Evening star., 1952-01-02
Underground Finds
True Story Of Life
In Russian Army

In Russian Army
BERLIN, Jan. 2 tNANA-Kem-
news) From behind the Iron
{ Curtain comes one of the first au-
thentic accounts Of life with the
Red army.
It is authentic, because the peo-
pie who tell it are Russians who
have been working underground
for the West since they were
smuggled into the Soviet sector of
Berlin two years ago.
Now, 34-year- Mrs. ALA
Bovschitz and her husband, their
job done as members of an anti
Communist underground organi-
cation called IN. T. S." have been
Smuggled out again-back into
! Western Germany, and back to the
headquarters of IN. T. S." with
. their story.
! Mrs. Bovschitz and her hus-
! band left Paris on their secret
) mission two years ago. She got a
job as ration clerk in the Red
! army officers mess, while her
; husband managed to get work
there as a manager.
Gradually, in their daily work,
the two began to build up a store
{. Of information. Much informa-
/: ton Is being classified by officials
In Western Germany, and put into
files marked top secret"
Forced to Buy Bond.
: Mrs. Bovschitz's job was to
work out the number Of calories
I: for the different categories of
meals. In Russia, they discov-
cred, every one in the service gets
different notwithstanding to
their Job, and the demands that
may be made upon their stamina
II anything should "break out"
F: The Red Air Force gets more
! food than the infantry. Officers
/ get more to eat than men.
: Again, Red Army soldier has
/. to pay $3.50 for a quarter pound
: bar Of chocolate. The same bar
! costs a Red Army general only Is
cents. This, despite the fact that
generals pay is 200 times more
than that of a private soldier, and
/. despite the fact that every soldier,
as well as every officer, must in
vest two months pay a year In
: government bonds. Among the
! troops this is known as paying
:. for the next war"
: And what of the working
: hours" in the Red Army under
! peacetime conditions? The an
; sWer is that working hours fol
: Office STATS are from 8 am. till
: IL pm. For the troops stationed
in Germany, the hours are even
/: longer, and any requests for time
soff are merely met with the an
: Swer: why do you want time
soff? You are in an enemy country
where there is nothing for you to
:do in your free time. You are
safer working"
When 1t is possible to snatch 8
few moments in the shops to buy
presents for the people at home
the private soldier finds that ht
has to do his shopping in stores
separate" from the shops reserved
for officers. Not that he could af-
ford Officer" prices-especially
with nylons selling at $14 a pair.
Even If he should go shopping
however. the Russian soldier finds
that the security regulations fol-
low him. They also follow the off,
GERS, for no Russian Of any rank
shere is allowed to travel by SUBJ
way in case he "overshoots" a few
Stations. and escapes into the Brit
ish or American sectors.
Russian officers families are al
lowed a maid. If they have children
but the maid must be q Russian
girl, and she must be officially
dressed in the uniform Of a Red
Army auxiliary" Girls Of 16 to 1s
are brought from Russia to do the
heavy work Of charwomen in head
quarters.
Delicacies From West Germany.
No doubt to help out their wives
with housekeeping, Russian Off
GERS In Berlin often send mem
:bers Of their staff into West Ber-
lin to buy food. Gen. VASTLY I.
Chuikov, for example-the Rus
sian commander for Eastern Ger
many-likes oranges. He cannot
get them in the eastern half of
Germany. so he regularly sends
messengers to buy them from Ger
man shops in Berlin's British sec
tor.
Today, back in the western zone,
Mrs. Bovschitz and her husband
sum up opinion on the other side
of the Iron Curtain. They are
sure that all Russians believe there
will be a war-started, Of course
by Britain and America.
The general opinion Of Russian
officers in Germany appears to be
that when the war starts" the
Red army will abandon Germany
and retire behind a defense line
drawn through Poland.
"a