In 1916 - 1918. soldiers and officers of the Russian Army, who are part of the Expeditionary Corps (1st - 4th Special Infantry Brigades), took a direct part in hostilities on the Western (French) and Balkan (Thessaloniki) fronts.
The 1st Special Infantry Brigade, after being transferred to France, arming and adapting to the realities of the new theater of operations, was ready to act at position 12 07., and the 3rd Special Infantry Brigade - 28.09.1916. Each consisted of more than 9500 soldiers and officers.
The 2nd and 4th Special Infantry Brigades located in Thessaloniki arrived at the front in the summer of 1916.
A. Russian troops on board the transport at the time of arrival in Marseille.
B. Arrival of Russian troops in Thessaloniki.
A French instructor introduces French machine guns to Russian soldiers.
Russian units in France. Before leaving for the front line.
Russian banner in France.
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The 1st Special Infantry Brigade, being part of the French 4th Army, fought in Champagne. According to the testimony of the Russian military agent in France A. A. Ignatiev, the appearance of Russian soldiers on the French front raised the spirit of the allies and was an unpleasant surprise for the Germans [A. A. Ignatiev, 50 years in the ranks. T. 2. Petrozavodsk, 1964. S. 237].
Allies. Commander of the 1st Special Infantry Brigade, Major General N. A. Lokhvitsky, surrounded by Russian and French officers in positions. Champagne, summer 1916.
Russian subdivisions regularly practiced traditional raids of hunters, night searches, removed posts, destroyed firing points - the Germans had to pay particular attention to the vigilance of their units in the "Russian" sector of the front.
The constant activity of the Russians led to the fact that the enemy, being in constant tension, could not rest even during periods of calm. This made the Germans nervous, who installed plaques on the parapet of their trenches with the inscriptions addressed to the 1st brigade: "You did not have enough land to die in Russia, you will die in France" [Lisovenko D. U. They wanted to deprive them of their homeland. M., 1960. S. 43]. And on July 16, after artillery preparation, the enemy attacked the positions of the 1st Special Infantry Regiment. But, contrary to the established realities of positional warfare on the French front, on the approach to the Russian positions the Germans were met with a bayonet counterattack and thrown back to their original position (according to an eyewitness, the fighters shouted: “It's us, Russians!”). The Russians lost about 40 people, and the Germans lost up to a hundred [Danilov Yu. N. Russian detachments on the French and Macedonian fronts 1916-1918. Paris, 1933. S. 75].
Among the increased precautions that the Germans took against the activity of the Russian units were: harassing fire, reinforcing barbed wire, mowing the grass covering the shelling. It helped a little - sorties and searches for Russians continued. So, on the night of August 2, a group of hunters, penetrating into the German trench and stabbing several German soldiers, brought with them a German shoulder strap - a reconciliation of the enemy's disposition was carried out on it [Ibid. P. 76].
On September 18, while repelling an enemy attack, the 3rd battalion of the 2nd Special Infantry Regiment, knocking over German rifle chains with bayonets, drove them to the enemy trenches. On this day, 4 enemy attacks were repelled.
The courage of the 1st Special Brigade did not go unnoticed by the French command. On September 26, the valor of the Russians, by order of the army, was noted by the commander of the 4th Army, Divisional General A. Gouraud, and later by the Commander-in-Chief Marshal J. Joffre [Pavlov A. Yu. Russian troops in France during the First World War // New sentry. 1994. No. 2. S. 95].
The 1st Brigade has won a brilliant combat reputation.
In October 1916, its units on the front line were replaced by the 3rd Special Infantry Brigade. In addition to positional battles, she withstood the enemy gas attack. In November, the German command transferred to the "Russian" combat area one of its best front-line formations - the 212nd so-called. Steel Infantry Division.
Russian soldiers in Champagne. Waiting for a gas attack.
In March 1917, special teams from the 5th Special Infantry Regiment conducted a successful reconnaissance in force: after the French artillery fired at the enemy positions, they broke into the German trenches and were able to hold out there for about half an hour, capturing trophies and prisoners. This successful battle again earned high praise from the French command, and a number of soldiers were awarded the Military Crosses.
As part of the now French 5th Army, both Special Brigades took part in the offensive led by the new French Commander-in-Chief, General R. Nivel. The 1st brigade performed a strike mission, operating in the sector of vil. Kursi, and the 3rd brigade at the first stage of the offensive was in the army reserve.
The village of Kursi.
