Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1195

 DEFENCE 1073

surrounded by the sea. On the land side, to the East and South, are lines of more or less permanent works, which can be rendered very difficult of attack by inundations. There are also strong works on the coast, notably the Helder group, barring access to the Zuiderzee, and the Hollandsch Diep and Volkerak position, while the entrances to the Amsterdam and Rotterdam ship canals are defended by powerful forts. The citadel of the whole is Amsterdam, which is well fortified. Here also inundations wculd almost preclude a successful attack. The coast defences are in good order and are to be further strengthened, but the defences on the land side have of late years been neglected. Moreover, the control of the inundations is not entirely in military hands.

Apart from the Holland Fortress are the works on the Western Schelde. These have hitherto been unimportant, but it is now proposed to augment them by entirely new works at Flushing, apparently with the idea of closing the Schelde, which has long been regarded as practically a neutral river.

II. Army.

According to an Act of 1912, service in the army is partly voluntary and partly compulsory ; the voluntary enlistments bear a small proportion to the compulsory. Every Dutch citizen is liable to personal service in the army (or navy) from the age of 19. Actual service in the ranks is deter- mined by lot, but substitution is not permitted. The maximum strength of the annual contingent is fixed at 23,000 (includiug 600 for the sea service).

The engagement of voluntarily enlisted men is for 10 years, of which only 2 or 3 years (according to the arm of the service) are with the colours, but many re-engage to become non-commissioned officers. The conscri^Jted militiamen belong to the active army for 6 years for the unmounted corps, and 8 years for the mounted corps (sea service 5 years). The 'full' training time is 8^ months in the infantry, engineers, and garrison artillery (under certain circumstances Qh months), and 24 months in the cavalry, horse and field artillery. A certain proportion of the full course men of the infantry and garrison artillery (between 3,800 and 4,500 men, designed by lot) are retained for an additional 4^ months. The full course men are called up in two batches, half in January (March), half in October.

With regard to further training, men belonging to mounted corps are liable to be called out once in their army service for 4 weeks ; the others once for 4 and the second time for 3 weeks.

After having fulfilled their active service the militiamen pass to the ' landweer ' for 7 years ; they can be called out twice in their 7 years, but for 6 days only on each occasion. Men of mounted corps and of the navy are excused from landweer service.

The landweer forces are organised in units corresponding to those of the first line, except that there are no mounted troops. Cadres are maintained in time of peace for the landweer formations.

The field army consists of 4 divisions and an independant cavalry brigade. A division contains 3 regiments (15 battalions), a field artillery regiment (6 batteries, 76 guns), a squadron of hussars, a company of cyclists, 8 machine guns, and a company of engineers. The total strength of a division in the field, with staff, would be about 19,000 officers and men. The cavalry brigade has 4 regiments, each of 3 squadrons and two batteries of horse artillery. There are also 44 fortress artillery companies. The landweer troops, with the fortress artillery of the active army, would hold the fortresses.

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