Finding information on Russian infantry and cavalry standards during the war has proven a difficult task. It is clear from all the personal accounts that colors were carried by the Russian army throughout the war. However,none of these accounts describe the flags carried. There is a lack of photographs depicting Russian flags during a war that was well covered by the photographer. Fortunately, two Courier readers were able to fill the void.

The information provided by Allen Curtis and Dan Schorr came from the book Znamena i shtandarty Russkoy armii, XVI v. - 1914, i morskiye flagi. This book, written in Russian and French, provides the wargamer with details on the design of the flags, when the flags were issued to which regiments, the colors scheme of the flags, and the numerous variations used within the flags. This book contains drawings of over 140 flag patterns used during the Russo-Japanese War period, including the cavalry, artillery and specialist corps.

The following paragraphs are only the basics to give the wargamer an idea of the appearance of Russian flags during the war. The flags carried during the war present a kaleidoscope of old and new styles. A complete guide is extremely complex and there isn't enough space here to explain in all the detail necessary.

Russian Standards

Russian standards normally identified the unit that carried them. The period of the Russo-Japanese War was no exception. The Model 1857, 1876, 1883, and 1900 flags that were carried were all based on a system of four regiments. Every Russian division (or rifle brigade) consisted of four regiments. These regiments were assigned to divisions in sequential numeral order. For example, the 1st Division consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Regiments, while the 14th Division consisted of the 53rd, 54th, 55th, and 56th Regiments. This pattern also holds true for the reserve divisions raised during the war i.e., the 72nd Division contained the 285th, 286th, 287th, and the 288th Regiments.

The system is important to wargamers because the colors of various parts of the flags changed based on whether the regiment was the first, second, third, or fourth regiment in the division. Additionally, a regiment's button color could vary the colors used on its flag. All units in 1904 had gold buttons except Grenadier Regiments 13-16 and Sappuers units, which had silver buttons. Guards, rifles and cavalry used the same system, and added branch colors which differentiated them from line units.

Regimental Standards

Russian regimental standards used one basic pattern from 1797 until 1883. This design, based on the Prussian flags of the same period, was a Maltese cross with the Russian eagle in the center. In 1883, Alexander III approved a new flag design for the Russian Army. The new flags, the Model 1883, issued by Alexander III, and the Model 1900, issued by his son, Nicholas II, were a complete departure from the earlier germanic style. This design change was in keeping with Alexander's move to Russianize the appearance of the army. The new flags displayed an icon surrounded by an elaborate border. An icon is a stylized religious picture depicting Jesus, Mary, the saints or other important individuals and/or religious scenes from the Bible. Zweguintzow provides details for 53 different icons used by the regiments on the new flags.

The gamer must realize that these flags had countless variations, based on date of issue, honors, etc. Figures 1 and 2 depicts two Model 1883 flags; the first is an infantry standard (the 55th Podolski), the second is a cavalry flag (the Primorski Dragoons). The Model 1883 infantry flag is 28" x 25", while the cavalry flag is 15" x 13". The design of the Model 1883 is the regimental patron saint depicted as an icon centered on the obverse side on a colored background.

The Model 1900 is similar, except that a single icon, the Saint's Face (figure 1), is used on all the flags instead of individual regimental icons. The colored background is determined by the type of unit (i.e. guard, line, etc.). The background color for all the line units (infantry and cavalry) is white; the cossacks background color is determined by tribe. The icons of the 1883 issue are painted on the cloth, while the 1900 issue icons are embroidered. The icons are presented in natural colors.

There are two borders on the flags. The outer border is a colored stripe, bordered by trim. The color of the stripe is based on the four regiment system. The first regiment of the division is red, the second clear blue, the third white, and the fourth green. The border trim is either silver or gold, depending on the uniform button color. Ten 8-pointed stars, also in button color, are spaced within this border. The inner border is a woven knot pattern set on a white background (figure 2). The knot pattern color is based on the four regiment system, and matches the outer border color. The exception is the third regiment, which used red as their pattern color instead of white, so the pattern will show against the white background of the inner border. Battle honors, for the regiments awarded them, replaced the knot pattern in the inner border. The honors depicted in figure 1 are for the siege of Sevastopol in 1854-55. Colors of Saint George were similar, but their honors are written in the upper inner border, with the ribbon of St. George in the lower inner border (figure 3).

