RUMANIA'S MILITARY STRENGTH
Finally the military power of Rumania was of enough consequence to
warrant the greatest exertions on the part of diplomats to obtain its
active support. With a population of close to 7,000,000, the little
state could throw a respectable army into the field. In 1914 her
infantry numbered well over a quarter of a million, her cavalry close
up to 20,000, while her equipment included 600 modern cannon and 300
machine guns. Aside from this there was a considerable reserve to draw
from. By the middle of 1916, just before she entered the war, it was
estimated by good authorities that the Rumanian army numbered at least
600,000 men under arms and that about an equal number could still be
counted on in the reserves. In theory at least, it was a well-trained
army. The artillery of all classes numbered about 1,500 guns, but
there was a marked shortage of really powerful cannon. The horse and
field artillery were armed with Krupp quick-firers of 3-inch caliber,
and the heavy and the mountain guns were from the Creusot works in
France. The infantry was armed with the Austrian Mannlicher rifle, but
of these arms Rumania possessed barely enough to arm her 600,000 men.
Shortly before she definitely made her decision, this stock of arms
was considerably augmented by shipments from France and England, and
even from Russia, but on account of the fact that they must be shipped
by a dangerous sea route and then across Russia, the time of transit
covering six weeks, she was probably not very well supplied with
ammunition.