King William of Prussia was to see them all united into one Empire, and defended by one Army. Aided by the genius of Bismarck, the negotiations were brought to a successful conclusion, and on the 18th January, 1871, William of Prussia was declared Emperor of Germany with the title of William I. At the same time the forces of the different States were combined, and the present German Army is the result. In peace and war this United Army is under the command of the Emperor, and each man is bound by oath to render him faithful and loyal service. Several of the States, whilst keeping their own troops, have, by means of special military conventions, attached themselves and their forces still closer to the chief military power of the Empire, namely, German Empire. I. [LHS] German Empire. I. [RHS] Organisation. The Army may be roughly divided into four groups: 1. The combined forces of Prussia and the following States, which have concluded conventions with her: Saxe-Weimar, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Altenburg, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the two principalities of Reuss, Oldenburg, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Lippe, Schaumburg-Lippe, LÜbeck, Bremen, Hamburg, Waldeck, Brunswick, Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Grand Duchy of Baden, and Grand Duchy of Hesse. 2. The Saxon Army Corps—(one). 3. The Bavarian Army Corps—(two). 4. The WÜrttemberg Army Corps—(one). Universal Conscription is the keystone of the Army. Introduced on September 3rd, 1814, first of all, it was amended by the law of the 16th April, 1871, and perfected by subsequent laws passed in 1874 and 1881. The recent edict of the 11th February, 1888, has put the finishing touches to it, so that it now holds sway throughout the whole Empire. According to this law, every German who is physically capable and who is in the enjoyment of civil rights, is bound to serve as a soldier. Terms of Service. A man is bound to commence his service, as a rule, with his 21st year. The period of service is as follows:—
By this time the soldier is in his 45th year. The 1st Class Landwehr is divided into complete units, and these are formed into Reserve Divisions for the Active Army. The 2nd Class Landwehr garrisons the interior and fortresses, and acts, if called out, as a reserve for the above-mentioned Landwehr Reserve divisions. All men between the ages of 17 and 45 who are fit to bear arms and who are not serving in either the Active Army (including the Ersatz Reserve) or in the Landwehr, are enrolled in the 1st Class Landsturm. This body can only be called out in case of national invasion, or for garrison duty at home. The Ersatz (i.e. Supply) Reserve consists of those men who are physically fit, but have, owing to surplus numbers or other causes, escaped being sent to serve in the Regular Army. Part of this Reserve undergoes a training of ten weeks in the first, six weeks in the second, and four weeks in the third year. These are considered as belonging to the so-called “Furlough Men” Prussian Garde du Corps. If every single able-bodied young man were to be taken for the Regular Army, two disadvantages would accrue to the State; on the one hand an immense amount of industrial labour would be lost to the country, and on the other, it would be impossible for the State to support such a huge Army. For this reason the law of the constitution has laid down that the peace Army is not to exceed one per cent. of the population. This gives the Army the respectable peace-strength of 468,409 men (not including officers and one-year volunteers). Of these numbers about 156,000 annually enter the ranks as recruits. There is a supplementary clause to the law of universal conscription, and that is the one which allows of One-year Volunteers. It stands to reason that with a three-years’ bout of compulsory service, a large portion of the youth of the country are interrupted in the studies which are to prepare them for their particular professions, and that at a period when they can least afford to lose the time. For the labourer, who needs but little knowledge for his daily task, and for those handicraftsmen whose work demands but little brain capacity or culture of any sort, this interruption of business is of small moment. It is far otherwise, however, with the young man who requires to spend some time in the higher schools in order to fit himself for the profession he has chosen, be it industrial or scientific. This disadvantage of the conscription law makes itself felt in proportion to the progress in education and general culture made in the country. At the same time it is obvious that a man who has the assistance of a well-educated and well-trained