Wherever there is a political or social disturbance in the world, or even the mere threat of a disturbance, wherever there appears a chink in public or private institutions, Bolshevism appears at once on the scene. Sometimes, unfortunately, it aggravates the trouble, it widens the chink, and even among the masses that are most devoted to order, it sometimes succeeds in sowing stealthily the seeds of the universal Revo

lution. In Alsace, as elsewhere, Bolshevism mingled its poison with feverish manifestations which, without this infection, would have been insignificant.

WE

E owe it to King Louis XIII that Alsace passed into the current of our national life. His minister, Cardinal Richelieu, was one of the most powerful creators of French unity. When the next king had to organize his father's conquest, did he propose to bring Alsace within the rigid framework of the institutions and laws of his kingdom? No! Louis XIV knew that unity must be compatible with diversity, and his first utterance, the golden rule that he laid down for his ministers, was this: Leave Alsatian affairs alone!' This rule did not remain an empty phrase. At the very moment when he allowed the detestable revocation of the Edict of Nantes to be wrung from him, Louis XIV guaranteed to the Alsatian Protestants complete and unrestricted liberty of worship.

religious fanaticism, was the mainspring of their civic activity during half a century of exile. While the German soldiers occupied the squares and streets of the conquered towns and cities, the Alsatians sought refuge in their churches, chapels, and synagogues. Thence issued the 'protesters' to unite in courageous deeds and, if necessary, in making sacrifices.

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Alsace, which resembles the Alsace of all time.

While terror reigned during the war, the German military chiefs distributed iron crosses lavishly, as if to make fighting France believe that her Alsatian sons were the most determined of her enemies. But within an hour of news of the Armistice, the town halls, churches, private houses, from the humblest to the most beautiful, were decorated with the tricolored flags of France, the display of which under the German dominion had, of course, been rigidly and completely banned, for obvious political reasons.

THE FRENCH PERIOD

口

From Le Rire, Paris

And it is on account of this royal protection that the equestrian statue of Louis stands before the entrance to the cathedral of Strassburg.

These circumstances explain the zeal with which Alsatian believers of every denomination unite in claiming from the Republic what Louis XIV conceded to their fathers: the maintenance of their religious rights.

This consciousness of independence, which has nothing in common with

The Alsatian women had torn up their bed-sheets and had dyed them secretly so that on the day of victory their French brothers, entering to the sound of the bugles, should find on the threshold of their dwellings the immortal symbol of their country and of the devotion to it in which Alsace, through all her years of trial during the German domination, had never faltered.

At Strassburg, when the allied troops marched amid cheers past Kléber's statue, two men who, I do not know for what reason, were not supposed to be very fond of each other, Poincaré and Clemenceau, embraced most affectionately. Alsace was France's reconciliation with herself.

When the British troops passed beside ours, the same shout united in the same outburst of affection the two great nations which, after fighting each other for centuries, were joined together by the pride they felt in their common victory over the Germans.

Thus did Alsace become, in addition to other and exalted privileges she enjoys, the symbol of the everlasting friendship that now at last happily unites the English and the French.

AM

MONG the armies of Europe today none is such an unknown quantity as the Italian and yet none so important and interesting to evaluate, because of the rebirth of the nation of which it is the instrument. For Italy is clearly determined to be not merely in name but in reality one of the Great Powers, and to demand the respect so due.

The desire for this respect in the comity of nations is, indeed, at present a much clearer source of her care for the armed forces than any of the ambitious designs. for conquest with which she is often credited abroad. It was characteristic of Fascism that at the very outset it threw its own protective mantle over the army and insisted on respect being shown to officers of the fighting forces, who for several years had been targets of mob insult, hardly daring to be seen in uniform. The logical sequel was to ensure that this respect was merited in the eyes both of Italian citizens and of the world outside Italy.

How far has the Fascist Government succeeded in this aim? My desire to ascertain this prompted a glad acceptance of an invitation to visit the training centres of the Italian army. To the courtesy, cordiality, and unrestrained facilities offered me I cannot pay high enough tribute. And the fittest return I can make is to show equal candor in my comments, for only a healthy organism can bear the strong rays of criticism bad one is better passed over in silence.

a

No better sign of health, indeed, could be afforded than the open way my investigations were permitted. Both in the army and the air force I was given carte blanche to visit whatever places I wished, even experimental centres, and when there encountered no vestige of 'shepherding.' If indicative of courtesy, this was still more a sign of a commonsense rare among officials in any country, our own not excluded. It is the characteristic of ignorance to label everything 'secret and confidential'- with the result that by reducing the practice to absurdity real secrets are disclosed. In contrast, the present Italian authorities

clearly appreciate that no one can penetrate the intricacies of a technical design from a casual view and the more he sees the less likely. For the true art of secrecy is to be so open about ninety-nine per cent of a subject that the really secret one per cent is the more easily

hidden because its existence is then unrealized.

