With the outbreak of the First World War, the situation with armored vehicles began to change radically. This was facilitated by the maneuverable nature of the first weeks of the fighting, as well as the developed road network and a large fleet of vehicles in France and Belgium - it was here that the first armored vehicles appeared in early August.
As for the Russian front, the pioneers in the auto-armoring business were the Germans, who successfully used a new type of military equipment in East Prussia. This is confirmed by the order of the commander of the North-Western Front, cavalry general Zhilinsky No. 35, dated August 19, 1914, which determined the measures to combat enemy armored vehicles:
“The battles that have been taking place recently in the troops of the front entrusted to me have shown that the Germans are successfully using machine guns mounted on armored vehicles. Such machine guns, attached to small cavalry detachments, taking advantage of the abundance of highways and the speed of their movement, appearing on the flanks and in the rear of our location, bombard not only our troops, but also the carts with real fire.
In order to ensure the troops of the North-Western Front from shelling them with machine guns, I order to send forward teams of mounted sappers to damage those highways that can serve the enemy for movement with the aim of both an offensive at the front and a threat to the flanks and rear of our troops. At the same time, it is necessary to choose such sections of the highway that do not have detours ….
Unfortunately, to this day it has not been finally clarified what kind of German armored cars we are talking about. Most likely, these could be high-speed cars armed with machine guns or light trucks, possibly partially armored in the field.
At the moment, the only confirmation of the existence of German armored vehicles is a photo of a "German armored car-trolley" captured in August 1914 in East Prussia.
Information about German armored vehicles, as well as press reports about the hostilities of Allied armored cars in France and Belgium, served as an impetus for the manufacture of the first Russian armored vehicles. The pioneer in this was the commander of the 5th automobile company, staff captain Ivan Nikolaevich Bazhanov.
Born in Perm in 1880, he graduated from the Siberian Cadet Corps, then the Engineering School with an additional course with the title of mechanic, and after the Russo-Japanese War - the Liege Electromechanical Institute with an engineering degree. He worked at factories in Germany, Switzerland, France. In Russia, he worked for several months at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works and at the Provodnik plant. Since 1913 - the commander of the 5th automobile company in Vilno.
On August 11, 1914, Bazhanov, on the personal order of Major General Yanov, left for the 25th Infantry Division of the 1st Army of the North-Western Front “to negotiate the adaptation of a machine gun to a car. On August 18, "with a truck, armored with company assets, with machine guns placed on it," he departed at the disposal of the 25th Infantry Division. In his memoirs, Bazhanov wrote about it this way:
“The work was done in Ixterburg, near Konigsberg. For urgent booking, a truck of the Italian company SPA was used, which was booked with armor sheets from the shields of captured German artillery pieces. It was the first armored vehicle of the Russian Army, armed with two machine guns and disguised as a truck."
On their own, armored cars were also manufactured in the 8th automobile company, which departed for the front on September 18, 1914. Among others, it included "Case cars - 2, cars, armored." The author does not know what they were like.
Naturally, such a spontaneous construction could neither provide the army with armored cars, nor give combat vehicles suitable for widespread use in battles. This required the involvement of large industrial enterprises and support at the highest level.
German armored car-trolley captured by units of the 1st Russian army in East Prussia in battles on August 14-20, 1914 (RGAKFD)
On August 17, 1914, the Minister of War of the Russian Empire, Adjutant General Sukhomlinov, summoned the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment, Colonel Alexander Nikolaevich Dobrzhansky *, temporarily assigned to the Office of the War Ministry, and invited him to form an "armored machine-gun car battery."
Born April 19, 1873 in the Tiflis province, from hereditary nobles. He graduated from the Tiflis Cadet Corps (1891) and the 2nd Constantine Military School (1893), was assigned first to the 149th Black Sea Infantry Regiment, then to His Majesty's 1st Caucasian Infantry Battalion, and in 1896 - to the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment … In 1900 he graduated from the courses of oriental languages at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 1904 he was appointed to be a "military unit" under the Viceroy of His Majesty in the Caucasus. In 1914 he was promoted to colonel, in 1917 to major general. He died on November 15, 1937 in Paris.
On August 19, Dobrzhansky received official permission to build vehicles. It was this document - a sheet from a notebook signed by Sukhomlinov - that served as the starting point for the formation of armored automobile units of the Russian Army.
The choice of Dobrzhansky's candidacy for a new and complex case was not accidental. Serving in the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment at the disposal of the "imperial governor in the Caucasus for military affairs", in 1913 he was sent to the St. Petersburg Cartridge Plant to design a pointed armor-piercing bullet for a 7.62-mm rifle of the 1891 model. The idea of creating an armored car, according to the report of Dobrzhansky himself, was born to him during a business trip to the factories of the Creusot company in France, where he "practically studied this matter as a machine gunner." It is not clear what exactly Dobrzhansky writes about, perhaps he saw partially armored cars armed with Hotchkiss machine guns, made according to the project of Captain Eenti in 1906-1911.
With the outbreak of the First World War, Dobrzhansky "began to propagandize in military circles about the need to create armored vehicles in the army." Apparently, at the same time, the Minister of War Sukhomlinov drew attention to him.
Having received the necessary support at the "top", in early September 1914, Dobrzhansky drew up a "schematic drawing of an armored vehicle" (or, as we would say today, a draft design). For their manufacture, we chose the light chassis of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works of the "C 24/40" type with an engine capacity of 40 hp, (chassis No. 530, 533, 534, 535, 538, 539, 542, the number of the eighth car is unknown, presumably 532). The detailed design of the armor and working drawings was developed by mechanical engineer Grauen, and the construction of the vehicles was entrusted to the armored workshop No. 2 of the Izhora plant of the Naval Department.