mind does not require so long a period to master the intricacies of soldiering as one who is less intelligent. For this reason the Government allows young men who have either received a certificate of educational efficiency from one of the higher schools or else passed an examination before a commission appointed for the purpose, to enter the service as volunteers on completing their seventeenth year. After one year with the Colours they are sent “on furlough” to the Active Reserve, and for this privilege they have to find themselves in uniform, equipment, and food during the period of their service. They may become officers in the following manner: If they have behaved well and have subsequently, during two trainings of several weeks each, whilst attached to a Corps, shown themselves professionally and socially qualified to become officers, they are balloted for by the officers of their district. If the ballot is favourable, they are commissioned by his Majesty and become full-blown officers of the Reserve. These have, in case of war, to complete the active establishment of officers to war-strength, or have to fill vacancies as officers in the Landwehr. Officers. The German Army represents the people under arms, and their officers represent the cream of the Army. The road to the Every candidate for an officer commission must possess— 1. A good general education, of which the candidate must give satisfactory proof, either by the possession of an “Abiturient” certificate, 2. Physical qualifications for military service, including good eyes. 3. An honourable character. Having satisfied the authorities on these subjects, the candidate now serves as a private for five months, generally with the regiment he intends to enter. At the end of this time, during which he is called an “avantageur,” he undergoes an examination in military duties, etc., and on receiving a certificate of satisfactory service from his superior officers, he becomes an ensign (“Porte-ÉpÉe FÄhnrich”) and is sent to a military college for a year. There he passes a final examination in military knowledge, and, if balloted for successfully by the officers of the regiment of his choice, he joins as second lieutenant. WÜrttemberg, As much as 40 to 45 per cent. of the officers are drawn from the Cadet Corps, which is distributed amongst establishments at Lichterfelde (near Berlin, head college), Kulm, Potsdam, Wahlstatt, Bensberg, PlÖn and Oranienstein, in Prussia; Dresden in Saxony, and Munich in Bavaria. A new college will shortly open in Karlsruhe. This Corps is chiefly composed of the sons of officers, who receive a cheap and excellent training and education. The proverb that “the apple falls close to the stem” is well exemplified here, for amongst the cadets are many who bear celebrated soldiers’ names, such as Roon, Steinmetz, Canstein, etc., etc. Although the training in the Cadet Corps is chiefly a military one, yet on the whole the cadets receive an education equal to that of a first-class civilian college. Thus they are enabled in after-life, when they have left the Service, to pursue a civilian calling with greater ease than if their education had been purely military. Mention may also be made here of the establishments in which the “Porte-ÉpÉe FÄhnrichs” (ensigns) are instructed: they are the military colleges of Potsdam, Engers, Neisse, Glogau, Hanover, Cassel, Anklam, Metz, and Munich. The higher branches of military science are pursued in the United Artillery and Engineer School, and the Staff College (Kriegsakademie), both in Berlin. The entire military education and training of the country are managed by an Inspection-General. As in all large armies, the three great branches of the German service are Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery, besides the Engineers and Transport Corps, the latter of which is called the “Train.” Infantry. As everybody knows, Infantry is intended to go anywhere and fight anywhere. It is, therefore, equipped for all contingencies that may arise, and is armed with a weapon for use either at a long range or in close hand-to-hand fighting. The German Infantry is As a rule, the German foot-soldier has to carry his own equipment, both on the march and in action. The equipment consists of a knapsack with large mess-tin attached, great coat, bayonet and scabbard (to which latter is fastened a small spade), havresack, and water-bottle, and three pouches, two in front and one behind. These pouches hold, altogether, 150 rounds. The whole thing can be put on or taken off at a moment notice, by simply buckling or unbuckling the waist-belt and slipping the arms into, or out of, the knapsack braces. This new arrangement also obviates to a great extent