Repaying frankness by frankness, I would say that the regeneration of the army is beyond doubt, but that this progress is most marked as yet in the moral and physical spheres, less so in the mental, and least of all in the material -like the varying levels of a moving platform.

There is an unmistakable new spirit throughout the army, and an experienced observer has only to watch the troops on the march and at work to feel the existence of a real pride of service, which is the foundation of morale. This probably owes much to an improvement in the class of officer and the new relations between officers and men. With the recollection of stories I had heard of the former gulf, exemplified after Caporetto, it was a pleasant surprise, yet a common experience, to find officers saying that whatever their men were called on to do they must share, to give a lead. This was no empty gesture, for in the arduous physical exercises officers up to and in

cluding the rank of captain take part daily with the men.

And these are no ordinary trials, for the physical training and development of the new Italian army is not only its most impressive feature, but far superior to anything I have ever seen. They are

training up an army of human cats, and breeding them, too, for the gospel and practice of physical culture are being spread throughout the nation, beginning with the boys who are not yet of military age.

This aim scores doubly. On the one hand, it promises to produce a higher standard of physique and health in the nation, accentuated in the next generation, and, on the other, it is most shrewdly adapted to Italy's military problem. For all Italy's European frontiers and most of her possible theatres of war are mountainous. In such terrain agility and hardiness are immense assets; indeed, it is the only type of country where physical qualities are still, under modern conditions, preponderant over matériel. A further value, also, is that the lack and difficulty of communications make supply a serious problem in the mountains, which enhances the value of troops who can march and fight on a minimum of food minimum of food as Napoleon proved in his early Italian campaigns. Certainly the marching endurance of the Italian troops is as astonishing as their slender scale of rations, and it was most impressive to see the fine fettle in which they marched back after a hard day's training despite their short service and a pace faster than our own. An indirect testimony both to physique and morale was that nowhere have I seen hospitals and guard-rooms so empty.

In the intellectual training of the officers the watchword is plus pratique. In view of the Italian traditional temperament there is special value in a rigorous mental discipline, which is in keeping with the new national tendencies. Yet even this worthy purpose can be carried to excess, and in a military class particularly may limit vision, which is all the more essential now when the methods

and means of warfare are changing rapidly. Thus schemes and operation orders, while admirably organized,' seemed to tend to excessive length and detail. And it is perhaps a consequence of this thoroughness in detail that the tactical doctrine and organization do not fully exploit their inherent assets. For the broken surface and abundant dead ground in the mountains offer immense opportunity for an agile light infantry, true skirmisher-sharpshooters. to penetrate past and outflank the opposing machine-guns-which today in flat country form a closewoven network of fire impenetrable to infantry.

But the Italian tactics seem to me to savor too much of the deliberation and close formations of the World War. I cannot see that such tactics would be likely to make a greater impression on the enemy's front than they did in 1915-17. For if more elastic and more mobile than the French methods, they have also less fire-power to fulfil these deliberate methods. And in laying down that it is useless for infantry to open fire until within three hundred yards or so of the enemy, they not only put a severe strain on human nature, but seemingly fail to appreciate the potentialities of the rifle as a weapon of precision - the most suitable one for agile skirmisher-sharpshooters, working forward along natural cover and covered by massed machine-guns in rear. Such a system might well fit the Italian army which has already the human foundation for it - all the more because at present the country's main deficiency lies in material. The Air Force, wisely, appears to have received first preference in the supply of new matériel. For in case of war it is the force of immediate action, while the Army could expand, both in men and matériel, secure behind

its mountain ramparts.

IN rebuilding

her scheme of defense, Italy, like France, has shown a full understanding of the fact that a modern war calls upon the whole resources of the nation, which

should be or

ITALY'S MILITARY SYSTEM

ganized beforehand to this end. And in some ways she has advanced beyond any nation in coördinating these resources. At the top comes the Supreme Council of National Defense, presided over by the Prime Minister, and its advisory organs are not merely military, naval, and air, but include a Civil Mobilization Committee, which in turn has an offshoot in a Service of Industrial Observers, who keep

23

generals, Cavallero, who had actually left the service to be managing director of the great Pirelli company.

