1917-07-20 — Page 7

THE RUSSIAN ARMY.

PAST AND PRESENT.

THY THE DAILY TELEGRAPH'S MILITARY

CORRESPONDENT.] -

A reliable system of military infor tastion is indispensable to a modern

State, whether in peace or war. With thor world-wide interests and connectione, inch on urgan was at the disposal of the British Government if it had chosen to make use of the zeal, intelligence, and ability of our commercial travellers, Bournalists, and military officers who fearnt foreign languages and explore Horeign countries at their own expense There is no possibly excuse for the ignor Nance which has reigned in our official circles concerning the state of Russia and Sits capucity for a prolonged war. Evet it no special exertions had been made to collect up-to-date information; the ex- „periences” of her last two wars gave a fair measure of her military power The blindness of the British authorities

THE "HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, FRIDAY, JULY 30TH, 2017.

**DUTY AND DISCIPLINE." RUSSIAN WAR MINISTER'S ARMY

ORDER.

In the course of a striking Order of the Day, issued at the end of May, M. Kerensky, Minister of War, said

THE FOREIGN LEGION. DARING AND IDEALISM

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

[BY THE TIMES

I found myself yesterday (May 2nd) in the village which, for the moment, is united by discipline and duty by not I had a long talk with some of the "You will advanco in serried ranks, the headquarters of the Foreign Legion, unbounded love for the Revolution and the country. Let the Army and the Fleet, officers and nien who took part in the furi- which are the freest in the world, prove ous fighting which resulted, after a six that liberty is the pledge of strength and days' struggle, in the capture of the Mont not of weakness. Let them forge a new discipline of iron, that of duty, and Sans Nom and the rest of the front, from, increase the combative power of the three to four miles long, between the country. Remember that whoever looks Moronvilliers musif and behind, stop or draws back will lose everything. Do not forget that if you From what they said and also from a do nul defend the honour, liberty, and dignity of the country your names will

detailed explanation of the battle given be cursed. The will of the people must

to me by the General who commanded the rid the country and the world of violators

division of which they formed the right and usurpers. Such is the high deed to wing, I was able to realize to some extent which I call you.

the extraordinary difficulties which he ficent bereisin of the Legion and the other and they had had to face and the magni troops on their left.

Order of the Day announcing the coming The Minister of War also issued un into force of the rights of the soldier us drawn up in conformity with paragraph 11 of the Provisional Government's De claration of March 20th. The Order of the Day consists of 18 paragraphs, the

Auberive

ON THE SHORE OF THE MR. LONG ON EMPIRE IDEALS CUTLER PALMER & CO'S

WESTERN EGYPTIAN DESERT

BY CO. MARSHAM.}

A short description of the Constal belt therein may be of interest to the outside of the Western Desert and of our doings

country unique in many ways; and, 2nd, world for two reasons-ist; that it is a

modern Europeans till last year, when the miscarica, were foolish enough to make that it has very seldom heen visited by

us their enemice. Benussi, at the instigation of German

PRESENTATION OF THE 99TH AND 100TH AEROPLANES FROM THE OVERSEAS OLUB.

Mr. Walter Long, Socretary of State for the Colonie, spoke on Empire Day at the seventh annual meeting of the

given by members of the Clubs to the Overseas Club and presented to Sir

Royal Flying Corps. David Hendorion a choque for the pur-. chase of the 19th and 100th aeroplanes

to civil life.

