Page:Joseph Davies Memorandum regarding Military Strength of the Soviet Union.djvu/4

 constant supervision of local military authorities from the age of eligibility for the Oktobriata up through the stage of Young Pioneers (twelve to sixteen years), to the pre-conscription training of the Komsomols (League of Communist Youth). Age limits for membership in the Komsomols are sixteen to twenty four years, but the great majority of Komsomol units are made up of youths between the ages of sixteen and nineteen or twenty, when they are called for military service.

11. The activities of the Komsomols are closely supervised by military authorities. In the various training groups are included not only actual members of the Komsomol but also candidates and non-members. The activities include physical training, military drill, marksmanship, parachute training, glider practice, athletic competitions, manual training, hunting, and scientific and literary work.

12. Approximately 1,500,000 Soviet youths arrive at the conscription age each year. From this number, about 500,000 are required for active service in the armed forces of the nation. The periods of service are two, three or four years, depending upon the branch of the army to which the recruit is assigned. The training of the remaining conscripts may be deferred for family reasons or because studies are being -4-