Evening star., 1939-07-30
Poles, Sure of War, Are Ready
With Old Scores to Settle, They Have an
Army to Help Do 1t Thot Isn't Weak

ers-an infantryman can quite cas-
lily march IS miles daily-which en-
ables the command to devote all its
attention to strictly military training.
Under first mobilization orders
Poland can easily put 100000 men
in the field: an army in excellent
physical condition well trained and
imbued with a fatalistic patriotism.
an army behind which stand approx
imately 5000 900 trained reservists.
The Polish Army is organized
along lines similar to those Of all
Europe. except that it is the only
one which has retained a large
cavalry. Called cavalry of the
line" it consists of 36 regiments
(about $4,000 mem; 27 regiments of
lancers, 3 of light cavalry and of
mounted chasseurs, all permanently
on a war footing.
Used as Shock Weapon.
The theory of the command Is
that with the development of the
air force the cavalry has been re-
lieved of the exhausting duty of
reconnaissance, and can be used as
shock weapon which may prove
decisive in modern warfare. Little
faith is held for motorized army
because Poland has so few roads.
The country abounds in marshes,
mountains, forests and loose sandy
soil. Accordingly, the cavalry is
rCar1l1nd In hinh1u yS,@hiln
pendant units capable of making
desperate and effective raids. Cen
orally, each brigade is equipped
with heavy machine guns, anti-tank
and anti-aircraft guns. Only the
front rank of each troop carries
lances; the others are armed with
carbines, swords and bayonets, car
ried below the saddle, and with
light machine guns, four to each
squadron.
In the company of several foreign
military observers we spent a week
inspecting various branches of the
army. At Pinsk, headquarters of
the famous 7th Lancer Lupelski
Regiment, we were audience to a
marvellous show of daring, but none
theless efficient. horsemanship by
men who had little more than six
months training. Again at the air.
field outside Warsaw we saw an
other thrilling exhibition when a
group Of 80 pursuit planes per-
formed acrobatics overhead.
Air Force Is Good.
Judging from what we saw, the
effectiveness of the Polish air force
cannot be underestimated. It is
difficult to discover just how large it
is, but it usually is conceded that
Poland now has close to 1000 fight
ing planes and bombers. These
planes, entirely Polish in design and
manufacture, are fast, well equipped
and, according to foreign experts,
among the most deadly in Europe.
While there is some question as
to the quantity of Polish equip
ment, there seems little doubt as to
its excellent quality. We were much
impressed by the armament of the
cavalry, the performance of the
aircraft, the tanks and the ar
mored cars, but chiefly by the equip
ment of the Engineering Corps.
: Most impressive of all, however,
is the spirit of friendly co-opera-
ton between officers and men. There
is quiet, self-reliant air of ef-
ficiency about the Polish man of
arms, relief after the grim, me-
chanical drive of the German SOL
dier.
We talked with many officers and
men about this, but one young cor
poral summed 1t up best.
Army life here Is good" he said
1--WE always know that we're going
to get our three meals a day and
that the food will be good. The work
is not hard and usually interest,"
ing. Our officers are kind and the
men seldom mind taking their Or
ders.
Then, too, they help us non
CONS, if we show any brains or
leadership. They tell us that each
is a commander and that in war
or an emergency we must be pre-
pared to make decisions; that we
may be In positions to order an at
tack or retreat. OF course, If we
make a mistake, that would be the
end. But we're taught not to make
mistakes"