the discomfort caused by the older pattern of equipment, which compressed the man chest considerably. The old division of the Infantry into Grenadiers, Musketeers, and Fusiliers has now no significance, except from a historical point of view. Nowadays, the whole of the Infantry being identically equipped, they all receive exactly the same amount of instruction and training, with the sole exception that the Rifle battalions (JÄger) spend somewhat more time and pains on their musketry than the other troops. Prussian Engineer. “Grenadiers” first sprang into existence in the seventeenth century; as their name indicates, they were originally intended to throw hand-grenades amongst the enemy ranks. For this object, particularly powerful men were selected, and in France, under Louis XIV., four Grenadiers were at first attached to each company; subsequently, each battalion received a Grenadier company. Grenadiers were now introduced into every civilised army, but as there was seldom an opportunity for the employment of their special weapon, they were given muskets, and remained Grenadiers only in name, and thus the name came to be applied to particularly fine bodies of troops only. The Prussian Grenadier battalions of Frederick the Great were the flower of his Army, and in memory of these troops The names of “Musketeers” and “Fusiliers” come from the different firearms their predecessors bore, i.e., the musket and the rifle (fusil), first introduced into France in the seventeenth century. The Musketeers were at first the Heavy Infantry, in contradistinction to the Fusiliers, who represented the Light Infantry. Later, however, on each branch receiving the same firearm, the distinction ceased, and it is now only remembered through the old Fusilier songs, of which there exist several, and whose burden is the chaffing of the heavy Musketeer. The peculiar qualities necessary for good Light Infantry have been developed par excellence in the Prussian Rifle battalions. These draw a very large proportion of their recruits from the gamekeepers and forester class of the country. Such men have of necessity been already trained in the attainments required for that branch of the Infantry. They are well acquainted with firearms and can shoot; they can put up with considerable hardships, they can find their way about a strange country, and they have studied in the school of nature—in short, they are the very men to make into skirmishers and marksmen, and are in their element on outpost or patrol duty. Frederick the Great was the first to train the JÄger as Light Infantry, and his influence is seen to this day. “Vive le roi et ses chasseurs” was the motto engraved on their “hirschfÄnger” (lit. “stag-sticker,” a large knife still worn by keepers for the purpose of giving the stag his coup de grÂce) in his day, and it is still the watchword of the Prussian Riflemen of to-day. Frederick recognised that the true method of employing Riflemen was to extend them as skirmishers, and there is a story which tells how, when one day, in Potsdam, the Rifles were marching past him in close order, the old king shook his crutch-stick at them and shouted: “Get out of that, get out of that, you scoundrels!” and made them march past in extended order. On the 1st of April, 1890, the German Infantry numbered 171 regiments of 3 battalions each, and 21 Rifle battalions—total 534 battalions. The Guard and Grenadier Regiments are:—
The Fusilier and Rifle (SchÜtzen) Regiments are:—
Of the remaining Line regiments, 81 are Prussian, i.e., Nos. 13–32, 41–72, 74–79, 81–85, 87–88, 97–99, 128–132, 135–138, and 140–143; No. 91 is Oldenburg, No. 92 is Brunswick, No. 93 is Anhalt, No. 94 is Saxe-Weimar, No. 95 is Saxe-Meiningen and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, No. 96 is Saxe-Altenburg, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and the two principalities of Reuss, Nos. 111–114, and 144, are Baden, and Nos. 116–118 are Hessian. Total, 95 regiments of the first group. Nine belong to the 2nd group, Saxony, i.e., Nos. 102–107, 133, 134, and 139. Six belong to the 3rd group, WÜrttemberg, i.e., Nos. 120–122 and 124–126. The 4th group, Bavaria, has 18 regiments of the Line, which are numbered apart from the rest of the Army. The Rifle (JÄger) battalions are thus divided:— Prussia: 1 battalion Rifles of the Guard; 1 battalion SchÜtzen of the Guard; 11 battalions Rifles of the Line (Nos. 1–11); 1 battalion Mecklenburg Rifles. Total, 14 battalions. Saxony: 3 battalions Rifles of the Line (Nos. 12, 13, and 15). Bavaria: 4 battalions Rifles (numbered apart). WÜrttemberg. Dragoon. Cavalry. The Cavalry is intended for fighting chiefly at close quarters and on open ground. Their use on the battle-field