In the French army, on the other hand, an apprenticeship and training
of several weeks were required to give to the divisions of reserve
their full worth. At the end of two weeks, nevertheless, thanks
to the marvelous elasticity of the French soldier and the warlike
qualities of the race, the training was completed. At the beginning
of the month of September the reserve divisions fought with the
same skill, the same keenness, and the same swing as the active
army carps.
Moreover, certain incompetencies had revealed themselves in the
French high command. These General Jaffre attended to without the
loss of an instant. Every general that appeared to him incapable
of fulfilling the task allotted to him was weeded out on the spot,
without considering friendships or the bonds of comradeship, or
intimacy that might be between them.
As things were seen in Paris, all may be summed up in this formula:
That the German army was better prepared for war than the French
army, for the simple reason that Germany had long prepared for the
war, because she had it in view, a thing which could not be said
of France. But the French army revealed right from the beginning the
most admirable and marvelous qualities. The soldiers fought with a
skill and heroism that have never been equaled. Sometimes, indeed,
their enthusiasm and courage carried them too far. It mattered
little. In spite of losses, in spite even of retreat, the morale
of the whole French army on the entire front from Alsace to the
Somme remained extraordinarily high.
Pages:
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106