that a hostile "feeling" as well as a hostile "view" must animate such
an army if it is to do good service. If a modern "nation in arms" is
engaged in a purely dynastic quarrel against a professional army of
inferior strength, the result will probably be victory for the latter.
But the active army of France or Germany constitutes but a small part of
the "nation in arms," and the army for war is composed in addition of
men who have at some period in the past gone through a regular training.
Herein lies the difference between continental and British auxiliary
forces. In the French army, an ex-soldier during his ten years of
reserve service was by the law of 1905 only liable for two months'
training, and for the rest of his military career for two weeks' service
only. The further reduction of this liability was proposed in 1907 and
led to much controversy. The question of the value of auxiliary forces,
then, as between the continuous work of, say, English territorials, and
the permanent though dwindling influence of an original period of active
soldiering, is one of considerable importance. It is largely decided in
any given case by the average age of the men in the ranks.
56. The transfer of troops from the state of peace to that of war is
called _mobilization_. This is, of course, a matter which primarily
depends on good administration, and its minutest details are in all
states laid down beforehand. Reservists have to be summoned, and, on
arrival, to be clothed and equipped out of stores maintained in peace.
Officers and men of the regular army on leave have to be recalled, the
whole medically examined for physical fitness to serve, and a thousand
details have to be worked out before the unit is ready to move to its
concentration station. The concentration and the strategic deployment
are, of course, dependent upon the circumstances of each war, and the
peace organization ceases to be applicable. But throughout a war the
depots at home, the recruiting districts of second-line troops, and
above all the various arsenals, manufactories and offices controlled by
the war department are continually at work in maintaining the troops in
the field at proper strength and effectiveness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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