Regiments of the Russian Imperial Army. Kostroma regiments of the Russian Imperial Army

The vastness of our country and its wealth invariably attracted many conquerors who sought to wipe Russia off the face of the earth as a state. From the beginning of the existence of ancient settlements to today the threat of invasion of our territory is constantly present. But the Russian land has defenders, the history of the armed forces of our country begins with epic heroes and princely squads. The Russian Imperial Army, the Red Army of the USSR, and the modern Russian Federation support and strengthen the glory of domestic weapons.

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The glory of Russian weapons

Military successes and defeats accompanied any commander. In this regard, the Russian Imperial Army is a legendary army, the names of Suvorov A.V., Kutuzov M.I., Ushakov F.F., Nakhimov P.S., Davydov D.V. are synonymous with heroism and courage. Great commanders left their names in world history and cemented the glory of Russian weapons. After disbandment imperial army in 1918, the history of its creation, existence, victories and defeats was interpreted in a truncated form. But it contains the invaluable experience of many generations, which must be taken into account by modern military officers and commanders in chief.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, on the eve of the First World War, in the armies of the continental European countries(excluding the fleet, and therefore excluding England) approximately 70% of the soldiers were infantry, 15% were artillery, 8% were cavalry, the remaining 7% were aviation, communications, engineering and automobile troops. The same ratio was in the Russian army.

The main combat unit was the regiment, and in the Russian army it was like one big family. Russian infantry and cavalry regiments, in addition to numbers, had names based on cities. The name indicated the birthplace of the regiment or was symbolic. The cities “patronized” “their” regiments, maintained contacts, and sent gifts. Cossack regiments were named after the place of formation, and the number indicated the order of conscription.

The regiments had very strong military traditions. Of the 350 Russian infantry regiments that participated in the Great War, 140 existed from 60 to 230 years, that is, they were personnel, of which 16 were guards regiments. Every officer and soldier knew the history of his unit in such detail, as if they were talking about their own ancestors. Collective distinctions earned by the regiments for the exploits of past wars were very prestigious - these could be award banners, an addition to the name, silver pipes, special badges or deviations in the uniform (for example, the Absheron Regiment received red lapels on its boots in memory of the fact that The regiment survived the Battle of Kunersdorf during the Seven Years' War "knee-deep in blood").

Memorial sign in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Absheron Regiment
listing the battles in which he took part

The concept was placed very highly officer's honor. But the concept of soldier’s honor was also given great importance. The charter stated: “Soldier is a common, famous name; every military servant from the general to the last private bears the name of a soldier.”

The most important role non-commissioned officers played. They were professionals the highest level, the backbone of any regiment, the “fathers” of the soldiers are their direct teachers and mentors.

The army was brought up in strict spirituality; the priest in the regiment was far from the last person. At the same time, wide religious tolerance was allowed - Muslims, Catholics, Lutherans, even pagans from the peoples of the Volga region and Siberia were allowed to perform their rituals, everyone took the oath according to the customs of their faith.

Often regimental priests directly took part in the combat operations of their regiments, of course, without taking up arms, but fulfilling their pastoral duty to the end. There are a great many such examples; I will give only one, described in "Bulletin of the Military and Naval Clergy" No. 1 for 1915 :
"About the regimental priest of the 5th Finnish rifle regiment O. Mikhail Semenov is informed that on August 27, in the battle near the village of Nerovo, Fr. Mikhail, wearing an epitrachelion and having a monstrance with the Holy Gifts on his chest, was all the time in forward positions under brutal shrapnel and rifle fire. Here he personally bandaged the wounded, then sending them to dressing station, calmly advised and administered communion to the seriously wounded. At the end of the battle, Fr. Mikhail buried those killed in battle at night here at the front lines.
On September 17, in a battle near the village of Orskaya. Mikhail was shell-shocked, but despite this, he personally carried the seriously wounded man out from under the fire and took him to the dressing station, where he gave communion to all the wounded, bid farewell to the dying and buried the dead.
On September 18, at 12 noon, the enemy began to strongly press the left flank of the entire combat position; At one o'clock in the afternoon, a battalion of one of the regiments, located on the extreme left, could not withstand the enemy's brutal shrapnel fire and began to hastily leave its position, threatening to carry away the units adjacent to it. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Fr. Mikhail, not paying attention to the continuous fire, put on the stole, rushed forward and stopped part of the retreating people."

