A copy \\'a-. sent to all the members of the House of Commons, but the optimistic pronouncement of the Ministers and the permanent pronouncements of the Bureau continued, and the public preferred to be deceived. ed. To the examples of the value of mobility given in this brochure can now be added the war in South Africa, where this qualification places a collection of Dutch farmers on an equal footing with the highly trained regular troops at the border. The unreality of the mobilization regulations has been demonstrated by the plan that was sought to be destroyed in an attempt to form a field army abroad.
The units assigned in the scheme for the First Corporation are not those taken for the first three divisions detailed for Red Buller's command, but C brigade and many of the departments The units of the Second Army Corps were broken, so that when a other army corps, an entirely new chcme had to be dismantled. With OYer. of the authorities, we han!, absolutely, not a ghost of a field army remains - in England. What has been clone, is the sending of battalions, squadrons, batteries, field companies and . - measures and leaves it to the general in the south.\fear to produce from them his mobile units of the three arms, when the materials arrive in the country, as a result of which the generals fight .
Calmness is a great national characteristic of crisis, and no one will deny the evil of panic, where there are: such things as ignorant confidence and phlegmatic indifference; let us be sure not to attribute the het::rful optimism of the authorities to the wrong cause. Some time ago, before the present controversy with America began, it occurred to the Authors of this pamphlet that it might serve a useful purpose to present to the public the facts and suggestions within these interactions. This sense of security increases when the annual statement is made in the House of Commons for the presentation of the Army's estimates.
The question, however, is really not that of the number of the men, but of the fighting value of the force, "·which depends on many things apart from mere figures.
THE BRITISH ARMY
BUSI N ESS OF WAR
The power of the Prussians in 866 is often attributed to the superior weapon they possessed in the needle gun. All excellent in their own way, but not making any progress towards the essential organization into mobile units of the three arms. There is a risk of misunderstandings among the public due to frequent incorrect use of the terms mobile and mobilization.
From the state of affairs in peacetime we often have the advantages of a valuable object. Matter of this nature becomes extremely serious if it is considered in the light of a comment made in the report of the Royal. Not even the frames of the necessary transportation exist; nay, it is even doubtful whether our immobile army will be able to reach the assigned positions.
The general commanding the home district, in his report on the mobilization practice of the first brigade last summer, notes: -. A geological map will give the best information about the nature of the land. In this case, they can be included in the military corps for home defense, and the problem of war business is half solved.
There is another important element which is necessary for the formation of the forces now condemned to the positions selected for army corps, that is, more field artillery is wanted. At present the mobilization tables do not tell what is proposed to be done to make the Home Defense Army Corps effective if the troops of the 1st and 2nd Corps have been mobilized for service overseas. In the scheme here proposed, the first army corps for service abroad will be composed of the first divisions of the first three corps for home defense, these divisions each containing a regiment of cavalry.
For corps artillery, two batteries should be taken from each of the home corps details to make up two brigade divisions for the foreign service corps details. In reference to the other particulars, a proportion \\· will similarly be furnished by each of the three home service Army Corps to complete the one for the foreign country. In a similar manner, the Second Army Corps for service abroad was to be composed of the first divisions of the 4th, 5th and 6th Army Corps for home defense.
In case of the extreme emergency of all the twelve Army Corps immediately in the field, the transfer of the reserve brigades to the field army would still leave I77, ooo for the duty alluded to. When ordered abroad, the places of these divisions in their home Army Corps will be filled by volunteer corps brigades and corps reserve brigades. Thus half the infantry of the Second and Third Army Corps for foreign service would be withdrawn from the militia and their places filled in the same manner.
It is only by an arrangement like this that a general can be made truly responsible for the efficiency of the troops.
