Cossacks-scouts were one of the best scouts in the Russian army. They also staged sabotage in the camp of the enemy. Scouts left a serious mark in the history of Russian-Turkish wars and wars in the Caucasus. This variety of Cossacks at all times was considered not only elite, but also the most effective.
The scouts went through a long training, which gave them a huge number of useful and unique skills. The scouts disappeared after the defeat of the Cossacks by the Bolsheviks. Nevertheless, their memory survived the 20th century. Even in the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, plastun units were created, in which they tried to restore the way of the legendary pathfinders.
Thunderstorm mountaineers
In the 19th century, a separate layer of infantry stood out in the Cossack army - Cossacks-plastuns. Their main task was reconnaissance. They were supposed to warn their native villages about the approach of the Caucasian highlanders. For this, so-called secret places were prepared in the border regions. It was in them that the scouts served. Cossacks from among them monitored the cordon line. It was a series of posts, fortifications, pickets and batteries.
The most famous is the Black Sea cordon line, where they especially glorifiedthemselves plastuny. The Cossacks erected fortifications on the right bank of the Kuban. The posts stretched from the Black Sea to the Adyghe river Laba. The cordon line was a place of constant skirmishes during the years of the Caucasian War. In this conflict, the Scouts declared themselves.
Cossacks defended the Kuban region from the raids of the Circassians, who previously owned the local lands. At first, the mountaineers made life unbearable for the colonists. They burned villages, stole cattle, took civilians into captivity and robbed their property. Only scouts could stop the Circassians. The Cossacks of this circle were armed with cleavers and rifled fittings.
Clothes and weapons
It is curious that the long neighborhood with the highlanders greatly influenced the life of the rangers. In peaceful periods, Cossacks and Circassians traded. Mixed families appeared, there was a gradual exchange of traditions. So the scouts began to wear national Circassian clothes. A popular headdress in their circle was a hat. Cossack clothing included trousers with stripes and a shirt with shoulder straps. Its color depended on belonging to a particular army.
Wide marching harem pants were common. Instead of shirts, scouts could wear knee-length beshmets. Their notable features were mid-chest closures, a padded collar, and loose sleeves. The hood replaced the traditional hood. In reconnaissance, scouts dressed in clothes that were inconspicuous against the backdrop of the landscape. All sorts of tricks and camouflage made it possible to stay out of sight of the enemy. Of course, there were also regional differences. For example, the Orenburg Cossack armyunlike their southern comrades, they could not do without winter hiking clothes, which helped to keep warm in the cold and blizzards.
The battle path of the scouts quickly wore out their uniforms. Every day they spent in the wilds and gorges. The result of this lifestyle was shabby and covered with multi-colored patches of Circassians. Another common attribute of a long hike was a red-haired and shabby hat folded at the back of the head. Cossack shoes for scouts were made unremarkable in appearance, but extremely practical on a long journey. Dudes were often used. They were made from boar skin.
In addition to the already mentioned weapons (cleaver, dagger and fitting), each scout carried with him what the Kuban called "prichindaly". These included: a bag for bullets, a powder flask, an awl and a bowler hat. Everything that could help to hold out on a long journey was taken on the road, and at the same time it was distinguished by its small size and weight. Gradually, grenades became popular with scouts. They were used as a last resort, if the squad was overtaken by a numerically superior enemy.
On the Kuban borders
The scouts' field service lasted 22 years, followed by a three-year period of service in the garrison. In the absence of open skirmishes with the highlanders, they were engaged in the maintenance of fortifications: they erected Shapsugs, updated posts and batteries. These structures were quadrangular redoubts with a small moat and an earthen parapet. Artillery of various calibers was necessarily at the posts. Another important attribute of the scouts' service places isobservation deck. On the tower around the clock there were guards who, in a moment of danger, notified their comrades about the approach of the enemy.
The history of the Scouts was closely connected with the Kuban River. Every day, patrols rode along its banks, which closely followed the movements on the other side of the seething stream. Not least, the Highlanders were dangerous adversaries because of the surprise of their attacks. That is why the service carried by the Kuban Cossacks-plastuns was so important.
