known throughout Europe for his writings on military
science.

The beginning of the war found the Italian navy far better equipped
than the army. For the task of holding Austria in the Adriatic, which
Italy now took over from France, she possessed four dreadnoughts and
two more almost ready. She possessed also ten battleships of the
predreadnought class and a number of older vessels. Compared with
those of Great Britain and Germany, her armored cruisers were slow,
none of them being capable of a speed exceeding twenty-two knots; but
she had twenty submarines, forty destroyers and a large number of
torpedo boats. Compared with the Austro-Hungarian fleet, the Italian
navy showed on paper a distinct superiority. Its admiral in chief, the
Duke of the Abruzzi, ranked among the most brilliant men of his time,
not only as a naval man, but as a scientist, explorer, and man of
affairs. He was first cousin of the king.

By May, 1915, General Cadorna virtually had remade the Italian army.
Nine months earlier Italy's military forces were anything but
prepared. There was a shortage in every kind of munitions, stores, and
equipment. This was plainly evidenced when General Porro had refused
an offer of the portfolio of Minister of War in the spring of 1914
because he was unable to obtain a pledge for the adoption of a program
of re-equipment that demanded a great expenditure of money. The late
Government had not made good the expenditure of material caused by the
Lybian War, and great quantities of stores had been allowed to
deteriorate until they were almost valueless. There was a certain
number of guns of medium caliber, but no heavy artillery of the modern
type which the Teutonic allies soon showed they possessed in
abundance. Of machine guns Italy had a lower proportion than any other
of the great powers. All this had been realized, but the money to
repair these deficiencies was not forthcoming until the Italian
statesmen knew that they were on the brink of war.

Filling the gaps in the army, raising it from a peace to a war
footing, was an easier matter. The Italian military law provided
automatically for this increase. Every Italian citizen able to bear
arms is liable to military service. Recruits are called in the year
during which they become twenty years old, although volunteers are
accepted as young as eighteen. The last Italian census, in 1911, gave
Italy a population of 34,686,683 and the levy lists of that year
total