Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

THE MILITARY RESOURCES OF GERMANY.

AT the present moment, when we are all anxiously awaiting whether Austria will declare herself our firm and honourable ally, and so furnish a counterpoise to the daily growing Prussian sympathy for the Czar, it is most certainly an interesting question-at least to our readers of the sterner sex-to know what the available resources of Germany, in a military point of view, really are. With the view of furnishing such statistics as may be relied on, we have, therefore, been at some trouble in collecting information on this highly important subject from such sources as were at our command; and among these we may mention more especially the numerous and excellent military papers which periodically appear in Germany. But a difficulty occurs to us at the outset, as to which will be the most fitting way of treating our subject: the Germans ridicule us for our gross ignorance when we divide Germany into Austria, Prussia, and Germany; but can they suggest any more sensible division? It is impossible to be continually repeating the names of thirty-seven royalets and dukes, whenever we wish to write of Germany, minus the two great Powers, and, consequently, the simplest plan will be for us, in our résumé, to adhere to such a division, and treat of the forces of Austria, Prussia, and the army of the Confederation.

It must be borne in mind that the two Powers are only Bundespflichtig, or bound to supply forces to the Confederation for those countries which form an integral part of Germany proper; that is to say, Austria, for the kingdom of Austria, Bohemia, Styria, Carnia and Carinthia, Austrian Friuli with Trieste, the County of Tyrol with the Vorarlberg, Moravia and Austrian Silesia. Prussia, on the other hand, for Pomerania, the Marks, Saxony, Silesia, Westphalia, and the Rhenish Provinces. It will, therefore, be advisable to regard the military strength of these two great Powers in detail, and defer any statement of their Bundes-Contingent till we arrive at that section of our paper.

THE AUSTRIAN ARMY.

1. INFANTRY.-Austria has 77 regiments and 26 battalions of infantry, of which 62 are regiments of the line, 14 regiments and 1 battalion of border infantry (Gränzer), and 1 regiment and 25 battalions of chasseurs. Each battalion of the line is composed of 1324 effectives of all grades, and each regiment contains 5 battalions. After making the necessary deductions, we bring the strength of each regiment to 5964 men, and, consequently, the entire strength of the 62 line infantry regiments will amount to 369,800 men, including depôts. In the border regiments each regiment contains 3847 men, and the entire strength of this branch of the service, with reserves, may be estimated at 55,200 men. In all these regiments, 2 corporals and 16 tirailleurs in each company are May-VOL. CIV. NO. CCCCXIII.

B

armed with rifles and sword-bayonets; the remainder of the company with percussion muskets and bayonets. Each battalion of chasseurs contains about 1200 men, and their whole strength with depôt, including the imperial chasseur regiment of 7 battalions, is 32,500 men. chasseurs are all armed with rifles and sword-bayonets.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

The

2. CAVALRY.-The Austrian cavalry amounts altogether to 40 regiments, of which 16 are heavy-viz., 8 cuirassier and 8 dragoon; and 24 light-12 hussar and 12 uhlan. Each cuirassier or dragoon regiment, without depôt, contains 1204 of all grades, with 1025 horses, and, consequently, the strength of the heavy cavalry is 19,264 men, 16,400 horses. The light hussar or uhlan regiments each contain 1808 men, with 1596 horses; and their total strength, without depôts, is equal to 43,392 men, with 38,304 horses. In the cuirassier, dragoon, and uhlan regiments, 16 men are armed with rifled carbines and one pistol; the remainder with two pistols. In the hussars one-half has smooth-bored carbines; the other half, rifles, and, in addition, one pistol apiece.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors]

The depôts bring up this strength to 67,000 men, with 57,300 horses. 3. ARTILLERY.-In Austria a distinction is made between field artillery, fortress artillery, and technical artillery. Very recently, the artillery has been reorganised as follows:

12 Field-artillery regiments

1 Rocket regiment

1 Coast-artillery regiment

8 Battalions of fortress artillery

and the entire strength of the artillery, with reserve, may be estimated at 135 batteries, 8 battalions, and about 47,000 men. Each artillery regiment on a war footing has four 6-pounder foot, six cavalry, three 12pounder foot batteries, and one long howitzer battery of eight guns, and the strength of each regiment may be estimated at 4000 men and 2340 horses.

4. ENGINEERS. The engineers' corps is divided into the engineers' staff and the engineer troops. The former contains 13 generals, 55 staff officers, and 150 general officers. An engineer regiment is made up as follows:

3 Battalions of 6 companies of 220 men...

}=5370 men

1 Depôt battalion of 6 companies of 1334 men The companies are composed of one-quarter miners and three-fourths sappers, and the entire strength of the engineers' corps may be estimated at 11,100 men.

5. PIONEERS.-This branch is made up of 4 battalions, each of 6 companies, which are instructed in pioneering and pontooning, and

« ForrigeFortsæt »