In infantry training, bayonet fighting was still important; it was taught thoroughly; there was a real art of fencing with bayonets. And the cavalry, accordingly, was taught to master checkers. With the beginning of the war, every cavalry and infantry regiment a machine gun team was assigned (8 machine guns and 80 people).

During the growth Great War First of all, the color of the regular army stood out. So, in the guards regiments alone, by the end of 1914, 70% dropped out lower ranks(private and non-commissioned officers) and 27% officers. And already in the second year of the war personnel composition The Russian army was almost completely replaced by mobilized ones.

The professional officer corps of the Russian army suffered heavy losses during the First World War. In 1914, 2,400 cadets and pages became officers. At the graduation of cadets in Tsarskoe Selo, Emperor Nicholas II said: “Remember also what I will tell you. I do not doubt your valor and courage at all, but I still need your life, since the needless loss of officer corps can lead to serious consequences. I am sure that, when necessary, each of you will sacrifice with your life. But decide on it in emergency. Otherwise, I ask you to take care of yourself."

Nicholas II conducts a review of cadets in Tsarskoye Selo:

But how could Russian officers protect themselves when it was written in the Russian Army Regulations that an officer, by his example, should lead soldiers into an attack. In the regulations of other armies, expediency was given preference over valor. Perhaps that is why during the first two years of the war, out of a 46,000-strong officer corps among junior officers, few remained in service.
Already in 1916, the officer corps consisted of 90% reserve officers or those who received officer rank at the front and were hastily trained in cadet schools.

After this, is it any wonder that in Civil War, which unfolded in Russia during the First World War, a significant part of the officers deliberately sided with the “reds”?

By the way, it should be noted that the reproaches addressed to representatives of the aristocracy regarding the fact that they allegedly sat in the rear in their palaces and estates while the common people shed their blood are not entirely fair.
So, in the Great War they accepted Active participation even many members imperial family. For example, he fought fearlessly, commanding the famous Caucasian “wild” division, consisting of mountaineers, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, brother of Tsar Nicholas II. Five sons of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov fought on the fronts of the Great War, and one of them, Oleg Konstantinovich, died a heroic death, laying down his head for the Fatherland.

To be continued...

Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.

Before creation by Peter I regular army Streltsy regiments and regiments of the “foreign system” were named after the commander. In 1700, when creating new regiments, Peter I mainly adhered to this tradition. Thus, the regiment, which later became the 19th Kostroma Infantry, was called the “Nicholas von Werden Regiment.” Only “funny” shelves that became the first guards regiments Russian army, were named after the names of the villages near Moscow where they were formed (Preobrazhensky, Semyonovsky). But in 1708, wanting to forever connect his young regiments with the Russian land, Peter the Great gave them the names of cities and provinces of Russia.

It must be said that most of the regiments were never in the cities whose name they bore: the 19th Kostroma Infantry Regiment was never in Kostroma; The 20th Galitsky, formed in Sevastopol, was never quartered in Galich.

At first, the regiments were united into “generalships”, then they began to be organized into divisions, and the division included regiments with names related to one province or nearby provinces. Thus, the 5th Infantry Division included: 17th Arkhangelsk, 18th Vologda (1st brigade), 19th Kostroma and 20th Galitsky (2nd brigade) regiments. The regiments of this division are honored regiments Russian army who took part in many campaigns and wars. In fierce battles they earned the St. George banners and other collective insignia.

During the First World War, new regiments were formed, which received the names of cities in the Kostroma province. According to the mobilization plan, based on the regiments of the 46th Infantry Division, the 81st Infantry Division was formed, which after brief preparation went to the front. It included the 322nd Soligalich Infantry Regiment, deployed from the 245 Soligalich Reserve Battalion and given a new number. To a large extent, it was replenished by reserve soldiers - Kostroma residents.

