Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/737

 DEFENCE 615

There is no Landwehr in Bosnia and Herzegovina, bnt the men remain 10 years in the reserve. Reservists must undergo throe trainings in their reserve s.a-vice, do one period to exceed 4 weeks. In practice the train- ing periods are much less. After completion of his 12th year of service the soldier passes to the Landsturm, in which he remains till he has reached his 42nd birthday. The annual contingent of recruits for the. Common Armj'- is fixed at 159,500, but of these 4,000 at piestiit go to the Navy.

'i'he Landwehr forces are not formed, excei)t to a small extent, of men who have passed through the first line. Both Austrian Landwehr and Hungarian Honvedseg are permanently embodied, and train their own recruits, though the peace establishments of units aie lower than in the Common Army. When the young men of proper age present themselves for enrolment, those who draw the lowest numbers are allotted to the Common Army until the required contingent is obtained. The next lowest go to the Landwehr, and the remainder of those who are jthysically fit are passed, with very few exce|)tion<?, to the Ersatz, or supplementary, reserve. Landwehr service is 2 years with the colours and 10 in the reserve. The reservists of the Austrian Landwehr are liable to be called out for training for a total oi 20 weeks, and those of the Honved for a total of 25 weeks, in their entire reserve service ; no one period to exceed 4 weeks. Men who have passed through the first line can be called out once in their 2 years. The contingent of recruits for the Austrian Landwehr is 19,500, that for the Honved is 25,000.

The Ersatz reserve is primarily intended to maintain the strength of units on field service. There are separate Ersatz reserves for the Common Army, and for each of the Landwehr forces. All undergo 8 weeks' training in their first year, and are afterwards liable to be called out for the same periods as the other reservists of the force to which they belong.

One year volunteers are admitted to the army, and many of them become reserve ofiicers.

The Empire is divided into 16 army corps districts. Each army corps district is supposed to furnish a complete army corps of 2 divisions of the Common Army, but one district has 3 divisions. Each of these divisions consists of 2 brigades (each of 8 battn lions), 1 artillery brigade (16 batteries of 6 guns each), a regiment of cavalry, a jiiger (rifle) battalion, &c. Each Army Corps district, except tho.se including Bosnia and Herzegovina, has also 1 Landwehr or Honved division, but one district has 2 Honved divisions. The Austrian Landwehr has artillery, the Honved at present consists only of infantry and cavalry, but arti'lery is now to be organised, Bosnia and Herzegovina are almost entirely garrisoned by battalions detached from line regiments, while the 4 B.-H. regiments are brigaded with Austrian regiments at Vienna and elsewhere, so that the higher organisation is somewhat complicated, and the brigades are generally short of a battalion or two.

There are 6 permanent cavalry divisions (3 of these on the Rus.sian frontier), but 8 could be mobilised in event of war. Each army corps would have about 34,000 combatants, and each cavalry division about 4,000 combatants. The total strength of regulars in the field army may therefore be taken at 590,000 combatants. To these must be added the 8 Austrian Landwehr and 7 Honved divisions, about 230,000, Grand total about 820,000 combatants.

The War Minister (always a general officer of high rank) is the head of the Imperial War oflicc, which administers the Common Army. The Austrian Defence Minister is in cliarge of the Austrian Landwehr and Landsturm, and the Hungarian Defence Minister (Honved Minister) of the corresponding Hun- garian forces ; they are severally responsible to the Emperor-King for effi- ciency, and to their respective Parliaments for administration and finance.