Strength of Russia

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19900, 30 March 1939, Page 16

Strength of Russia

Sir,—The sole purpose of my letter was to show ther.e was no comparison whatever between the so-called Russian steam-roller of 1914-17 and the Red Army of 1939, and not to dispose of your statement that “no accurate assessment of Russian strength is obtainable.” You state that “the first essential of any partnership is that both sides should put their cards on the table” and you go to say that both Britain and France have complied in this respect. Although Russia has repeatedly made advances to Britain to sign a pact of non-aggression and mutual assistance Britain has refused—rather has she leaned towards Hitler. Therefore there has been no question of a partnership with Britain .so there has been no necessity for Russia to "place her cards on the table.” In view of the fact that Mr. Chamberlain is now coquetting with M. Maisky can it be said that Russia will not place her cards on the table if an alliance is made? It is only natural that Russia, expecting to be attacked, has been somewhat reticent regarding her actual strength and although it is quite possible no accurate assessment of her strength is available nevertheless it can be assumed that fairly reliable estimates have been gathered from various sources and these are published periodically in the British press. STUDENT. Sir,—ln your footnote to “Student’s” letter you said that neither “Student" nor any one else can supply the strength of the Russian army. That statement cuts both ways, neither do we know the actual strength of the French or even British to date, but we have an estimate by M. Bossontrot that the Russian Air Force consists of

40,000 aeroplanes, 20,000 on the western front, 10,000 in the Far East, and 10,000 in reserve. Colonel Balow, German military expert, writes that the Russian air fleet has been numerically increased in recent years to a point that it has become the strongest air arm in the world. Russian official sources now maintain that their air force is equal to any two air forces.

In the Russian army to-day' each soldier has 12 to 15 horse-power of mechanised armaments. In 1938 the U.S.S.R. employed 450,000 tractors in agriculture. Each of those, subject to certain adjustments, is fit for the battlefield lor transports or i'dr the battle itself, and to operate those tanks, guns, and artillery it requires 1,500,000 trained men. Russia could mobilise 36,0(KL000 men, and those men have a social standing worth fighting for, which makes them more powerful when any nation threatens them VERITAS. [Most of the nations of the world, irrespective of pacts or alliances, publish official returns of the strengths of their forces, and these details arc available in any authoritative reference book. In the case of Russia, however, although the army strength is given at 1,300,000,' there is an explanatory note in regard to the air force and the navy that “particulars are not available.” Countries which have more reason than Russia to fear attack do not hesitate to supply this information. It is admitted that estimates of Russian strength have been published from time to time, but their reliability may be judged from the statement that Russia could mobilise 36,000,000 tnen. The fact is that if Russia could put in the field every male between the age of 19 and 46 years—New Zealand in four years during the Great War could not mobilise half the men of these ages — she could not raise an army of 30,000,000. —Ed. Herald.]