Evening star., 1939-12-31
Reds Political Generals Lead
Unframed Troops in Invasion
Then, Too Equipment Is of Poor Quality and Firms
Have Love of Freedom and Fine
Leadership to Spur Them on
Bv Constantine Brown.

The lines Of communication between
Finland and her western neighbor,
Sweden, are open. The Torneo Railway
is untouched. But had it been lost it
would not affected considerably the sup.
plying of the Finnish Army. 1t is one
track line incapable of transporting
arms and ammunition in large quanti-
ties. The principal artery of communi-
cation has remained unhampered. The
Russian Navy has not been able to send
any of its units into the Bothnian Gulf.
The narrow strait formed by, the Aaland
Islands has been mined by both the
Swedes and the Firms and no Russian
submarine has ventured to break
through those waters. What will happen
If the Bothnian Gulf freezes is difficult
to say. The Firms hope that the winter
will remain mild enough to keep COM
munication with Sweden by water open
for at least the next eight weeks.
The question is being asked as to why
the Russians, with a formidable army
and air force and with the reputation
of having one of the finest mechanical
armies in Europe, have failed to subdue
swiftly a little country with a small
army and practically no aviation.
General Staff Lamentable.
The answer of the best military OBJ
servers is that the description of the
Russian Army by a French general q
few years ago as colossus with clay
feet is correct. The Russian general staff
ie 10 ,orpfocsiono1 cN1HierQ
formed by Trotsky have been purged.
The general staff is full of political gen.
erals who may be good Communists, but
are certainly poor strategists.
The few who have come from the
Czarist army-young men during the last
war, but trained to be soldiers-are now
in command of remote districts. They
are not trusted. A recent suggestion
to Berlin that a German military mis-
sion be sent to Moscow to cooperate
with the Soviet generals has remained
unheeded. The reason officially given
was that Germany had her hands full
and could spare no high-ranking stan
officers. The real reason appears to be
that the German general staff does not
believe it can obtain from Moscow the
cooperation it desires-that is to say,
absolute execution of their orders.
The Russian troops which so far have
operated against the Firms are generally
of poor quality. They are mostly re-
serve men with no experience and sadly
unframed. They 60 into battle with
enthusiasm but cannot conquer Their
officers lose heart when the casualties
become too heavy. 1t is believed that
they are afraid of losing their heads
if they have to report heavy losses and
small gains. The equipment is modern,
but poor. Two fresh divisions brought
from the Moscow district recently are
making better showing, but the high
command is so poor that even these divi-
sions have not been able to make the
most of their qualities.
The famous Russian tanks were de-
scribed as being made of corrugated iron.
by a neutral military observer who saw
them after they were captured by the
Firms. This, of course, is an exaggera-
ton. The truth is that the quality of
the steel used in these tanks is inferior,
1t cannot resist even the moderate pene-
trating power of machine gun bullets.
While the report of hundreds of tanks
being destroyed or captured by the Firms
is exaggerated, it is true that entire tank
battalions have been put out of commits
sion by the Finnish artillery and ma
chine gunners. In many instances the
crews OF the tanks were killed by the
machine gun bullets and the tanks were
captured.
Aviation Inadequate.
Soviet aviation is equally inadequate.
The airmen are brave and daring-too
daring sometimes. But in many in
stances the bombers or the pursuit planes
show the same defects as the tanks. The
materials used in them are of inferior
quality and have not the necessary re-
sistance for fast flying. Russias metal
lurgical industry is still far behind that
of the capitalistic countries. But the
principal trouble with the Russians Is
the same as that which existed in the
days Of the Czars. The system Of supply
is totally inadequate. It could serve only
small bodies Of men In time Of war, at its
best. But when 1t comes to supplying
several hundred thousand men needing
large quantities Of ammunition and gums,
1T collapses under the strain. Not later
than the middle OF December the two
first-class divisions mentioned above
were not able to exploit temporary
success in the Ladoga region because
they could not get the necessary supplies
to forge ahead.
On the Finnish side there Is, of course,
the determination Of an entire popula-
ton which wants to keep its freedom.
There Is also the centuries-old hate of
the Firms against the Russians racial
hatred far deeper than anything existing
between the Germans and the French,
for instance.
The Firms are ably led by Baron Man.
nerhelm. It Is said with good deal Of
truth that If Maunerheim commanded
the Russians he would lead them to Ger.
tain victory. The aged field marshal
knows the Russians intimately, because
he commanded them for many yearS.