In the manufacture of armored cars, the plant had to solve many problems: to develop the composition of the armor, a method for riveting it to a metal frame, methods of strengthening the chassis. To speed up the production of machines, it was decided to abandon the use of rotating towers, and place the weapons in the hull. Dobrzhansky entrusted the design of gunsmith Colonel Sokolov with the development of machine-gun installations for this.
Each Russo-Balta had three 7.62-mm Maxim machine guns arranged in a triangle, which made it possible to "always have two machine guns in battle aimed at the target in case one of them was delayed."The machines developed by Sokolov and the shields sliding on rollers allowed the armored car to be fired at 360 degrees, with one machine gun each in the front and rear hull sheets, and the third was "nomadic" and could be moved from left to starboard and vice versa.
The armored cars were protected by specially hardened chromium-nickel armor 5 mm thick (front and rear plates), 3.5 mm (hull sides) and 3 mm (roof). Such a small thickness was due to the use of a lightweight chassis, which already turned out to be overloaded. For greater bullet resistance, the armor sheets were installed at large angles of inclination to the vertical - in cross-section, the body was a hexagon with a slightly expanded upper part. As a result, it was possible to ensure the bullet resistance of the armor protection of vehicles at a distance of 400 steps (280 meters) when firing a 7.62-mm heavy rifle bullet: this distance is unbreakable), which allows sweeping all enemy attempts to approach with impunity to this limit. The crew of the armored car consisted of an officer, a driver and three machine gunners, for which there was a door in the left side of the hull. In addition, if necessary, it was possible to leave the car through the retractable roof at the rear. The ammunition load was 9000 cartridges (36 boxes with ribbons), the supply of gasoline was 6 pounds (96 kg), and the total combat weight of the vehicle was 185 pounds (2960 kilograms).
A sheet from the notebook of the Minister of War A. Sukhomlinov with an order on the formation of a "car machine gun battery" (RGAKFD)
Even during the initial design, Dobrzhansky came to the conclusion that purely machine-gun armored vehicles would be ineffective "against an enemy hidden in the trenches, against a hidden machine gun or enemy armored vehicles."
Therefore, he developed a draft design of a cannon machine in two versions - with a 47-mm Hotchkiss naval gun and a 37-mm Maxim-Nordenfeld automatic cannon.
But due to lack of time and lack of the necessary chassis, by the time the armored vehicles left for the front, only one cannon vehicle was ready, made on the chassis of a 5-ton 45-horsepower truck of the German company Mannesmann-Mulag, out of five, purchased in 1913.
This armored car had only a fully armored cabin, in which, in addition to the driver, there was a machine gunner, while the machine gun could only fire forward in the direction of the car. The main armament - a 47-mm Hotchkiss naval gun on a pedestal, was installed behind a large box-shaped shield in the back of a truck. There was also another Maxim machine gun, which could be moved from side to side and fire through the side embrasures. The armored car turned out to be quite heavy (about 8 tons) and clumsy, but with powerful weapons. The Mannesmann crew consisted of 8 people, armor thickness 3-5 mm.
In addition, two 37-mm Maksim-Nordenfeld automatic cannons were installed on 3-ton trucks Benz and Alldays, which were not booked due to lack of time (it is curious that the vehicles were transferred to the company from the St. Petersburg branch of the State Bank) …
Alexander Nikolaevich Dobrzhansky, the creator of the first in Russia auto-armored unit. In the photo of 1917, he is in the rank of Major General (RGAKFD)
Simultaneously with the manufacture of armored vehicles, Colonel Dobrzhansky was engaged in the formation of the world's first armored unit, which received the official name of the 1st automobile machine-gun company. On August 31, 1914, a draft of the states of the new unit was sent to the Military Council. This document said the following:
“Frequent episodes from the ongoing battles, both on the French front and on our front, have revealed the significant combat strength of machine guns mounted on cars and protected by more or less thick armor. By the way, there are no such installations in our army at all. The Minister of War recognized the urgent need to organize the relevant units, which is why the project for the organization of the 1st automobile machine-gun company is submitted to the Military Council for consideration.
… All these requirements regarding machine-gun installations are largely satisfied by the proposal of one of the officers of our army, namely, to install machine guns with circular fire on armored light vehicles. Each of them is supposed to accommodate three machine guns, and from the personnel of the driver, officer and three machine gunners. Two armored vehicles make up an automobile machine gun platoon.
To carry out the correct operation of such a platoon at the Theater of Operations, it is provided as follows:
a), for one armored car - one passenger car and one motorcycle;
b), for a machine-gun platoon - one truck with a field workshop and a supply of gasoline."
The following resolution was imposed on this document: "To form according to the mentioned states: according to No. 1 - management of the 1st auto-machine-gun company and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th machine-gun platoons and keep these units for the entire duration of the current war."
On September 8, 1914, by the highest order, the state number 14 of the machine-gun car platoon was approved.
On September 23, 1914, when work on the armoring of the Mannesmann gun was being completed, the commander of the 1st auto-machine-gun company, Colonel Dobrzhansky (appointed to this position by the Imperial Order of September 22), sent the following letter to the Minister of War:
“I propose herewith a draft of the formation staffs at the 1st auto-machine-gun company of the 5th cannon platoon, I petition for its approval. In view of the fact that the guns are of a naval model, the composition of the artillerymen was sent to me for the duration of the war by the Naval Department with a release of maintenance by naval states.