is generally confined to the attack in close order. Although both branches of the Cavalry, the Heavy and the Light, receive an identical training, yet the distinction between them has not yet entirely lost its old significance. The Cavalry of the German Army is divided into four groups, distinguished by different equipment and arms; they are the Cuirassiers, the Dragoons, the Lancers, and the Hussars. The chief weapon throughout is the sword, though the Cuirassiers differ from the others in being armed with a long straight sword, whilst that of the latter is slightly curved. Besides this weapon, the whole of the Cavalry is being armed with lances. As it may happen that the men may have to dismount and use firearms on foot, at present they are all armed with a useful carbine (Mauser, 1871 pattern); the non-commissioned officers and trumpeters wear a revolver instead. The main point in a Cavalry fight is the shock, i.e., the moment when they come into contact with the enemy. This must be the result of gradually quickening the pace till at the supreme moment an irresistible mass is hurled with crushing force on the ranks of the enemy. The best powers of man and horse must therefore be reserved for this moment, and it is a fact that the turning-point of an action has often been decided by the mere impetus of the charge, and without any use whatever of cold steel. German Empire. II. [LHS] German Empire. II. [RHS] Of the whole German Cavalry the Prussian arm has the best record. This dates from the time of Frederick the Great and his celebrated Cavalry leaders Zieten, Seydlitz, and others, who made use of bold and clever offensive tactics which led to The Cuirassiers are the troops who from their outward appearance most resemble the knights of the Middle Ages. Although the cuirass, from which they take their name, has lately been abolished for field service in consequence of its weight and inability to keep off the enemy bullets, yet with the lance, just introduced, a genuine knightly weapon has been brought in to take its place. The Prussian Regiment of Gardes-du-Corps, whose chief is ex-officio the King of Prussia, is equipped and armed in the same way as the Cuirassiers. Although it forms a Royal body-guard, still the regiment has seen a considerable amount of service. History tells of a memorable saying of the Commander of the regiment, Colonel von Wacknitz, at the battle of Zorndorf (25th August, 1758), where the enemy, the Russians, were getting the best of the day; Frederick the Great was with his regiment, the Gardes-du-Corps, and said anxiously to Colonel von Wacknitz: “What do you think of it? My idea is that we shall get the worst of the action.” In Bavaria the two regiments of Heavy Cavalry, and in Saxony the regiments of Horse Guards and Carbineers, correspond to the Prussian Cuirassiers. The Dragoons were originally intended to combine the fire-action of Infantry with the rapidity of movement of Cavalry, and were therefore armed, on horseback, with a light musket and bayonet. The Brandenburg Dragoons of the great Elector Frederick William came greatly to the fore in this double capacity at the battles of Warsaw and Fehrbellin. The uncertainty, however, of the results of shooting when mounted, and the inconvenience of dismounting or mounting according as to whether the fight raged on foot or on horseback, showed plainly as time went on that the idea of an intermediate arm, a sort of mounted infantry, could not yet be brought to perfection. The Dragoons were therefore, during the eighteenth century, gradually formed into Cavalry pure and simple, and at the present time they are horse-soldiers, and horse-soldiers only. One of the most celebrated Cavalry attacks was that of the regiment of Anspach-Bayreuth Dragoons in the battle of Hohenfriedberg (4th June, 1745). In this action, the regiment rode down no fewer than 20 battalions of Infantry, took 2,500 prisoners and 66 standards, besides a large number of guns: as Frederick the Great said, “It is a feat unparalleled in history.” This regiment was, at a later period, turned into a Cuirassier regiment, and is now known as the Queen’s 2nd Cuirassiers (Pomeranians). The Bavarian Chevau-lÉgers correspond to the Prussian Dragoons, and many a record testifies to their gallantry in action. The spirit of Zieten, the “Hussar-father,” and of old BlÜcher, “Field Marshal Forwards,” still lives in the Hussars of the German Empire. Activity, boldness, and cheeriness are the attributes which make a good Hussar, and many are the songs which record their successes in camp and field. The Uhlans (Lancers) who spread such terror amongst the enemy in the war of 1870–71, hail, as far as their name goes, from Tartary. Bavarian