The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-07-12

Had-Checks Menace OF Russian
BoIshevists, Who Sent Their Forces
to Humble Her.
The Polish army, which has been
making such a remarkable campaign
against the Russian red forces over a
wide front, has been evolved from
nothing at all at the time of the ar
mistice. November II, 1918. into a
we'll organized fighting force. The evo-
1 luton Of the Polish fighting machine
Of approximately 100000 men is re-
garded by American military observ-
ers as one of the amazing develop
ments of the after-thewar period.
From military point of view Po-
| land two years ago did not exist.
| There was no centralized authority,
no army and no way of raising mil
! itary force Today, according to Maj
| Gen. Sigismund Brynk, military at
| tache of the Polish legation at Wash
| Ington the new army maitains sue
! cessfully fighting front greater than
| the Franco German front during the
| World war
| General Brynk told this brief story
F, of the evolution of the Polish army
Poland Faced Two Foes.
Sat the time of the collapse Of the
Central Empires. Poland, without a
government. devastated by the invad-
ing armies in the intense fighting of
the preceding four years. faced two
foes On the one side were the Ger
mans, determined to keep their grip
on as much of the country as they
could. On the other We're the boil
shevists who, aided by the Germans,
gradually were pushing their way
westward. Besides, from the south
east the Ukrainians were pushing
their way upward and the Czecho-
Slovaks were reaching out for the
mineral districts of Galicia.
At the time of the signing of the
ar1nistice the Germans held Warsaw,
Riga and the shores of the Baltic.
No sooner had they begun their re-
tirement than the bolsheviki loosely
organized forces, devoting themselves
largely to pillage, advanced, taking
vfino On all sides Poland was
hemmed in by antagonists. 1t was a
country, as the saying went at the
time, without frontiers but with
fronts
1.-THE task Of establishing a military
force to defend the country and main
tain order was taken up spontaneous
ly by the harassed people. Voluntar-
lily the fighting men of the country,
most of whom had been drafted in
the Russian, German or Austrian ar
mics, came to the newly hoisted Po-
fish colors. The secret military or
ganizatiOn built up by General Pilsud
ski served as nucleus. The mill
tary stores and equipment abandoned
by the retreating armies were seized
and cohesive force created
Call for Volunteers.
when, in November, 1918, Pill
sudski returned to Warsaw from
Germany, where he had been con-
fined, he was called on to act as
chief of state and Immediately af-
terward he issued a proclamation to
the people asking for volunteers for
the Polish army. The passionate
patriotism was so great, and Pill |
sudski's name so worshiped by the |
young generation, that in April, 1919, |
the Polish army numbered approx |
mately 100000 soldiers. Soldiers of |
Polish birth who at that time were |
in the Austrian, German and Rus |
nj
teer organization. It was imperative |
that this army be organized with the |
greatest speed because of the danger |
that confronted Poland
cup to February of 1920, when
parliament came into existence, this
army was one composed entirely of
volunteers. Parliament passed law
of compulsory service. and called to
the colors men between twenty and
twenty-five years, which marked the
of a regular Polish army.
Polish legions, the German, Austrian
and Russian armies contributed a
great number Of experienced officers,
and the formation of a military school
for officers was begun. The estab-
Iishment of an aviation school was in
and in this undertaking
great assistance was received from
American aviators. who formed the
squadron and also par
ticipated in the last battles of the
Ukranian front against the bolshe-
vikS.
Women and Boys in Fight
"In many, parts of Poland, how
ever, the people were compelled to
light their own battles. Not only
men but women and boys took up
arms under the leadership of patri-
tic Poles and repealed the invaders.
One notable case of this was the de-
'ense Of Lvov, where the women and
Ugh school boys fought yaliantly.
up to March, 1919, the fighting was
.arried on exclusively by volunteers
h that month the government having
,een hastily established In the mean
ime, the draft law was proclaimed