At that time, the tradition of uniting regiments based on the names of cities in one province or neighboring provinces into one division was broken, so the regiments of the 3rd and 4th lines, which received the names of cities in the same province, ended up in different divisions. This is partly understandable - these regiments were formed in different time, in a hurry and received names without any system. Thus, in the Russian army in 1915, the 491st Varnavinsky Infantry Regiment of the 123rd Infantry Division appeared; in 1916–1917, the 178th Infantry Division of the 4th stage was formed, in which three regiments bore the names of the cities of the Kostroma province: the 709th Kineshma Infantry, the 710th Makaryevsky Infantry and the 711th Nerekhta Infantry Regiments, and the 712th The infantry regiment bore the name Uzensky. The 238th Vetluzhsky Infantry Regiment was also formed. The regiments of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines did not glorify themselves in any way in the battles of the First World War.

In addition to the regiments that bore the names of the cities of the Kostroma province, in the Russian army there were regiments connected with Kostroma by other ties: at different times they were stationed in Kostroma and were connected with the life of the city.

At the end of the 18th century, the 9th Ingria Infantry Regiment was stationed in Kostroma, the same one into which A.V. was released as lieutenant. Suvorov. Pyotr Grigorievich Bardakov, a participant in Suvorov’s campaigns, served as colonel in this regiment in 1812–1814. commander of the Kostroma militia, awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, for bravery during the assault on Ochakov, and earned the 3rd degree in 1794 in Poland.

But perhaps the most “Kostroma” was the 183rd Pultu Infantry Regiment, stationed in Kostroma in 1903–1914. From here he went to war, the families of officers and conscripts remained here, and the regiment, having allocated personnel for the formation of the 322nd Soligalich Regiment, was replenished with reserves from the Kostroma province. The Kostroma residents kept in touch with “their” regiment, delegations of townspeople visited the Pultus residents at the front, bringing them gifts from the Kostroma residents. Not so long ago, the memory of the Pultus regiment lived among the old Kostroma residents. That is why the story about the “Kostroma” regiments needs to start with him.

Until 1903, the Pultu Regiment was stationed in Warsaw. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian military doctrine, as a result of which a number of units were withdrawn from the Warsaw Military District to the internal provinces of Russia. This is how the Pultu Regiment and the Krasnensky Battalion ended up in Kostroma. In 1902–1903 in the Pultus Regiment the company was commanded by Captain A.I. Denikin, future general, commander of the famous Iron Division, and then commander armed forces South of Russia. In those years, he did not stand out in anything special from among the company commanders, except for the fact that under the rather transparent pseudonym “I. Nochin" published his stories and essays in military periodicals, in particular in the magazine "Razvedchik".

Artillery officer Denikin first saw the difficult life of an infantry soldier during his service in the Pultus Regiment, where he graduated from the Academy General Staff to serve the qualification he commanded a company.

In Kostroma, the Pultu Regiment was located on Eleninskaya Street (now Lenin Street) in the so-called “Michurinsky Barracks”; The 4th battalion was located at the very end of Rusinaya Street, where the regiment’s officers’ meeting was located.

When forming the regiment, “seniority” was established, that is, the founding date was March 27, 1811. In the Russian army it was established that military unit on the day of his centenary, he receives an award - a wide order ribbon, which was attached to the flagpole: the guard - blue, the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the army - red, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. The banner of the Pultu Regiment was decorated with the Alexander Ribbon on March 27, 1911.

The regimental badge of the Pultu Regiment was approved on June 12, 1911. It is a wreath topped with a double-headed eagle under imperial crown, the monograms of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas II, as well as the Roman numeral “C” are superimposed on the wreath. The wreath is tied with ribbons on which the anniversary dates “1811–1911” are placed. The regiment was part of the 46th division, which consisted of the 181st Ostrolensky Infantry Regiment, the 182nd Grokhovsky Infantry Regiment (1st Brigade), the 183rd Pultus Infantry Regiment and the 184th Warsaw Infantry Regiment (2nd Brigade). The regiments of the 46th division bore the names of cities of the Kingdom of Poland; one must assume that they were chosen because these cities are associated with the glory of Russian weapons.