The staff of the gun platoon is offered as follows:
Cargo armored vehicles - 3 (20,000 rubles each);
Trucks 3-ton - 2;
Cars - 3;
Motorcycles - 2.
The proposed state, which received # 15, was approved on September 29th. To service artillery systems "sea-type" in the 1st auto-machine gun company included 10 non-commissioned officers, gunners and miners of the fleet, who were included in the 5th platoon. The commander of the latter was appointed Staff Captain A. Miklashevsky, who was in the past a naval officer, who was called up from the reserve.
Thus, in its final form, the 1st automobile machine-gun company included control (1 cargo, 2 cars and 4 motorcycles), 1, 2, 3, 4th automobile machine-gun and 5th automobile cannon platoons, and numbered 15 officers, 150 non-commissioned officers and privates, 8 armored machine-gun, 1 armored and 2 unarmored cannon vehicles, 17 cars, 5 1, 5-ton and 2 3-ton trucks, as well as 14 motorcycles. All armored "Russo-Balts" received side numbers No. 1 to No. 8, "Mannes-Mann" - No. 1p (cannon), and unarmored - No. 2p and Zp. For ease of control and reporting, at the very beginning of battles, the commander of the 1st auto-machine-gun company introduced a continuous numbering of combat vehicles, while Mannesmann, Benz and Aldeys received # 9, 10 and 11, respectively.
On October 12, 1914, the 1st auto-machine-gun company was examined by Emperor Nicholas II in Tsarskoye Selo, and on October 19, after the "parting prayer" on the Semenovsky parade ground in Petrograd, the company went to the front.
"Russo-Balty" of the 1st auto-machine-gun company on the road near Prasnysh. Spring 1915 (RGAKFD)
Soldiers and officers of the 1st auto-machine-gun company during a parting prayer. Semyonovsky parade ground, October 19, 1914. The armored "Mannesmann-Mulag" is seen in the center (photo by L. Bulla, ASKM)
1st auto-machine-gun company during a parting prayer service. Semyonovsky parade ground, October 19, 1914. The armored vehicles "Russo-Balt" are clearly visible (photo by L. Bulla, ASKM)
The 1st auto-machine-gun company fought its first battle outside the town of Strykov on November 9, 1914. Colonel A. Dobrzhansky wrote the following about this:
“On November 9, 1914, at dawn, Colonel Maksimovich's detachment began to attack the city of Strykov. The 1st automobile machine-gun company … drove at full speed along the highway into the city to the square, fired at the houses that sheltered the enemy, and helped the 9th and 12th Turkestan regiments to seize the city, crashing down the streets.
On November 10, the platoons crossed the city, advanced to the Zgerzhskoe highway, fired at the enemy trenches in the semi-flank, preparing an attack for the riflemen with fire; after taking them with bayonets, they transferred fire along the grove to the left of the highway, knocked out the enemy who was fortifying there.
At this time, the cannon platoon, taking on the flank of the knocked out enemy, together with the riflemen, did not allow him to accumulate in the stronghold - the brick factory near the Zgerzhsky highway. In the number of about two companies, the enemy lay in the trenches to the left of the road, but was completely destroyed by the fire of a car cannon. In the evening the platoons and the cannon were brought forward to support the attack of the factory by the riflemen with fire from the highway, which was taken with bayonets by the night attack."
During the battle, "Mannesmann" with a 47-mm cannon got stuck in the mud and stalled a few tens of meters from the enemy's forward positions. Having come under the fire of German machine guns, which were beating from the church in the village of Zdunska Volya, the crew left the car. The commander of the 5th autorot, staff captain Bazhanov, who was nearby (the one who made the SPA armored car in August 1914), together with naval non-commissioned officer Bagaev made their way to the car. Bazhanov turned to the engine, and Bagaev "turned the armored giant cannon bulk with a cannon towards the Germans and, opening fire, knocked down the Germans' machine guns from the bell tower." After that, with the fire of a gun and a machine gun, the armored car supported the attack of our infantry, which an hour later occupied Zdunskaya Wola. For this Bazhanov was presented to the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, and Bagaev received the St. George Cross of the 4th degree.
In the early morning of November 21, 1914, the 4th platoon of Staff Captain P. Gurdov, together with the unarmored Oldies, was ordered to cover the flank of the 68th Infantry Regiment of the 19th Army Corps, which the Germans were trying to bypass:
“Arriving in Pabianipa, the commander of the 4th platoon of armored vehicles, having appeared to the commander of the 19th corps, received at 3 am the order to roll out along the Lasskoye highway, as it was discovered that the Germans wanted to press on the left flank of our location. The cars rolled up at the moment when the left flank of the Butyrka regiment wavered and moved back. The Germans came close to the highway. At this time, staff captain Gurdov crashed into the advancing dense chains and opened fire on two faces of four machine guns from a distance of 100-150 steps. The Germans could not stand it, stopped the offensive and lay down. At this close range, the bullets shattered the armor. All people and staff captain Gurdov are wounded. Both cars are out of order. Four machine guns were knocked out. Firing back with the remaining two machine guns, Staff Captain Gurdov at 7:30 am. in the morning, with the help of wounded machine gunners, he rolled both cars back to our chains, from where they had already been towed."
Armored "Russo-Balt" No. 7, knocked out in battle on February 12, 1915 near Dobrzhankovo. Staff Captain P. Gurdov (ASKM) died on this vehicle
During the battle, the fire of a 37-mm automatic cannon smashed several houses in which the Germans settled, and also "blew up the front end, which was leaving for the position of the enemy's battery."
