Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1340

 1288 spain

In January, 1916, a central general staff of the army was appointed. The country is divided up into 8 territorial districts, each under a 'Captain-General.' The 1st to 6th inclusive each furnish to the field army 2 divisions, the remaining two, 1 division. A division consists of 2 infantry brigades, each consisting of 2 regiments of 3 battalions, but the third battalion is only a cadre in peace time, 1 regiment of cavalry, 1 regiment of field artillery of 6 batteries. The regiments of engineers have no fixed dis- tribution. They consist of 6 regiments of sappers, 1 of telegraphy and 1 of railways ; all of which are irregularly distributed among the different army corps. There are also 3 independent brigades of chasseurs, each of 6 batta- lions, 4 regiments of mountain artillery, making 16 batteries, and 1 regiment of horse artillery of 6 batteries, and a railway regiment of 8 active and 8 dep6t companies. Batteries have 4 guns. There is 1 permanent cavalry division of 2 brigades, and there are 3 permanent cavalry brigades. The Aeronautical Service consists of headquarters at Guadalajara, a balloon section, an aeronautic section and a depfit. The peace establishment, for the year 1920 was fixed at 216,649 men of all ranks, and the total strength of the field army would probably be about 300,000 combatants. The army is organized in 16 divisions, each of 2 brigades of infantry, and 1 of artillery.

For the units of the second line, or reserve troops, there are at present 116 battalion cadres, 14 squadron cadres, and 14 battery cadres. The second line troops are intended to provide 7 divisions of about 13,000 com- batants each. Total about 90,000.

There are also the Guardia Civil and the Carabineros. The former is a constabulary, and the latter a military police used as Customs guard on frontier. Both are recruited from the army and under military discipline. The total strength of the Guardia Civil for 1918 is as follows : — Infantry, 17,842; cavalry, 2,316. Carabineros : Infautry, 13,218: cavalry 544.

Outside the Spanish peninsula, there are the 3 military commands of Melilla, Ceuta and Larache on the coast of Morocco, also the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, each of which forms a military district. The troops in the Balearic and Canary Islands are mostly recruited from the islanders. In Africa the troops are Spanish, and are always on a war footing. A Commissioner- General is invested with supreme military command in the Spanish zone. The corps of occupation consists of 11 regiments of infantry of 3 battalions, and 12 battalions of chasseurs (all battalions have 6 companies), 3 regiments of cavalry of 6 squadrons and 1 group of 3 squadrons, 2 regiments of field batteries, and 2 groups of batteries, 2 regiments of engineers, 1 group of 3 companies of sappers, and a section of telegraphy, 3 squadrons of aeroplanes fur rach separate command, situated at Zeluan (Melilla), Tetuan and Arcila (Larache), ami the necessary sub sidiary services. A native battalion of infantry and squadron of cavalry have been raised at Melilla, and 4 companies of native infantry and a 'mixed ' company (horse and foot) have In en raised to perform the duties of • military police. A total of 60,735 men in Africa.

The Spanish infantry is armed with the Mauser rifle, model 1893. Calibre •275. The cavalry have the Mauser carbine. The field artillery gun is a Schneider Canet 14£ pr. of 19 106.

A corps of aviators has recently been created. The military school of aero- nautics is at Cuatro Vientos, 5$ miles from Madrid. In the last year large orders for aeroplanes have been placed abroad, and many French, British and Italian machines are now arriving. The service of military aviation is being