RUSSIA'S ARMY

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 51, 29 August 1917, Page 8

RUSSIA'S ARMY

FIGHT AGAINST ANARCHY

GENERAL KORNILOFF'S SPEECH

REMEDIAL MEASURES NECESSARY.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPIRIGHT.)

(rBUIER'S TELEGRAM.! (Eeceived August 29, 1 p.m.)

PETROGRAD, 28th August.

A feature of the conference at Moscow was a remarkable speech by General Korniloff (the Russian Commander-in-Chief), in which he emphasised the disorganisation of the Russian army, and outlined remedial measures.

He declared that the death penalty was only a small part of what was necessary, and mentioned in this connection that in AugU6t some soldiers who had killed officers ceased the outrages only when threatened with shooting; also that a regiment of Siberian Rifles which abandoned the Riga front only returned to duty when its extermination was ordered.

"We are implicity fighting anarchy in the army," said General Komiloff. "The situation .it the front is so bad that we have lost the whole of Galicia and the whole of Bukovina, and all the fruits of our recent victories. The enemy has crossed our frontier at several points and is threatening our fertile southern provinces. It is endeavouring to destroy the Rumanian army, and is knocking at the gates of Riga. If the army does not help u« to hold the shore of the Uulf of Riga, the road to f e'trograd will be opened wide." ■

General'Korniloff emphasised that V!\« disorganisation of the army was due to acts by people completely ignorant of military affairs. He urged the immediate adoption of remedial measures, including the strengthening of the authority of ofll<sers and non-coms'., • improving officers' pay, and forbidding regimental committees to participate in the' decision of military operations or the appointment of leaders.

Similar measures must be applied in the rear. The condition of the railways was such that by November the army will not receive any supplies on the south-west front. ' At" present the troops were almost famished. The output of guns and shells had fallen by 60 per cent, and of aeroplanes by 80 per cent, compared with the period from October, 1916, to January, 1917. .

General Korniloff concluded by saying that he believed the genius and reason of the Russians would save the country, and that the ancient glory of the army would be restored.