The Washington herald., 1914-09-06
RUSSIANS ONLY
TESTED TROOPS
They Alone Of Europeans
Have Seen Service in a
Big, Modern War.
OFFICERS EXPERIENCED
Experts Believe Cars Army Has Ad-
vantage if 1t Took to Heart Les
sons of Japanese Conflict.

Special Gable to The Washington Herald.
st. Petersburg, Sept 5.-Because OF
their experience in the war with Japan
the officers of the Russian army were
said to be the hest trained in Europe at
the beginning of the present titanic con-
fiict. The education OF the modern offl-
Ger has radically changed during the last
few years The development OF present
day warfare has rendered II necessary
for him to acquire an ever-increasing
burden Of knowledge, so that on the con-
tinent today the military officer is GER
tainly one OF the hardest worked MEM
bers of the community.
Every year maneuvers are made more
realistic But after all, the best training
for war is war. The Russian army today
contains the only men in Europe who
have had this training. so far as war on
a vast scale is concerned. Tens Of thou
sands of officers and men who are in
the Russian army today have had the
actual experience in modern warfare on
which the textbooks of the other con-
tending armies are based.
Faced Japanese Fire.
Among the countless battalions who
are now on the Prussian and Austrian
frontiers fighting the Germans and Aus
TRANS, are any number of officers who
have made the inevitble mistakes COM
mitted by troops facing fire for the first
time. 1t IL probable that every regiment
of Russian troops in action today con-
tains seasoned men who faced the Jap
anese fire at Port Arthur, Mukden. and
other places of the Manchurian campaign.
Military experts understand the inappre-
ciable moral effect which the presence OF
such veterans has on untried recruits.
Against these flre-tried veterans are
opposed the Germans with their forty
oF 1rillinp Nd =
ration for war. The conflict of 1914. five
weeks old, has not yet demonstrated
whether or not book training is equal 10
experience. The world is eagerly watch
Ing the test.
The Russian officer. in social standing
and in his relations with his men, is a
sort Of mean between the German and
French officer. Like the German, he is
of official caste and perhaps may come
from the nobility. but often, like most
of the French officers. he comes from
humble origin, and. therefore, IS on
friendly and intimate terms with his
men. The Russian officer enters the mill
tary academy very young. seven years or
Whereabouts, and remains In training ten
or eleven years before he receives a COM
mission.
Must Guard Long Fontiers.
ne dlHlCullleS continuing 'He HuSSIdI
general staff in the present war are
many. While the British army knows
something of the guarding of frontiers
by Its experience in India and the Ger
mans and French have had their Alsace-
Lorraine frontiers to look after, huge
Russia has seven frontiers TO be protect
ed. The great empire is vulnerable
from seven angles. by land and sea, and
while sending her hordes OF invaders into
Austria and Prussia, she must always
keep a big force at home to look after
her thousands of miles of borders. 1t is
an axiom Of war to be prepared to out
number an enemy at a given point. but
Russia has to he ready to out-number
her enemy at many points, hundreds and
sometimes thousands OF miles apart.