Evening star., 1939-12-02
Onslaught on Finland
May Reveal Soviet's
Military Potency
QuoIity Of Equipment
And Officers Are Now
Unanswered Questions

BY the Associated Press.
The Soviet onslaught on little
Finland promises at least partial
answer to question American mill
tary men have debated for years
how powerful is modern Russia as
q war force?
In the number OF soldiers under
arms and trained reserves, the Red
Army is more than twice as large as
any other.
Experts say professional advices
indicate their guns, shells, planes,
tanks and supplies are adequate, but
mostly second class, by American
and top European standards.
The morale of rank and file is ac-
cepted by these analysts as good,
regardless Of the suspicious of dis
loyalty that prompted Josef Stain
to purge" veteran commanders
Soviet military tactics are mostly
modern, and, in such instances as
the employment Of masses of para
chute troops to threaten a foes
flank, represent spectacular ad-
vances.
Where the Soviet Army may be
weak, the experts suspect, is in the
Bolshevist system of placing COM
missars in every sizable military unit,
and in the comparative dearth Of
experienced high-ranking leaders
since last years purge by the firing
squad.
Commissars a Question.
Officers trained in loyalty to a
single authority believe the COM
missars, who are independent of the
military, may disrupt discipline in
crisis
In the purge so many general were
shot that professional writers in
military publications of Germany,
France, Great Britain and other
European neutral nations counted
out the Red Army as an interna-
tional factor for months to come.
By some estimates, 40 per cent Of
the officers with troops disappeared.
Colonels were promoted to COM
mand of divisions, and even lieu
tenants commanded regiments.
The reports on the Russo-Jap-
anese fighting this year on the
Outer Mongolian border were too
general and conflicting to gauge the
actual effects. The bloodless occu-
patton of Eastern Poland was in.
conclusive. A long, determined re-
slstance by little Finland's outnum-
bered forces is looked to for better
light on the suspicious.
Really Three Armies.
The Red Army is really three
armies. Only the western force
was hurled against the Finnish FROM
tier. The others are massed in the
south and IN the distant Far East.
Altogether, the Soviet land forces
consisted not long ago Of 100000
men. supported by 16,5OO,0Oo trained
reserves, according to the United
States Armvs official command and
general staff school quarterly Those
called to the colors in recent months
have swell the number under arms
beyond 100000, it is believed. BY
comparison, China was credited with
100000 trained men and Italy
with 0,000-just above France,
with Germany somewhat lower in
| the list.
Neutral military professionals say
the Soviets have 5000 to 5000 tanks
in service, large proportion being
light vehicles of type discarded by
the United States Army. Soviet
publications claim twice as many.
Navy Below Germany's.
Vigorous efforts have been made
to put the fighters on wheels to rival
Germanys "panzer" divisions, and
there are three entire corps of tanks
and trucks, apart from % infantry
bridgades and 13 independent tank
battalions.
Poor highways limit the useful
ness of motor trucks. but in 1887
maneuvers all supplies were thus
moved. New factories have been
started at scattered points in recent
years, but at the end of the five
year plan the number of trucks in
all Russia was estimated at only
$50, 900, of poor quality, by American
standards.
Carefully-weighed official reports
credit the Soviets with nearly 5000
military planes of all types. They
are Russian-made. but largely from
American and European models.
Many are powered with American
engines.
Divided into four distant areas,
the Russian Navy is rated low as a
sea force, far below Germany in the
Baltic.