desert is, I think, an endless waste of sand called attention to the duty of the Home The idea which most people have of a Lord Northcliffe, president of the Club, with bere and there an oasis of panand Dominion Governments to prepare, tantalizing the thirsty traveller or soldiers and sailors when they return. reds and a suirage of 0 water ever

without delay, plans for the welfare of the desert East of Sue. This part of the would this be a vory bad description of Western Desert is, howevor, of a totally different character. Imagine vast spaces covered for the most part with shrubby of hard strong ground ng tat as the stu, plants growing 20 or Ju-yards apart ami desert sans appeared to be ubiquitous mierspersed with innumerable white flowered asphodels. These plants and the

the latter is about an inch in diameter, advance of the left wing of the division thick or the ground that it looked as if was so rapid that by the 18th, when there had been a heavy hailstorm. The The attack began on April 17th and the round and white, and I have scen it so

massif, they had at this point taken a block of ground about three miles square, including the Mont Sang Nom. Imac diately to the right and especially just wist of Auberive, where the Legion was gress slowve; and on that day and the attacking, the work was harder and pro- next four, under a bombardment that it was only little by little, almost foot never stopped for a moment, night or day, by foot, that they fought their way for ward, adding a new stretch of ground to the reoccupied territory in each 24 hours in the teeth of most desperate resistance by the Saxon troops in front of them..

view, were extraordinarily unfavourable most important of which permit soldiers, climbed up to their new positions on the Beduins eat it, and no doubt it has saved

tho

civil, military, and diplomatic-almost has been inexplicable and very culpable, Russis, like other nations, has improved her army after each grost war. The Manchurian struggle, fought indor e cumstances, which from several points of for the European Power, could never have been waged by the Russian army or

no matter in what connection, liberty of State of 1877. The war was extremely authorization to

conscience und of political opinion, and unpopuler in Russin, and synchronised

wear civilian clothes with the outbreak of the formidable revelu when riot on duty. tionary movement of 1903 in its critical

The 12th paragrapli aholisbes singe.

Domestic troubles rather than obligatory military salute, leaving it military shortcomings accounted for the optional, great Japancas triumph. In spite of Paragraph 14 stipulates that no soldier mus faults of leadership and organisa- can be punished without trial, but adds tion, the Russian troops fought at Lino- that, during war operations, commanders yang and Mukden with extraordinary have the right to take all repressive courage and obstinacy, and, in spite of measures and even to employ armed force all failures, the mighty problems of trans-against subordinates who are not execut- port and supply, "apon" which the existing their orders ence of a great army commented with ita base by a single railway several thousand miles in length, were solved much more successfully than anyone anticipated. After the war the revolutionary movement THE INDICTMENT AGAINST GEN. became dangerous to the autocracy, but was severely repressed. Then various military reforms were inaugurated. If the ablest War Minister of all time had been entrusted with the execution of these reforms in contemporary Rusai he could not have brought his country into the same class with France and Germany as & military Power. We shall see, how ever, how much was actually accomplish

ed.

FROM 1005 To 1014.

|

RUSSIA'S EARLY TRIALS.

SUKHOMLINOFF.

The indictment

against General Sukhomlinoff, who was Minister of War in 1014, states that the lack of muni tions was felt on the Russian front from the very beginning of the war. Despite reiterated demands, General Suktom linoft did nothing.

HAND-TO-HAND STRUGGLES. If you look at a map marked to show six days you see a big blook on the left the extent of the advance on each of the as the fruits of the Brst day's fighting and on the right a network of irregular little patches the big block being to cach littic senting the daily progress during the rest patch us Yorkshire is to Rutland-repro of the week. patches was the sceno of violent métées

Each one of those little always, remember, under the eternal rain of shells, sometimes at the rate of 3,000 an hour, on a position not much bigger than Trafalgar quare, in which men of the Legion fouht with grenades and rifles at distances of 20 or 30 yards and then closed in on the chemy, till they were struggling hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot driven huck and forced to give way by with rifle butts and bayonets. Again and the machine gun re cablading the posi again at one point or another they were

ions they had reached, and again and forced the Germans, or all that were left again they advanced till they had finally of them, to retreat

many mon's lives, but I do not recommend it except for the starving. The ordinary Whitstable oyster is good enough for me.

