at the outbreak
of the Great War a rifle, a 299-mm. weapon with a quadrangular
bayonet--which also was carried by noncommissioned officers--a waistbelt
supporting a pouch for thirty rounds on each side of the clasp, an
intrenching tool, a bandolier holding another thirty rounds carried over
the left shoulder under the rolled greatcoat, and a reserve pouch also
holding thirty rounds, which completed the full load of 120 rounds for
each man, suspended by a strap over the right shoulder.

As the Russian soldiers moved to the Austrian frontier, there was slung
over the right shoulder kits containing food and clothing and cooking
utensils, and over the left shoulder one-sixth part of a shelter tent.
The total weight borne by the regular Russian infantryman was nearly
58-1/4 pounds.

When the war started, the Russian army, in its invasion of Austria, had
its full complement of officers, and because of the great capacity of
its military schools, it was as well able as other nations engaged to
make up for losses in battle. One sweeping and beneficial change that
had been made was that promotion no longer went by seniority but
entirely by merit: the higher the position the more rigid the tests.
Incidentally, it was Russia's good fortune that the war came at a time
when the noncommissioned ranks were full and it was possible to promote
many of these men to fill vacancies in the commissioned service.

The use of Russian infantry on the battle fields, as we shall soon see,
differed in no essential way from that common to other nations of
Europe. An advance under fire was almost identical with that of other
nations. A single company in attack would dispatch two platoons as a
firing line, retaining two in reserve, each of the platoons in front
providing its own protection for skirmishing, according to the nature of
the ground.

If the cover was adequate, a few rifles were enough to locate the enemy,
and either they could be reenforced or the front could be extended. If
the ground were quite open, the two leading platoons were extended at
once, so as to oppose the enemy with an equal extent of fire, and then
advanced by rushes, each section covering the rush of the other by
alternate firing. The two reserve platoons could be used either to
outflank the enemy, if the nature of the ground permitted, or for direct
reenforcement in any formation required.

As has been said, all the nations engaged in the great conflict pursued
simi