Thanks to the help of our colleague from Moscow Maksim Bochkov, a well-known photographer among fans of historical reconstruction, we got acquainted with the wonderful club of historical reconstruction "Infanteria" from the Moscow region.
Members of the Infanteria club are reconstructing, thus paying tribute to the memory and respect of their fellow countrymen from the 209th Infantry Regiment of Bogorodsk, who fought in the First World War.
The regiment became part of the 1st Brigade of the 53rd Infantry Division of the XX Army Corps of the 10th Army of the Northern Front and fought in East Prussia.
During the retreat of the 10th Army from East Prussia in January-February 1915, the regiment covered parts of the 20th corps, was surrounded by the enemy in the Augustow forests and suffered huge losses. Only about 200 people made it to Grodno. Only a small number of the Bogorodians were taken prisoner by the Germans.
The regimental banner was rescued by the regimental priests Father Philotheus, thanks to which the regiment was re-staffed.
On April 30, 1915, the newly formed 209th Bogorodsky Infantry Regiment, which was staffed with officers and soldiers from other regions of the country, became part of the 34th Army Corps of the North-Western Front that was being formed. In 1916, a unit in the XXIII Army Corps took part in the Brusilov offensive in Volyn.
We have recorded several stories of the commander of the club, Andrei Bondar, about small arms from the First World War, which we will place in the series "Stories about Weapons". Andrey has a very impressive knowledge of the weapons of that time, we are sure it will be very informative.
But we will begin our stories with a demonstration of the uniform and equipment of the infantryman of the 209th Bogorodsky regiment during the First World War.
For those who do not like to watch the video (although it is worth it), we will partially duplicate it the old fashioned way.
The Russian infantryman, leaving for the battlefields of the First World War, was equipped no worse than his allies or opponents.
Let's start the review, naturally, with the form.
The underwear consisted of underpants and a shirt made of cotton. The uniform, consisting of breeches and a tunic, was also sewn from cotton fabric, or, for regions with a colder climate, from cloth.
Equipment. What the Russian infantryman took with him on the campaign.
Naturally, the waist belt. On the belt there were two cartridge pouches for 30 rounds in clips each. Plus an additional pouch for bullets in bulk. At the beginning of the war, each infantryman also had a hinged bandolier for 30 rounds, but in the second half of the war bandoliers were less common.
Sugar bag. There was usually placed dry rations, the so-called "knapsack stock", consisting of crackers, dried fish, corned beef, canned food.
Overcoat. From the so-called greatcoat cloth. In the warm season in the rolling skating. To prevent the ends of the overcoat from spreading, a bowler hat and two leather straps were used for fastening.
A raincoat-tent with a set of pegs and pegs was attached to the overcoat. It was necessary to have a rope about 3 meters long for fastening the assembled tent.
In the cold season, when a soldier was wearing an overcoat, a raincoat-tent with accessories was attached to a knapsack.
Satchel. Intended for storage and transportation of personal belongings of a soldier. A set of linen, footcloths, windings, personal hygiene items, a supply of tobacco.
Each soldier was entitled to a small infantry shovel. Which was later called a sapper, but that is the correct name. The cover for attaching the scapula was originally leather; over time, it began to be made from substitutes, tarpaulin or canvas.
Flask. Glass or aluminum, always in a cloth case. The cover played the role of a thermal insulator, and made it possible not to heat up the liquid in the heat, or vice versa, not to freeze quickly in the cold.
The flask was accompanied by an aluminum mane (cup) for drinking, for example, alcoholic beverages. The Russian soldier was entitled to a glass of alcohol 10 times a year, on major holidays. So basically the cup was meant for hot tea.
Cap. The standard headdress of the Russian infantryman was made either of cloth or cotton, depending on the climatic conditions. A steel spring was originally inserted into the cap, but it often broke, so it was not forbidden to wear a cap without a spring.
In winter, the soldier was entitled to a sheepskin hat and a camel's hood.
Shoulder straps. The shoulder straps of the Russian soldier were field (green) and ordinary, red. Guards regiments wore epaulettes, edged with edging of the regiment's "corporate" color. The regiment number was usually applied on the shoulder straps.
Boots. Boots in the Russian imperial army were made of leather.
As the war progressed, cheaper boots with windings came into use. Winter boots were boots.
The last piece in the soldier's equipment was the weapon. In our case, the Mosin rifle of the 1891 model. And a bayonet. The bayonet always had to be sided.
The rifles were equipped with a belt, which, however, was not intended to be worn permanently. According to the regulations, the rifle was worn in the shoulder position.
We will tell about the Mosin rifle itself and its rivals in the following articles, prepared with the participation of the Infanteria club.
