El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-08
C0SSACKS DRIVE
RUSSIAN TROOPS
Force Unframed and Poorly
Armed Men to Attack
German Positions.

! Berlin. Germany, April IA war
correspondent who has Deen ut Ihe
eastern front since August 1914, gives
an Interesting description OF the
present Russian armies for a Berlin
newspaper.
After 90 months of continuous con-
tect with the enemy the German Of
Alcets nave pretty clear luea OIL the
present condition Of the Russian army
tue correspondent says The intor-
Iualon comes partly from prisoners
put the tales of suffering told oy the
captured Russian soldiers are taken
WIN more than the prOverbial grain
Of Salt, because the men generally
t1DOr under great excitement or hope
20 get better treatment by picturing
me situation behind their front as dark
as possible.
Are Driven to Fight.
Many of the prisoners complain that
tHey We're driven into the firing line
Ty Cossacks. whom they hate bitterly.
AheSe stories were not believed at
nrst' but they have been verified be-
yond all doubt. German brigade
commander and his staff recently OBJ
served a detachment of COssacks which
emerged from a village and attacked
EaYerlng Russian infantry regiment
from the rear to drive il forward.
"A concentrated German artillery
IRE was directed against the CossaclSs
ana prisoners later said that they
never experienced greater joy than
FF-A~-- my saw the naLeQ drivers
moved down.
Human Material is Good.
Inc human material of the Russian
an my is as good as ever and seemingly
tueAna ustible. All fresh troops brought
TO the front consist of physically
splendid soldiers. but as rule they are
very poorly trained and badly armed.
w hen these men are sent forward to
attdck they are only given the direc-
uun III which they have to advance.
ne OII1gnrg hnhfnd nd the
panles and even whole regiments are
led by commissioned officers.
tor the soldiers there is no choice,
although they know that their attacks
against the German Notifications with
their thousands Of cannon and ma
chine guns are hopeless. They must
advance or die, because II they waver
ana turn they are threatened by ma
chlne guns and Cossacks.
Fight Desperately.
W herever the Russian soldiers sue
coed in reaching a German position
they fight like demons. because the
capture OF trench means life or death
10 them. Their first line generally
only carries hand grenades, the second
line has rifles, while the third advances
unarmed and picks up the rifles and
other arms OF the killed and the
The men Of a captured Russian COM
pany recently complained that they
were not able to fire a single shot
when they had to attack. because they
were given rifles which they had never
used before. The rifles had been
taken from wounded or captured Aus
TRANS. and the Russian soldiers who /
were to Tight with them did not under /
stand their mechanism
Artillery Poorly Equipped.
The Russian artillery is still ex- (
cellently trained and would have to be /
feared with better technical equipment |
Most of the Russian artillery officers
are capable, highly educated men, but |
they can accomplish nothing with the /
limited material at their disposal /
Ihey lack guns and ammunition and /
what they have is mostly of inferior 4
1uality. A recently captured com /
nander Of an artillery regiment de- 1
elared that the guns obtained from 1
Japan are OF little use and much OF /
worthless"