On April 16, 1917, units of the 1st brigade went forward. The waves of the attacking Russian chains were ahead of the French waves, and it was the attack of the 1st brigade units that led to the capture of the village. Kursi. Having completed the assigned task, its soldiers, being under powerful enemy artillery fire, fought off German counterattacks. On the first day of the offensive, Russian units captured 635 prisoners. Losses of the brigade amounted to 50% of the composition (including 28 officers). Moreover, the task was overfulfilled - the 3rd battalion of the 2nd Special Infantry Regiment knocked out the enemy from the fortified positions located north of the village. Kursi.
Chief of the 1st Special Infantry Brigade (from June 1917 - 1st Special Infantry Division) Lieutenant General N. A. Lokhvitsky. During the battles for the village. Kursi was twice shell-shocked. He was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.
Machine gunner Georgievsky cavalier and future Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky, during the battles for the village. Kursi was wounded.
The 3rd brigade was brought into battle at the final stage of the offensive - it also completed its combat mission, breaking through the enemy's defenses and repelling all counterattacks.
Commander of the 3rd Special Infantry Brigade, Major General V. V. Marushevsky.
The Russian regiments withdrew by order of the command - they fulfilled and exceeded their tasks, advancing much further than the French units.
During the Nivelle Massacre, brigades (especially the 1st) suffered heavy losses. Out of 5,100 people in the 1st brigade, the losses amounted to up to 3,000 people (some battalions lost up to 80% of their composition).
Russian brigades were awarded with collective military awards - Military crosses and mentioned in the orders of the French command.
Russian soldiers in France.
The revolutionary events of 1917 did not pass by the Special Brigades in France - the influence of newspapers, agitators, etc. gradually led to a drop in discipline in the units and their degradation. The result of this process was the open disobedience of a part of the soldiers and the division of the personnel of the brigades (after the October Revolution) into 3 categories, one of which completed the Russian Legion. He fought to the bitter end, personifying the Russian army in the eyes of the allies and solemnly carrying the Russian banner under the Parisian Arc de Triomphe during the Victory Parade.
The Russian Legion (Legion of Honor), including a maximum of 51 officers and 1625 soldiers, distinguished itself during the repulsion of the German spring offensive of 1918 (after the May battles near Soissons, many legionnaires were awarded), and then during the breakthrough of the Hindenburg line. The legionnaires imprinted with their blood in the final battles of the world war Russia's loyalty to allied obligations. The Russian legion suffered heavy losses - by 1.11.1918, it consisted of only 564 people (taking into account the reinforcements that passed through its ranks).
A. P. Budberg recalled that on September 2-16, 1918, the 3-company Legion of Honor, which was part of the renowned Moroccan division, broke through the Hindenburg line at the forefront of the allied offensive, moving ahead of French artillery fire, repulsing enemy counterstrikes, and aroused admiration French command, proving loyalty to the allied duty and the eternity of Russian military Glory [AP Budberg Armed Forces of the Russian Empire in the performance of all-Union tasks and responsibilities during the war of 1914-1917. Paris, 1939. S. 43].
Yu. N. Danilov also noted that up to the conclusion of the armistice on November 11 in the ranks of the Entente forces in France, a small Russian detachment, which took part in the final offensive of the allied armies to the Rhine, was tirelessly fighting, proving Russia's loyalty to allied obligations, [Danilov Yu. N. Decree … op. S. 247.].
After the victory, the Russian Legion took part in the occupation of the left bank of the Rhine.
Located in Macedonia, the 2nd Special Infantry Brigade (about 9 thousand people), which is part of the troops of the Thessaloniki Front, together with French divisions, participated in the offensive against Florina. In a battle on September 19, 1916 with units of the Bulgarian 52nd Infantry Regiment, the brigade lost about 600 soldiers and officers. And by October 15, its total losses were more than 1400 people.
Russian troops on the march. Thessaloniki front.
At the end of September, the Franco-Russian division was formed, which included the 2nd Special Brigade, a regiment of Zouaves and 2 groups of artillery (8 heavy and 20 light guns). As part of this unit, the brigade fought until the end of October.
Commander of the 2nd Special Infantry Brigade (from the end of October 1916, head of the Franco-Russian division), Major General M. K. Diterichs.
After fierce battles in November 1916, units of the 2nd brigade entered the town of Monastyr.
Halt of Russian units heading for the front line. Thessaloniki front, 1916
After the arrival of the 4th Special Infantry Brigade (up to 7,300 people) at the front, both Russian brigades were included in the Serbian army.
