SOVIET WAR MACHINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23203, 29 May 1937, Page 17

SOVIET WAR MACHINE

TRAINING THE CHILDREN AN INTENSIVE CAMPAIGN Soviet war preparedness for civilians was recently extended to include " preconscription training" for boys and girls from eight years up (says the Moscow correspondent of the Manchester Guardian). A minimum of 200,000 juvenile sharp-shooters, 70.000 air and chemical defence "experts," and 150,000 "young aeroplane constructors" are to be trained by the end of the year. In addition, it is proposed that the whole of the 5,000,000 PioneersSoviet boy and girl Scouts between eight and 16—shall be put through tests in three military special subjects before November 7. which is the twentieth anniversary of the revolution. Some of the subjects for instruction are sharp-shooting, cavalry, naval warfare, communciations. topography, aeroplane building, defence against air and gas attacks, and the breeding of dogs and carrier pigeons. DETAILED CARE Every school in the country is being assigned facilities and instructors from " Osoaviakhim," the Society for Air and Chemical Defence, under whose auspices the programme is being carried out. Thousands of small-bore rifles and 6,000,000 rounds of ammuni-

tion are being prepared for young marksmen. Gasmasks and mustardgas suits will be distributed. The detailed care which is being given to the whole project is evident from the mass production of such items as tiny combustion engines for aeroplane models. At the end of the school year qualified children will take part in war games and manoeuvres; this has occasionally been done in the past, but never on such a scale. CHILDREN'S " REGIMENTS " A few crack children's "regiments" and " divisions" already existed before this programme was announced. Moscow and Leningrad have each had, since last year, an infantry regiment in which the maximum age is 16. Girls as well as boys, though only under protest from the latter, were accepted for service. The Kuban has its children's Cossack Division, formed shortly _ after Cossacks were readmitted to military service last year. Next summer will see a model cruiser, about 50ft in length, complete with gun turret, radio, and searchlight, plying , the Moscow River, manned by Pioneer officers and crew. " Service" in these units is, of course, outside the school curriculum, and is open only to the brightest and best-disciplined children. An exhibit of toys in the Kieff House of Pioneers this winter was crowded with warlike playthings—tank models, miniature planes mounted

on tricycles, and whole armies of tic Red soldiers. A table-top shooting range for pop-*>un snipers had as tar--gets five Fascists, complete with Swastika. . ■' ' ' V