The flatness of the ground above men tioned has the effect of shortening the dificult to uso n hello for long distance range of vision, and we often found it owing to the mirror being brought below The bird file is extremely intere the horizon by the convexity of the earth especially in spring and autumn, when large numbers of migrants arrive on the coast. The commonest birds are the water wagtail and the crested lark. Thory was a dapper little black and white bird at Sollum called, I believe, the Western mourning, chas; and the cream-coloured courser,. a very local bird, was fairly lesser bustards when driving in a car from common at Matruh. I saw a pair of Soilum to Matruh, and there were ravens, crows, and severn of the hawk tribe. Largo numbers of quail arrive in spring spread small nots, such as are used for and autumn. To catch them the Araba

frice the birds before them. They run ferreting rabbits, over the bushes and then into the bushes to hide and are caught in the nets. They are then taken out alive and bought by the ubiquitous Greek trader, who puts them into crates and sends them to Alexandria, whence in due course they find their way to the Ritz or the Saveyor, at least, they did so before war put an end to the transport of luxuries.

in

Shortly afterwards the Army began to feel the pressing need of rifics, and the reinforcements sent to the front had In spite of the confusion and dislock only one rifle between two men, and later tion which followed the pence with still less. At last whole detachments were Japan, both by reason of the return and incorporation of the great Manchurian armed. Towards the middle of October sent to the theatre of war completely un- De Western army, and also beenuse 1014, there were 870,000 men without of the political disorders of the day, rifles. As the result of the negligence of yet important military reformas word

General Sukhomlinoff, the Army was also inaugurated without undue delay. The terribly short of machine-guns, to the two great weaknesses of Russia in fac extent, in August, 1915, of 92.000; while of Germany were the inferior charaéte in January, 1915, more than 100,000,000 of her officer corps, socially, educational cartridges were lacking Vary soon there ly, and technically, and the poverty of was an absolute dearth of munitions on her railway statom, which hampered all the Galician front, where some detach movements of troops whether for concen- ments abandoned their positions because tration or defence. An officer corps is they had nothing to fire, the growth of time, and newula correspond. ing classes in the nation to provide its personnel. The aristocracies and bour geois classes of Western Europe, fortified by the traditions of feudal times and in herited ideas of military honour, contri- is young inen competent to offer troups. But Russia has very limited numbers of such families in proportion

Rut they had another reason for fight 11 letter to the French Ambasing with particular grimness. to her vast population and to the vast ntunbers of soldiers she disposed of for to assuage the anxiety felt in France by thoughtful, serious, sad-looking Swiss sador General Bukhomlinoff endeavoured told me by an officer of the Corps, a It was training and leadership. To find com declaring that the Allies need have no who joined the Legion as a private on

tent officers, even for the Staff and uneasiness about the equipment in ques

the outbreak of war and has lost man Higher Commands, not rockon the vast fion. sumbers required to lend the troops of

after man, and officer after officer among Before the commision of inquiry his friends, swept away by the hand of death. There was one thing they did the newspapers, but never before seen with his own eyes.

jackals not rare; it is rather a puzzle to know what they live on, but I imagine Foxes are common in the desert, and

that their chief food is the jerboa, which here, and we occasionally saw gazelle. is very plentiful. There is also a small Many fossil shells can be picked up On the whole front of less than five the desert, proving that all this great area miles the attacking force, which besides was once under the sea. It was interest- the Legion, was composed of two regiing, too, to come across traces of earlier took 1,100 prisoners, 20 guns, 88 in numerous, among others a ments all of whom fought magnificently, visitors. Roman remains are fairly villa at exchanged between the French Ambas very heavy losses on the eight regiments remains. Cleopatra is said to have lived The indiorment includes correspondence, 47 machine guns, and indicted Matruh, a good deal of which still sudor, M. - Paléologue, Sukhomlineff. At the request of General

and General of the enemy.

there at one time with, perhaps, hor Joffre the French Ambassador on Sept. it was bound to in fighting of this charac- tornus at Sollum made by Israelites before The Legion itself suffered severely, as on good authority that there were two Antony in attendance. I was informed 20th depanded that six Russian Armiester. Early in the battle the calone, the the time of the Babylonian exile. should be assured of sufficient supplies idel of his men, was killed. and munitions for continuous action.