At about 8.00 am, the 2nd platoon of Staff Captain B. Shulkevich with an unarmored Benz came to Gurdov's aid, and as a result, by about 10.30 am the German units retreated. During this battle, Russian armored cars managed to prevent the enemy from covering the 19th Army Corps. For this battle, staff captain Gurdov was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, becoming his first cavalier in the company, and all the crews of his platoon's cars - with St. George's crosses and medals. Soon the company command received a telegram from Headquarters signed by Emperor Nicholas II: "I rejoice and thank you for your valiant service."
The entire company covered the retreat of the 2nd Army from Lodz and was the last to leave the city on November 24 in the morning, along different roads.
On December 4, 1914, covering the retreat of the 6th Army Corps, four armored vehicles delayed in Lovech, let the last of our units pass and, allowing them to withdraw, entered into a firefight with the advancing Germans. In the afternoon, the armored cars left the city, blowing up all five bridges at Lovech across the Vzura, which enabled the 6th corps to take a comfortable defensive position.
The very first battles revealed a strong overload of the Russo-Balts chassis. Therefore, it was necessary to additionally strengthen the suspension, which was carried out in the Warsaw workshops in early December 1914. By order of Colonel Dobrzhansky, the springs were reinforced with "one thick sheet-lining on the axle." In addition, all the springs were "even more bent, as they had gone too far." The measures taken did not help much - for a light chassis designed for six people, the armored hull with weapons and various reserves was heavy.
The November battles showed the high efficiency of Maxim-Nordenfeld's 37-mm automatic cannons, even though they were parked on unarmored Benz and Oldies trucks. Here is what Colonel Dobrzhansky wrote about one of these battles on December 8, 1914 in his report to the Chief of Staff of the 1st Army:
“The commander of the 5th platoon, Staff Captain Miklashevsky, has just returned with a rapid-fire cannon (we are talking about the battle on the evening of December 7th. - Author's note). In pursuance of telegram No. 1785, having received instructions from me, he ran into an enemy who had dug in a mile from the village. Gulin along the Bolimovskoe highway. Approaching the trenches with a cannon at 1,500 paces (1,050 m), Staff Captain Miklashevsky opened fire on the trenches, sheltering near the wall of a burnt hut, under heavy gunfire. The beam of a German searchlight searched for him in vain. Having spent all his cartridges (800) to repel two repulsed enemy attacks, Captain Miklashevsky returned to the Paprotnya intersection. No wounded. I report that Staff Captain Miklashevsky was working with a cannon, installed in the open on a truck platform."
The damaged Russo-Balt is being transported by truck, an armored Mannesmann-Mulag with a 37 mm cannon can be seen in front. Spring 1915 (TsGAKFD SPB)
Operation of "Mannesmann" showed that the vehicle is very heavy, clumsy, and the high-explosive effect of the 47-mm projectile was inferior to the automatic "Nordenfeld". In less than a month of fighting, the armored car was out of order, it was sent to the rear for repairs, where it was booked.
At the beginning of 1915, the Izhora plant began manufacturing four more cannon armored vehicles for the 1st auto-machine-gun company. In terms of their armor, they were similar to the Mannesmann with a 47-mm gun, but lighter trucks were used in the bases for them: two 3-ton Packards with a 32 hp engine. and two 3-ton "Mannesmann" with a 42 hp engine. The armament of each of them consisted of a 37-mm Maxim-Nordenfeld automatic cannon, "striking at 3 and 3/4 versts and firing 50 explosive shells per minute" and installed behind a large box-shaped shield. In addition, there was one Maxim machine gun for self-defense in close combat. He did not have a special installation and could fire from the body or through the open inspection hatch of the cockpit. Armor 4 mm thick covered the sides of the cargo platform "half height", and the cabin was fully armored. The crew of the vehicle consisted of seven people - a commander, a driver with an assistant and four gunners, a transportable ammunition load of 1200 shells, 8000 cartridges and 3 poods (48 kilograms) of TNT, a combat weight of 360 poods (5760 kg).
Two Packards and a Mannesmann arrived with the 1st Auto-Machine Gun Company by March 22, 1915, and the last Mannesmann at the beginning of April. After receiving these vehicles, the 5th gun platoon was disbanded, and the new armored cars were distributed among platoons: in 1 and 4 - "Mannesmann" (received number 10 and 40), and in the second and third - "Packards" (number 20 and 30). Until the new armored vehicles arrived, the 1st auto-machine-gun company continued its heroic combat work, while demonstrating the wonders of heroism.
On February 3, 1915, the commander of the 2nd platoon, staff captain Shulkevich, received from the commander of the 8th cavalry division, General Krasovsky, the task of moving towards Belsk with the 2nd and 3rd platoons and, having met the Germans, “threatening our left flank from this direction, delay their progress."
Mannesmann-Mulag armored car with a 47-mm Hotchkiss cannon on Lodz Street. 1914 (ASKM)
Having received this order, four Russo-Balts moved forward: the 2nd platoon first, followed by the 3rd. Having approached the village of Goslice, the armored cars collided with three advancing columns of German infantry: one was leaving the village, and two were walking along the sides of the highway. In total, the enemy had about three battalions. From the report of Staff Captain Shulkevich:
“Taking advantage of the fact that the Germans noticed us late, the front (2nd) platoon managed to enter between the sides of the columns, which were pushed forward from the middle by the ledges. The 3rd platoon also came very close.
