_The French report points out that on the other hand, all the French
regiments have been constantly kept at a minimum figure of eighteen
professional officers per regiment. At the same time it admits that the
commanders of German corps, commanders of active battalions, and the
officers attached to the commanders of army corps are officers by
profession._
_The French report then addresses itself to the wastage of material.
Discussing the wastage of guns, it says:_
It is easy to ascertain the German losses in artillery. On Dec. 28 the
Sixty-sixth Regiment of Artillery entrained at Courtrai for Germany
twenty-two guns, of which eighteen were used up. This figure is
extremely high for a single regiment.
The same facts have been ascertained as regards heavy artillery. On
Dec. 21 and 22 seventy-seven guns of heavy artillery, which were no
longer serviceable, were sent to Cologne. These movements, which are not
isolated facts, show how ill the German artillery has resisted the
ordeal of the campaign.
Other proofs, moreover, are decisive. For some weeks we have noted the
very peculiar aspect of the marking on the bands of a great number of
shells of the 77 gun. When these markings are compared with those of
shells fired three months ago it is plain beyond all question that the
tubes are worn and that many of them require to be replaced. This loss
in guns is aggravated by the necessity which has arisen of drawing upon
the original army corps for the guns assigned to the recently formed
corps or those in course of formation. Several regiments of field
artillery have, in fact, had to give up two batteries.