In

"We were having a particularly hot scrap" he said] when suddenly some of thep, as far as I could see unarmed, jumped out of their trench and came their hands and trying, Kamerad!

difficulty of want of water party by The Romans used to get over the great

caused by the winter rains. in places suitable for catching the floods cutting large cisterns out of the solid rock

I am not going to refer to the parti cular work that you have done during these moneys that you have collected, all the war. It is a wonderful record--all

connection with the wise and proper these purposes that by your collections you have served, all that you propose to do, as Lord Northelife told us, in provision for those who have fought for us on sea and land after the war. AH these are great and admirable wur objects. I know from information I have had within the last few days, from how efficient and how wonderfully success- men who have come from the other side,

machines, and how magnificent has been ful have been our airmen and their the work that they have done for the nor will anybody be able to do so until Empire. Nobody can measure to-day, the war is over, what services these men saving the lives of countless other men. have rendered in giving their lives by Their work has been heroic, and I am very glad that it falls to my lot, not only to bear this testimony in the pre- sence of Sir David Henderson, but to convey to him your generous gifts.

THE REALIZATION OF EMPIRE.

about our Overseas possessions as our It is not so very long since we talked Colonia!" possessions. I have rather an affection for that worth. It is old- fashioned. But it will not do to-day. Like many other old-fashioned words it

admit the truth. There were in this coun was badly abused. It was used constant- ly as a term rather of contempt. Let us

those who failed altogether to realize the future of our Overseas Dominions; the great part they were destined to play in the future of the Empire. And there are some still who are blind to the great possibilities of the British Empire. There are some still who, when they are talking of the future of the

British Empire is seen from this com British Empire, or when they are talking of the end of. this war, concentrate ali their attention on Europe, and the paratively narrow standpoint. British Empire extends the world over, and some of its greatest possibilities are to be found in some of its most distant- parts, Only those will wisely act for the future of the Empire who will look widely over it, and who, when they are thinking of its future, will realise its ficulty and dangers that are inseparable greatness and its strength and the dif- from its greatness and its strength.

The

it ought to be the greatest, the most We are called upon to-day to realiz that we must make this Empire what

Empire in the world. If it is not made closely united, the most self-reliant, the most progressive, the most peace-loving that, it will be because our people refuse to realize facts as they are and to see which are contained in the distant parts, for themselves the immense potentialities

of our vast possessions..

THE REST

AEROPLANED.

Sir David xenderson, in accepting the cheque for two acroplanes, suid:-1 can give you now an assurance which I coul not have given before, and that is that be purchased with this money, whether whatever kind of aeroplane, you wish to fighting machines or reconnaisance sero planes or artillery aeroplanes or training

towards roc holding ordered my men But Matruh has its beauties, too, of machines, thanks to the Air Board: you!

der."

HARD AS STEEL

naked barrenness of the Sinai Peninsula To many of us coming direct from the the number and variety of the flowers was a delightful surprise, and for this Sollum appears a most inhospitable collection of rocks and precipices, but wander into any yourself in a wild rock garden lovely. one of the many ravines und you will find beyond description. trast between the wild character of the The piquant con- country and the beauty of the flowers makes Sollum a most attractive place gentler sort. Nowhere elso have I scan sandhills so white or sea water so blue; had to carry a heavy burden for five indeed, I was ovn moved to the perpetra years in trying to get sufficient of the can now get the best of the kind. I have tion of verse to celebrate its varied attracheat kind of aeroplanes for our Royal "An Azure sky-dark blue the open sen

Flying Corps. It has been a very dif ficult task. Now, thank God, we are likely to get them, not from me, but hand. I must also thank Mr. W. Long for what he has said about the Royal Flying Corps. It is a fine body and is doing its work as well as anybody could do it. Our men are as gallant and fine- a lot of young men sa you will fad in wish to thank you very much for this any army in the world, (Chocrs.) I contribution. We will try to make the very best use of it."

tions.

