What do we know about the soldiers of the First World War? It so happened that in Russia this is an unpopular topic, and, to be honest, not well studied. In our minds since the days of the Soviet Union, this is a "shameful" war, an "imperialist massacre." It may be true, but soldiers and officers of the Russian Empire fought on it, who firmly believed that they were defending their homeland, the interests of the people. There were victories, heroes, outstanding military leaders, a lot of things to be proud of, and not hide your eyes at the words "World War I".
Reasons for Russia's participation in the war
After a hundred years since the beginning of the massacre, we remembered her. The soldiers of the First World War were initially perceived as defenders of the Motherland, and it itself was compared with the Patriotic War of 1812. This was partly true, since Germany and its allies, Austria-Hungary and Turkey, started the war. In Germany and Austria, Nazism is still onlywas born, but its variety - pan-Germanism - found fertile ground in these countries.
The unleashing of a world war by these countries was also predetermined by dreams of world domination, which led to huge human losses. The lists of World War I soldiers who died in battle, who died of wounds and diseases, are simply horrifying. Russia, a single and independent state, according to the plans of these countries, must cease to exist as a great power. The Caucasus, Crimea, the lands of the Black Sea, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia were to go to Turkey.
The territories of the B altic States, Finland, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine were to go to Germany and Austria. According to the Schlieffen plan, the Triple Alliance was to concentrate all its forces on a blitzkrieg against France, crush it as a state, and then bring down all the power on Russia. Therefore, initially it was perceived as domestic, and the soldiers of the First World War - as heroes. Today, people are interested in what the living conditions of the participants in the war were like, how they were dressed and what they fought for four long years.
The situation in Russia in 1914-1917
For Russia, this is a strange or special war. In it, the countries of the Triple Alliance and Russia, a member of the Entente, who fought against them, turned out to be defeated. Being the main participant, on whose shoulders all the main hardships, heavy losses, brilliant battles, the heroism of the Russian soldiers of the First World War fell, she was not present in the lists of winners. The reason for this was the internal political events, which were expressed in two revolutions and the subsequent civilwar.
It is worth saying that the political system of the country has become different. Absolute monarchy as a form of state government ceased to exist. Changes also occurred in other countries participating in the war. Let's not idealize, since the absolute monarchy in 1914 was an anachronism. The war gave rise to and exposed many problems and, as a result, the dissatisfaction of the inhabitants.
To go to war in such a state of the country - it was tantamount to suicide, which was later received. The most ardent and, oddly enough, just opponents of the war were the Bolsheviks, who spoke openly about all the urgent problems that it only exacerbated. This is, first of all, the backwardness of the state in industrial, economic and political development, which led to a large number of soldiers who died in the First World War.
History does not accept the subjunctive mood. Therefore, to say what would happen if there were no Bolsheviks is not to learn anything from her. The very movement of social democracy is the result of the stratification of society into classes. The beginning of this process is in itself a very painful state. And the classes of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat in Russia have just begun to form, which led to serious aggravations.
Different war conditions
The conditions in which the soldiers of the First World War had to fight were unequal. Some countries, such as Germany, Austria, were better prepared for it. This concerned provision, fortifications, armaments and uniforms of the armies. Say thatRussia was not ready to conduct such a full-scale action - it's nothing to say.
At the time of the beginning of the war, the initiated reforms of the army were not completed. Although Russia was not inferior to France in the field of armament and equipment of personnel, it lagged behind Germany. The situation of the Russian soldiers of the First World War, especially at the end of it, was terrible. For comparison, here are eyewitness accounts.
Marshal Vasilevsky, a participant in the war, recalled that the positions of the Germans and Austrians were equipped with solid dugouts, special shelters were made from bad weather, the walls of the trenches were reinforced with brushwood mats. There were even reinforced concrete trenches. Russian soldiers did not have such conditions. They slept right on the ground, spreading their overcoats, they also covered the bad weather. This is evidenced by the letters of the soldiers of the First World War.
According to the memoirs of Henri Barbusse, who also participated in the war, the conditions of the French soldiers were not much different from the Russian ones. After the rain - squelching mud underfoot, a fetid smell of sewage. To protect against bad weather, side holes were dug into which French soldiers stuffed themselves.
