DRILL:
Infantry travelled in column of fours (a battalion in this formation had a depth of 270 yards), column of half-sections (12-man front), or column of sections (24-man front). When deploying into attack formation, at about 1500-2500 yards from the enemy, two companies of the battalion would send forward a firing line in skirmishing order, each company covering a front of about 200 yards; the rest of the company would remain in support about 400 yards behind the
firing line. The other two companies of the battalion would form the reserve line 400 yards behind the support line. As the enemy was approached, the supports and reserves would reinforce the firing line until at 100 yards distance the merged battalion would charge the enemy.
Cavalry squadrons were divided into 4 pelotons, normally each of 16 files. The front of a squadron in line in double rank was 60 yards and of a regiment of 6 squadrons in line was 433 yards (including intervals equal to the front of a peloton between squadrons). Other formations laid down in the Russian drill book were: line of squadron columns at deploying intervals, column of squadrons at wheeling distance. A cavalry regiment was instructed to attack in single line; larger bodies of cavalry in 3 lines. Against enemy infantry, the allop be an at 800 yards; against enemy cavalry, the gallop began at 300-400 yards and the final spurt at 150 yards. Cavalry covered 86 yards per minute at the walk, 230 yards at the trot, and 310 yards at the gallop.
Along a road, the cavalry travelled in columns of threes or sixes; a Cossack regiment and its train in column of threes had a death of 1033 yards and in column of sixes 660 yards. Cossack cavalry used a special attack formation called a "Lava " A regiment of 6 squadrons would form "Lavas", the first consisting of 3 squadrons (sotnias) in line or column and the second of 2 squadrons in echelon with the last squadron in close order and in reserve. Half of each attacking squadron would be extended in single rank to draw fire with the other half 250 yards to the rear in a second wave. The squadron would trot to within 125 yards of the enemy and then charge. Cavalry would dismount only in exceptional circumstances; in each squadron, 2/3 of the men of 3 pelotons would dismount and form a firing line of about 30 yards front. The remaining peloton would remain mounted to act as cavalry if the firing line was threatened.
A battery of 8 guns had a front of 167 yards at full intervals, 75 yards at half intervals, and 37 yards at close intervals. A battery in column of route had a depth of 530-620 yards with its first line train, depending on the type of gun.
Extreme range for heavy artillery was 5,250 yards, 7,000 yards for light or horse artillery, and 3,500 yards for mountain artillerh. However, effective ranges were considered to be 2,600-2,850 (long), 1,900-2,200 (medium, common shell and shrapnel), and 880-1,100 yards (short, common shell only). Between 720 and 1,200 rounds were carried per battery, according to type.
In close order, the Russian infantry formed up in double rank, with the rear rank one pace behind the front rank. A company of 100 files (200 men) would have a front of about 70 yards. The rifle mainly used was the Berdun single-shot breechloader, pattern 1871; this was sighted to 1,250 yards but firing was generally not opened until 800 yards. Each infantryman carried 34 rounds, with a further 48 rounds per man in the regimental transport. The bayonet was always carried fixed. Officers and sergeant-majors were armed with a sword and a revolver (150 yards pointblank range, 12 rounds per man). The Berdan carbine carried by Cossack cavalry was sighted to 930 yards.
TACTICS FOR COLONIAL WARFARE
The Russians adopted special tactics for warfare against irregular tribesmen and these will come into play should, say, a Turkoman revolt develop in the rear of the Russian positions or the Pathans of the North-West Frontier not be influenced by Russian bribes and begin to conduct guerilla warfare against the invaders. Firstly, it was necessary for the Russians to protect their baggage train, which was usually extensive; the advance on Khiva in 1874 required 8,800 camels for 5,500 men. A force in hostile country would bivouac in square formation in a laager or zariba, with the gun 8 in the centre of the sides, and Cossack outposts would be thrown out to give warning of attacks. On the march, the baggage train would be protected to the front, flank and rear and the column would form square if attacked. An advance guard of up to j of the strength of the main body would travel 1/2 to 1 mile ahead.
Generally, the mounted men remained outside a square. General Skobeleff, who commanded the troops that stormed Geok Tepe in 1881, had several Maxims for Colonial warfare (he also had some Gatling guns); he believed in close, mobile, and pliable formations which could defeat irregulars by careful well-aimed volley fire and by the bayonet -- he thought the column attack was always terrifying to tribesmen; he stated that the main principle of Asiatic warfare was to preserve close formation; he ordered his cavalry not to enter into combat with the Turkoman cavalry or camelry unless the enemy was in an unfavourable situation and he regarded pursuit of retreating cavalry as useless since it broke up his tactical formation; he laid stress on independent action by individual infantry companies and counted his forces in terms of companies rather than battalions; and finally his main consideration was never to make war in "small packets" against tribesmen -- it was essential to strike decisively and never to show signs of wavering.
