New-York tribune., 1922-12-03
Red Army Still
Lacks Training
Needed for War
Forces Not Equal to Newly
Organized Bands in Bat.
lie Efficiency, Is Report
Made by French Observer
800, 900 Now in Ranks
Trotzky's Effort 10 Give
Military Appearance %
Troops Called Successful

PARIS, Dee. 2(-ff Russia intr1S.
Itself into the Near East problem, h
defiance Of the powers, vhat viii 4.
the result7 This possibility Invest,
with peculiar interest the actual MIN
tary strength Of the Soviet 9ov.,,.
ment Of which an authoritative A..
count 10 given By ". Henry Rollin. a.
correspondent Of "Le Tempo Al Va.
COW. He interviewed many Red al
GERS; he had the rare priyilege--fo,
non Russian-of witnessing rvl...
and military festivals, Of vI,l,,..
trimming camps and seeing sham n,
ties which we're 80 realistic tha, -
flame throwers were used. In. =.
impression produced upon him -,
neither that Of a remarkably t,l,.I
army nor that Of newly ore.sI,.,
bands In reality, the Russian a..
seems to follow Che general eyolu,l..
Of the country.
According TO the best inforna,,o, A.
could obtain, the army a year AZ, ~,
very different In Appearance frov a.
army Of to-day. An old plaeard ,sa
can be seen on The walls Of the Krr
Tin seemed to eharsttriss "a. MN
tary spirit Of year sgs. Il dIr.e..a
the privates not TO let thsnssl,., \.
beaten By civilians and contained a
number Of recommendation shov,nr
how meagor was the military traInisr
Of the soldiers. ri! sgsSss,
Soldiers Attain sPolss
To-day the army has Been reduced
to 100000 or $4,000 men, bit n. q.
forts made By Ttotsky 70 give q,
troops a military appearances have ben
crowned with remarkable success. n,
soldier in general has good beara.
is we'll equipped and seems well NJ.
The rooms In the barracks ere clas,
the knapsaeks are well made up. AL
the units are all but faultless Whm
maneuvering In closed ranks w
handling arms. The diselpllne, "a
French eyes, may ssen even too pn.
else and often even too brutal Al
ofieer does not speak 10 one Of "
superiors without 'punetusting sxA
phrass with q militsry salute and &
clicking Of the heels often the h.
ferior remains hxsd at Ettentson, hi
hand on the shade Of his cap, hsssniig
without moving muscle 70 the vsfti
Of his superior. which arc uttered b
a tone of arrogant authority.
OF course, badges Of grades Al
titles have been re-established, as val
as the decorations, military hosau
and even the eolor-guArd. which 10 a.
hibited like an ikOn and which a
salute IN passing. Nothing seemed .
edifying as this resurrection Of . vf
ship which Trotzky himself once msH
have greatly dsspIsed. Besides, IL
red Of these fAgs has In time gror
much faded and IN some cases has tsst
lost amid gold embrOIdsries, 30 saii
the emblem Of the time Of the bleotI
revolts has almost vanished.
To be sure, II is still called the sis
Of the world revolution, but the mes
fervent communists admit that the ~
continued in the name OF the rev'l''
tionary ideal has been only nation'
war In the eyes Of the peasant, clad u
the uniform of the Red solder. Thof1-
ky has admitted that II was the IA
tional character Of the struggle 'n''
rallied 70 the Soviet government esf
tain elements Of the intellectual s1e
bourgeois classes.
Plans for Recruiting Amy
The Russian leaders know sQV'l0
we'll that TO be able 10 wage . new W
q national interest would have 70
at stake; without II a debaele mig
result. And Il 10 ultimately this ~
tional interest which the gold emor0F
cred emblem symbolizes. Il Is ans's
the peasants that soldiers are reeru'N
and so long as the interests OF 'h"
who retain the land are not msni~
Il will not be possible TO raise an
in Russia for the worldwide prpg'P
tion Of Karl MARKS ideas
Under the relatively brilliant
terror which the Russian army -
sents to-day may be detected ~
sufiicieney Of the preparation :"
serious struggle and the dsar'h !" ~
material means which modsrn a''H'
must have to-day at their clsp0r
Even II II were provided VIA
equipment which the condition oi
Soviet finances does not permit
procure, the Russian army would ssp.
from the actual insufaeisney OF ,"
technical preparation ~,
For, although Trot1ky mas an
himself 70 forging the tool Of vH =
developing the training Of saea
ye. there is apparent in the e''.
staff the dIsOrraniIAtiOn shien
revolution caused In the army
than anywhere else. For 'ns T,..,Ey
mands and the general SIAN 49, - I'm
draws on former Ofs." 'f ..,,s ~
p.rial army. H. uVps'l' 70 en- .n',,' = n.
lntsllsstuals who can BE- 'h'
military science. .... AZ
But they sli met with 'sn'u' 'ssn
eul.Iss In giving 70 the rank sna
the discipline for msnsuvsr' 0'as ~
than IN close ranks. Despite the ~