The head of the Kostroma garrison was Major General D.P. Parsky, in 1908–1910 commanded a regiment, and from 1910 - a brigade and lived in Kostroma in 1908–1914. on Maryinskaya Street (now Shagova).

In 1913, the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov was widely celebrated in Russia. In May 1913, Nicholas II arrived in Kostroma with his family. He was accompanied by members of the imperial family, Minister of War General Sukhomlinov, commander of the Moscow Military District, General of the Cavalry Plehve, commander of the 25th Corps, Lieutenant General Zuev, head of the 46th Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Dolgov, brigade commander, head of the Kostroma garrison, Major General Parsky . On the very first day, May 19, 1913, Nicholas II received a guard of honor from the 13th Life Grenadier Erivan Regiment and the 183rd Pultus Infantry Regiment, and he paid more attention to the Pultusians, since they were permanently stationed in Kostroma. On the right flank of the guard of honor stood the Minister of War and other generals, who walked with the guard in front of the Tsar in a ceremonial march. It’s hard to imagine the current Minister of War “printing a step” in the ranks of the guard of honor!

Nicholas II among the officers of the Pultu Regiment

On the next day of the tsar’s stay, in honor of the laying of the monument “300 years of the House of Romanov,” a parade of the Kostroma garrison, commanded by General Parsky, was organized. The troops showed excellent combat bearing, and the king was pleased. He then visited the officers' meeting and the barracks of the 4th battalion on Rusinaya Street. At the end of the parade, an order was given to the troops of the Kostroma garrison: “His Imperial Majesty deigned to remain extremely pleased with the brilliant condition of the listed units, for which he declared royal favor to the commanders officials, who were in service; declares his royal thanks and rewards both combatants and non-combatants who have the insignia of a military order with 5 rubles, those with chevrons with 3 rubles, and others with 1 ruble each.”

The peaceful course of life was disrupted by the war that began on August 1, 1914, which we less often called the First World War, and more often the imperialist war, which claimed more than 1 million lives of Russian soldiers and about which we know so little, although Russian soldiers and officers showed in it dedication and mass heroism. Suffice it to say that more than 1.5 million St. George Crosses of the IV degree alone were awarded for their heroic deeds, and the most honorable award for officers, the Order of St. George, was received by more than 3,500 people - more than in the previous 100 years of the order’s existence!

The general mobilization announced on July 29 was very organized: mobilization activities were planned in advance and their schedule was carefully observed. The fourth battalion deployed into a regiment of the 2nd line. Thus, from the 4th battalion of the Pultu Regiment, the 322nd Soligalich Regiment was formed. The regiments of the first stage were given 8 days for mobilization activities, the second - 18, after which they had to set out on a campaign.

According to the Russian rate plan the main task was assigned to the Northern (General Kuropatkin) and Western (General Evert) fronts. General Brusilov's Southwestern Front was given the task of an auxiliary strike. In fact, only Brusilov’s troops were able to break through the enemy’s front and inflict a major defeat on him. The commanders of the Northern and Western fronts, under all sorts of pretexts, delayed the offensive, and the weak-willed Supreme Commander and his chief of staff, General Alekseev, agreed with their arguments. Finally, Western Front went on the offensive against Baranovichi. On the morning of June 19, artillery preparation was brought to the level of hurricane fire, and at dawn on June 20, the troops of the 4th Army courageously advanced to the assault.

But the heroic impulse and brilliant success of the Ostrolenians of Colonel Adzhiev and the Pultusians of Colonel Govorov were drowned in blood. Despite this, after artillery preparation that lasted a whole day, they again attacked the enemy, but encountered fierce resistance. And again the 181st Ostrolensky and 183rd Pultusky regiments distinguished themselves. They captured 1 general, 60 officers and 2,700 lower ranks, as well as 11 guns. Big loss The Pultu Regiment suffered: the attack on the firing four-gun battery was led by the regiment commander, Colonel Evgeniy Govorov, and the battery was captured. The 31st Austro-Hungarian Division was attacked in the flank and rear, but the heroic officer was killed. For this feat, he was posthumously promoted to general and awarded the Order of St. George, III degree.