Above there floats a gostamer veil of cloud, Its shadow drifting over zes and land, Alternate sun and shadow, grey and goð, Sorrow and happiness. The tyrant sain

And

the line, was a most difficult problem, General Sukhomlinof repudiated all the which he said he had often read of Burely hears the palm. In the distance it which constantly became harder. The accusations brought against him, declar first reforms after the Japanese Waring that he had faithfully followed the ained at extending the system of tech- programme for the arming and equip nical education for officers, besides pre- ment of the Army which had been drawn paring boys at school for the career. up in 1901, after the lusso-Japanese War, These measures had begun to produce by the Supreme Committee of Defence. important results by 1914, and the im proved leadership of the Russian forces) was one of the most unpleasant sur prises experienced by the enemy at the points of the mighty mabilisation. The to stop firing, but before they reached is beginning of war.

Vilna army was destined to strike at the whole line of them dropped into an Russian Poland projects like a bastion East Prussia, so as to prevent the whole other trench, and from it there were fol ween Prussian and Austrian territory. German any being employed against about 50 of them started a heavy grenade Owing to the greater facilities for railway France. The central mass had to rein- are on my company, many of whom were centration possessed by these Powers, fores the army corps at Warsaw and in by this time in the open and were Towa it had become necessary to withdraw the the Vistula entrenched eampa; while the down by these Kenerale, and a still wone of assembly of the Central Russian southern mass was destined to invade larger body of their friends who had Tho waves break white, against the harbour from the better men who have got it in) army to the Eastern frontier of Poland, Galicinaud strike at the main Austrian stayed hidden in the farther trench whet A remarkably, skilful scheme of concen-

army. The Kief army, based on the they jumped out, as I thought, to surre trating the Russian armies was organised, richest part of Russia and possessing the which worked with astonishing accuracy

best railways, was the rest formidably and speed in the fateful Augast days, Part of the Russian host from the begin- This officer was not a man who cart Not long allows his glory to be dimmed. 1914. The mobilisation of the Russian aing of the war.

to talk about himself, but other people army was incomparably more difficult and The Grand Duke Nicolas was the first told me that, with only a corporal and The distant sand-hills catch his cheerful ray, complicated than the same operation for generalissing, and he neglected no pre- two men, he went into Auberive well Here happy flowers bloom among the rocke, gleam in whiteness purer than the snow. any of the Western States.

caution which might conduce to victory.

ahead of any other troops before it was Their Teot deep buried in the yellow sand, It must be admitted, however, that the His strategy was sound in the main, and

known that the enemy had gons out of Lilies and little mauve thyme-scented things, railway reorganisation, which should

his movements were carried out with

it after defending it against all Freach And fifty others, nameless, wonderful, have been the corollary of the other re

energy and planned with forethought attacks for more than two years. But forms, did not work out so satisfactorily. It was reasonable to expect that if the about his men he would, I think, have A fairy garden to the breakers edge, The Russian railways were hampered by invaders of France, while the Austrians others as well, they are the finest troops hd harbour is the haunt of birds the load,

thrust into Prussia indirectly checked the

talked all day. For him, and many and to the south a wilderness of sand.

A wilderness of waters in the north, an obsolete system of management and by were driven out of Poland and defeated the French have got, as hard as steel and Tho mallard, purple heran and the tern, bal officials, many of whom wore Germau in Galicia, that the famous French army, by blood if not by sympathy. Large reinforced and sustained by the British the division; who won an extra Paim for or flies dark winged along the stony wasto Our chief recreations were football.

with an incredible disregard for death The desolate wheater and the orested lark sums of money were assigned to railway and having the control of the sea by the his Croix de Guerre and was created a

and danger The General commanding The creamy courser runs from dune to dane, construction, but in the niur years' be tween 1805 to 1914 little was done, and counted upon to hold its own against for the way in which he conducted the

grace of the British Navy, might Commander of the Legion of Honour And Arab children,aughing in the sun.” some of the meat essential lines, such as the Germans, if not to defeat them. The battle, talks of their courage with the

