Armies -- Europe -- History -- 19th century; Europe -- Armed Forces -- History -- 19th century
The secret of victory, however, does not lie in vast armaments like
these. “It is the spirit which forms the body” and brings into
subjection the material powers for its own objects. War is not only a
combat of material forces; it is in a higher sense a combat of cultured
forces. Let us, therefore, remember that the best preparation for trial
by combat does not lie in continual striving to over-reach another in
material and brute force, but in the striving after a more complete
development of warlike skill.
ADDENDUM TO FRANCE.
Pp. 46, 47. Now that the new law has come into force, July 1890, the
terms of service have been entirely changed. As the law now stands,
seven-tenths of the annual contingent of recruits have to serve for 3
years, and three-tenths for 1 year. After his colour-service, a man
joins the Active Reserve for 7 (or 9) years, then the Territorial
Army for 6 years, and after that the Territorial Reserve for 9 years
more—total 25 years.
312,000 youths reach the military age (20) every year. Of these only
174,000 are required for colour-service. The effect of the new law will
be that by 1915 A.D. there will be no fewer than 3,500,000 of Frenchmen
properly trained as soldiers and ready to take the field, and 60,000
trained men per annum will have been added to the army!
N.B.—The war-strength of over 4,000,000 given on page 47 includes all
men, old and young, who have ever received any military training, and
is therefore hardly a just estimate of the French fighting-strength.
The latest trustworthy estimates put it at 2,790,000 men.
P. 49. The Cavalry is now, or will be very shortly, composed of 92
regiments of 5 squadrons, and 4 regiments of Spahis of 6 squadrons
each—total, 484 squadrons.
They consist of
14 Regiments of Cuirassiers,
34 ” ” Dragoons,
22 ” ” Chasseurs à Cheval,
14 ” ” Hussars,
8 ” ” Chasseurs d’Afrique,
4 ” ” Spahis.
Total, 96 regiments.
P. 49. 12 Mountain Batteries are being formed. There are, in addition
to the numbers given, 12 batteries in Corsica, Algeria, and Tunis.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 19: Invented by Colonel Bruyère.]
RUSSIA.
Russia is situated, from a military point of view, quite differently
to any other European country, for of the whole Russian Empire only
about a quarter lies in Europe. This quarter, it is true, is larger
than the rest of all Europe put together, but it contains only a third
of the population. Although by far the greater part of her dominions
lies in another continent, Russia has had a pretty large finger in the
European pie, and will in the future, no doubt, often mix herself up
in European politics. Her policy, if it can be called so, is to try to
influence Western questions in such a manner as eventually to bring all
Slav races under her rule.
[Sidenote: +Terms of Service.+]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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