RUSSIAN ARMY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1937, Page 9

RUSSIAN ARMY

GROWING STILL BIGGER

Recently. Marshal Voroshiloff, Commissar for Defence, again called to the Colours not only the usual annual class of conscripts, but an additional half of a class, says the "Daily Telegraph's" Moscow correspondent. This comprised all those fit for service born in 1910' and that half of the 1915 class left over from last year.

Last year the conscription age was lowered from 21.t0 19. This placed two new extra classes immediately at the disposal of the recruiting authorities, but it would obviously have been impossible to provide cadres at once for the vast number of recruits thus made available. For practical reasons it was decided to spread their call to the colours over four years. During this period one annual class and a half would be absorbed each year instead of the normal single class.

The trade union organ "Labour" affirms that this call to arms is a feast for the entire land and a joyous event for every young Soviet citizen. "War clouds are getting denser," it adds. "Fascism has already. begun wars of annexation, and is-preparing for a big war, for a world war, for a war against the Soviet."

The. official party organ "Pravda" points out that, whereas in 1912 only 59 per cent, of the available recruits were passed as fit for conscription, in 1936 85 per cent, were declared fit by the Red Army Medical Boards.. This should yield between 700,000 and 800,000 recruits. • ' . .

"In capitalist lands," the newspaper adds, "conscription means growing misery. Here it is altogether different, because the conscripts know that their families will not be left without support.'.' In fact, the Soviet does not provide any special family'allowances for those conscripted,' but does grant wives and other dependants special privileges in the way of employment, housing, and so on. Moreover, the Red Army conscript . enjoys during his period of service a much higher level of life than in his native village or industrial town. Indeed, the rations, quarters, and recreation provided for the Red Army compare very favourably with those provided for the British Army.