born in 1903, before July i; the Oct. contingent of the same class, those born in 1903 after June 30. Two brothers of the same class need not serve together the younger being put back till his brother's 18 months' service is completed. Young men passing through the military schools in order to become regular officers contract an engagement for the period spent at such school plus six years from the date of their passing out. In case of emergency, a contingent that has completed its 18 months' service may be retained with the colours, and men in the first two years of their period in the active army reserve may be recalled to the colours. The above conditions hold good for Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco; and, with certain reservations, for all other French colonies and protectorates.
The principles governing the allocation, in peace-time, of each class's effectives to the different arms and services are the proportion of losses anticipated for each arm in war and the special class of men demanded by the conditions inherent in different arms and services. An increase in the numbers of native troops and the voluntary enlistments for technical troops are the main factors that make it possible to maintain the requisite strength with the reduced period of ij years' service in the active army.
The arms are five: infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers and air forces. Chars-de-combat are classified under infantry, and the transport service under artillery.
Native regiments are increased, as compared with the army of 1912, as follows: infantry regiments, from 4 to 42; cavalry regiments, from 4 to 14; artillery regiments, from 4 to 6.
The active army consists of: (i) Personnel of the five arms; (2) the corps of general officers and general army services (staff services and "Corps du Controle de I' Administration de I'Armie ") ; (3)special staff sand services, e.g. supply, health, veterinary, inter- preters, recruiting, remounts, research of various kinds, physical training, military justice, military schools, and construction services; (4) the gendarmerie.
The number of infantry divisions in France and the occupied European countries is laid down as 32 (to which must be added a mixed detachment of police for the Sarre territory and Corps of Occupation of Constantinople), the number of cavalry divi- sions as 5, and of air divisions as 2.
The grouping of troops for colonies, protectorates, and terri- tories occupied under mandate from the League of Nations, is subject to the exigencies of the local political and military considerations of the moment. The allotting of troops of all arms by theatres of operations is fixed by decree as occasion arises.
The old system of basing the organization of army corps on districts (regions territoriales) was no longer feasible, owing to the increase or creation of technical troops whose role was not conformable to territorial districts, and to the necessity, inherent in modern war, of creating in war-time great new units not foreseen in peace-time. Moreover, the independent army organ- ized on a territorial framework was incompatible with the con- ception of the economical mobilization of the entire forces of the nation. The " Projet de loi sur I' organisation generate de I'armee," dated Jan. 18 1921, made the territorial organization and the organization of the formations of the army independent of one another. The active army, with its reserve, would, under this law, consist of the 20 youngest classes. The territorials would not, properly speaking, be an army, but a mass of forma- tions, composed of the 10 oldest classes, organized for military work behind the army or at home. The 21 regions territoriales (20 excluding Algiers) created by the laws of 1873, 1897 and 1913, were maintained. Of the three military governments (Paris, Lyons, and Metz and Strassburg) created by the laws of 1875 and 1919, that of Lyons was suppressed. The army was to be grouped in higher formations (divisions and non-divisional formations). Thus, the formation d' organisation could be changed, and would be commanded, without reference to the " regional organization." Thus, in war-time, there would be no reserve formations, but one great " mobilized active army," consisting of as many " higher formations " as could be formed and maintained out of the two classes of the active army and
the 1 8 classes of the active army reserve. The active army in peace-time is thus seen to consist of a number of divisions and non-divisional formations, which, for peace purposes, are under the general control of the general de division commanding the region in which the headquarters of the division or formation is situated. The active army in war consists of these divisions and non-divisional formations, increased, if necessary, up to the limits imposed by the resources of the 20 youngest classes. These formations can be grouped, as the situation demands, in army corps, armies, and groups of armies. (M. K. W.)
NAVY
During the World War certain changes were made in the distribution of the French fleet, and in the purposes for which its stations were used. Thus, the trading station of the Ocean became the base of reserve cruisers. The trading station of the Mediterranean became one of the naval bases and a port for reserve cruisers; the Toulon naval munition works was devoted to the production of shells for the army; the electricians' station of the Mediterranean became a base for general fleet purposes, just as the torpedo school at Brest was converted into a torpedo base. The schools at Brest and Toulon for cadets, both of the executive and engineer classes, were abolished; St. Raphael became the main naval aviation school, and Brest and Bandol the chief listening schools.
The whole naval building and distribution programme was profoundly altered by the war. From a building point of view, army mobilization put an end to the activities of nearly every French shipyard. Even armour plate ceased to be manufactured at Le Creusot, because the men engaged in that industry had been called to the colours. This was remedied to a certain extent, but from a general point of view it may be said that the industrial activity of public and private naval armament estab- lishments was closed down, except in those cases where the plant and staff could usefully be employed in filling up the gaps of the industrial equipment of the country for army purposes.
The main task of the French navy during the war was in the Mediterranean, the Channel, and at the Dardanelles. Its losses were 166 vessels, of which 117 were due to enemy action and 49 were the result of collision and other marine casualties. The vessels lost by enemy action were: the battleships " Bouvet," " Suffren," " Gaulois " and " Danton"; four battle cruisers, " Gambetta," " Admiral Charner," " Kleber " and " Dupetit- Thouars"; one protected cruiser, " Chateaurenault "; 13 torpedo- boats; rosubmarines; two gunboats; one sloop; one transport; six auxiliary cruisers; 48 patrol-boats and mine-sweepers; 26 requisi- tion transports; and one salvage vessel. Forty-one of these ships were lost by mine explosion; 58 were torpedoed by subma- rines; one, a submarine, was lost by aerial bombardment; the rest were sunk by shell-fire. Five torpedo boats, two submarines, two river gunboats, three vedettes, four submarine chasers, 25 patrol-boats and mine-sweepers, and two chartered trans- ports were lost by collision, or by navigation accidents. The following vessels, which were damaged by shell-fire, torpedo or mine, were repaired: three battleships, one coastguard battle- ship, nine torpedo-boats, six patrol-boats and mine-sweepers, and one submarine. The losses in personnel, including those suffered by the marine brigade at the front, amounted to 10,896 killed, of whom 316 were officers. Those missing at sea amounted to 4,754, of whom 203 were officers.
When the Armistice negotiations began the French fleet comprised 1,296 craft on the active list. The majority, 874, was employed upon anti-submarine work. There were 735 vessels detailed for convoy, patrol and fishery protection duty. There were 139 submarine chasers, 192 mine-sweepers, and 70 vessels were engaged in war-pilotage. The fighting force of the fleet was formed by 1 1 7 battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, and 43 submarines. Although France quite naturally looked upon the navy as a subsidiary service during the war, thanks to the British fleet, she nevertheless provided n % of the patrol-boats; 6% of the torpedo-boats; and 17% of the subma- rines in the Atlantic and the Channel.