The chief weapon of the Uhlan, the lance, with which they caused such consternation among the French, although it had been the most popular weapon of the Middle Ages, disappeared almost entirely from European armies on the introduction of firearms; the Russian and Polish Cavalry alone retaining it. After the second Silesian war in 1745, Frederick the Great armed a body of Light Horse with lances, and gave them the name of “Bosniaks.” Consisting at first of only 1 “company,” their strength was increased afterwards to 10 companies, and in the year 1800 they The Cavalry of the German Empire consists altogether of 93 regiments of 5 squadrons each—total, 465 squadrons. On the regiment being ordered on active service, one of the squadrons remains behind as supply-squadron for the rest. Its duty is to replace the partially-trained or unserviceable horses by good ones, and also to fill up the ranks of the other squadrons with good men when required. By this means, the active part of the regiment is brought to a high state of readiness for action, and gains greatly in efficiency. There are:— 14 regiments of Cuirassiers, including: The Garde-du-Corps regiment, The Guard Cuirassier regiment, 8 Prussian Cuirassier regiments, 2 Bavarian Heavy Cavalry regiments, 1 Saxon Horse Guards regiment, and 1 Saxon regiment of Carbineers. 34 Regiments of Dragoons, namely: 2 Regiments of Dragoon Guards, 16 Prussian Dragoon regiments (Nos. 1–16), 2 Mecklenberg Dragoon regiments (Nos. 17 and 18), 1 Oldenburg Dragoon regiment (No. 19). 3 Baden Dragoon regiments (Nos. 20–22), 2 Hessian Dragoon regiments (Nos. 23 and 24), 2 WÜrttemberg Dragoon regiments (Nos. 25 and 26), and 6 Bavarian Chevau-lÉger Regiments. 20 Regiments of Hussars, namely: 1 Body-Guard Hussar regiment, 16 Prussian Hussar regiments, 1 Brunswick Hussar regiment, and 2 Saxon Hussar regiments (Nos. 18 and 19). 25 Regiments of Uhlans, namely: 3 Guard-Uhlan regiments, 16 Prussian Uhlan regiments (Nos. 1–16), 2 Saxon Uhlan regiments (Nos. 17 and 18), 2 WÜrttemberg Uhlan regiments (Nos. 19 and 20), and 2 Bavarian Uhlan regiments. Of late years there has been a good deal of talk about reorganising the present force into a so-called “General” Cavalry, and this would be distinctly a move in the right direction. The term implies that all branches of the Cavalry arm should be equally and thoroughly equipped, armed, and trained for any service in which Cavalry could be called on to take part. An important step has been made in this direction by the recent arming of the whole of the Cavalry with lances. There is, however, no intention whatever on the part of the authorities to carry out the idea to extremities. Such measures as taking away their particular mode of action from the different branches of the Cavalry, or giving them all exactly the same uniform, would never be entertained for a moment. It is obvious that such measures would be the deathblow of all esprit de corps which, as we know, has led to such brilliant results in the past. The shock of Cuirassiers on their big horses, the charge of Uhlans with their fluttering lance-pennons, the sabre-work of Hussars, and the mobility of Dragoons and Chevau-lÉgers, each has its particular effect on the enemy, and each distinctive attribute must be taken into serious account. There can be no doubt that a total amalgamation of the four branches, and the abolition of their distinctive uniforms, would produce much more harm in the end than good. Before closing the subject of Cavalry, mention ought to be made of the lately-formed Empress’s Body-Guard, composed of one officer, two sergeants, and 24 men. They were first put on duty in August, 1889, during the visit of the Emperor of Austria. Their uniform is the usual dark-blue tunic, with cerise collar and cuffs, besides a full-dress white Cuirassier tunic. The skirts are lined with cerise cloth and fastened back with hooks. Both collar and cuffs have white braid-lace on them, like the rest of the Guard Corps. The breeches are of white leather, and big knee-boots like those of the Cuirassiers complete the costume. Artillery. Artillery has but one rÔle to play on the battle-field, and that is to come into action and do as much harm as possible to the enemy from a long distance off. The German arm is divided into Field Artillery and Garrison Artillery. The Field Artillery is intended, as its name implies, for action on the field of battle. One particular branch of it forms the Horse Artillery, in which all the men are mounted. The whole of the Field Artillery is armed with Krupp cast-steel guns (C. 73), the Horse Artillery guns having a bore of 2·95, and the others a bore of 3·43 inches. They carry “double-ring shells” (a form of segment