MEASURING THEM UP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 925, 19 September 1910, Page 6

MEASURING THEM UP.

.- ",':..■■■ »——.>.' , THE NEW WAY OF DOING IT. ..[By tlvnb.]". "Spies and tho Press": Article; .in a publication forwarded to ./-. The Dominion from the War Of--1 .ficc. '■ The article is designed to show that the Japanese Intel-, ligence, alter organising a highlytrained system of Chinese spies fail- ' ■ ed. altogether, and' in' the war of 1 1901-5 had recourse to the newspapers, and practically to.nothing "else. :''.■..■

... During the, war 'in question a friend and, myself- kept, a map ■ with coloured pegs.; The matter which-wo sot out to investigate- is not 'germane to tho.story, and ueed.notbe mentiojied, but wo soon found out that it was permissible for. us to move pur. pegs-over the iriapiri a dil-. ettante, fashion any way we pleased, but unless wp wero' fairly certain how many, rifles, and sabres tii'S peg or. that .con-:, noted/our little excursion into military, science . would. land us.' nowhere. ■ The question : then af oSe: .. Was there " any printed matter';to ; be: got in New Zealand through which two very, earnest students could find.'this .out? ~;./

, We .bought in a Dunedin auction, room 200: copies /o- the "United .Service. Maga'- ; zine" for, 10s., and a' copy' of : the "Van Labe'll Annual' Reports" for : 15.,/Erpm a diligent study "of ;these we learned- one fact: That;the opinion oMCuropatkm-was that .'.. "in .the .event of . a war far: from .home,'.' and ariy.army corps being shattered in '..battle, it was.better'.to' flll-<this' (shat--: tered: corps), .up by/drafts from /its,own •reserves than' to /dispatch -a new', one (army corps) to. the tueatre of war:" ~ This; was,good news, for it meant that, provided./Kuropatkin'',got his way, - any unit,which we, could trace through the cables would,.'.within 'a'.'certain time after a battle, ..be recruited again up,to fullstrength.:- : Stilly it-. was far from. conclusive.' ■;■ With.,'a, cloud of doubt' in.:. our' .minds, we' viewed; a..statement -by' .the. 'TSroad'Arrow," that; f'Kuropatkin, being '•low'"^™,".was. riot-exactly persona: grata with .the powers- that be," and for;mo'nths we wondered whetner-.that.was sol ./This aoubt was. .ultimately removed,.by : the consensus.of,-London."Times" a'nd;"Mili- : : tar.-Wbcheriblatt," '•■; and: / -later ' by -the "Ruskii Invalid," which,''stated:; "The' .Tenth. Corps suffered Eoverely at / Liae;Tang,:,but- its own: reserves have proved ample, ;ahd for this, as'well .as'-for other, .corps,:each battalion is leaving for.:Man-. ,churia: 800,strong"-.(full^Russian-complfr;-.ment).'/.This, meant, that, Kurbpatkin's. pla'ri'was;be'ing followed/ /V • ; :'.."., • .Ofcourse.a'great mass'.of; improbabilities also appeared , iri.. print,"- arid had-; to'. be' Examined ; ,and. : rejected. /The,: London "Times,"'/for ;'iriStauco,'.'riieri'ti'bne,d'i that "artillery -was:. being "/withdrawn '; from .Lodz"/ (in;"Polarid); and thatVfthe;Second )Afmy:.Cprps.wbuld;lje''the>first sent to the 'frbht,'from"Europe;", rejected this at .once; :ai : . it/would, seem ,tb; be'.'extremelyunlikely that' ,thb/.Geriria'n arid: : Au'sti'ian' /frontiers'.) would be 'stripped .of / : - troops-' while, other /military;', "areas" :.in> Russia" '.were.'.able-:tb supply them.-' Wo imagined that};the military ."areas"'.of .Turkestan, Moscow',; St. ; Petersburg, ;:and'.;- Kharkoft', /wpuldvfirst, be, called/on for additions.to the /troops ;which/.were ; in- the East;in ' February,: 1901./ In'.this 'we. were, partly right, and/partly wrong: ! Fbr. some "reason .the',.'two .array.' corps' in/ Turkestari -were : never drawn 'on, bub the rest: of A our coriyecture'.was';right.; 'The- 17th'Aruiy,;Cpfps : (Moscow),-Ist Corps. (St:- Petersburg), and 10th Corps:(Kharkoff).were tho.first. troops railed. East.from /■-''■,;:/, i-'- ■ ./We;followed' the/movements of' other, corps (mostly from irifbrma'tibn:given by interest,' and; Jwheri'.Mukdbri) came -we.'were 'riot'im'uch rout:in:o.ur;:cstiinate : :bf the, Russian total., iThe'-three '.'armies-,of. ; yitcli,;' arid/Kaulbars; together' with," Mey;endorf's reserve,'. gave', us a. certaitf: : figure: . ! :It:'.was; : ribt;, right fby./70,006,'.biit ■ with- such "vast. armies' it would have' been : any amount good; enough, to flglit'■ on. No recoriiaissanco ~ could, have /.discovered 1 : mbre.; A,/' 1 :'::/'./:' : /''- '■'.'".-.'■ l