Stopping, I opened fire from my platoon's five machine guns on all three columns. The 3rd platoon opened fire on the side columns, as the middle one was covered by my platoon in front. The Germans opened deadly rifle fire, which was soon joined by artillery, bombarding all the cars with explosive bullets. Our unexpected and well-aimed fire caused the enemy, in addition to heavy losses, at first confusion and then indiscriminate retreat. The infantry fire began to subside, but the artillery was aimed at - it was necessary to change the position, for which it was necessary to turn around on a narrow highway with very viscous shoulders (there was a thaw).
They began to turn one car in platoons, continuing to fire from the others. The cars got stuck on the side of the road, I had to get out and roll them out on my hands, which, of course, the Germans took advantage of and increased the fire …
Having pulled out the first car, I continued to fire, but the servants of the second car could not roll it out. I had to cease fire from the first and get out to the aid of the second. At this time, gunner Tereshchenko was killed, gunner Pisarev and two gunner Bredis were wounded by two bullets, driver Mazevsky was wounded, the rest received abrasions from fragments of explosive bullets. All efforts seemed in vain, as the machine did not give in, and the number of workers decreased. I wanted to take help from the 3rd platoon, but they were so behind that while they could have reached, they could have been shot …, but it turned out that during the turn, her cone burned out and she did not move on her own.
Despite the critical situation, the 2nd platoon bravely endured all the losses and continued selflessly to help out its car and, finally, with incredible efforts, pulled out and turned the second car. The Germans took advantage of the lull in the fire and went on the offensive, but, turning the vehicles, the 2nd platoon again opened heavy fire. The Germans began to withdraw again, but our position was still very difficult: the platoons were 10-12 versts ahead of their units without any cover, out of four cars - three almost did not move on their own, having suffered significant losses, the servants were overworked by the incredible tension.
Finally it became clear that the Germans, having suffered huge losses, were retreating and would not renew their attacks again. Their artillery began to shoot at the village of Goslitsa, obviously afraid of our pursuit, but there could be no thought of that, since the cars still had to be dragged by hand.
It started to get dark. Calling to cover our detachment a whole car under the command of Warrant Officer Slivovsky, the detachment safely retreated to its troops, rolling the cars on their hands."
As a result of the battle, the 2nd and 3rd platoons managed not only to stop and detain the German column that was bypassing the left flank of the 8th Cavalry Division, but also to inflict heavy losses on it. This was confirmed by the fact that by 4 pm the next, February 4, there was no enemy offensive in the indicated direction. This allowed the Russian units to withdraw without loss and gain a foothold in a new position.
For this battle, all the lower ranks of armored vehicles received St. George's Crosses, Second Lieutenant Dushkin - the Order of St. Vladimir with swords, the commander of the 2nd platoon - the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, and Staff Captain Deibel was awarded the St. George Arms.
Damaged Russo-Balt on a trailer by a truck. Spring 1915 (TsGAKFD SPB)
On February 11, 1915, a detachment of four armored Russo-Balts and an unarmored truck with a 37-mm automatic cannon received the task of shelling the German positions near the village of Kmetsy, providing an attack of the 2nd Siberian regiment of the 1st Siberian infantry division. Having set the sights on the level before dark, the armored cars moved towards Kmetsa. The fire was opened at 0.40, while the Russo-Balts fired 1000 rounds each, and the cannon - 300 rounds within 10 minutes. The Germans started a commotion, and soon they left the trenches at Kmetsa and withdrew in a northwest direction. According to local residents, their losses amounted to 300 killed and wounded.
February 12, 1915 4 "Russo-Balta" (1st and 4th platoons) and 37-mm unarmored autocannon "Oldies" were attached to the 2nd Siberian Rifle Regiment to support the attack on the village of Dobrzhankovo. Leaving one armored car in reserve, the detachment, moving away from its infantry by 1, 5 versts, moved almost close to the village, where it was met with rifle and machine gun fire and shrapnel from two guns standing to the left of the highway. Having stopped, the armored cars opened "deadly fire on the flank in the trenches, and the cannon fired over the first two cars at the enemy artillery platoon." One of the first German shells pierced the armor on the lead vehicle and killed the platoon commander, Staff Captain P. Gurdov. The automatic cannon fired two belts (100 rounds), swept away the servants and smashed both German guns. But by this time only two of the seven servants remained on the truck. Despite this, the cannon transferred its fire to the German trenches to the right of the highway and released two more ribbons. At this time, one of the bullets pierced the gas tank of a truck with a 37-mm gun, it caught fire, and then the shells in the back (550 pieces) exploded.
In spite of everything, the armored cars continued the battle, although their armor penetrated from all sides (the enemy fired from a distance of less than 100 m). The commander of the second armored car, Lieutenant Prince A. Vachnadze, and the entire crew were wounded, two out of three machine guns were broken, however, the German trenches were overwhelmed with dead and wounded.
An unarmored Oldace truck with a 37-mm automatic cannon in battle near the village of Dobrzhankovo on February 12, 1915 (drawing by an unknown author from the collection of S. Saneev)
Seeing the difficult situation of his comrades, the commander of the Russo-Balt in reserve, Staff Captain B. Podgursky, moved to their rescue, who also asked the commander of the 2nd Siberian Regiment to move the infantry forward. Approaching the battlefield, Podgursky, together with the only armored car remaining on the move, broke into Dobrzhankovo, shooting everything in its path, and occupied two bridges and did not give the enemy the opportunity to retreat. As a result, up to 500 Germans surrendered to units of the 1st Siberian Infantry Division.
During this battle, staff captain Gurdov and six machine gunners were killed, one machine gunner died of wounds, staff captain Podgursky, lieutenant Vachnadze and seven machine gunners were wounded. All four armored cars were out of order, were broken by bullets and shrapnel from 10 of 12 machine guns, a truck with an automatic cannon burned down and could not be restored.