shell which fly into about 180 pieces), Shrapnel shells (each containing 240 bullets), and case-shot. The guns themselves are handy to work, and carry with great accuracy up to about four miles. A Battery is formed of six guns, though as a rule not more than four in peace-time have teams (4 to 6 horses each) to draw them. There are altogether 318 batteries of Field-and 46 batteries of Horse Artillery, the whole forming 37 regiments. To the Prussian group belong 29 regiments, forming 245 Field-and 38 Horse Artillery batteries—total 283 batteries. Saxony has 2 regiments (Nos. 12 and 28) forming 21 Field-and 2 Horse Artillery batteries. WÜrttemberg has 2 regiments (Nos. 13 and 29), forming 18 Field batteries. Bavaria has 4 regiments, forming 34 Field-and 6 Horse Artillery batteries. Grand Total, 364 batteries. Of the 29 “Prussian” regiments, 2 are Guard Artillery, 24 (Nos. 1–11, 15–24, 26, 27, and 31) are Prussian, 2 belong to Baden (Nos. 14 and 30), and 1 (No. 25) is Hessian. In the course of the next few years the Field Artillery will undergo considerable changes in matÉriel as well as in organisation. It is intended to give each Army Corps 3 F. A. regiments, each of 2 divisions of 3 batteries each. Thus each of the two divisions of the Army Corps would have one F. A. regiment of 6 batteries, and the 3rd regiment would be available as Corps Artillery. It is also proposed to introduce a common calibre of gun for the whole, both Field and Horse Artillery, and also a common projectile which would combine the advantages of common shell and shrapnel. The introduction of this latter would tend greatly to simplify both the action and the supply of the gun. Bavarian Officer of Lancers. The men of the Garrison Artillery are employed in the attack and defence of fortresses. They have no guns of their own, but simply work the big guns of the Siege-train or the fortresses, according to circumstances. These gunners go by the name of “cannoniers.” They are armed with the Mauser carbine of the 1871 pattern. The Garrison Artillery consists of 14 regiments of 2 battalions each, of 4 companies each, besides 3 independent battalions, altogether 31 battalions. Of this force, Prussia has 11 regiments (1 Guard regiment and Nos. 1 to 8, 10 and 11) and 2 independent battalions (No. 9 and No. 14), the latter belonging to Baden. Saxony has 1 regiment (No. 12). WÜrttemberg has 1 battalion (No. 13), and Bavaria has 2 regiments. Engineers. There remain yet the Engineers and the Train. The officers of the corps of Engineers are This is in the Prussian group. The Saxon, WÜrttemberg, and Bavarian officers are not so divided. Engineer officers are employed either with the “fortification branch,” i.e., that branch which superintends the construction, repair, etc., of fortresses, or with the “Pioneers,” i.e., Field Engineers. There are in the German Army nineteen Pioneer battalions, distributed thus: 1 Guard battalion and 14 others (Nos. 1–11, 14–16), including 1 Baden battalion (No. 13), to Prussia. 1 battalion to Saxony (No. 12), 1 battalion to WÜrttemberg (No. 18), and 2 battalions to Bavaria. Each battalion numbers 4 companies; of these the 1st is a Pontoon company, the 2nd and 3rd are Sapper companies: i.e., for sap-work, construction of siege-batteries, and field-works, etc.; and the 4th is a Mining company, for laying mines and subterranean galleries in siege-work. Besides these, there is a Railway Regiment of 4 battalions (including 1 Saxon and 1 WÜrttemberg company), and 1 Bavarian Railway battalion of 2 companies, for the construction of military railways and railway-bridges. Included in the Railway Regiment are the Field-Telegraph and Balloon sections. Train. The “Train” (corresponding to our Army Service Corps) is for the transport of supplies, ammunition, and war-material of all sorts. The drivers and men of the corps are trained in peace-time in the Train battalions, and the wagons are stored in Train depÔts. There are 19 Train battalions and 1 company, thus divided: 14 battalions, each of 2 to 3 companies, and a depÔt (the Guard battalion, and Nos. 1–11, 15 and 16), in Prussia; one (No. 14), in Baden, and 1 Train company in Hesse; one (No. 12) in Saxony, one in WÜrttemberg (No. 13), and 2 in Bavaria. To the depÔt of each battalion belong: 5 provision sections, 3 medical detachments with field hospitals and bearers, 1 remount-depÔt, 1 field bakery section, and 5 sections of transport. Tactical Organisation. The above account gives a general rÉsumÉ of the fighting force of Germany. It now remains to give the tactical organisation of the different branches of the Army. In the Infantry, the smallest independent body of troops, or “tactical unit,” is a battalion (except in the case of the independent Rifle battalions, where the unit is represented by the company). In the Cavalry it is a squadron, and in the Artillery a battery. The war strength of a battalion is, at the outside, 1,000 men; that of a squadron is about 150 mounted men; and that of a battery is 6 guns, with 12 wagons and men in proportion. The peace-strength of each unit is dependent, on the one hand, on the numbers required for its full strength in time of war; and, on the other hand, on the amount of training requisite for its efficiency. In a less degree also, it is dependent on the state of the Treasury. The peace-strength of a Prussian Line battalion (4 companies) is:—
