THE RED ARMY

Evening Post, Volume 32, Issue 32, 6 August 1931, Page 19

THE RED ARMY

WORKERS ONLY

EXTRAORDINARY SYSTEM

STRICT DISCIPLINE

Listening to t}pn,il Communist do nunciatiODs of all things pertaining to militarism as wo know it, one might easily be misled (sajs a writer in the "Sydney Morning Herild"). Closer study of the Communist's outlook shows that it is not milit.msm qua militarism that ho condemns, and that not all soldiers iv his view aio hued assassin's. It ii, only "the cut-throats of capital ism" that aie anathema to him, jusr as it is only the "lmpcualism" of tho British Bmpiie and its like that he wouli abolish. The imperialist ambitions o± Soviet Russia aie m his eyes the woithy fruits of "proletauan dictatorship," and in the Red Aimy he the \anguard of universal "emancipation."

Partly because the officers of the Ciai'a army were mostly suspect, ami partly because it was imagined that all authority .was at an end, the 1917 i evolution in Russia was followed by a.period of ungovefhed licence when Jack ■was as good as his master, and the private soldier a good deal better thaa the general. Later, the idea was that army officers should be chosen by the soldier Soviets, and should behave accordingly. To-day the Bed Army, besides being of great strength, 13 under ligid discipline of a kind unkiun\n v iu any othei part of the woild, anchthe jvhole military system of Russia is amazingly constituted. The following sketch, of the condition of the armed forces the Soviet as at the .beginning of "this year is based upou facts culled from Russian sources. 9 /"WOBKERS ONLY. Only the so-called "working elements" can serve in the Red Army, Non-woikwg elements and persons deprived of electoral rights axe conscripted to tho "labour battalions," and made to -work in Soviet factories, mines, for-' ests, etc. Accoring to Soviet law, nonworking elements include memb'ers,of 'the Romanoff% dynasty, people In sal' aried occupations, those who derive income jfrom, .capital and property, private traders, membeis of< the pre-revo-lution police, or the Whito annies, monks, and all ministers of religion, weak-minded poisons, and those who have served sentences inflicted by the Couits. In peace time, ; women may belong voluntarily to the Red Army, and a plan is being prepared making military Service .for women compulsory ■ in time of war. For several years many military schools have been open to women, and about ten who have taken part in civil war or served in <• the Cheka (secret police, now known as the 0.G.P.U.) have already completed the full military academy couise. —One of these women now 1 holds a responsible post in the Moscow division of O.G-.P.TT. troops, ; *i " ( ' .The officers ofr the Bed Army may be divided Into three'distinct groupss (1) Officers of the Czarist'epoch,'about 10; yor cent, of the whole, and mainly engaged *■ as' instructors *ii», military schools, 'etc.; participants in the civil war, about 30 per cent., mostly untrained; (3) those who have had' instruction in Soviet military schools, about 60 per cent, f >, r , *' "'I.OW-LEVEL. '* -' I" '. (As the lesult of tho steady reducj tion of vthe numbec.of foimer Czarist officers and of the^'proletarisation and communisation" of the cadres of the aimy, the present intellectual level o± Russian, army officers is Ipwer than that oftany kindred >group Wthe world. Tie following figures illustrate this* In 19&9 90 per cent.'of the cadets in the Soviet military sehoolsxhad received only primary education,}consisting ot two to ,lotir~-I years» -schooling, and* 9.5 per cent.----only; secondary"' education,. or"1? to '8 years' schoolings-..This admitted* weakness is,due to the paramount desire to 6aU 'ttlo responsible; posts in the BearAimy^ed^ypWaefo.t^ td'tae Communist? Party.-^ -* fl^ v ;-% , • <-~../. , These forces WeomposeU o£th<&Red. peasants'.'anaVorkers' aimy, the Red peasaats'cana'woHcefs* navy, the special troops.(O.GJ.tT^'or secret police), the Frontier !( Gttar,6tf(O:<£p.a!.), ana the i/scort Guara.% fcietbasic purpose of the axm<i& ii&rcea>b£ other countnes is national "defence, the aim of the leaders of>\tEe "Communist Party is that thcEea.arpiy'sbouia be "the advanoe guarftoftthe international proletanat" ana/"the 11 army of tho \vorld revolution."'7 Outstanding characteristics of the Eea army are its international class character, ifs lecognition as an. aim in the political .'struggle, arid the existence within it of a special political machinery ihat is capable of diverting it to suit the aims of the Communist Party. From a military point of view tho organisation of the Bed army is based upon a-combination of two opposite military systems; a small, well-trained army of professional soldiers like the Geiman Keisohwehr, and an immense army akin to a militia, COMPULSORY SERVICE.

