res, (basic organization,) she had undergone a wastage
which her adversaries, on the other hand, had been able to save
themselves. She had, in the words of the proverb, put all her eggs in
one basket, and in spite of her large population she could no longer,
owing to the immediate and sterile abuse which she had made of her
resources, pretend to regain the superiority of numbers.
She was reduced to facing as best she could on both war fronts the
unceasingly increasing forces of the Allies. She had attained the
maximum of tension and had secured a minimum of results. She had thus
landed herself in a difficulty which will henceforward go on increasing
and which is made clear when the wastage which her army has suffered is
closely studied.
WASTAGE OF GERMAN EFFECTIVES.
_Chapter II. of this section of the review bears the headline "Wastage
of German Effectives."_
The wastage of effectives is easy to establish, it says. We have for the
purpose two sources--the official lists of losses published by the
German General Staff and the notebooks, letters, and archives of
soldiers and officers killed and taken prisoners. These different
documents show that by the middle of January the German losses on the
two fronts were 1,800,000 men.
These figures are certainly less than the reality, because, for one
thing, the sick are not comprised, and, for another, the losses in the
last battle in Poland are not included. Let us accept them, however; let
us accept also that out of these 1,800,000 men 500,000--this is the
normal proportion--have been able to rejoin after being cured. Thus the
final loss for five months of the campaign has been 1,300,000 men, or
260,000 men per month. These figures agree exactly with what can be
ascertained when the variations of effectives in certain regiments are
examined.
It is certain that the majority of the German regiments have had to be
completely renewed. What, then, is the situation created by these
enormous losses?
_This question is answered by a statement headed "German troops
available for 1915."_
The total of German formations known at the beginning of January, says
the review, represented in round numbers 4,000,000 men. According to the
official reports on German recruiting, the entire resources of Germany
in men amount to 9,000,000. But from these 9,000,000 have to be deducted
men employed on railways, in the police, and in certain administrations
and industries--altogether
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