All these flags displayed the same design on the reverse (figure 4 and 5). This consisted of the Tsar's cypher in the center of the flag, with an outer and inner border. The outer border was the same as on the obverse, while the inner border used the knot pattern with the imperial eagles of Russia set in the corners. The knot pattern was in the regiment's button color. The eagles were black, with gold or silver details based on button color. In the center, Tsar's cypher was set on a colored background. The Model 1883 used the cypher of Alexander III's, while the Model 1900 used Nicholas II's cypher. The background color was white for the line units, with the cossack units again varying by tribe.

Figure 6 is an example of a pre-1883 pattern flag. This is included because in 1898, regiments 201-264 were formed from the reserves to increase the size of the army. Most of these regiments received Model 1876 flags from individual reserve battalions 1-96, while a few received the Model 1883. The Model 1876 is the germanic style flag that the 1883 pattern replaced. The flag is 41" x 41" in size. The cross on the reserve flags is always white; while the corners were half black/half white, divided by an orange stripe. The cross and the corners are outlined in orange.

The color of the designs is based on the four regiment system; the first is red, second clear blue, third white, and the fourth is green. For example, the 219 I.R. received the flag of the 75th reserve battalion. The 75th is originally the third regiment of a division (Russian reserve battalions are designed to expand to regiments during war), so the design color is white. The black eagle is set on an orange background centered on the flag.

The staff finials changed along with the flag pattern. The pre-1883 finials for line units were a pierced spear point, with a Maltese cross inside the point (figures 3 and 7 have pre-1883 finials). The 1883 pattern finial (figure 1) was an Orthodox Eastern cross set upon an orb. The model 1900 was a pierced spear point, with the eagle inside the point, atop of an orb (figure 2). The Russian guard units (none of which served in Manchuria) continued to use the solid eagle with outstretched wings until 1917.

Cravats were used to display various honors awarded to Russian regiments. All cravats were 56" x 2 1/2". The first type of cravat was the honor of Saint George. This cravat was orange with black stripes, with the honor written in gold on the cravat. The second type of cravat was the 100th year Jubilee of Saint Andre and Saint Alexandre. The guard units were awarded the cravat of Saint Andre in 1899, while the line received the cravat of Saint Alexandre in 1896. The cravat of Saint Andre was clear blue with the honor written in silver upon the cravat. The cravat of Saint Alexandre was a red with the honor written in gold. Cravats were affixed to the staff by a bow below the finial.

Complex

This is only a brief discussion of a very complex system. I kept it short as it appears that the Model 1883 and 1900 flags are carried cased at all times. LTC Schyuler was an American observer assigned to the Russian army in Manchuria. In his report, he stated that the Russian colors are carried cased, even while the regiment is in battle. This is supported by Zweguintzow, and helps explain the lack of photographs depicting Russian standards. The reason for the cased colors is that the flags were treated as religious artifacts. Icons are sacred within the Orthodox Eastern Church, and the flags are displayed only for religious ceremonies or state occasions; thus while the flags always accompanied the regiment, they are always carried cased.

So what flags should a Russian army display on the wargame table? There is some evidence that the Model 1883 and 1900 were carried uncased in Manchuria, but the sources lack the credibility of the military observers. There is enough, however, to make an arguement to display these flags in battle. I am currently studying all my eye witness accounts to find any statements about Russian colors in battle. What I am currently doing is casing my Russian colors. I am using tissue paper wrapped around the staff, painted with a weak mixture of white glue. After this dries, I paint the tissue black to replicate the canvas cover. The Frontier standard bearer carries a staff with an eagle finial (great for guards). I am triming the eagle to resemble a cross, but I can't do much with this in 15mm. The finials were introduced over a period of 27 years, so the painter must check each regiment to determine whether they were issued a Model 1883, Model 1900, or pre-1883 finial.