Reconnaissance patrols (which usually had 2-3 people) constantly changed their routes in order not to fall into an enemy ambush. In the event of an invasion of the Circassians, the vanguard posts were abandoned. The Cossacks concentrated on the main cordon line. In addition, reinforcements from the rear hurried to their rescue. In the worst case scenario, even those military men who had already served 22 field years were drawn to the cordons. Most often, sections of the defensive line remote from the sea were subjected to attacks. The channel of the Kuban here became narrower, and numerous shoals and islets helped the highlanders to make the crossing faster and more conveniently.
Professional skills
Often scouts waited for uninvited guests, lying in a reed or swamp. It is from this reconnaissance habit that their name comes. To float means to crawl. The ability to remain invisible was vital for scouts. Over time, their signature technique was deposited in the Russian language in the form of the phrase "crawl like a plastuna". Researchers of the history of the Cossacks note that such a masterful pressing toland appeared even among the Cossacks. The word itself, having received a common noun, was preserved in toponymy. For example, many regions of Russia and Ukraine have their own village of Plastunovskaya.
Today scouts are considered the forerunners of the modern domestic special forces. This comparison is not unreasonably popular. These Cossacks had exactly the same functions: reconnaissance, sabotage, deep raids on the enemy's rear. Often scouts were recruited from hunters who spent their whole lives in the forests. If any Cossack could be taught how to handle weapons, then the ability to merge with the environment and become invisible at the most crucial moment was not given to everyone.
To become a scout, it was not enough just to learn to crawl in a plastunsky way. Cossacks from special units were able to memorize every path, navigate in a wild unfamiliar area, swim across a stormy river. They possessed hunting ingenuity, the ability to track down and neutralize the target. Sometimes such chases could stretch for several days, so the Cossack scout knife was given only to the most enduring and capable men.
Duties and privileges
For the first time, as separate units, the scouts entered the regular composition of the regiments in 1842. One such team could include from 60 to 90 people. Immediately after their appearance, the plastun detachments began to enjoy special respect in the army. Their life was extremely dangerous even by Cossack standards. Because of this, the scoutsincreased salary was due. If the Kuban went on a big campaign, then these scouts were in the forefront, exploring the route along which the main army was soon to go.
The most convenient time for scouts has always been night. Their "Cossack uniform" (in the campaign it was replaced by poor mountain clothes) was not visible in the dark, and the ability to maintain silence allowed the scouts to sneak into enemy camps. Often, the daring eavesdropped on the conversations of opponents and found out their plans. For the army, all these services were invaluable.
Experienced scouts knew the local customs of the highlanders. They understood the customs and mores of their dangerous neighbors. This knowledge helped to survive in captivity. In addition, scouts could even wear dyed beards and impersonate "their own". If, at the same time, the scout knew the necessary language and understood the realities of the life of the enemy, he could well penetrate into the camp of the enemy. In the Caucasian languages, the word "kunak" still exists today. So the highlanders called their friends. Often the scouts had their own kunak among the Circassians and other neighboring native peoples. They could report moods and plans in their villages.
Training
Although there were cases when scouts were captured, they considered it a rule not to surrender to the enemy and in a hopeless situation died on the battlefield. The courage of these warriors made them indispensable in the most difficult situations. During the siege of important fortifications by the enemy, the Cossack corps attracted scouts to unblock these positions. The daring men could, with the numerical superiority of the enemy, pull him over and beat him up badly, usingpositional advantages provided by the surrounding area. For example, scouts often opened fire from the forest. Such a sudden attack from nowhere by the enemy, as a rule, was not calculated and cost him heavy losses. If the chase began, then the Cossacks skillfully eluded the hands of the pursuers, hiding in the thickets and swamps. In addition, they were able to arrange effective ambushes that further mowed down the ranks of the enemy.
The Scouts were trained within their environment, their community has always remained somewhat isolated. Even when their status became official, scouts were not appointed, but were elected among the "old men" - the most experienced and respected masters of their craft. It was they who passed on from generation to generation the important and unique knowledge of the scouts. Often this skill became a family affair. So, for example, the Black Sea scouts were often recruited from among the hunting dynasties, which consisted of several generations. The candidates went through a rigorous selection process. Particular attention was paid to their endurance and accuracy.
Tactics
The scouts did not take young people with insufficient physical fitness. These Cossacks had to be able to make exhausting forced marches in wooded and mountainous areas. Their combat path passed through heat, cold and numerous inconveniences associated with camp life. All this required from the candidate remarkable composure and self-confidence. Patience was especially required at the most crucial moment when spying on the enemy. Watching the enemy, scouts couldlie for hours in the reeds or even ice water. At the same time, emitting an extra sound for them meant endangering not only their own, but also a comrade's life. The Cossack uniform could be frayed, get wet, deteriorate, but the endurance of the Cossacks themselves had to withstand even the most unexpected tests.