UNIFORM DETAIL
The basic Russian uniform of this period consisted of a dark green tunic and dark green trousers tucked into black leather boots. A flat dark green cap without peak was worn for service dress but some of the Cossacks wore their typical fur hat. In hot weather, the regular troops wore a white linen blouse with coloured shoulder straps to indicate their unit and a white linen cover over their cap. In Turkestan and Transcaspia, leather breeches, dyed a reddish colour, were worn in the field and at manoeuvres.
A private of the 4th Turkestan Rifle Battalion in 1890 wore a doublebreasted dark green tunic, fastened by hooks, green trousers without a stripe down the seams, a dark brown leather belt, and a dark green cap. The cap had crimson piping and the shoulder straps were also crimson, with yellow insignia. The greatcoat was of grey homespun with crimson shouldered straps and green collar patches. Gunners had scarlet piping on the collar, a black cap band with scarlet piping, and scarlet shoulder straps with yellow insignia, and carried a sword and revolver; the greatcoat had black collar patches with scarlet piping and scarlet shoulder straps.
Turkestan Frontier Battalions had light blue shoulder straps and scarlet collar patches on both the tunic and greatcoat, and a scarlet cap band. Local troops had green shoulder straps, scarlet piping on the cap, and no collar patch (but there was a green patch on the greatcoat). Infantry NCOs were distinguished by stripes of yellow or white braid across the shoulder straps whilst officers had longitudinal stripes.
A Cossack of the 5th Orenburg Regiment in 1890 also, wore a dark green tunic and trousers (the latter had a yellow stripe down the seams), a blue cap band with yellow piping, and blue shoulder straps with yellow piping. He carried a Berdan carbine and a sword. The Ural Cossacks were dressed in blue, had crimson piping on the cap, and crimson shoulder straps and trouser stripes.
The Astrakhan Cossscks were also dressed in blue but had yellow piping on th e cap, and yellow shoulder straps and trouser stripes. The front ranks in Ural and Astrakhan Cossack regiments carried 9-foot lances. The greatcoat was carried in front of the saddle and the blanket behind, together with a mess-tin and hay-net. In hot weather, the Cossacks in Turkestan wore a frock of grey camel-hair cloth with shoulder straps of the regulation colour. The Kuban Cossacks in Transcaspia wore their national costume of a long dark brown coatj scarlet waistcoat and dark trousers; the only concession to military requirements was the addition of scarlet shoulder straps to the coat. The flamboyant Don Cossacks of the Tsar's Bodyguard wore red tunics and trousers.
Figures used for rifle battalions should, to be authentic, be smaller than those used for Guard and Grenadier units: the minimum height qualification for the Guard was 5' 6 1/2" , for Grenadier regiments 5' 4 3/4", and for the Rifles 5' 1 1/4".
STANDARDS
Each infantry battalion (including Rifles) had a colour 50", square, carried on a pike or staff 9 ft long. The field of the colour was traversed by a St. George's cross (yellow for Guard and white for other units); the squares thus left at the angles were alternately black and white and were bordered by a narrow orange edging, except for the Guard. The centre of the cross was orange and contained a wreath of laurel leaves embroidered in gold. In each corner of the colour, there was a patch about 87", square with the Tsar's cypher. The colour of the patches was the same as that of the facings for Line or Guard infantry, crimson for Rifles and Light blue for Frontier units.
Each Cossack Regiment carried a Standard of the same colour as the body of the regimental shoulder straps, with the initial letter or number of the regiment in the centre (in red if main colour was yellow or dark green and in yellow if main colour was crimson, scarlet or blue). In addition, each squadron carried a burgee-shaped guidon, with the upper half the same colour as the regimental shoulder straps and the lower half scarlet for the first squadron, blue for the second, white for the third, dark green for the fourth, yellow for the fifth and cinnamon brown for the sixth.
This ends the description of the Turkestan forces of the 1880s and the Russian Bear of the White Tsar is all set to twist the tail of the British Lion.
REFERENCES
1.Handbook of the Russian Troops in Asia, Major J.W. Murray, War Office, 1890, i n
Tracts relating to Military affairs 1888-1891.
2. Handbook of the Russian Army, Major J.W. Murray, War Office, 1889.
3. The Armed Strength of Russia, War Office, 1882.
4. Russian Advances in Asia, War Office, 1873.
5. Confrontation in Central Asia 1885, R.A.Mohl, History Today, 19699 XIX page 176.
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© Copyright 1971 by Donald Featherstone.
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