Arizona sun., 1948-10-01
"Life's" Report On
Russia's Strength

JuSI IlOW SIcdL IS LIlG OOVl6C OI-
ions industrial and war potential? ?
That is the $64 question which has
been bruited about furiously dur
ing the past year or two. It is, of
course, impossible to answer it
completely or with unquestioned
accuracy-the Russian security sys-
tenn has its leaks, but it is fairly
efficient. A good deal of partinent
information has become available
for those who know how to add it
up.
Life magazine recently devoted
10 pages to "a Report on Russia s
Strength" It appears to be about
the most complete survey of the
subject yet made available for pub
lie consumption. And it gives an
interesting insight into the re-
sources of the East as compared
with those of the West.
First of all, Russia now has the
worlds largest standing army,
numbering about 100000 officers
and men. It has a huge air force,
with $4,000 planes in commission.
1t is rapidly building a submarine
fleet of highly advanced design.
And, so far as anyone can see, it's
industrial expansion is keeping up
with th amitious objectives laid
down in the current Five Year
Plan.
AS Life says, "These military and
JTindustrial prospectives sound i'm
pressive, but they are subject to
tremendous qualification, particu-
larly in the relation of quantity to
quality First of all, the Russian
army is pretty largely on a garri-
son basis, and is not prepared for
an immediate major offensive.
More important, in the long pull,
is the apparent fact that most of
the $4,000 combat aircraft are left
over from the war, and are obSo-
lete by modern standards. An ex-
ception to this is a jet fighter
which, it is believed, is comparable
to the best American and British
models of the type: It does not
seem likely that the Russians have
a really first-class big bomber.
Their newest model is version of
our B-29, which they have develop
ed as transport as we'll as COM
bat arm. lin this connection, it is
an interesting fact that the Rus
slams "expropriated" one of our
B-29S which. was forced down in
Soviet territory during the war.
The crew was treated with all con-
sideration, but the plane simply
disappeared.
Russ has practically no surface
fleet. Like Germany, she is concen-
trating her major effort on the
submarine. Life says that she has
about $50 of these underseaS craft
in operation now, of which about
100 are snorkel-equipped. The snor-
kel is a device for permitting the
sub and it's crew to breath under
water, and allows diesel-powered
craft to run below the sea for as
much as $50 O0melis. It was de-
veloped by the Germans, and Rus
sia got number of the All U-boatS
when the last war ended.
Going on, Soviet production, by
her Standards is doing well. How
ever, she is far behind the United
States. AS an example, sre will pro-
duce less than one-quarter as much
steel this year as we will. She hopes
to produce 250,OO00OO tons of coal
in 1950-and we passed that level
As years ago. She is giving every
thing to upping her output, which
is one reason why the standard of
living of the Soviet citizen is even
lower than in prewar days.
Finally, Life describes Russia's
incredibly complex plan for NOV
ing much of her heavy industry be-
hind the Urals, to Siberia, where it
would be as remote from attack as
possible. The move began in 1880,
and it has been greatly accelerated
since the end of the war. To that
end, she is developing every re-
sourc as swiftly as she possibly
can.
All in all, Russia is a major mill
tary power. She is becoming a ma
jor industrial power, though She
has a long way to go before She
can be compared to this country.
AS Life puts it, For a peaceful ma
ton this great internal expansion
could make Siberia a rich treeas-
ure house of progress. For nation
q bent on war, it could produce an
industrial fortress capable of sup
plying vast military forces and sub
ject only to difficult, long-range
attack" Which choice the Russians
will make is the principal problem
the world faces.