RUSSIAN TROOPS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 9212, 5 February 1918, Page 6

RUSSIAN TROOPS.

MUTINY IN FRANCE

The following account of mutiny among the Russian troops in franco is taken I'rora the Manchester "Guardian," which states that the matter is drawn i'rom the official report, presented by the Russian Military Mission in France to the Provisional Government, and recently published by, the Provisional Government in the Russian Press : — Soon alter the revolution had broken out. in Russia, there appeared in Paris a nu in hor of newspapers of the most extreme views. These papers readied the Russian troops in France, and there began a Iran tic Maximalist propaganda. So it was not surprising that serious agitation sprang up among the troops-, -which, vented itself in unpleasant hostility towards their officers. Finally, a mutiny broke out. On the order of M. Kerensky,, Minister of War, Commissary Rapp proceeded to the Russian .troops on May 18. Be reviewed the different units I and made some changes in their organisation. But. the ferment continued, none the less. It was conducted by i the " Regimental-Committee No. 1," : which began to publish bulletins of a Leninist character. On June: 18 Russian troops from different encampments assembled at the camp of La Courtine, and here there began a series of meetings, in which Regiment No. 1 and its leading lights assumed theprincipal l-olos. The "Detachments Com-i inittee," which had been formed of the most experienced soldiers, opposed as much a* it could the vvoclk of disorganlsution upon which Regiment No. 1 had embarked, and set to work to calm the men's minds and to reinstate a respect Cor discipline. A meeting of Regiments Nos. 1, 2, 5 and (3, however, passed a resolution deposing the " Detachments Committee," and at the same time the First Brigade refused to go on manoeuvres, explaining that it was useless to go through exercises when they had decided not to fight any more. OFFICERS ENDANGERED. Later the dispute between the First and Second Brigades threatened to develop into a bitter conflict. The soldiers of the Second Brigade insisted on being separated from the mutineers of the First Brigade, and threatened to leave the camp if their demands were not conceded. That is why General Zankevitch, arriving with Commissary Rapp, ordered the soldiers who obeyed the Provisional Government to leave the La Courtine Camp, taking their equipment with them. This order was executed on June 25, and only those soldiers who refused to obey the Government remained in the camp. The extremely malevolent attitud of these men to their officers obliged General Zankc-vich to ;remove the officers from the camp, and" he'left there only' a few- men, who were charged to look after the administration. Oii .M. Rapp's initiative, political envoys visited La Courtine Camp several times, in order to bring' the soldiers to a better view of things, but all efforts, were in vain. Even MM. Rou.ssanof, Goldenberg, Erlich and Smirnoff, the delegates of the Soviet, , were received with hostility.

Finally General Zankevitch was" advised from Petrograd that it was not intended to bring back to Russia, troops stationed in/France, and that "it was urgent that order should be reestablished among them, even if it was necessary i?o 'have recourse to armed force. He went to La Courtine, and posted up a notice to this effect, enjoining the troops to put down their arms and go to Clairvaux. This order was obeyed by only 2500 men, who left. La Courtine. The others, 8600 in number, refused to obey. Then further measures were resorted to in order to bring the mutineers to their senses. Their rations were reduced Lo a suitable allowance. Their pay was .suppressed. French sentries barred the roads leading to the neighbouring town. Such measures dismay-] ed the rebels, but at ' the same time they only increased the influence of the' agitators scattered among them. They assaulted tho French soldiers. They kept under arrest for six hours a French officer and two non-commission-ed officers who had been ordered by tho French authoroities to post up a telegram from the Generalissimo in the camp. A FINAL APPEAL. On August 19 General Zankevitch madu h iinal appeal to them to put down their arms, but in vain. On September 1 their provisions were stopped, but they had taken care to prepare a big reserve for this contingency. The next day Russian artillery took up allotted positions, and an ultimatum was delivered to the Camp Committee under a threat to open fire in the camp if they did not lay down their arms before 10 a.m. on September •$. No notice was taken of the order, and in clue course the artillery opened iiro. The rebels were warned that the fire would be intensified if they continued to resist. In the night 160 men gave themselves up. On September 4, after about thirty shells had been dropped on the camp, the rebels waved white flags and came out, throwing down their arms. By the evening '8300 had given in. They were taken in charge by French troops. On September 5 an intense artillery fire was opened on the camp. The mutineers —of whom 150 still remained — replied with a violent machine-gun fire, but by September 6 the whole camp was occupied. The Russian losses were eight killed and 44 wounded. The French casualties were one killed and one wounded. Of the Russian loyal troops, one. was killed and five wounded.

In the course of disarming the rebels eighty-one arrests were , made. Then the rest were formed up in battalions, two of which, composed of the agitated elements, were sent to Bourg. the other to the Isle of Aix. The others will remain at. La Courtine until the end of the inquiry ordered by the Provisional Government.