During the battles on December 11-13, units of the 4th brigade defeated the opposing Bulgarian-German troops - and this fact was noted in the order of the Serbian commander.
Commander of the 4th Special Infantry Brigade, Major General M. N. Leontyev.
In the spring of 1917, the 2nd brigade took part in the unsuccessful Allied offensive in Macedonia: 5 Russian battalions attacked vysok. Dabits and captured it, capturing 109 German soldiers and 4 officers, but then, without receiving support, withdrew, having lost a total of 1,300 people.
The courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and officers were so massive that only during the battle on April 26, 1917 at vys. Dabitsa were awarded with St. George's Crosses and honorary weapons of 1500 soldiers and officers.
In June, Russian units were involved in an operation to ensure the neutrality of Greece.
In mid-August, in the combat area of the 7th Special Infantry Regiment, the enemy repeatedly tried to overturn Russian units, but was thrown back.
The combat strength of the 2nd and 4th brigades in October 1917 was up to 5,000 soldiers.
Thessaloniki front.
Since, compared to the French, the Macedonian brigades were in a more isolated situation from political factors, they, as combat units, held out longer - until January 1918. In February they were disbanded, but even after that, 500 volunteers from their composition continued to fight the enemy …
Not only they continued the fight - 642 artillerymen remained to serve on the Thessaloniki front, while another 1,800 people remained at the disposal of the British in Greece, 15 officers entered service in the allied seaplane aviation, and officers of Polish nationality enrolled in the Polish Legion.
The valor of the Russian military contingents on the allied fronts is evidenced by some data on losses.
The 1st brigade in 1916 lost 237 people, the 3rd brigade - 475 people. In the course of repelling a gas attack on January 31, 1917 in the 3rd brigade, 328 people were killed and injured. During the Nivelle Massacre, Russian troops lost up to 70 officers and 5,000 lower ranks.
Already by 23. 10. 1916 in the 2nd brigade there were over 2000 wounded and sick [Valentinov NA Russian troops in France and Thessaloniki // Military history collection. Issue 4. M., 1920. S. 13]. In the period 24.11.1916 - 25.01.1917 the 2nd brigade lost up to 2000 people (of which up to 700 were killed) [Pisarev Yu. A. Russian troops on the Salonika front in 1916-1918. // Historical notes. M, 1966. Issue. 79. S. 118].
In the summer of 1917, the brigades are reduced to the 1st and 2nd Special Infantry Divisions.
It is worth noting that the very fact of the presence of large military units of Russia was of great importance for the allies. Russian troops acquired combat experience of operations on a deeply echeloned and highly equipped front, the allies could have fresh and powerful military units.
The brigades were subordinate to the Allied command only in operational terms, had their own organizational structure and command staff, obeyed Russian regulations, and the Russian representative in the Allied Council in France, General of the Cavalry Ya. G. Zhilinsky, enjoyed the disciplinary rights of the front commander in relation to the Russian brigades in France.
The moral resonance from the presence of Russian troops was also significant: the fact of the arrival of the Allied troops (and even those who had a gallant appearance and bearing) delighted the French population. AA Ignatiev, an eyewitness to the first arrival of Russian troops in Marseilles, recalling the Russian infantry strewn with flowers and moving to the shouts of an enthusiastic crowd, stated: "How good it is to be Russian!" [Ignatiev A. A. Decree. op. P. 246].
The passage of the Russian troops in a ceremonial march across the Place de Marseille.
Monument to the soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force in the Kursi commune.
Monument to Russian soldiers in Paris.
Russian troops on the allied fronts have shown themselves to be the best, earning the respect of allies and the enemy. The very fact of fighting the enemy on the allied fronts made it possible to compare the qualities of the allied and Russian troops in similar combat conditions. And this comparison is mainly in favor of the Russians. These battles proved that with an equivalent material and technical supply, the Russian troops are stronger than the German ones.
It should also be noted that such a significant circumstance was that the Russian military contingents fought in the ranks of the allied armies until the official end of the war, symbolizing the state's loyalty to the allied duty. Of course, the 4 Russian brigades that arrived in France and Thessaloniki in 1916 could not noticeably influence the combat situation, but they also contributed to the altar of common victory, and the actions of their heir in the person of the Legion, who fought until the Compiegne Armistice, symbolized participation of the Russian army at the last stage of the war - in the defeat of the powers of the German bloc.
Author: Oleinikov Alexey