The law of September, 3925, which still operates, has much wider scope than that of the Tsarist period. MUitary service, for instance, is compulsory tor Russian subjects not of the Slav lace. This regulation provides for territoiial recruiting; but as it would f bo impossible to absorb into the army the annual quota of about 800,000, there is. a special system of cadres and militia by means of which all the working population of Russia receive military training. In addition to this,'there is a system of compulsory pre-military training for all youths of 19 years. This, which is spread over two years, comprises physical and political, training. The general duration of military service provided for is 21 years—active sis years and reserve 15 years. In order to develop a taste for military science in the community, a special society, known as the '^Ossoaviakhiin," has been created. This society spreads 'among the-people the bases of military 'instruetidii aud creates thousands oi gioups for the study of chemistry, shooting, flying, riding, and so on. " One of the tasks 6f tho Ossoayiakhim is to make "voluntary" collections, deductions fiom wages, etc, for, the upkeep of the navy, the air fleet, etc. An oxample of the "voluntariness" of these collections' occurred recently nl Nov-gorod,-where the "authorities refused'to register marriages unless a rouWe was ipaid;to\tho Qssodyiakhlm and the marlied couple agreed 'to belong to that society. .> '. ; , T LESS PEASANTRY. ■< XJntU;quite recently, the only persons considered to come within this category Were workers in factories and agricultural labourers. But there is now a strong tendency to increase the percent age of factory workers, and decrease thatfof peasants: Thus, whereas in 1927 of all soldiers^ per cent, were faetoiy workers and '88.8 per cent, peasants, the figures "in 1930 werp 26.9 per cent, and 57 per cent, respectively. It seems certain that, owing to the anti-Soviet ten dencies of1 the peasants, their percentage in the army1 will be still further steadily decreased. lAt the, hea^ of "all the armed forces of Soviet Russia is tho "People's Commissar. f°r. Foreign Affairs (at present VoroehiJoff), assisted by a Revolutionary War Council composed of tho Commissar himself, two assistants (now Gamarnik and Cuborevitch), and eight other members. Immediately after the Revolutionary War Council comes the Headquarters Staff of the Workers' and

Peasants' Red Army (abridged 8.X.X.A.), which fuliils tho functions of general headquarters staff. It is estimated that in/case'of war Bolsheviks coulcl get together on the;'meridian of tho Dnieper 33 division's ■'■'of sharpshooters and eight divisions of cavalry: on the tenth day of mobilisation, and 48 to 50 divisions of sharpshooters and nine to 12 of-cavalry on. the.Soth day. In order to faeilitato the transfer of troops towards the Polish frontier, tho Soviet Government is proceeding to the construction of strategic railways in; \Vhite.Russia, and it is believed tha^ war plans provide for a large offensive at;i;he junction of the Eussian and Polr ish frontiers; followed by a movement towards Warsaw to -the north and across Galicia. The, fact that the major part of the infantry and cavalry is stationed; in the Ukraine^is^eitod in supV port.bf tKisifelief.^': V Ji a ■ ' ' ;■ •.-