For this battle, Staff Captain P. Gurdov was posthumously promoted to captain, awarded the St. George's Arms and the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree with the inscription "For Bravery," Lieutenant A. Vachnadze received the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and the headquarters captain BL Podgursky - Order of St. Anna, 3rd degree with swords and bow. All crews of military vehicles were awarded with St. George's Crosses.
Sending a letter to the family of the deceased captain P. Gurdov, the company commander, Colonel Dobrzhansky, wrote in it: "… I inform you that we named one of the combat vehicles dear to our unit by the name" Captain Gurdov ". This armored car was "Packard" No. 20 from the 2nd platoon.
- New cannon armored vehicles have proven themselves well in the very first battles. So, on April 15, 1915, two Packards were given the task of destroying the enemy's stronghold near the village of Bromezh. During the reconnaissance it turned out that this structure is "in the form of a lunette, by force on a company", surrounded by barbed wire. Behind the strong point there was a large stack of straw, on which the Germans set up an observation post: “The Tsar over the whole area, being in close proximity to our trenches and comparatively safe from the fire of our artillery, deprived of the opportunity, due to the absence of closed positions, to move closer than three versts to For Bromierz, this observation strongpoint kept the entire garrison in a tense state for two months, day and night firing at the regiment's location and adjusting the fire of its artillery. " Numerous attempts by soldiers of the 76th Infantry Division to burn the rick were unsuccessful, only leading to heavy losses.
An armored Packard truck with a 37-mm automatic cannon in the courtyard of the Izhora plant. February 1915 (ASKM)
After reconnaissance, at 3 am on April 18, 1915, two Packards took up pre-selected positions and opened fire on the stronghold and the location of the German artillery:
“The entire cannon battle was fought at a distance of 400 fathoms from the enemy. His machine-gun fire was almost immediately stopped. The lunette was destroyed, the rick was burned, the dugout with hand bombs was blown up, the garrison was killed. Even the wire fence burned out from the heat.
Having fired 850 shells at the entire location of the enemy, where a great commotion arose, and firing at its rear with different sights, without triggering a single cannon shot in response, the cannons arrived safely back at 4 am in the village of Gora."
On July 7-10, 1915, especially on the last day, the entire company remained on the left bank of the Narev from Serotsk to Pultusk, covering the crossing of units of the 1st Turkestan corps and the 30th infantry division with the fire of their cannons and machine guns - the artillery of these units had already been withdrawn to the rear. In these battles, "Packard" No. 20 "Captain Gurdov" especially distinguished itself.
On July 10, at the crossing near the village of Khmelevo, the crew of the armored car, seeing that the Germans were pressing on our retreating units, under the fire of German artillery, drove behind the barbed wire and with direct fire, repulsed several German attacks from a distance of 300-500 m. Thanks to this, the Russian units in this area withdrew without loss.
The armored Mannesmann-Mulag truck with a 37-mm automatic cannon prepares for battle. 1916 (TsGMSIR)
It is interesting to cite the article by Boris Gorovsky "Russian brainchild", published in the newspaper "Novoye Vremya" on April 18, 1915. This material clearly demonstrates how the press of that time wrote about armored parts:
“In the messages of the Supreme High Command, we read more and more often about the dashing actions of our armored vehicles. Not so long ago, the word "armored car" was some kind of bogey, nothing to a Russian person does not say. The first to understand this word - and quite unexpectedly for themselves - were the Germans.
At the beginning of the war, along the roads of East Prussia, here and there, some monsters were rushing about, bringing horror and death to our troops, gazing with wild bewilderment at the unprecedented weapon. But then one fine evening, when the Germans with proud cries of victors entered the dilapidated empty town of Strykov, some strange silhouettes with a Russian flag appeared on the two extreme streets, not frightened by a swarm of bullets buzzing in all directions. Something creaked ominously, and the continuous first rows of helmets rolled, followed by others, by others … And the terrible gray silhouettes moved closer and closer, burning lead streams penetrated deeper and deeper into the German columns. And already in the middle of the city the Russian "Hurray!"
That was Germany's first acquaintance with our armored vehicles. At the same time, Hindenburg received news of the appearance of the same Russian monsters on a wide variety of fronts.
Strykov passed, battles were fought at Glowno, Sochachev, Lodz, Lovech, three and a half German regiments at Pabianits fell under three cars of Captain Gurdov for two hours - our army recognized armored vehicles. Dry short telegrams from the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief suddenly gave the Russian public a complete picture of the terrible, all-crushing power of our Russian armored vehicles.
The young, small part in their battle tablets for 4-5 months managed to record such insane courage and destruction of the case as under Pabianitsy and Prasnysh. When recently, during the funeral of the heroes-machine-gunners, one general saw a small front in which most of the people were wearing St. George's crosses, he found for them only one worthy greeting: "Hello, handsome men!"
These "handsome men" are all hunters, all Russian people, their steel, gloomy machines - Russian to the last screw - their brainchild.
The real war raised the curtain on the world stage, many unknown forces of Russia were revealed. While this curtain was drawn down, we got used to setting ourselves a motto in everything: "Everything Russian is bad." And so, in one of the branches of technology, at a time when no mistake is permissible, when the slightest step is a contribution to the result of the bloody war of peoples, we managed to find ourselves at an unexpected height.
When Colonel D [obrzhansky] two years ago. talked about the project of an armored car, this question did not receive even a shadow of serious coverage, did not deserve the slightest share of attention. At that time, they looked at it only as a toy, accidentally taking a place at car exhibitions along with other cars. But when now there was a need for this "toy", as a serious weapon that should bear full responsibility for their military actions, the Russian power affected - the whole bureaucracy immediately flew aside and the motto "No sooner said than done" sounded sharply.
