Evening star., 1922-05-28
Strength of the Soviet Army.

LONDON.-According to the Paris
correspondent OF the Times. the yers
latest available information regard
red arm provide as follows:
Military service, with two or three
years in barracks, is compulsory.
There are three classes Qs99-1e01D
row serving. All young men from
the age of seventeen receive mill
being called up. This instruction is
given in the communes twice weekly.
1t was originally intended TO be COM
plete in ninety-six hours, but this
period has been extended.
There are at present under the colors
from 100000 to ], 100000 men. Rus
sia IS divided into thirteen districts
each under an army commander.
There is in addition the army of the
Caucasus, which is in occupation OF
the independent Transcaucasian re-
putlics.
On January i. 1922. the red army
consisted of thirty-four infantry di-
visions (some of them on a peace
footing). twenty-five autonomous in
fantry brigades and eighteen di-
visions OF cavalry. bolshevist
division on a war footing consists
ing of $4,000 to 2l,0oe. A cavalry
division contains $500 men and $500
horses An infantry division in time
of war consists of three brigades,
each consisting of three regiments of
three battaiions of three companies,
a regiment Of cavalry of four squad
| rons, nine field batteries of four guns
each, three batteries of howitzers.
three batteries Of heavy artillery. a
battalion of engineers, a liaison bat
| talon and the usual appurtenances.
Part of the staff belong to the i'm
perfal army. There are in the red
army ESQ generals who fought in the
| war with this rank; $50 of them were
! Twenty per cent of the officers were
| in the old army; of the remainder.
| appointed by the soviets. 60 per cent
are peasants and 20 per cent work
| men. Discipline is extremely severe.
| There are in Russia 1SS prepara-
tory schools for officers. one finish
ing course for each division. twelve
| higher army schools. seven academies
| for staff and special technical in
studies for generals. ast year more
than $4,000 students passed through
| the various courses. The total army
which could be mobilized is estimated
| to number 6.000.000 men.
| Besides this active army, there are
/ territorial and communist formations
! which will bring the regular army
! up to strength and furnish units of
| their own. This territorial army is
based on compulsory military in
| struction for all citizens before and
j after their period in the regular
| army and the formation of units in
each locality. A village supplies a
section, a canton a company, a dis
| trfct a battalion. As for the COM
| munists, after their time in the regu-
| lar army has expired they are form
ed into special units to be used
\ either as pretorian troops or as part
| of the territorials in event of mob
I, ilization.
The weak part of the red army is
| fits lack of material. 1t has not
enough rifles or field guns to arm
| 100000 men. Supplies and clothing
are more or less non-existent. and
| the condition Of the transport would
prevent serious warlike operations.
America and Genoa.
PARIS. - Writing in LIE Cable
gramme. Hyacinthe Philouze. its po-
litical editor. says:
while questions of petroleum are
agitating our statesmen. the United
States Is approaching little by little
and coming every day nearer the lists
where the appetites OF the big and
little ones stand opposed to each
other. After having left the Euro