Though much of the regular army was retained in European Russia during the Manchurian war, many reserve regiments served in Manchuria. The evidence supports that their flags were carried uncased into battle. Many of the eye witness battle reports I have available describe regiments marching into combat with flags flying. This is confusing based on what I know about the Model 1883/1900 flags.

After researching the orders of battle for each of these actions, I discovered that all these actions involved some of the reserve regiments. Most of these regiments (there are some exceptions) still carried the model 1876 flag. These flags are carried uncased into battle. Additionally, my information indicates that some of the regular regiments never received Model 1883/1900 flags, but continued to carry Model 1857/1876 flags.

After cross checking the OBs and the flag information, I found that some of these regiments served in Manchuria. It appears that the regiments of the 15th Division carried Model 1857 flags, while the regiments of the 41st Division carried Model 1857 flags with the 1860 modifications.

The Model 1857 flags (figure 7) are of the basic germanic design. These flags are 56" x 56" in size. The color of the maltese cross is based on the system of four, using the colors stated earlier in this article. The corner rays are half black, half white, with orange trim as in the Model 1876. The black imperial eagle is centered on an orange background, and the designs are in the button color. The 1860 modifications involve small changes in design size and style, not noticeable in 15mm.

Headquarters Flags

The Russians also used headquarter flags during the war. These flags were used to mark the location of headquarters on the battlefield. The photographic evidence doesn't support their use in battle, so I believe that they were used to only mark fixed locations behind the lines. I will not include a description of these flags here, but LTC Schuyler describes them in his report.

Another discovery was that Japanese battalions carried flags. Each battalion carried a flag used to mark its position on the battlefield. All the flags had a white background, but I don't know the size. The first battalion's flag had one horizontal red zig-zag streak, the second had one red, then one blue; the third had one red, one blue, and then one red. Examples are shown in figure 8. Dan Schorr provided some pictures of Japanese flags from the mid-1930s showing a similar flag system still in use by the Japanese Army.

UNIFORMS

CPT Reichmann, 17th U.S. Infantry, was an American observer during the war, and was assigned to the I Siberian Army Corps. In his report, he provides a detailed description of Russian uniforms. His information agrees with what I presented in my earlier article with this clarification. He states that the color used to dye the summer uniforms was more gray than khaki. His observations were limited to the I Siberian Army Corps, which was one of the original units in Manchuria. My research shows that there was a lack of uniformity within the Russian army on uniform coloring, as many shades and colors were used. Individual units did the dye work, using whatever colors were available. A Russian army in summer uniform could present a range of colors from white to butternut to khaki to gray in appearance on the wargame table.

The Japanese made some changes to their khaki uniforms during the war. In the summer of 1905, the Japanese added the branch colors and rank to the officer's khaki uniforms. The collar and cap band was faced, and the breeches piped, with the branch color as it was done on the original blue uniform. Rank was shown on branch colored shoulder boards with gilt stripes and stars. From the black and white photographs, I believe that this was happening unofficially throughout the war by all ranks. The painter should not limit this change to 1905.

Finally, a little more variety for the Japanese. I have many photographs of Japanese soldiers wearing their khaki tunics with their blue trousers. This is likely a result of supply difficulties and the weather. This offers many variations to a figure painter. In looking at the photos, a gamer could justify a large variety of mixed uniforms in his units.

ARTILLERY ORGANIZATION

The British Official History (BOHRJW) states that the Japanese 7th Division had only two field batteries and two mountain batteries (24 guns) instead of the three each I stated in my earlier article. The U.S. War Department history of the war supports the BOHRJW. The German Official Account (GOARJW) states that the division had six batteries during the battle of Mukden.

