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ARMIES ITALY The infantry are armed with the “ Lebel rifle ” of 1886, 8 mm. Active Army. Militia. (0-315 in.) in calibre. It is sighted to 2000 metres, and has a magazine for 8 cartridges in the stock. The batteries—field, horse, and mountain—are of 6 guns each. The field artillery gun is of With Colours. Reserve. Mobile. Territorial. 90- mm. (3-54 in) calibre ; the horse artillery gun is of 80 mm. (3 15 in.) calibre. A quick-firing gun of 75 mm. (3 in.) is being Years. Years. Years. Years. rapidly introduced. It is of nickel steel, and weighs with its 3 5 4 7 carriage about 19 cwt., rather more than the horse artillery gun. 4 7 It is said to have a range of 7000 metres, and to be capable of 19 firing 20 rounds a minute. The weight of its shell is 15^ lb. A field howitzer of 120 mm. (4-7 in.) calibre has also been adopted. It weighs, with its carriage, 29 cwt., and has a range of 6000 Cavatri/.—There are 24 regiments, each of 6 squadrons, and a metres. Besides shrapnel, it fires long shells weighing 45 lb, with depot. Twelve regiments are told off, one to each army corps ; a bursting charge of 13 lb of melinite. the rest would be formed into 3 cavalry divisions of 2 brigades of 2 regiments. All regiments have a territorial title as well as a Two regiments of infantry or cavalry form a brigade; number. The war strength is 43 officers and 845 men, of whom 2 infantry brigades, with 6 field batteries, 1 company 740 are mounted. is 1 horse artillery regiment, consisting of of engineers, &c., form an infantry division; and, as a 6 Arh7Zeri/.—There batteries of 6 guns. The battery at war strength contains 4 rule, 2 infantry divisions, with a battalion of chasseurs, officers, 150 N.C.O.’s and men, and 166 horses. The regiment a brigade of cavalry, 8 batteries of field and horse would form 3 brigades of 2 batteries to act with the 3 cavalry artillery, Ac., form an army corps. The foot artillery is divisions. The field artillery comprises 24 regiments—12 divisional 12 corps artillery. Each regiment contains 2 brigades of 4 allotted to those army corps which have fortresses within and batteries and a depot battery. A divisional regiment contains their regions. France is divided into 19 army corps 47 officers, 904 men, and 428 horses ; a corps regiment has 53 regions, and Algeria forms an additional one. The prin- officers, 997 men, and 458 horses. The light battery is armed cipal elements of the field army corps, with the staff and with a gun firing a 94 lb. shell. The total weight of the gun and cwt- The heavy batteries are equipped with guns the cadres of the territorial army, are, as a rule, quartered limber is 304 firing a 14-9 shell, and the weight behind the team is about 414 in the region assigned to it, though its recruits are not cwt. A heavy brigade is attached to each infantry division, and necessarily drawn from its region. Outside the army a mixed brigade of 2 heavy and 2 light batteries is allotted to each corps there are 7 independent cavalry divisions of 3 army corps. The mountain artillery is organized in 1 regiment of brigades and 3 horse batteries each. The Algerian army 9 batteries of 6 guns and a depot. On a war footing each battery has 4 officers, 150 men, and 63 pack animals. The garrison corps (numbered xix) has 3 divisions. It consists mainly artillery forms 3 regiments, each of 12 companies, and 1 depot, of Zouave and African regiments, but draws its artillery and 2 regiments of 16 companies and 1 depot. A company conand engineers from regiments in France. There is also a tains 3 officers and 100 men. The garrison artillery supplies the separate division in Tunis. The effective strength of the personnel for siege parks, for fortresses, or fortified positions, and coast batteries. standing army in 1898 was 544,000 officers and men. forInfantry.—The infantry of the line forms 2 regiments of On mobilization for war the strength of the companies of grenadiers and 94 other regiments, organized in 48 brigades infantry of the line and chasseurs is raised to 250 men, bearing local titles, and 24 divisions. A regiment has 3 battalions of engineer companies to 262 men, of field batteries to of 4 companies and a depot. The strength of a regiment and a 180, and horse batteries to 190 men. There is little battalion is:— change in the squadrons of cavalry. On a war footing and Men. 61 1299 a cavalry brigade numbers about 1200 men, an infantry Regiment 76 2811 brigade 6000, an army corps nearly 40,000 men. As a 15 400 Battalion fighting force it may be reckoned at 25,000 infantry, 24 918 1200 cavalry, and 120 guns. Armies (the commanders In addition to line infantry, there are 12 regiments of bersaglieri, of which are designated beforehand) would be formed by which are not brigaded, and 7 regiments of Alpini, specially groups of three or more corps, and the cavalry divisions trained for mountain warfare. The regular infantry is armed with would be attached to them. The territorial army would the Mannlicher magazine rifle, calibre 0'257 inch, weighing with be used chiefly for garrisons and on lines of communication. bayonet 9 lb 2 oz. Engineers.—These form 2 regiments, each of 16 sapper or field The strength of its units when mobilized is generally the
- 1 regiment of 7 sapper companies, 6 telegraph comsame as that of similar units of the active army, but it is companies
panies, 3 transport companies, and 1 specialist company; 1 not at present organized in brigades. Each army corps regiment of 8 pontoon companies, 2 special lagoon companies for region would furnish 8 regiments of infantry, 8 squadrons service at Venice, 4 railway companies, and 3 transport companies. of cavalry, 1 regiment of artillery, and 1 battalion of Each of the 4 regiments has a depot. The sapper or field comfurnish 1 company and 1 pontoon section to each division engineers. The total war strength of the active army and panies in the field, 1 engineer park to each army corps, 1 brigade of its reserve would be nearly 2 J millions, and the territorial 3 companies to each field army. They also supply detachments army with its reserve would raise this total to about do- for sieges or for work in fortresses. The telegraph companies minions of trained men when the present laws have had furnish a telegraph park to each army corps and to each army in field. The pontoon companies furnish to an army one or more their full effect (viz., in 1915). This is more than 11 per the bridging trains, each carrying about 200 yards of bridge. cent of the population. (e. m. l.) Higher Organization.—An infantry division is composed of 2 brigades of infantry of 12 battalions, 1 brigade of Italy. artillery of 4 battalions of 6 guns, 1 company of engineers, The Italian military organization is governed by laws 1 pontoon section, 1 ammunition column. It numbers at enacted in 1883,1884,1887, and 1888. The armed strength war strength 276 officers and 12,705 N.C.O.’s and men. consists of (1) the active army, (2) the mobile militia, (3) A cavalry division comprises 2 brigades of 2 companies, the territorial militia. The annual contingent for service and 2 horse artillery batteries numbering 213 officers and with the colours is determined by Parliament, and selected 3820 IST.C.O.’s and men, together with an ammunition by lot from the men who reach the age of 20 in each year; column and administration units. An army corps conthe rest pass at once into the reserve j men exempted from tains 2 divisions, with corps troops consisting of 1 regiment service in the active army, but fit to bear arms, pass into (3 battalions) of bersaglieri, 1 cavalry regiment of 6 the territorial militia. The liability to service lasts from squadrons, 2 artillery brigades (48 guns), the whole the age of 20 to 39, and the 19 years may be spent as numbering 943 officers and 30,387 N.C.O.’s and men. follows:— There are also 1 corps ammunition column, 1 engineer
