ed 487,570. By the close of the year 1914, when the mobilization
began, it is reasonable to suppose that the population had grown to
something like thirty-six or thirty-seven million, with a
corresponding increase in the number available for military service.
The peace strength of the army was 14,000 officers and 271,000 men.
Mobilization added to each of the twelve corps a division of Mobile
Militia bringing its strength up to 37,000 men and 134 guns. The
army's war strength was about 700,000 in the first line--from the two
classes of the regular army--and 320,000 in the Mobile Militia with a
reserve of more than 2,000,000 in the Territorial Militia. The force
of trained men that Italy put into the field at the beginning of
hostilities, therefore, numbered something over 1,000,000 men. The
reservoir of the Territorial Militia contained twice as many more
untrained men who for some reason or other were exempt from military
service in times of peace, although physically fit to be soldiers.
This class was designed primarily for garrison duty, guarding railways
and bridges, but in war time was liable to any service. When the
mobilization began the men of this class immediately went into
training. Each of the twelve army corps consisted of two divisions of
line infantry, a regiment of Bersaglieri (light infantry corresponding
to the French Chasseurs and the German Jaegers), a regiment of
cavalry, a section of Carabinieri (military police), thirty-six field
guns and from two to three heavy howitzer batteries. In addition there
was the ammunition column, telegraph and engineer parks, ambulance and
supply sections, reserve store and supply sections, and a section of
field bakery.

The famous Alpine troops ("Alpini") and the mountain artillery were
not within the organization of the twelve permanent army corps. These
numbered seventy-eight companies, each of 256 officers and men on a
war footing. The rest of the Italian infantry units at normal war
strength were as follows: Company, 255 officers and men; Battalion,
1,043 officers and men; Regiment, 3,194 officers and men. Five of the
cavalry regiments contained six squadrons, the rest five. The war
strength of a squadron was 142 officers and men.

The infantry were armed with a magazine rifle of very small caliber,
.256-inch. The magazine held six rounds and was loaded with a clip.
The length of this piece was 4 feet 2-3/4 inches, with bayonet 5 feet
2-1/2 inches. It weighed