The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-02


 people had been Accomplished in the navy Gle refers to serious mutinies which took place in the aummer of 1917, following the Russian revoIu- tion) The outward conditions of it's existence and it's constant touch with the home country had favored the spread of revolutionary ideas. Many, and often the best of the regular of fieers and engineers of some length of service had been detached for duty with submarines, or in the high seas fleet. and this had not been good for discipline. A renewal of active opera tions could not fail to improve and for tify the spirit of the navy.
 The tasks of the navy were to pro- vide transports, cover the sea-pa ssage and the landing, cooperate in the op- erations from seawards, and maintain the communications of the expedition ary force with Libau.
 This force, consisting of the 42d in fantry division and the cyclists brig ade, wa commanded by General von Kathen. whose chief of staff was Col onel von Tschischwitz. So the conduct of the operation had been entrusted to particularly capable hands,
 The landing place reconnoitred and selected was Tagga Bay. on the north west corner of Ose1 Islandt
 CUT OFF LONG CAtSWAY
 After neutralizing the batteries on the Sworbe Peninsula the southern extremity of Osel the fleet steamed Y into the Gulf of Riga and then ad- vanced into Moon Sound. while torpedo craft steamed. round the north side of the island. They were to Lombard the long causeway which connects Osel and Moon and cut off the enemy's re- treat from Ose1 They were also to push into Moon Sound from the north The navy hoped to force an action on those portions of the enemys naval forces which had their permanent sta tions there, or to cut them off alto gether.
 The object of the troops landed on osel was to seize the causeway as soon as possible, capture the whole island and so take the defenders of the .Sworbe Peninsula in rear.
 This plan succeeded and only a small part of the garrison escaped by way of the causeway. On the 18th Osel was in our possession, and Moon fell on the 18th. Soon afterward we also secured Dago. The navy found an op- portunity of engaging hostile craft.
 This ended the fighting on the east enr front for the time being.
 RUSSIAN ARMY DISSOLVES
 How far these last attacks acce1er- erated matters in Russia do not know The fact is that simultaneously with the rise of the bolshevists in the au- tumn the disintegration of the Russian army proceeded very rapid. The of ficers lost their privileged position. and all authority. was taken from them. Tehy were not to be regarded as more important than the men in the ranks; in little while they were regarded as less and had no rights at all.
 These measures were approved by many people in Russia. For there, as elsewhere there were many short sighted individuals who could not see that tn strength of the army. and all social order, rests upon authority, and that by shaking the authority of the officers they were undermining the so cial order of the whole world
 Hetman Skoropadsky (once ruler Of Ukraine} told me that he never no- ticed how his corps, which he had com manded in the war, dissolved. It sim ply vanished all at once. This simple story made a tremendous impression on me.
 RUIN WROUGHT BY BOLSHEvIKI In the army the Russian revolution did not stop at depriving the officer of his rights. It set up the soldiers coun-
 
 even further. It disarmed all but the proletarian soldiers and created the red guard. In the purely political sphere it acted In the same way The bourgeois coun Id for nothing at all; the proletarian workmen's council was predominant. \
 The proletarian society of workers and soldiers was now, by means of it's councils, to govern and reorganize the world, All that had existed hitherto was ruthlessly destroyed. Civilization was disintegrated
 PSivate property was to be limited and the joy of work to be killed Woman became public property. Bestial instincts soon became uppermost. The chaos developed more and more into the bloody dictatorship of a few men who relied on troops faithful to them selves and on whose passions, even when they were Chinese mercenaries they placed no restraint. The country Dominated by this dictatorship was ruined; but that meant nothing to those in power.
 A curious state of affairs Vas thus created. Those who never could cry out enough about violation of rights and against war, paid no regard to the rights of the majority. but violated them more than any government had done, called the people to arr1s and made war. not against external en- emies at first, 1t Is true, but gensrally against every existing institution. Those who disagreed with them h.ard no word of reconciliation or unser- standing.
 OPPONENTS NOT UNITED
 And soon all those who had previous- ly done their utmost to destroy author ity in the army and the nation recog nized tho danger into which they had plunged themselves and their whole country. Unfortunately it was found Impossible in Russia to arm all the anti -bolshevist parties. and make them sink their sectarian differences and