One fine day Colonel D. flew to the factories and work began to boil. A suitable composition of officers and lower ranks was quickly found, both desire and skill were found.
There were also Russian cars, and we also found armor of our own manufacture. As a result, before going to war, Petrograd saw for the first time on the Field of Mars the maneuvering of armored vehicles, in which everything - from wheels to machine guns - was ours, Russian to the last rivet.
The "Packard" armored car of the 1st auto-machine-gun company "Captain Gurdov" in battle. 1915 (photo from the collection of M. Zimny)
Our officers and soldiers worked day and night under the leadership of Colonel D., hammers tirelessly knocked in the hands of Russian workers, forging unprecedented, terrible weapons from Russian material.
The machine gunners say: “Our car is everything. We always work alone. Our steel box paves the way for the troops following it in the batteries of enemy machine guns, in hundreds of people. Hand over the car, break the armor, refuse machine guns - and we perished, and those who follow us."
It is clear that now that armored vehicles have fought so many glorious battles, their personnel treat their cold moving fortresses with boundless love. In this love and gratitude for the fact that the car did not disappoint, and pride for its Russian origin."
The 1st auto-machine-gun company did not withdraw from the battles during almost the entire war, with the exception of a three-month respite (from September to November 1915) caused by the repair of machines at the Kolomna machine-building plant. However, with the onset of trench warfare, the activity of using armored cars also decreased. Therefore, such striking combat episodes as in 1914 - the first half of 1915 were no longer in the history of the first Russian armored unit. Nevertheless, the active Colonel Dobrzhansky could not sit idle - he took out two more 37-mm Maxim-Nordenfeld cannons on wheeled carriages, which were transported in the back of a truck. Together with a specially formed foot platoon, these guns were used in the battle formations of our infantry.
In September 1916, the company, reorganized into the 1st armored division, entered the disposal of the 42nd Army Corps, stationed in Finland. This measure was explained by rumors about a possible landing of a German landing there. In addition to four squads with Russo-Balts, Packarads and Mannesmann, the division included the 33rd machine-gun squad with Austin armored cars.
In the summer of 1917, the 1st division was transferred to Petrograd to suppress revolutionary uprisings, and in October, shortly before the coup, it was sent to the front near Dvinsk, where in 1918 some of its vehicles were captured by the Germans. In any case, in the photo of March 1919 on the streets of Berlin you can see both Packards. Some of the vehicles were used in the battles of the Civil War as part of the Red Army's armored units.
Armored car "Captain Gurdov" in battle, 1915 (drawing by an unknown author, from the collection of S. Saneev)
The heroism of the crews of the first Russian armored cars can be judged by the following document - "Extract on the number of St. George's crosses and medals received by the lower ranks of the 1st auto-machine gun company for military exploits in the current campaign" as of March 1, 1916 ":
There were many awarded among the officers of the 1st auto-machine gun company (1st division): two became holders of the Order of St. George, 4th degree, one received the St. George weapon, and three (!) Became holders of the Order of St. George of the 4th degrees, and St.
An armored car manufactured by the Izhora plant for the Caucasian native cavalry division. 1916 (photo from the Niva magazine)
The history of the rewarding of Colonel A. A. Dobrzhansky is quite interesting. For the battle on November 21, 1914 at Pabias, the command of the 2nd Army presented him for the award of the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and sent the documents to the St. George Duma in Petrograd.
On November 27, 1914, the 1st auto-machine-gun company transferred from the 2nd to the 1st army, and for the battles on July 7-10, 1915 at Pultusk, Colonel Dobrzhansky again submitted to the Order of St. George. However, since there was already one idea for him, for these battles he received the St. George weapon. For the destruction of the German stronghold near the village of Bromezh, Dobrzhansky was nominated for the rank of major general, but replaced with swords and a bow to the already existing Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree:
“Finally, on April 4 of this 1916, the 2nd Army asked what awards Colonel Dobrzhansky had for the current campaign, for the Army Command allowed, in view of the repeated submission to the St.
On the 13th of this June, a notification was received that the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front had replaced this award so expected from November 21, 1914, already replaced twice - with swords to the already existing Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd degree."
For the final resolution of the problem, the army headquarters sent a report outlining the case to the Campaign Office of His Imperial Majesty, but even here the case was delayed. Nevertheless, Nicholas II considered the report on the merits of Colonel Dobrzhansky received in his name in February 1917, and imposed the following resolution on it:
"I wish to receive Colonel Dobrzhansky tomorrow, February 21, and personally award the Order of St. George, 4th degree at 11 o'clock."
Thus, Alexander Dobrzhansky was apparently the last one to receive the Order of St. George from the hands of the last Russian emperor. After this award, he was promoted to major general. The author does not have information about the further fate of this Russian officer, it is only known that he died in Paris on November 15, 1937.
An armored car built by the Izhora plant for the 1st machine-gun company in 1915. The car was captured by the Germans, in the photo it is an exhibit of a trophy exhibition at the Berlin Zoo.1918 (photo from J. Magnuski's archive)
Brothers "Russo-Baltov"
In addition to the armored vehicles "Russo-Balt" of the Dobrzhansky company, the Russian Army had machine-gun armored cars, structurally similar to them. So, on October 17, 1914, Colonel Kamensky reported to the Main Directorate of the General Staff:
“The Tsar-Emperor was pleased to welcome the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division * one truck, so that it would be covered with armor and equipped for the installation of 3 machine guns on it.