The country is divided into ten army corps districts, besides the Sicilian command, and of these six lie in the north, with headquarters respectively at Turin (I), Alessandria (II), Milan (III), Verona (IV), Trieste (V), Bologna (VI). A new XI Corps, also, is being formed,

it informed of the state of industry and its capacity for producing war material. Again, there is a Chief of the General Staff, who prepares and coördinates the plans of all three fighting services. The Ministry of War, like so many others, is in Signor Mussolini's own hands, but the routine direction is delegated to the Under-Secretary of State. And it is significant of the value that Signor Mussolini places upon youth and expert qualifications in picking his ministers that the post is filled by one of the ablest junior

with headquarters at Udine, taking over part of the Fifth Corps area on the north-eastern frontier. The existing organization yields thirty divisions, a figure which superficially appears high compared, for example, with the twenty, plus five light divisions, to which the French home forces are being reduced. But the Italians, of course, have not the large forces abroad which the French are compelled to keep in the colonies and on the Rhine. Further, the Italian division in peace consists usually of only six battalions of infantry and one regiment of mixed field artillerycompared with the French nine infantry battalions, one field artillery regiment, and one field howitzer regiment.

Outside the army corps organizations are the nine regiments (27 battalions) of Alpini and twelve (24 battalions) of Bersaglieri cy

clists, five regiments of heavy artillery, the cavalry, and the tanks. The cavalry are famous for their horsemanship, and the officers are of a stamp closely akin to our own, but Italian military opinion of the value of cavalry is indicated by the fact that the three cavalry divisions of pre-war days have been broken up, and the twenty-nine regiments reduced to twelve. There is one regiment of light tanks, of five battalions, compared with the French fortyfour battalions, plus two of heavy tanks. It is my impression also that research for

Photo Pacific and Atlantic

new types is at a standstill. Yet the existing Fiat is a

faster and superior machine to the Renault, and I gather that last au

tumn it was tried with considerable success in the Alps, proving able to move when it was nearly track

deep in snow.

TO SKETCH the human fabric

woven on the Italian army frame is not easy in a short space. Perhaps the best way is to outline some typical experiences during my round of visits. The Central Schools for infantry training are at Civitavecchia - on the Mediterranean shore, forty miles north of Rome. Driving on to a parade ground formed by nature, where the low hills fall gently to the sea, I saw drawn up at the far end a company of infantry at war strength. The men were in 'gym' kit-merely cardigan, shorts, socks, and beltand bareheaded, but with arms. Across the down a martial song floated to one's ears, and when they moved forward, marching and counter-marching, cadence of step and of chant coincided in a stirring harmony which was as exhilarating as it was impressive.

Bayonet fighting followed, also to a rhythmic chorus, but consisting of the old style drill of points and parries rather than the modern individual test round a prepared assault course. However, they added a further exercise which was most uncomfortably practical-letting the lines of men cross naked bayonets, and afterwards practise using the naked hand to parry the opponent's bayonet and disarm him. I was relieved when the exercise finished without any Roman having been butchered to make a military critic's holiday. Then, grounding arms, the men moved to a part of the hillside which was covered with gymnastic apparatus. Here the whole two hundred, not merely a picked few, went through a series of vaulting, jumping, and balancing exercises in a way which only crack gymnasts in England could have rivaled.

A visit later afforded me the chance to see the tactical work. The infantry battalion comprises one machine-gun company and three ordinary companies - a basis of organization similar to the French and German, and one which our own Army has adopted since March 1. But the Italian, in comparison with the others, seems distinctly under-weaponed, for the machine-gun company has only six guns in peace and twelve in war. Similarly, the other companies have only four light automatics apiece - although eight in war-whereas our companies have eight and the French nine. This slender weapon strength is the more surprising because the Italians go as far as to term these 'light machine-gun' companies, divided into two platoons, each of two squads. Thus, there is one light machine-gun to each 'squad' of twenty men, whereas the French have one to each 'group' of twelve men.

But one discovers that in the combat the men of the squad are not tied so narrowly to the light automatics as with the French, where the fighting power is essentially reckoned in numbers of light automatics and the men of the group as its servants merely. The Italian platoon moves forward in two long worms each of one squad - close together, and as the enemy's fire grows hotter these 'fan out' to right and left respectively of the light automatics which march at the head of each squad. Then, while these, with their crews, keep the enemy post under fire, the riflemen seek to manœuvre round each flank.

Although the large size of the squads makes them seem both vulnerable and unmanageable, one discovers that they break up into little groups of three, working forward at a pace which is a testiing forward at a pace which is a testimony to their stamina. This attack was carried out swiftly, silently, and with a skilful use of cover both natural and from the machine-guns in rear. For the Italians, rightly, hold that support by heavy machine-guns is necessary for the infantry to advance at all. Wherefore one wonders that they have so few, and whether they are right in fettering the movement of their agile infantry by the intermixture of light machine-guns unhandy and liable to stoppages. Again, such frontages as fifty yards for a platoon and 400 for a battalion seem to have corpse-producing density under modern conditions. In contrast, their physical assets might be exploited better if they were to use well-extended companies of light-footed riflemen-trained to use this weapon with precision - to infiltrate and manoeuvre under cover of

The tank centre, like many of the technical establishments of the Italian forces, appears somewhat small in comparison with the scale of those forces and of the country generally. Officers and men radiate keenness, and are of an exceptionally good type; but, as in other technical centres, one feels that the quality of the men and their instruments deserves a better quantity.

