RUSSIA: Change of Duty

Demobilization of Russia’s huge Red Army (estimated V-Day total: 12,000,000) began in earnest last week. By order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, soldiers and noncommissioned officers in ten age groups and hundreds of thousands of specialists will be released from duty by year’s end.

The order does not include officers. But it brings the Red Army’s top age level for privates and noncommissioned officers down to 32. Chief benefit to Russia (and probably the prime reason): farms and factories, starved for qualified man-&-woman-power during the war, will recruit millions of foremen, technicians and reasonably adept laborers for the new piatiletka (FiveYear Plan) recently announced by Stalin.

In accordance with the new Russian-Chinese treaty, Moscow said that the Red Army last week began evacuating Manchuria.