N.B.—A Regiment of Infantry consists of three battalions, so that in calculating the strength of a regiment, the regimental staff (colonel, lieutenant-colonel, regimental-adjutant, surgeons, etc.), should be taken into account. That of a Prussian Cavalry Regiment of five squadrons is:—
The peace-strength of the corresponding troops in Bavaria, WÜrttemberg, and Saxony is much the same. The Guard regiments and those in Alsace-Lorraine are somewhat stronger. German Empire. III. [LHS] German Empire. III. [RHS] Formation of Brigades, Divisions, and Army Corps. As a rule, two regiments of Infantry (6 battalions), or two of Cavalry (8 to 10 squadrons), form a Brigade, under a Major-general as brigadier. The first unit composed of all three arms is the Infantry division. It consists of usually two brigades of Infantry and one regiment of Cavalry; and, in the field, has in addition 6 batteries of Artillery and 1 company of Engineers, the whole under the command of a lieutenant-general. A Cavalry Division varies in strength, but has always, if possible, one or two batteries of Horse Artillery attached. Prussian Officer and Trumpeter of Artillery. Two, or three, Infantry Divisions, with a brigade (2 regiments) of Field Artillery, The 12th (Saxon) and 13th (WÜrttemberg) Corps have a slightly different composition. They each number 4 Infantry, 2 Cavalry and 1 Field Artillery Brigades (each brigade consisting of 2 regiments), besides one battalion of Field Engineers and one of the Train. The Guard Corps also is constituted rather differently from any other. Size of Army. On the 1st April, 1890, the entire German Army consisted of 20 Army Corps, quartered as follows:— The Guard Corps, in Berlin, Potsdam, Charlottenburg, and Spandau (with the exception of the 4th Guard Grenadier Regiment, which is quartered at Coblenz).
The nineteen Territorial Districts of the Army correspond to the nineteen Army Corps Districts. The recruits, however, of the XVth and XVIth Corps districts are not allowed to serve there, but are distributed amongst other corps. The Guard Corps draws its recruits from the different districts of Prussia, and from Alsace-Lorraine. The main idea which directed the above recent apportioning of troops was to distribute them so as to be immediately available in case of war in any quarter. Formerly, the tendency was to group the forces where they could be most conveniently trained and worked, without reference to the possibilities of war. Now that the new distribution of Army Corps has placed three Corps (XIVth, XVth, and XVIth) on the western, and four Corps (Ist, IInd, Vth, XVIIth) on the eastern frontier, it will be possible at the first declaration of war with either France or Russia to combine large masses of Cavalry and throw them at once into the enemy’s territory. One or two battalions of JÄger are also to be sent shortly into Alsace, in order to watch the passes over the Vosges. The peace-strength of the German Army is reckoned at—
In consequence of the extension of the Landwehr and Landsturm, it is difficult to arrive at an exact estimate of the German war-strength. Although this tremendous Army of close on two million of well-trained and well-armed men may at first sight appear a menace to the peace of the world, still we must remember that Germany is absolutely obliged, for the preservation of her very existence, to keep up these huge forces, and that she has no intention of using them except for that purpose. As an old national proverb has it: “He who wants to come to grief in war had better try a fall with Germany.” ADDENDUM TO GERMANY.P. 25. The German Infantry now numbers 173 regiments and 19 Rifle battalions—total 538 battalions. P. 31. The Artillery has lately been increased to 387 batteries of Field, and 47 batteries of Horse Artillery, the whole forming 43 regiments. P. 32. The Engineers number 20 battalions. P. 34. The peace strength of the German Army now numbers
The latest estimate of the German Army at war-strength, i.e. Active Army, Active Reserve, and 1st class Landwehr, is as follows—
|
|
