Evening star., 1932-03-06

in other countries and it Is impossible
to believe that either their leadership
their morale or their training can be OF
as high an order as they were previous
ly credited with
The present strength of the Red Army
in the Far East is fairly well known
though the Soviet government is not
lavish in making public military infor-
nation. The whole of Siberia is COM
priSed in the Siberian Military Area,
with headquarters far off in the center
of the continent at Novo-Sibirsk. This
vast area is divided into two 'inspec-
ton districts Eastern and Western
! The headquarters of the Eastern Dis
trict, for some years at Chita, is said
now to have been shifted to Khaba-
rovsk, the administrative capital of the
Far EeaStern region; the commanding
general is said to be Gen. Vassili
Bluecher-Galen, a competent officer with
much Asiatic experience
A writer in the journal of the ROYAL
United Service Institution Gondon)
who has made study of information
obtained from Soviet military periodi-
Gals, places the strength of their Sibe-
rian forces at eight divisions and four
cavalry divisions of which six divisions
and two cavalr. divisions belong to the
Western District (Western and Central
Siberia) and two divisions with two
cavalry divisions belong to the Far East
ern area. In addition, there appear to
| be four divisions and two cavalry di-
visions in Turkestan, some of which
since the completion of the new Turk
Slb" Ra1lWay-could be dispatched to a
Siberian theater Of operations well in
advance of troops from Europe.
News dispatches, however, have it
that there are now 100000 Russian
troops in the Maritime Province alone.
ana go on to say that two army corps"
OF theSe, totallng 10000 men, are in
tne region between Vladivostok and the
adjacent frontiers of Manchuria and
Korea.
Inc two army corps" are probably
the Two divisions normally stationed in
the Far East, which would, if rein
forced by such reservistS as might be
locally available, amount to about the
figure stated. CA Soviet division has
only nine battalions of infantry and an
artillery regimenD. AS for the concen-
tration of 100000 troops in the Mari
time Province, largely from European
Russia" this is doubtful.
The troops movement is said to have
begun in December, if 10000 troops
with their artillery, supplies and trans
port nave been shifted from European
RUSSIA 10 khabarovSk or beyond in
that length of time, it would represent
about the uttermost limit of the Amur
lines capacity. Say three more divi-
sions, at something approaching war
establishment, to which must be added
the two cavalry divisions above mem
toned, probably one in the Amur re-
g1on and one in the Maritime Province
they viii amount to about 1000 effec-
tives each.
Fail in Colonizing Plan.
In 1925 the Soviet began a "fve-year
colonization plan" which was to pro-
vide 100000 colonistS for the Far
East by 1880. This plan has not been
realized in full, but it is said that more
than 500 new farm communes. inhab-
tied in whole or in part by soldiers of
the Red Army, who have completed
their terms of service have been estab-
llshed in the Far Eastern area during
the last year. If this is true there will
be a considerable body of reserv:sts
available.
We may, then, assume with some
confidence that the Russian force now
available for operations in the region
KhabarovskV Vladivostok does not eX-
ceed $4,000 men, plus mounted troops.
IL may be less, it can hardly be more.
-Four of the Amur River gunboats
still exist, but as the Amur will not be
Tree OF ice until April or later, they are
not an immediate factor in the prob-
lem. The Russians have no naval
force at Vladivostok, beyond an old
destroyer or two and the "icebreakers''
necessary to keep the harbor open in
Winter.
AS for the Notifications of Vladivos-
tok, these are said to be undergoing
much improvement and re-arming
Vladivostok, with its semi-circle of hills
inclosing the city like a great amphi
theater on the shores of Amur Bay, is
naturally a very strong military posi-
ton
There remains to be considered the
garrison of the western district of ST.
IBERIA; some 10000 effectiveS. The divi-
slonS moved to the Far East have prob
ably not been drawn from this garri-
son; or If they have. they have doubt
less been replaced by European divi-
sions. Moreover, this garrison, with
its principal strength in the trans
Baikal region, is in touch with the
double track section of the trans-Si-
berian and can be reinforced from Eu-
rope at the rate of approximately 50,-
600 men a month, plus, say, 10000
from Turkestan available within Is to
20 days.
Additional divisions from Europe may.
indeed. be already present in trans
Baikalia.
Moscow's Tone More Severe.
1t may well be that Moscow has de-
pidaI n h1icI, Iat ralofiun caPrIritty "
in the Far East to which we referred
above. The tone of Moscow's utter
ances has certainly increased in firm
ness, not with the Importance OF each
succeeding incident in Japan'S military
progress, but with the passage of time
which seems to indicate that Moscow
was speaking very softly until the mari
time province was reinforced.
Almost complete silence when the
japanese occupied Tsitsihar, well within
the Russian zone" of North Man
churia; nothing more than surly grum-
bles when Harbin was entered; but
now that permission is requested To
move japanese troops along the Chl-
nese-E Eastern eastward from Harbln, We
have sharp inquiries, categorical de-
mands for explanations, and the like
If the estimates of troop movements
>
probable that Moscow now considers
Vladivostok to be relatively secure
The value of Vladivostok to Japan Is
not only commercial. The possession
of that port, the outlet of the Chinese
Eastern Railway, would certainly cement
Japan's grip on Manchuria and make
her the dominant power in Eastern
Siberia. But it must also never be Tor
gotten that in Japan'S imperial strategy
the one water area whose complete pos
session and control is absolutely vital
to her is the Sea of Japan She
already commands all the outlets to
that sea and Vladiyostok is the one
port of military Importance on its shores
which is not in japanese possession.
The position of Vladivostok, intrinsi-
cally, is a strong one. From strategic
point of view, however, the city Is too
| close to the Korean frontier for COM
fort-less than 100 miles. And the
japanese have built railway from