2 land of hinds and Sowers, mind and palm, bathing and cricket--the latter a weird that from Petrograd to the ice-free port German successes in France-balane the same glowing and affectionate enthusiasm, has all this to do with soldiering? We do drawback, of course. Those of us who form of game on a matting wicket regard. of Kola, in the Arctic Sea, had not been Russian success in Galicia: the fortifica

ed by the camels and their drivers with opened when war broke out. Moreover, tion of the German lin from the sea is a commonplace of the whole glorious flowers and collect butterflies. No, but a duty or on leave had some disagreeable But what, I can hear the reader say, supercilious contempt. The place bad its both the main lines coarcating the fron to the Alps, so that they had no anxiety story of the Legion's battles But in man may be

That, however, was to be expected. It not pay and feed men in war time to pick went down to the sea in ships whether on tier districts with the provincial centres about their Beukes, rendered possible the this war the Legion at present compes these things. M of Russia and the transverse lines by great surprise attack by Mackensen of of men of over 50 different nationalities, which troops might have been manoeuvred the Danajee and the calamitous cam about half of them Swiss, line won we had a chance, as it turned out, of the seas were by no means always calra, soldier and not be blind to voyages. Some of the craft provided on when fighting began on the frontier were paign which followed dolean different and higher distinction. They netual fighting The Benussi had appar- and then the reelle-but I will say no During our stay in the Western Desert calmest sea they rolled and pitched, and this coast were of great age in the very inferior to what was required. This The Russian military system stood the are men who as was said in their lastently had a lesson the y ar before and more, they will always remain a night- inferiority told against the Russians strain of fighting Austria with one-fourth mention in dispatch s after this Cham kept too far away for Infantry to act with effect throughout the feros battles of the German army successfully for of the enemy and with the highest strit against them in the Waterless country. Our other chief unpleasantness was the for the possession of Poland,

battle are inspired with a hatred eight months and a half that is to say, of sacrifice. They are desperate fighters Mountain in an armoured car

mare to me for two and a half months longer than brea

and eventually Mahomet had to go to the dust storms. I do not say they were France held ont in 1870. Neither the When the German Government burled military resources nor the political cir hey have joined the Legion because they had to learn the bricks of a new trade, cause they are fighting for an ideal our time by no means wasted; we yeom n its ultimatum at the Petrograd Cabitet cumstances of the Russian Empire were was not in the old days regarded as its thing, indeed, we knew before from our out of food or clothing, eyes or mouth, Yet was worse than in other parts of Egypt on July 31st, 1914, the Russian forces had calculated to prolong the struggle success

are possessed by a love of liberty which the trade of the infantry soldier: Some were a great auisance while they lasted. dimensions, since the danger had been to the backward stats of her industries, already begun to assume formidable fully beyond that time, having regard foreseen for some weeks, Vilna, Brest- the shortcomings of her railways and Litokski, and Kieff were the central the intense fury and energy of contem

(Cantinued as foot of meat column.) porary warfare.

THE OUTBREAK OF WAR.

plenty of work to keep as employed, and certain it is that the Brigade left the lectares and musketry and field days and

Western Desert a far more formidable unit than when it arrived.

probably they were not as bad--but they

越 being impossible to keep the fine sand

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chief recruiting offer, and because they experience on Gallipoli, but infantry These, however, were very minor evils, things that the Allies are fighting. Thoir were new to us and these things cannot be acceeding grateful and comforting to TERARIOMEZ-TE believe that it is for liberty above all drill and infantry tactics in open fighting and altogether Matruh and Ballum were conscience objects to the terms of slavery testat in a week. So there were drill and those of us who had spent a winterand that Germany wishes to impose on the rest of the world.

(Continued at foot of next calma.) · Gallipoltand mummus