..'And' all from newspapers at this remote l ',";^.i''.jr.-''.' :','.'..',-./ '•'The,!brophufb : iu'st -issiWd by the War Office!!pictures.;a. typical/day-, with ./the iJapaneso.. Intelligence.;/Thiiir task /.was, something.' deeper and.. m ore di fficult than ,what'/has'so far.'-been ."hinted l at.'. It'was nPt..enough : to /compute '. .totals,.'to track each one'of;the; long series-of.troop ti'ains which : wefe : constantly fuhhirig'-.East■•from• Eurbpe,';.buti / for; the:p'urpbses..of '.battle, it ..was;'alsp.; indispensable to v flnd. put -oh which part of the lorig/'Bussian .front- 1 - : .bfte'ri-'as;.lbng;os'!:frbm'!Wbllington;fb''Wa-' ngariui—each'.'division and' regiment was .dumped;.dewn ,• when-it arrived! oh "; : the. -theatrb, ofZiwar:;;■....;...■:' ■:./-./■/' !■';.. -'■. For!■ thbi-new.'sxylejn .ta : otics,;:6n these imm'ehse; fronts,' is- to /establish a" dense "fog- of .war"-- behind: the long! barrier; imposed by the; rifles! of the piciiuets; : and other-, advapced'' ; troops;''; /'Behind / this curtain'; '/and- just on th©. part 'of; the line whero/-the I ;enemy.;is!believed te/be weakest, 'a tremendous, massing' of. troops'-''is madp for a '/sledge-hammer blow'.." The preliminary phase of; the battlef-the ■ fire fight;' between' the advanced ;troops—may last: a -weeki-:. but; the. deciding'.stroke is the hurling/forward-'of/'/the, -iminense. massed .'reserves. :;Th« problem, of cbfljse, is. to /'find./put, .beyond/./doubt what, part ,of the/enemy's -front is, weakest, .- V ,: -

In; the''old: days: this'; ! cbuld/bo done by-reconnaissance.;: -You; threatened the: enemy.;; he',fired- 'at:'you;, and. the .smoke ofr.his 'rifles'disclosed 'his - '^position. : and strength.;- .With': -smokeless.,.propellents this /cannot/ be: .done:. -Aji alternative --is a/huge systein/of,.;spies.'-Both!sides tried it.;, in '■ Manchuria: and ■; found'it/ unsatis.ia'ctbry.:/'What'" the/Japanese.; ultimately resorted;,: to .is: sufficiently''.explained/by' the-fbllojvine'eitractfrohi' thepublication jiist'receivfid; ; from.our.:own War Office:—.'

'Akasagawa; had■■ scarcely finished': reading this;letter',. when\two; telegrams were handed .tb..him.: ' ', ..;-;:: .://

. {'Ah.! .Prom' our :friend Tariaka! Let's see what-he:says." :/•■'•/ ;'/: ■■■■•"-;. ~'../,:

. " 'Novo'e Yretnya," No.. 10551' reports strength of XJXth "Army ■ Corps.' Also that; detachments: at. Ehun-cbun ' and Nov'o-Kievsk' ;have been, 'forihed: into'

:'..3-battaiion regiments." ~: ;'. ;: '.■>>'[;■■( ;The.second:telegram runs:— . . '(.'■■!.■} [■■'■ ." 'Novoe 10528.—Nursing ..Sister -Maria Kisliakpva; informs: her :: friends that her address is:—lst Arniy, >,53rd rDivision, Hospital ;No;:.\116, .at - ..Kai-lung-cheng." . //

;"So; we've 1 iourid the' 53rd'Division, at last," '■ exclaimed : Akasagawa. ■--. "Well done,.'Tanakaj 'and. bravo the Press,, and all. good nursing sisters!" -' V ,'" ' - ; ,

: ,A,nbri-commissioncd ofli'cer appeared, and paused on'the threshold of the. hut., '..'■

'..' "What; is it?"' asked the Major. " ■. "A Chinaman .has. brought the Russian paper." :•■; ';'■'., '.■■' '' •■■ v" Yes, let lis'.look at. last, night's rMan.chiirian Army Gazette,' starting'as usual.. at the end-,\with the advertisements."; ■, (1) Advertiser.; requests the 19th.- East - Siberian Ride Regiment to inform ■, him as to, the fate of his relative ;... •■''— Captain' 13ikov—of; that Regi- .. ;meht.' ,Addrcss :Lieutenant Ivan-' . .''.: .'."".erikcy 2nd Army, XVlth Army ./Corps, 97th. Infantry. Regiment.' / (2) Corporal N.A. Sereda requests his coiisin,i;B.. P.. Juru,;to communi- , cate his'.address to the ith Rifle v. : Brigade, 16th Rifle Regiment, 15th ■'. Company.','. '~'"' ;.','■•'. ';.•'(3) Corporal ;E.' I. Lyutenko requests '"■.''■■' his .brother, IV Lyutenko,' to communicate ;his address to the 3rd Manch,urian> Army, sth Rifle. Division, 18th Rifle Regiment, 9th . ' ~' Company. ;.'-.'; .■:.'..■ (4) Private S. Galushka having arrived with echelon No. GG6, seeks ''•'■'. his friend and neighbour, V. Zarubku. Address: . Vllth Siberian Corps, 71st Infantry Division, tho . Bugulminski Regiment. • On tie strength of this an important :Army Order wasissucd that very ovening. Air.thc foregoing shows just one day's work at, Japanese headquarters, and the aggregate, of such: investigations going on month after month may bo better imagined ■ than described. What part the. ■world's press is going to play (or B°'ng to be allowed, to play) in the wars of , the future is a big problem. The military of the.days'to come will no doubt endeavour to. exclude the press altogether from the theatre, of war. Easier tried than done, however. The war correspondent of those days will probably go on just the same 'footing as a spy, carrying his life in his hands, and content to pay the' extreme penalty if he fails.