THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR. 
417 
The military organisation of the German forces was based on ter¬ 
ritorial divisions corresponding more or less to the civil ones : thus the 
provinces each furnished a corps d } 'armee, the districts a brigade, and the 
circles or parishes a battalion. Every German was liable for service, no 
substitution was permitted, and persons unfit to serve under arms were 
allotted to the non-combatant branches as hospital attendants, mili¬ 
tary tradesmen, &c. Liability to army service lasted 12 yrs., of which 
3 were passed in the standing army, 4 in the reserve, and 5 in the 
Landwehr. In case of invasion, the Landsturm, or entire able-bodied 
population (up to the age of 42), could, in addition, be called to arms. 
To alleviate the burden of compulsory enrolment, a system of liberal 
exemptions was organised; the bulk of the men passed over, forming 
what was called the Ersatz Reserve. The army in peace time was thus 
composed of four distinct classes :—■ 
1 . The standing army ; or the men actually in the ranks. 
2 . The reserves; or men who had passed through the ranks and 
were liable to be re-called at once to the colours, and bring up the 
army to its war strength. 
3. The Landwehr; or men who had passed through both army and 
reserve—who were separately organised in Landwehr battalions, and con¬ 
stituted a 2nd line of defence. 
4. The Ersatz Reserve; or untrained men who could be called into 
the depots when required. 
An intimate connection was maintained between the line and the 
Landwehr; to each three-battalion regiment of the standing army there 
being attached a Landwehr regiment of two battalions. A German 
passed the first 3 yrs. of his service in the regular army; he then 
returned to civil life, but was borne on the books of the regiment as a 
reservist for the next 4 yrs.; after which period he was transferred to 
the ranks of the corresponding Landwehr battalion. The address of 
each man was registered, and at the order to mobilise he was required 
at once under heavy penalties to present himself at the nearest military 
centre, for the purpose of taking his place in the ranks. Every civilian 
knew exactly the position he would have to fill if suddenly called upon. 
By maintaining an efficient organisation at all the military centres, it 
was apparent that an order to mobilise could be rapidly passed on from 
the Head-Quarters at Berlin through all the several grades of territorial 
divisions till it finally reached every able-bodied man liable for service 
in the country. At each of the local centres, stores of clothing and 
materiel were kept ready for issue. Equally complete arrangements with 
regard to the mustering of horses, the formation of trains, the collection 
of supplies, combined with a detailed transit organisation, enabled each 
army corps to be assembled completely armed and equipped and ready 
to take the field within a few days after instructions had been tele¬ 
graphed throughout the country. As a result of this almost perfect 
system, the army of the North German Confederation, combined with 
those of the affiliated states, was enabled to reach the gigantic total of 
1,180,000 men within a fortnight after the outbreak of hostilities. 
German 
army. 
