Anyone who is interested in the theme of the First World War or the formation of the Russian army often faced very vague times of the split of the Russian army in the period of 1917. Especially the so-called "death squads or shock troops", which were made up of the most desperate fighters.
The initiative to create and reform such units, as a rule, went far from the lowest layers of the military machine of a huge state. It should be noted that their creation was encouraged by the revolutionary government and did not interfere with their creation.
In fact, the histories of such parts are shrouded in considerable mystery, since almost nothing has survived to the contemporaries. The starting point for such units can be considered April 1917, when, against the background of the theater of military operations, volunteer units began to appear with names in which the words “shock, revolutionary, death” were present, as for the uniforms of such units, here the issue was solved autonomously.
Subsequently, in each army of the South and North, their own "death brigades" were organized with a distinctive feature, which was the wearing of a red bandage with skulls and bones applied to it. The fighters of these detachments were none other than elite assault groups, which were the first to rush to attack the enemy. Much in their structure may resemble fanaticism, but in fact they were the most devoted patriots who, with all their might, brought the end of the war closer.
During the outbreak of the revolution and the displacement of the government, the detachments stood on opposite sides of the barricades. Although, with an objective view, the war managed to give birth to the most courageous and fierce fighters, from a poorly trained army or not trained at all. Who fought in the forefront in the name of bringing the goals and objectives of military operations closer. Currently, there are very few records about these units, especially about their form, charter, lifestyle and orders that they carried out.
Also, in the middle of summer, a female corps of "death squads" was created to raise the military spirit of the soldiers and instill terror in the enemy.
Finally, I would like to note that it was these units during the 1917 revolution that gave birth to the elite of the red and white striking force, thus, showing honor and courage, the units disintegrated or sank into existence under the tough steps of the civil war.