As the British likely possessed the better information (they were Japan's ally), I would lean towards their numbers. This division was the last regular division to deploy. The 7th was assigned to LTG Nogi's Third Army, but didn't arrive in Manchuria until November, 1904. The BOHRJW and the U.S. War Department history shows that the Japanese 2nd Field Artillery Brigade (16th, 17th and 18th Regiments) possessed only four batteries in each regiment (24 guns) instead of the normal six batteries. The GOARJW states the brigade had six batteries per regiment at Mukden. Again I would use the British data. This brigade was also assigned to the Third Army, and arrived from Japan in July, 1904.

HIGHER ORGANIZATIONS

The Japanese raised four additional regular divisions (13th, 14th, 15th and 16th) during the war. I found evidence that only the 13th Division saw active service, invading Sakhalin Island in July, 1905. All of these divisions were raised by conscription, and are in no way equivalent of the pre-war regular units. For wargaming they should be treated as second rate units, similar to the Kobi units.

I said earlier that only one Kobi division was formed during the war. I have since discovered that the 2nd Kobi Division was organized in February, 1905. The BOHRJW states that this division was formed from the 16th and 17th Kobi Brigades, and was employed against the Russian forces in northeastern Korea. The GOARJW doesn't cover the operations in Korea after the summer of 1904, but reflects that the 16th Kobi Brigade was part of the Fifth Japanese Army at the battle of Mukden and doesn't mention a second Kobi division. These two histories disagree on the location of the 16th Kobi Brigade in early 1905. My best guess is that the 2nd Kobi Division was originally formed using the 17th Brigade, with the 16th Brigade joining the division later.

FIGURES

First, a correction from my first article. The Frontier Russian infantry figure is cast with a bayonet scabbard. The painter must cut the scabbard off to be correct. Russian soldiers in both the Russo-Japanese and the First World Wars lacked a bayonet scabbard.

Artillery is my next issue. I was informed that Rank and File Figures is planning to add a Russo-Japanese line to their extensive mid to late 1800s range of figures, and needed photos and information on equipment used during the war. This caused me to extensively research the photographic evidence of artillery used during the period, and to reexamine my stop-gap solutions for artillery models.

Again, I'll begin with the Russians. The Minifig 12pdr RBL is better as the Model 1900 Putilov (Pitulow) than the Minifig 7.62 cm Putilov I recommended in my first article. Second, the Model 1892 field gun is really a newly made Model 1879 Maevskii. The Maevskii is a Russian version of the Model 1877 Krupp gun used during the Russo-Turkish War. Rank and File makes a Russo-Turkish War Krupp gun. The barrel is perfect, but the carriage lacks the high rise of the trunnion cheeks. The Minifig colonial Krupp will not work, while I have not seen the Franco-Prussian War Krupp. The Essex model Krupp carriage is good, but the barrel is inaccurate for the Model 1892. The gamer should use the Minifig 12pdr RBL for the Russian horse artillery (Putilov) with the axle seats trimmed off.

I have yet to find any artillery that is accurate for the Japanese Arisaka gun. The problem is that the barrel trunnions are in line with the wheel axle, giving the gun a very low look. The Minifig Creusot gun (Boer War) is the right idea, but doesn't have the right look. The best model is still the Essex British breachloading field gun. As is, it works. If you trim the gun cheeks off the carriage, and cut out the trail between the axles to fit the gun barrel between the carriage rails, it would be very close match.

The Arisaka mountain gun presents the same problem. I am still using the Minifig Krupp because of the small wheels and short barrel. If you wish to model the mountain gun, use the Essex model modified as above, with wheels half the size as the ones Essex supplies with the gun. The three pictures I possess of mountain guns show the Japanese crew crouching down to serve the piece, and the carriage wheels only reach to the gunner's waist.

I believe that this article has corrected several mistakes and answered some of the outstanding issues left unresolved from my first article. I am hoping that some of The Courier's readers can help with figures for the period. I am still looking for command figures and dismounted cavalry for my Manchurian battles.

More Russo-Japanes War

Russo-Japanese War: Historical Analysis, Armies Organization, OOB

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