The Russian Soldier’s Duty.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXII, Issue XIII, 26 March 1904, Page 55

The Russian Soldier’s Duty.

KEEP ON ADVANCING. Recently, at the request of the Czar, General DragomirofY, of the Imperial staff, drew up a code of rules for the guidance of Russian soldiers in aetion, With special reference (it is to be presumed) to the then impending war in the J<’w East. The Muscovite “Tommy Atkins” must:

1. Perish thyself, but drag thy comrade out of danger. • -2. Keep- on advancing, although the men in front of thee are down. 3. Fear no destruction; then thou are sure to conquer, no matter how hard it may be for t hec. 4. If it is hard for thee, thy enemy does not find it lighter, but perhaps still harder than thou; thou seest only thy own hard situation, not the enemy’s, which is bound to exist for all that. And so never let thy head hang, but be ever bold and steadfast.

5. In defending one must strike, and not only ward off. The best method of defence is to attack.

6. In battle, whoever is bolder and more enduring wins, but not whoever is stronger and goes to work more skilfully. Victory is not achieved in the first storm; the enemy generally happens to be steadfast as well; often even a second or a third attack is still unsuccesful —■ then one must attack for the fourth time, and again and again until t he end has been attained.

7. More or less adroit dispositions only make it possible to reach - the end with smaller loss; he alone will reach it who is determined to fall rather than fail to attain his purpose. 8. Whatever unexpected difficulties may obstruct thy way to the end, thou must always think of overcoming them, not how hard the situation is.

9. Good troops know no “back” or “side”; they keep their front turned towards the direction whence the enemy comes.

10. However unexpected the enemy may appear, thou oughtest never to forget one thing—that thou canst always go against him with the bayonet, or shoot him down. Choice between the two is not difficult. If the enemy is near, always the bayonet; if he is at a distance, first the rille, then the bayonet.

11. There is no situation from which one cannot emerge with honour.

12. There is no relief in battle. Once thou art in it, there thou must stay ,to the end. Thou wilt receive support, never relief.

13. As long as thou are fighting with the enemy support the uninjured; do not trouble thyself about the wounded until thou hast beaten the foe. Whoever troubles himself about them during the battle and leaves the ranks is a coward and a fellow of no acount, not a compassionate man. He cares not for his comrades, but his own skin. There are always special corps for looking after the wounded. Not only has a copy of the above rules and injunctions been supplied to every soldier now at or proceeding to the seat of war, but they are read daily on parade, and the non-eommissioned officers have received strict orders to see to it that the men study and thoroughly understand them.