The Land of Deepening Shadow: Germany-at-WarCurtin, D. Thomas (Daniel Thomas)
History
The Land of Deepening Shadow: Germany-at-War
Curtin, D. Thomas (Daniel Thomas)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Germany; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Three factors are of chief importance in estimating German
man-power. First, the number of men of military age; second, the
number of these that are indispensable in civil life; third, the
number of casualties. Concerning the last two there are great
differences of opinion among military critics in Allied and neutral
countries. As regards the first there need be little difference,
although I confess surprise at the number of people I have met who
believe the grotesque myth that Germany has systematically
concealed her increase in population, and that instead of being a
nation of less than seventy millions she has really more than one
hundred millions.
It is safe to say that at the outbreak of war Germany was a nation
of 68,000,000, of whom 33,500,000 were males. Of these nearly
14,000,000 were between 18 and 45; 350,000 men over 45 are also
with the Colours. The boys who were then 16 and 17 can now be
added, giving us a grand total of some 15,000,000.
Normally Germany employed men of between 18 and 45 as
follows:--Mines, 600,000; metals, 800,000; transport, 650,000;
agriculture, 3,000,000; clothing, food preparation, 1,000,000,
making a total of 6,050,000.
Up to this point there can be little difference of opinion. From
this point on, however, I must, like others who deal with the
subject, make estimates upon data obtained. During my last visit
to Germany I systematically employed a rough check on the figures
derived through the usual channels. Concentrated effort to obtain
first-hand information in city, village, and countryside, north,
east, south, and west, with eyes and ears open, and vocal organs
constantly used for purposes of interrogation, naturally yielded
considerable data when carried over a period of ten months. The
changes from my last visit and from peace time were also duly
observed as were the differences between Germany and the other
nations I had visited during the war. Walking, of which I did a
colossal amount, was most instructive, because it afforded me an
opportunity to study conditions in the villages. Discreet
questioning gave me accurate statistics in hundreds of these that I
visited, and of many more hundreds that I asked about from people
whom I met on my travels. For example, in Oberammergau, which had
at the beginning of the war 1,900 inhabitants, about 350 had been
called to the Colours when I was there, and of these thirty-nine
had been killed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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