RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1916, Page 4

RUSSIA.

THE NEW ARMY f j' MAGNIFIEJS'CT FORCE The Central News says: In view of the visit of members 'of the Russian IJuma to England in May, the follow. mg information concerning the present state of the Russian army, furnished to an Italian publicist by the Military authorities in Petrograd, will be read with especini interest in this country: To-i|;i\ the Russian army is far stronger and far letter organised than at the ueginiiiiig of the war. Foreign rifles have been gradually eliminated from the Russian ranks at the front, and all the live Russian armies opposed to the (iermans and Austrian* are now armed with Russian rifles of a new model. lOvcry regiment is now well supplied with ■ja-ihine-guns of the most modern pattern, and special machine-gun sections are attached to each regiment. The munitions problem has been satisfactorily solved, and the supply of guns of every calibre is adequate. One of the most important features of the restoration of the Russian army has been the increase of fighting units. The number of corps and divisions has been largely augumented. At the beginning of the war the Russian army comprised fifty-two divisions of infantry, with regiments of four battalions, twelve divisions of "Strelki," with regiments of two battalions, eight Finninsh regiments, eight Turkestan regiments, three divisions of grenadiers, three divisions of infantry on the guard, one division of "Strelki" on the guard, and twenty battalions of Cossacks. At the present time, moreover, two millions of men are under training in the interior. To each infantry division is attached an artillery brigade of six battalions, and each corps is allotted three heavy batteries of six pieces each. Detachments of armored motor-cars are another novelty.