In view of the foregoing, I ask for a hasty order to release the commander of the 1st auto-machine-gun company, Colonel Dobrzhansky, three machine guns (two heavy and one lightweight) to install them on the aforementioned vehicle."
The car was built at the end of 1914 at the Izhora plant, structurally it was similar to the Russo-Balts. Her photo was published in the Niva magazine in 1916. The author does not have any detailed information about this armored car.
Another armored vehicle of a similar design was built by the Izhora plant for the 1st motorcycle company in 1915. This armored car was used during the Civil War.
And, finally, two armored vehicles were manufactured for the 1st machine-gun company (not to be confused with the 1st auto-machine gun company) at the Izhora plant in the same 1915 year. In the report of this enterprise, they are referred to as "cars under a machine gun." Unlike previous vehicles, they had one rotating machine-gun turret at the rear with a firing angle of about 270 degrees. Both armored cars fell into the hands of the Germans (one of them was captured in 1916 in the battles near Vilna and was exhibited at the trophy exhibition at the Berlin Zoo), and in 1918-1919 they were used in battles during the revolution in Germany. One of the vehicles was part of the "Kokampf" team, which consisted of captured Russian armored cars, and was called "Lotta". According to some reports, the armored car was made on the Gusso-Balt chassis. According to other sources, a 40-horsepower Hotchkiss engine was installed on the car.
The Caucasian Native Cavalry Division is a cavalry division formed by the Imperial Decree of Nicholas II of August 23, 1914 from the highlanders of the North Caucasus. It consisted of six regiments - Kabardian, 2nd Dagestan, Chechen, Tatar, Circassian and Ingush, combined into three brigades. After the formation, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was appointed commander of the division. In the Soviet press, it is better known as the "Wild Division".
Armored vehicle of the Izhora plant, manufactured for the 1st motorcycle company. Photo taken in 1919 (ASKM)
Purchase commission
With the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian military department faced an acute problem - the supply of the army with vehicles. The fact is that by August 1914 there were only 711 vehicles in the Russian Army (418 trucks, 239 cars and 34 special - sanitary, tanks, repair shops), which, of course, turned out to be ridiculously small for the armed forces. It was not possible to solve the problem at the expense of internal resources, since there was only one enterprise in Russia that was engaged in the production of cars - the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works (RBVZ), whose production volumes were very modest (in 1913, only 127 cars were manufactured here). In addition, RBVZ manufactured only passenger cars, and the front needed trucks, tank trucks, auto repair shops and much more.
To solve this problem, by order of the Minister of War, at the end of August 1914, a special procurement commission was formed, headed by the commander of the Reserve Automobile Company, Colonel Sekretev. In September, she went to England with the task of purchasing cars for the needs of the Russian Army. In addition to trucks, cars and special vehicles, it was planned to purchase armored cars. Before leaving, the members of the commission, together with the officers of the Main Military-Technical Directorate (GVTU) of the General Staff, developed tactical and technical requirements for armored vehicles. One of the most important conditions was considered the presence on the purchased samples of "horizontal reservation" (that is, the roof) - thus, Russian officers were the first of all the belligerents to advocate a fully armored combat vehicle. In addition, the acquired armored vehicles were to be armed with two machine guns installed in two towers rotating independently of each other, which was supposed to ensure firing "at two independent targets."
By the time of arrival in England, there was nothing like this either here or in France: in September 1914, a large number of various armored cars were operating on the Western Front, which had partial or even full reservations, but none of them met Russian requirements. Only during negotiations on the purchase of trucks with the British firm Austin Motor Co. Ltd., its management agreed to accept an order for the manufacture of armored vehicles according to Russian requirements. In the last days of September 1914, an agreement was signed with this company for the manufacture of 48 armored vehicles with delivery dates by November of the same year, as well as for the supply of 3-ton trucks and tank trucks on their chassis. In addition, on October 2, in London, the procurement commission purchased one armored car on the Isotta-Fraschini chassis from the owner of the Jarrott and Letts Co company, the then famous race car driver Charles Jarroth.
The Main Military-Technical Directorate was created in 1913 with the renaming of the previously existing Main Engineering Directorate. At the beginning of 1914, the GVTU was reorganized, after which it had four departments and two committees. The fourth department (technical) included aeronautical, automobile, railway and sapper departments. It was he who was engaged in armored vehicles.
The unloading point for cars arriving from England in Arkhangelsk. December 1914 (ASKM)
During a visit to France, the Secretev commission on October 20 signed an agreement with Renault for the supply of 40 armored vehicles, although not according to Russian requirements, but “of the type adopted in the French army”: they did not have a roof and were armed with an 8-mm Goch machine gun -kis behind the shield. By the way, all armored cars were delivered without weapons, which were supposed to be installed in Russia.
Thus, by the end of 1914, the Russian government ordered 89 armored vehicles of three different brands abroad, of which only 48 met the requirements of the GVTU. All these armored cars were delivered to Russia in November 1914 - April 1915. Such long terms were explained by the fact that Renault, unlike Austins, were shipped disassembled - chassis separately, armor separately.
It should be said that in addition to armored vehicles, the procurement commission ordered 1,422 different vehicles, among which were 5-ton Garford trucks, Nepir car workshops, Austin tank trucks, and motorcycles.
Head of the Military Automobile School, Major General P. A. Sekretev, 1915 (ASKM)
Armored car "Isotta-Fraschini", purchased by the Sekretev commission. Subsequently, the car was rebooked according to the project of the captain Mgebrov (photo from the magazine "Niva")
