RED AIR FORCE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12750, 4 January 1936, Page 5

RED AIR FORCE

TRANSPORT OF 11,200 BY PLANE MOSCOW. Nov. 20. The quick mobility of 'the Soviet Army’s' new offensive ' weapon— its parachute and airplane infantry—was shown to-.da'y in figures made public by War Commissar Clenienca Ei ' Yoroshiloff. He declared the Red military machine was' developed to such an extent’ that there was no doubt the Soviet Union would be able to conquer any enemy.

11.,200 MOVE AT ONCE Mr Vor-oshil-otf said 11,200 men were transported simultaneously by o v ir during recent army manoeuvres, and were safely landed with full fighting equipment. This is more than one- division in man strength, although no artillery was carriedThree thousand members of this aerial army landed with parachutes, coming down behind the lines of a theoretical enemy. They were equipped with automatic rifles and light machine guns. Transport planes—landing at the rate of 1000 men every 16 minutes — brought to the ground 8200 more soldiers. Mr VorosliiloiT’s account said.

EUROPEAN VISITORS WATCH Military missions of three European powers, the Commissar stated, watched the landing of 1200 parachutists and 2-500 other fighting men, while 1800 more parachutists and -5700 regular troops came to the ground ’in another part of the front. Mr Voroshiloff declared the users of the parachutes were drawn solely from among volunteers who offered themselves in such numbers that many had to bo rejectedThe satisfactory performance . of tanks, thousands of which the Red army possesses, was also reported. They were used successfully in traversing -swamps, fording rivers and crossing bays, the Commissar stated.