Brunswick, etc., II. Bavarian. Wurzburg Hanover. III. Bavarian, Nurnberg.
XI. Thurinnia and Nas sau, Cassel.
The field army is divided into armies, the number and composition of which is kept secret, but in times of war there.will be a number of these composed of units of from three to six army corps, several cavalry divisions and a variable number of reserve divisions.
The strength of units varies both in officers and men; those on the frontiers having a some what higher peace establishment than the nor mal given below.
There are 11 guard, 155 Prussian, 16 Saxor, 10 Wiirttemberg and 24 Bavarian infantry regi ments. There are also 18 battalions of rifles (sharpshooters) which in strength and organi zation closely resemble infantry.
Cavalry regiments have five squadrons in peace and only four in war, one being left as a depot. They are classified as follows: Prussia: (73 regiments).— Ten cuirassiers (2 of the guard) ; 26 dragoons(2 of the guard) ; 18 hussars (1 of the guard) ; 19 lan cers (3 of the guard) ; 5 squadrons Jager zu Pferde. (Mounted sharpshooters).
Saxony: (6 regiinents).—Two heavy cavalry (1 of the guard; 2 hussars, 2 lancers, 1 squadron lagers zu Pferde.
Wiirttemberg: (4 regiments).— Two dra goons; 2 lancers.
Bavarian: (10 regiments).— Two heavy cavalry ; 2 lancers; 6 light horse.
Field Artillery: Consists of 42 horse batteries and 532 field batteries.
Two or three batteries form a battalion, two or three battalions a regiment and two regi ments a brigade.
Foot Artillery.— There are 149 batteries of foot artillery organized into battalions and regi ments. War strength of battery, 4 officers, 209 men. Armament, various calibres of siege, position and coast defense artillery.
Technical Troops— Pioneers.—Each army corps has a battalion of pioneers (4 com panies) ; three of the corps have two battalions each. Each company has 4 officers and 154 men in peace, 6 officers and 200 men in war.
Cavalry divisions have pioneer detachments of 1 officer and 30 men.
Railway Troops.—There are seven battalions of railway troops (4 companies each). A company consists of 5 officers and 151 men. In time of war the companies are expanded into construction companies, operating companies and companies of laborers.
The Train.— In time of peace there are 23 skeleton battalions of the train, one for each army corps. In time of war these are expanded so that each provides transport for 6 pro vision columns, 7 wagon park columns, 1 field bakery column, 3 bearer companies, 1 horse depot, 1 reserve bakery column and 1 reserve column for line of communications.
Medical Units.— There is one bearer com pany for each division and an adcrtional one for each army corps. Each company has 3 officers, 8 medical officers, 2 officials, 39 men of the train and 210 bearers, nurses, etc., with 46 horses and 13 vehicles.
The Infantry Division.—This unit consists of : The staff of the division; 2 brigades of in fantry; 2 or 3 squadrons of cavalry; 1 brigade of field artillery; 1 or 2 companies of pio neers; 1 divisional brigade train ; 1 bearer company.
Its fighting strength is 12,000 rifles, 300 to 450 lances and 72 guns.
The Cavalry Division.—As a rule it consists of : The staff of the division; 3 brigades of cavalry; 2 batteries of horse artillery with light ammunition column ; 1 pioneer detachment.
Its fighting strength is 3,600 lances, 30 rifles and 12 guns.
The Army Corps.—This unit forms a small army complete in all its parts. It is composed of : The staff of the army corps; 2 infantry divisions; 1 battalion of rifles; 1 telegraph sec tion and the corps trains.
Fighting strength —25,000 rifles, 900 lances and 144 guns.
Arms and Equipment — Intantry and Pio neers.— Magazine rifle, model 1898, calibre 7.9 mm. Ammunition: 120 cartridges on the person, 72 in the company wagon, a reserve in the ammunition column; total, about 300 rounds per man. Bayonet (Seitengewehr) new model.
Equipped for the field each soldier carries a pack (tornister) and in its compartments or attached thereto the following articles: 1 shelter tent and three-jointed pole; 1 pair of lace shoes; cleaning, polishing, washing and sewing ma terials; 1 pair of stockings or foot cloths; 1 handkerchief ; 1 shirt ; 1 pair of drawers; 1 cap; 1 cooking utensil (of aluminum) with 1 ration ; 3 iron rations; 1 handbook; and 1 song book. The soldier also carries a felt covered canteen of aluminum and a haversack containing 1 helmet cover, 1 knife, 1 fork, I spoon and 1 ration of bread (263i ounces) for the journey by rail. The overcoat and shelter tent in a roll surround the pack. The total load, including clothing on the person, arms and ammunition, is 583/4 pounds.
Cavalry.— The weapons of the German cav alry are (1) the lance, which is a hollow steel shaft 10 feet 6 inches long; (2) the cavalry sword or sabre; and (3) the carbine, which is simply a short rifle and uses infantry ammuni tion. Officers and non-commissioned officers carry sabre and revolver.
Artillery.— The field and horse batteries have the rapid-fire field gun of nickel steel, calibre 7.7 cm. The howitzer batteries have the field howitzer, model 1898, calibre 10.5 cm. Officers and mounted men carry swords and revolvers; men on foot carry sword bayonets and revolvers — in the ammunition columns, carbines and sword bayonets. The foot artillery have guns of various calibres, 3.7 cm. to 21 cm., depending upon whether they belong to siege, fortress or coast-defense artillery. The men are armed with carbine and sword bayonet.
For the record of the German army in the World War, see WAR, EUROPEAN.