3 6 THE WORLD'S ARMIES 



for war during peace. Nations will stand or fall according to their strength at the hour 

 of trial and the rapidity with which they are able to develop it to strike an effective 

 blow. It must be remembered that while the duration of war tends to become shorter, 

 the time required for making necessary preparation for it tends to become longer. An 

 army is now too complicated a piece of mechanism to improvise or create hastily. It 

 is no longer possible to make men in a short time into efficient soldiers, much less into 

 efficient officers, upon whom devolves the whole work of training armies in peace and 

 leading them in war. Even weapons have been transformed by science into instruments 

 which are only effective in expert hands. For all these reasons the tendencies of military 

 progress strongly militate against the possibility of making untrained or half trained 

 men into efficient soldiers after war breaks out with any prospect of success or utility. 

 On the other hand to oppose efficient soldiers with partly trained or ill-equipped troops, 

 however courageous and strong in numbers, is utterly futile. That they will be doomed 

 to useless slaughter and certain defeat under such circumstances is the clearest of 

 military truths. To-day nothing but complete readiness justifies the experiment of war. 



II. Numbers, Organisation, Armament. 



The following figures are approximate throughout and include all ranks. 



Austria- Hungary. Establishments: Peace 425,000; War, 2,300,000. The effect 

 of the Army Bill of 1912 will be to add about 45,000 men during [the next five years. 

 There has been no important change in organisation. The chief development in 

 armaments, apart from aircraft, has been a large increase in machine guns. 



France. Establishments: Peace, 610,000; War, 3,900,000. The normal organisa- 

 tion of the army consists of 23 Army Corps and 41 Cavalry Brigades. The chief develop- 

 ment in organisation and armament, apart from aircraft, has been the reorganisation 

 of the field artillery, as the result of which 656 field and mountain guns, 12 heavy guns 

 and about 6,000 men have been added to the peace establishment. 



Germany. Establishments: Peace, 623,000, War, 4,150,000. By the recent 

 Defence Law (Military) two new Army Corps have been organised out of the extra 

 divisions and brigades of the former 23 Army Corps thus making in peace 25 Army 

 Corps, each of two divisions and six extra brigades. To complete the two new Army 

 Corps, field and foot artillery batteries, 2 Pioneer Battalions and 2 Train Battalions were 

 to be raised in 1912. In addition, the number of machine gun companies is being dou- 

 bled at present one regiment in each infantry brigade is provided with a machine gun 

 company. These changes will result in an increase of numbers. 



British Empire. United Kingdom: Regular Army (Peace establishment) 137,500. 

 Army Reserve 1 (strength) 139,000. Special Reserve (strength) 91,000. Territorial 

 Force 2 (strength) 260,000. India: Regular Army (War strength) 76,700. Indian 

 Army, Native troops (regimental establishments) 159,000. Reserve 36,000. Colonies 

 and Egypt: Regular Army (Peace establishment) 45,000. Self-Governing Dominions: 3 

 Canada: Dominion Troops, Permanent Force 3,000; Militia 42,000. Australia: 

 Commonwealth Troops, Permanent Force 2,400; Citizen Forces 35,000. New Zealand: 

 Dominion Troops, Permanent Force 500; Territorial Force 34,000. South Africa: 

 the Union Defence Force has not yet come into existence. Changes in the armament 

 of the Regular Army in the United Kingdom, apart from aircraft, include the issue of an 

 improved cartridge and the adoption of a new Howitzer gun. There has been no im- 

 portant change in the organisation or armament of the Regular Army abroad, the 

 Indian Army or the Territorial Force. The Canadian Militia has been reorganised 

 and the Australian and South African Forces established on the basis of a moderate 



1 A National Reserve has been formed, but enlistment carries no obligation of training 

 or service and the force is at present without organisation, equipment, arms or uniform. 



2 This force is not fit to take the field against continental troops. Its training and equip- 

 ment are to be completed after the outbreak of war and it is expected that some months must 

 elapse before it is ready for service. 



3 The troops of the Self-Govcrning Dominions as a whole are not yet organised, equipped, 

 staffed, trained or armed to fulfil the requirements of modern war. 