They themselves called the tactics of the scouts "the wolf's mouth and the fox's tail". It was built according to the nature of the terrain, the tasks and characteristics of the enemy. But, as a rule, the actions of scouts were based on several unshakable principles: maintain ste alth, detect the enemy first and masterfully lure him into an ambush. Scout raids failed if the Cossacks did not know how to clean up their own traces. At the same time, the reverse skill was valued. Good scouts were able to track down the enemy, hiding even in the densest forest.
Crimean War
As mentioned above, for the first time the scouts loudly declared themselves during the Caucasian war against the highlanders. In the future, not a single armed conflict in Russia could do without them. So specialized battalions took part in the Crimean War. They especially distinguished themselves in the defense of Sevastopol and in the battles in Balaklava. Scouts, among other defenders of the motherland, served on the legendary fourth bastion. Count Leo Tolstoy, who also sniffed gunpowder in the Crimean War, was one of the first to depict these Kuban people in fiction. Scouts are mentioned in the famous "Sevastopol Tales" of the Russian classic.
Hisscouts were sent to the Crimean War not only by the Kuban, but also by the Orenburg Cossack army, as well as other camps. Scouts from this number carried out especially dangerous sorties into the enemy's trenches. They, with their characteristic accuracy and accuracy, got rid of sentries and guards before general attacks. In addition, the scouts carried out sabotage and spoiled enemy guns. It was thanks to these Cossacks that the Russian army knew in detail about the movements of the British and French. Often patrols found out the location of mine traps set by enemy sappers. For exploits in the Crimean War, many scouts received the highest individual awards, and the 8th scout battalion became the owner of its own St. George banner.
Battle again
In the future, the reconnaissance units of the Cossacks have proven themselves in armed conflicts with the Ottoman Empire. Scouts made themselves known in the Far East when they were sent to fight the Japanese in 1904-1905.
Finally, the Cossack Pathfinders participated in the First World War. They made a huge contribution to the success of the famous Brusilovsky breakthrough on the Southwestern Front, where 22 plastun battalions served. Many Cossacks from these formations became Knights of St. George, and their names turned out to be symbols of courage and devotion to duty. However, it was then that the Kuban daredevils passed a disastrous fork for themselves. During the Civil War, most of them supported the White movement. The scouts fought the Bolsheviks in the Kuban and the Don, participated in the attack onMoscow and in the battles for Ukraine. After the victory of the Soviet power, the Cossacks were subjected to colossal repressions. Many of them were forced to emigrate, and those who remained in their homeland had to go through the treatment of the Cheka. Cossack life and traditions were systematically destroyed. The traditional stanitsa economy was liquidated. The result of this policy was that in the 20s. Cossacks as a large socio-cultural group disappeared. Together with them, the scouts in the classical sense of the word also remained in the past. They lost their historical roots and foundations, their way of life was outlawed.
Soviet era
But already during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet government changed its rhetoric. She tried to restore the plastun traditions, and for this even the 9th plastun rifle division was created. As a greeting to the glorious past, division into hundreds and battalions was introduced in it.
This plastun division was included in the Separate Primorsky Army. Its first operation was the defense of the Taman Peninsula. It is curious that it is in this region that there is a village of Plastunovskaya. The newly formed Cossack units and volunteer hundreds were distinguished by poor weapons. Often hastily assembled cavalry had nothing but thin and frail collective farm horses. The detachments did not have anti-aircraft guns, tanks and sappers. All this led to heavy losses. According to eyewitnesses, the Cossacks jumped out of their saddles onto tank armor. In addition, they did many other dangerous menial jobs.
Then the Cossacks took part in the Crimeanoperations. The liberation of the peninsula began with the destruction of the Wehrmacht rearguards in the vicinity of Kerch in April 1944. For several months, the Cossack units were undergoing modernization. They united with the cavalry divisions and tank units of the Red Army. As a result, horse-mechanized groups arose. Horses were used for fast movement, while in battle the Cossacks acted as infantry. In modern Russia, the phenomenon of scouts has undergone a reassessment and numerous studies. Today, Cossack organizations operate throughout the country, in which forgotten military traditions are being revived.
