Quality Army

Comfortably aware of the bulging conditions of France's treasury, France's six- foot, sabre-rattling/- Minister of War Andre Maginot stumped about on his two canes last week (he lost a leg at the Battle of Verdun) thinking up new ways of spending France's money for the benefit of France's army. To the casual observer, France with 467.986 men under arms has the best army in the world today. It is not good enough for Minister Maginot. Frightened by the bellicose posturings of Mussolini, the blunt pre-election speeches of Germany's bad boy, Cabinet Minister Gottfried R. Treviranus (TiME, Aug. 25), he has been even more impressed by a little book written by that hyper-acute general, Hans von Seeckt, organizer of the German Reichswehr. It is General von Seeckt's premise that the Allies, in limiting Germany's huge conscript army to a professional volunteer force of 100,000 men supplemented by a state police force of 150,000 more, unwittingly gave Germany just the sort of army a modern state really needs. The day of huge conscript mobs is past, says General von Seeckt. Future wars will be fought by small armies of experts trained to handle intricate machinery.

As a sop to French pacifists compulsory military service in France has been reduced within the past two years from three years to twelve months. As every sergeant knows, a year is net much time to make a soldier. Fortnight ago, just as the French Army was preparing for its annual autumn maneuvers, Minister Maginot announced elaborate and expensive plans for a completely "motorized" force. The French press which always barks obediently when politicians crack the whip took up the chorus. Loudest was the semi-official Temps:

"The one-year term of service, M. Maginot informs us, is far from having provided us with the expected increase in strength. . . . Before we can mobilize three classes of reserves we have only 180,000 young soldiers averaging ten months' service for the protection of 500 miles of frontier.

"In the opinion of several of our military leaders our frontiers will be safe only by an organization similar to that with which we are threatened. Hence we need a professional army--an army of quality as well as quantity."

This was just what Minister Maginot was driving at. Motorization was not enough. He was ready last week to abandon universal military service, traditional in France since the 18th Century committee of public safety, for a Quality Army of paid volunteers on the German. British, U. S. model. Sententiously commented Perfumer Coty's Le Figaro: "The strength of the French Army is the best guarantee of the peace of Europe."

/- Literally. Minister Maginot is not only a super-patriot but an expert swordsman.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.