How the soldiers ate
According to the recollections of captured Russian soldiers, the German trenches looked like mansions, some of them were concrete. The food, in their opinion, is like in a restaurant, everyone has a fork, spoon and knife. They also give them wine. But this is for officers and at the beginning of the war. In the future, hungry German soldiers traded in looting, which was not forbidden, since already at that time they counted peopleother nationality "subhuman".
Malnutrition in Germany during the First World War became the norm, as a relatively small country fought on two fronts and could not feed the population and soldiers on its own. For this, large agricultural resources were needed, which were not available. Neither state monopolies for bread, nor purchases in neutral countries, nor open robbery of the occupied territories saved the situation. Saved by ersatz products - margarine, replacing butter, turnips instead of potatoes, barley and acorns instead of coffee.
The British also used turnips in baking bread, and added nettles to pea soup. The meat of dead horses was often used. The Austrians ate poorly. The soldiers were half-starved, however, the officers were provided with all kinds of canned food and wine. During the officers' lunch, hungry Austrian soldiers stood around waiting for something to fall on them.
It was easier for Russian soldiers in World War I in this regard. At home, cabbage soup and porridge are our food, the same thing happened in the war. The Russian soldier always ate from the field kitchen. But the French had to cook for everyone. There were special field plates for this. According to statistics, the French ate incomparably better than other combatants. But cooking took the soldiers a lot of time, and it was not easy to carry a heavy supply of food with them.
Alcohol and tobacco
In the Russian army before the war, a soldier was en titled to 10 times a year (on holidays) half a glass of vodka. With the outbreak of hostilities, dry law was introduced. At the beginning of the war, the Frenchman was given 250grams of wine, by the end of the war this rate was tripled and it was allowed to buy it with your own money. It was believed that it raises the mood of the soldiers and morale. This can be explained by the traditional attitude towards wine consumption.
In Russia, the soldiers of the First World War did not receive tobacco in rations, but it was sent to the front by charitable organizations. So those who smoked had no problems with tobacco. Its daily amount was 20 grams per day. The French soldier's ration included tobacco. The British were given a pack of cigarettes a day.
Epidemics
Crowding and lack of sanitary conditions led to epidemics and the emergence of diseases that were not even heard of in peacetime. Typhus, carried by lice, was especially rampant. There were an unimaginable number of them in the trenches. In places, soldiers of the First World War in 1914-1918 died from it in greater numbers than died from bullets. Typhoid epidemics spread to the civilian population.
The Germans also died from it, despite the fact that disinfection boilers-washers were delivered to the unit, in which clothes were treated with special hot steam, which often led to damage. Malaria raged on the southern fronts, from which the Entente lost 80 thousand troops, many of whom died, and the survivors were sent home. Finding out how many soldiers died in the First World War, and how many died of disease, is now probably impossible.
There were also new diseases,such as trench foot syndrome. He did not lead to death, but delivered torment. Many soldiers in the trenches suffered from it. For the first time on the Volyn front, trench fever was described by physicians; lice were also its peddlers. From this disease, the soldier went out of action for two months. He was tormented by a terrible ache all over his body, especially his eyeballs.
Uniforms
At the beginning of the war, the soldiers of many countries participating in the conflict were dressed in uniforms of the late 19th century. For example, the French soldiers had red pants and bright blue uniforms. This did not comply with the rules of camouflage; on a gray or green background, they served as a good target. Therefore, all armies began to switch to the protective color of the form.
For Russia, this issue was not so acute. From 1907 until the outbreak of World War I, the Russian Empire underwent radical transformations of military uniforms. She was unified. This affected not only field, but also ceremonial uniforms. The name "uniform" came into use.
During the Russo-Japanese War, Russian troops wore white, dark green, black uniforms. The decision was made to make the uniform khaki with a hint of green-brown. The uniform of the soldiers of the First World War was outwardly democratic. The same tunics and overcoats were worn by officers. Only they were sewn from high-quality cloth.
The tunic was introduced to replace the uniform, which was a long shirt with a standing collar. Initially, the clasp was on the left side, like a peasant kosovorotka,but gradually it was placed in the middle and provided with "hidden" buttons and patch pockets on the chest. The caps were also khaki, with a chin strap, which was only allowed to be used on horseback. Each regiment had its own colors, you could see it on the tops of the caps.
