RUSSIANS IN FRANC

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3039, 28 March 1917, Page 5

RUSSIANS IN FRANC

MAGNIFICENT FORCE WHICH IS DOING FINE WORK

Mr. Henry Wood, United Press cpK respondent, writes: "Fighting with the .Russian army in Prance is a huge bear from the Caucasian mountains, who seems to enjoy his sojourn on the French front fully as much as bis masters enjoy theirs. He is the.mascotr of one of the Russian regimentsi that; was transported half-way round the' world from the Russian to the I'renoh' front, in order to show the solidarity;, of the Allies. He keeps the all-night vigils with tho sentinels, and' as there ie nothing else to eat in the front line' trenches except the regular rations' that are brought up from the rear, h& permits the soldiers to diyidev their ehare with. him. > The llussian army has brought with: it into "France its own ouisine, and the. soups and dishes prepared would cppear to be, judging from the appar-> ance, both of the soldiers and the bear,; of a highly nourishing character. When; the bear has finished his time, in the; front line trenches along with the. regiment, he accompanies the latter to; the rear for the customary six 'lays of : repose, whore the greater freedom 1 end: greater facilities allows him to., vary;a Kfctle the cuisine of the front line positions. ■'■ . • - : -' ■•■-■ '-i':'-' '■■ ■ ■ Their Adaptability. ' With, the wonderful faculty TfbicH; the Russians, and, in. faot, all Slav.! people hare for tho languages, Dtarlr y all the soldiers have now mastered' sufficient French to ho perfectly at homo, thus bridigngiOne of the greateat obstacles between foreign When the Russians came to Franc* they did not bring with them tl'eir arms, and it was therefore not only, necessary to arm them throughout with the French weapons, but' to instruct them in the French tactics fnd methods pi warfare. All this they have mastered as readily as they have tho lan-. Suage- ■ ... The entire Russian army, while retaining its national uniform, has been equipped throughout with the famous French steel helmet, that boare in, front, however, the Imperial Russian ! coat-of-arins. The helmets are paint-; I ed brown, the same as. those furnished j. i to the Belgian army, and, together with j the long, brown overcoats, give to the I Russian army very much the same i general appearance as that of the Belgian army. • ' ' Along with tho other French customs; adoptca by the Russians is that of: having godmothers to send them nice things to eat and to wear from outside the war zone. . Nearly all the Russiacsj have now been adopted as godsons,- , either by the women members of the largo Russian colony at Paris or by,. Frenchwomen themselves, who want to show the appreciation'of the French to. the 'Russians who are fighting for them.' i Tho Russians get their six _ days of j "permission" from time to time, the i same as the French, and every one, •can count upon the home either of a! ' Russian or a French! godmother in j Paris or elsewhere in which to be reoeived and entertained while he is enjoying his leave.

Russian New Year. ; The Russian New Year, which (Jomes! about two weeks after the Christian New Tear, has been' celebrated on the' Russian front in- real Russian etyle. The French military authorities set aside for the time being the restrictions against women in the war zone, and some women of the Russian colony a* Paris were taken down to the Russian front to conduct the celebration. A heavy snowfall added the last touch necessary, and all the details of a Russian New Year's cofoniony were faithfully carried out. - The appearanco of the Russian Army on the French front appears to have been received with anything but good graco by the Germans.. Their sector can be faithfully described as one ofi the sectors that is not quiet, and the Russians iare kept under a prettyconstant bombardment.. They have also , been called upon to repulse- some at* tacks. . .

As a consequence, tho Russian lAjbit has had some losses, and iho little' cemeteries back of the front linea now show a fraternal, mjxture of both Greek and Christian, crosses and the oddshaped slabs thkt mark tho graves of the Mussulman soldiers from th© French colonics. The Russians are. also accompanied by their own Orthodox priests, and the /same religious fervour that mark? .the fighting of the armies in RuSsia~characterTses that of the Russian Jfrmy'in France. ' ■ ■

The soldiers themselves all appear to he more than content with their transplanting into France. The regir ments were formed entirely not only of picked companies that had distinguished themselves in the fighting on the Russian front, but even the companies themselves wero formed of picked men, especially fitted by physical and soldierly qualifications for the service in France. An unusual degree of intelligence is therefore to bo found amongst tho men, which probably; accounts in no IrMU way for their quick assimilation of French military life and 1 customs. " ;

A goodly sprinkjing of French' military decorations won"in the fighting in which they h"are already participated shows also that the change has not lessened their military value, but if the Russians are elad to hp in France, it would appear, that the French are glad to have them.