As to the number of men engaged on each side, experts at the front have
been wide apart. It has been understood that Great Britain has in France
3,500,000 rifles, and that of these 675,000 were on the front when the
attack began, thus (if these figures are correct) leaving an army of
reserve and manoeuvre of 2,850,000, minus 150,000 men on leave in
England. It was understood that the number of French rifles available on
the Continent is between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000, of which 1,575,000
were at the front on March 21, leaving 2,425,000 for reserve and
manoeuvre, which to the extent of 500,000 may have been available in the
present battle, with the constant deploying of the French line in the
south and the taking over of ten miles of the British line.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: MAP OF THE BATTLE OF PICARDY. THE CHAIN LINE ON THE EAST
SHOWS BATTLE FRONT MARCH 21, 1918. SHADED SPACE INDICATES GERMAN GAINS
UP TO APRIL 17. BROKEN LINE SHOWS NEW FRONT AT THAT DATE. INTERVENING
LINES INDICATE GERMAN POSITIONS MARCH 24 AND 26.]
The potential strength of the Germans in the western theatre before the
Russian revolution was estimated at 4,500,000 rifles, more than half of
which were on the front. According to Sir Aukland Geddes, the British
Minister of National Service, the secession of Russia added to the
enemy's potential strength on the western front possibly as many as
1,600,000 men, of whom 950,000 were Germans. If we add 1,000,000 to the
4,500,000 German rifles in the west we have the 5,500,000 thus produced
opposing, at least, 8,500,000 Allies, consisting of French, British,
American, Belgian, Portuguese, Russian, and Polish troops. [The British
official estimates on April 17 appear on Page 207.]
Nevertheless, in nearly all the engagements of the battle thus far, the
Allies appear to have been measurably outnumbered in a ratio varying
from three to one to five to three. Up to March 26, aside from the
French being constantly forced to augment their forces in the south,
only the British 3d, 4th, and 5th Armies had been engaged, approximately
numbering 600,000 rifles. Against these, up to the same date, the
Germans had been able to concentrate ninety-seven divisions, or
1,164,000 rifles, with special concentrations of 120,000 rifles against
Bucquoy, on April 6, and 180,000 against the French between Lassigny and
Noyon, on March 27 and April 3. On the subsequent development of the
Lille front the Germans seemed to have been able to concentrate their
forces, where they outnumber the British and Portuguese three to two.