Long woolen overcoats fastened with hidden hooks, buttons served as decoration. Shoulder straps and buttonholes were sewn onto it, which indicated the type of weapon. Innovations in the army uniform were caps worn by aviators, and hats, like a winter headdress, which were supposed to be officers. French is widely used - this is a tunic of an arbitrary pattern. Collars were of two types - turn-down and stand-up collar. There was a strap or "split cuff" at the back. With their help, the size was regulated.
Small arms
In terms of equipment and weapons, Russia was second only to Germany, but it was with her that they had to fight. This war was a trench war in its essence. The memory of the soldiers of the First World War for a long time preserved a long sitting and a shootout with the enemy. The main small arms of the infantry was the Mosin-Nagant rifle of the 1891 model of the year with a caliber of 7.62 mm and a 5-round magazine. The gunners had Mosin carbines of the 1908 model.
The backward Russian production could not fully satisfy the army's demand for these weapons, so they imported Westinghouse, Springfield, Winchester rifles from the USA. At the front one could meet weaponscountries of England, Austria, Japan, as well as Russian "berdanks". A four-sided bayonet 12.5 cm long was attached to the rifle.
Officers and gunners relied on pistols, for the most part it was a revolver of the 1895 model with a caliber of 7.62 mm and a seven-round magazine. Officers were allowed to purchase pistols and revolvers of any brand at their own expense. Smith-Wenson, Colt, Mauser enjoyed success. Melee weapons were represented by various types, ranging from daggers, daggers, cavalry, dragoon and Cossack checkers and ending with peaks. The legendary machine gun of the "Maxim" type of the 1910 model (caliber 7.62 mm) with a metal shield and a Sokolov cart enjoyed well-deserved respect.
Artillery
The Russian army was armed mainly with field guns of the 1902 model with a caliber of 7.62 cm, they were manufactured at the Putilov factory, and Schneider mountain guns with a caliber of 7.6 cm, which were used in mountainous areas, as well as in the field. Heavy artillery was represented by howitzers and cannons, which were manufactured in Russia under license from the Krupp and Schneider factories, as well as English-made.
Innovations were trench mortars and trench guns made in Russia. By the end of the war, British-made mortars were supplied in large numbers, but British deliveries for shells, mines and cartridges were not made. Hence the "shell hunger", "rifle hunger" and, as a result, the Great Retreat. Historians believe that this was the containment of Russian troops by the allies,resulting in heavy losses.
Armor units and aviation
By the beginning of the war, the Putilov plant began booking trucks, which made up a car-machine-gun company. At the front, she was successful, which made it possible to start mass production of armored cars. The number of mouths has been increased. The machines for their manufacture were Fiat, Austin, Garford trucks equipped with 75-mm guns. Armored trains also took part in the positional war, although their use was limited.
The large fleet of Russian aviation was represented by foreign-made airplanes, mainly French: Nieuports, Morans G, Duperdusennes. Aviatiki, LVG and Albatrosses captured from the Germans were also used, on which Colt machine guns were installed.
Consequences of the war
The total losses of the warring parties are 10 million people killed and missing, 21 million wounded and maimed. Recently, lists of World War I soldiers containing hundreds of thousands of names have appeared on the Internet. Behind them - the fate of people. This war was a consequence of the crisis of civilization, which led to the collapse of four empires, including the Russian one. Lots of destruction, civilian deaths.
Revolutions in Russia and Germany can also be attributed to the consequences of this war. The civil war, which is a continuation of the world war, brought millions more deaths to Russia, destroying its economy to the ground. Until now there were no monumentssoldiers of the First World War. The forced signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918 led to the fact that Russia is not on the list of winners of this terrible massacre.
Maybe that's why for many years the attitude towards her was bashful. But without Russia there would be no victory for the Entente countries. This provided:
- The defeat of the Germans near Gumbinenn and the salvation of the French army.
- Offensive against Austria-Hungary in Galicia, forcing the Germans to transfer troops from the Western Front to the Eastern Front and thereby save Serbia from inevitable death.
- The defeat of the Turkish army near Erzurum.
- The famous Brusilovsky breakthrough.
We have something to be proud of. The monument to the heroes of the First World War, erected in 2014 on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, and many others that have appeared in our time, will not let our descendants forget about them.