The tank battalion comprises four companies, each of two platoons in peace and four in war. Besides one company headquarters tank and one reserve tank, the two platoons have each four (Fiat) tanks. In appearance these are hardly distinguishable from the French Renault, but actually weigh five tons compared with Renault's seven, and have a speed of over twelve miles per hour compared with six miles per hour. They are also far quicker in manoeuvre. Colonel Miglio, the Commandant, kindly turned out a platoon, which carried out the various phases of an approach march and attack.

ITALY'S MILITARY SYSTEM

For road moves, instead of carrying these tanks on large lorries, like the French, the Italians carry them on a small two-wheeled trailer, simple and strong, behind a light lorry. The method has much to recommend it, and is very expeditious. The tanks ran straight on to the trailers, were coupled on to a bar projecting from the lorry, and in a very few minutes the column was moving off - the crews riding on the lorries with the ammunition.

The road march was to an assembly position in the cover of a deep sandstone quarry. On reaching a point on the road near by, the column halted and in less than two minutes by my watch, the tanks had dismounted from the trailers and were climbing off the road. When I saw the precipitous sides of the quarry, forty feet deep, I caught my breathand still more when the tanks, making for different points along the edge, lowered themselves over it. Even caterpillar tracks could not grip, of course, on such a slope but they held for the first dozen feet, and then, skilfully handled, slid swiftly but safely to the pit-bottom. After an interval, emerging at a point rather less severe, they moved forward to

signal grenades. Lightly equipped and extremely athletic, they follow their particular tank, helping its passage over obstacles, and then, in the assault, moving with cat-like agility and use of cover by rapid bounds to back it up. Thus, where many tanks are attacking, they form a special tank-accompanying light infantry.

Camouflage is another feature, for these tanks take more than 'a leaf' from Macbeth so entwined with leaves and branches that they are a literal fulfilment of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane. Camouflage is equally prominent but not obvious at the engineer school at Civitavecchia, where apparent village washing troughs conceal machine-gun emplacements and wayside shrines are really observation posts. Here, too, painted wood shavings are woven in quantities into 'grass' of all shades, autumnal and spring. Searchlight experiment seemed equally active - for this mountain warfare offers great scope. Perhaps most interesting of all were the varied examples of bridge construction, for the Italian engineers have no superiors, if any rivals.

coppices, dimly seen and mysterious shapes converging swiftly and stealthily on the objective.

A unique feature of the Italian system is that although the tank holds only two men, a driver and machine-gunner, the crew consists of six. Besides being spare men, the surplus act two as scouts and two as pioneers with shovels and

achievements he cannot do better than visit the Museo de Geneo in Rome, where no fewer than eighty-six rooms are filled with models illustrating the historical evolution and present state of fortification, signalling, bridging, and a host of other branches of the engineer's technique. I know of no military museum

25

which approaches this collection, the result of twenty years' devoted labor by General Borgati, the warden of the Castle of St. Angelo. The army engineers go far outside the usual scope, for they even build drydocks for the navy, submarine refuelling stations, and seaplane bases. And their artistic skill finds expression in the new barracks which are springing up, for the Fascist Government is clearly determined to set an example to others in the decent housing of its troops.

In contrast, it was my impression, perhaps erroneous, that the chemical development is backward. There does not seem, as in Germany and Russia, a deep interest in gas warfare, nor smoke. A smoke tank produced a very weak cloud by our standards, and the artillery have scarcely any smoke shell.

At present only the army and corps artillery are mechanized. Of these the medium calibres are drawn by the Pavesi tractor, which I saw demonstrated at the Artillery School. A unique-looking machine, rather like two ancient chariots coupled together, it has four large wheels, all driven.

For road travel a two-wheeled sprung trailer is run underneath the gun-trail, lifting the gun-wheels off the ground. This seems a happy solution of the problem of hauling guns at a rapid pace and over long distances without damage to the delicate parts of the gun. For cross-country travel the gun is lowered on to the ground and the trailer supports the end of the gun-trail - forming an intermediate link and support between tractor and gun. But it seems a weak link, for in descending rough slopes it has a habit of turning over.

As for general motor transport, there is a centre in each army corps for training drivers and mechanics, for transport duties, and for repairs. I visited the one at Rome, commanded by Colonel Mussa. As throughout the army, the material was old, except for numbers of the new Fiat light cars. But it looked well cared for, better than the general run of

equipment seen elsewhere, while the

garages and barrack-rooms alike were a model of order. It is worth remark that the Italian practice here is to keep men to one specialty throughout their term of service, so that they can take similar employment in civil life and return to it in emergency-round pegs in round holes.