An armored car with a passenger car, a truck and a motorcycle attached to it constituted the armored compartment. Three of these and one spare were combined into armored (auto-machine gun) platoons. The latter were attached to the army corps.
Armored vehicles conducted reconnaissance, acted together with the cavalry, supported infantry with fire, carried out raids, defended the flanks, were used to capture lines, strike in the rear, and pursue the enemy. In many battles, it was the actions of armored cars that turned out to be decisive.
An ambush is what you need
In the Tomashov operation on June 13-16, 1915, the 14th auto-machine gun platoon, one of the most valiant armored units of the Russian army during the First World War, distinguished itself.
In that operation of the army group of V. A. Olokhov and the 3rd Army of the North-Western Front, our troops performed the most important task - it was necessary to stop the German offensive, which was developing in the most dangerous operational direction. The situation in which the Russian armies found themselves in the summer of 1915 in general and in the battle of Tomashov in particular was extremely unfavorable. Shackle, stop the enemy in any way, disrupt his "summer strategic Cannes" by encircling the Russian armies in Poland - the most important task at that stage.
On June 15, a platoon (two machine-gun armored vehicles "Austin" of the first sample - English production, but with the armor of the Izhora plant) arrived in Tomashov (Poland), where they received the task of covering the withdrawal of the Volyn Regiment Life Guards.
By evening, the subunit was deployed in ambush - with the front towards its retreating units. The platoon commander made a tactically competent decision - having tried on the terrain, he decided to cover the retreating units from the advancing enemy. When the first German patrols appeared, the auto-machine-gun platoon, letting the enemy go 40 steps, opened fire and completely destroyed the advance detachment. The enemy suspended the pursuit and, deploying guns, opened fire on the armored cars. Maneuvering successfully under heavy artillery fire, the platoon retreated a kilometer to the north and again ambushed.
Acting in a new position, the armored cars scattered the enemy cavalry unit with well-aimed fire. In order not to risk the machines, leaving them in position at night, the commander withdrew the platoon from the battle and took it to the north.
The next day, he decided to reapply the well-proven ambush tactics.
On June 16, north of the village of Krinitsa, armored vehicles ambushed on the highway, covering the withdrawal of units of the 2nd Caucasian Army Corps. An officer of the 13th Life Grenadier Tsar of Erivan Mikhail Fedorovich of the regiment of the Caucasian Grenadier Division K. Popov later recalled: “Walking along the highway, we passed two armored vehicles camouflaged with branches. Their presence here was very appropriate, but I never had to see the work of armored cars during the entire German war. When the enemy, up to a battalion, launched an offensive along the highway, he was shot at by well-aimed machine-gun fire from Russian armored vehicles.
Fighting the rearguard, the platoon acted proactively and independently, using the necessary tactics. A correct assessment of the situation and a successful choice of positions for ambushes made it possible to fully fulfill the task assigned to the unit. The tactical effect of the platoon's actions, its combat stability and firepower were remarkable - the advancing enemy subunits were almost completely destroyed.
Die yourself …
The 14th auto-machine gun platoon took an active part in the Battle of Tanev on June 18-25, 1915 - the operations of the 3rd and 4th armies of the Russian North-Western Front against the 4th Austro-Hungarian and 11th German.
On June 18, an auto-machine gun platoon supported the actions of the 279th Infantry Lokhvitsky Regiment of the 70th Infantry Division of the 14th Army Corps. The subunit received the following combat mission from the regiment commander: “Drive forward in the direction of dd. Bzhanitsa - Pustyn and fire at the enemy, deploying in front of the village of Pustyn and accumulating near the church.
The artillery fire of the Austrians was disorderly and weak, the absence of observation posts was felt. The platoon's armored vehicles went on the attack in reverse, and from a distance of 100-150 steps threw the Austrians into the forest, but stopped, having used up all the water supply needed to cool the machine guns. Having collected water, the platoon went on the attack for the second time. During the second attack, armored vehicles broke deeper into the enemy's location - the Austrian infantry reserve of up to three battalions was fired upon.
On June 20, the auto-machine gun platoon was ordered to support the advance of the 70th Ryazan Infantry Regiment of the 18th Infantry Division. The element of tactical surprise was lost, but the platoon went on the attack, as the situation required the help of the extremely tired infantry. During the first attack, one armored car was destroyed by a direct hit, and the second one was shot down by the tower. The documents attest to the heroic death of the crews of Russian armored cars: “After the driver was wounded and his assistant was killed, wanting to save the rest of the crew, junior non-commissioned officer Vasily Skrypnik selflessly fired a machine gun until he was killed and the car was blown up. Lance corporal Sergei Antipin selflessly handed cartridges to the machine gunner until he was killed by a bullet in the forehead and burned to death in an exploded car.
Given the current tactical situation, the appearance of armored cars in the area where they had previously operated could not be unexpected for the enemy. As a result, armored cars of the 14th platoon were killed. But the situation required the presence of armored vehicles on the battlefield, and they went on the attack, despite the fact that certain death awaited them.
"Boiler" contactors
One of the most important battles of the 1914 campaign on the Russian front was the Battle of Lodz on October 29 - December 6. Starting with an attempt to encircle the troops of the 2nd Russian army, it led to the fact that the enemy had to think about saving their encircled corps - the shock group of the 9th German army. This is the only operation in World War I that was successful for the Russian army to encircle a large group of enemy forces. In the "cauldron" the Germans lost 42 thousand people, or about 90 percent of the composition of the strike group, but its remnants managed to escape from the encirclement.
During the Battle of Lodz, the actions of the so-called owicz detachment were of key importance - it was he who closed the encirclement around the German shock group of R. von Schaeffer-Boyadel. Eight armored vehicles of the 1st auto-machine-gun company took an active part in the operations of the detachment.
On November 9 and 10, six machine-gun armored vehicles broke through Strykov, occupied by enemy troops, while two cannon armored vehicles with artillery fire and maneuver supported the offensive of the 9th and 12th Turkestan rifle regiments of the 3rd Turkestan rifle brigade. The Germans, finding themselves in the grip of two armored groups, were not only driven out of the city, but also suffered very heavy losses.
On November 20, at the final stage of the Battle of Lodz, the 1st Auto-Machine Gun Company in full force ambushed along the roads at the junction between the 5th Army and the left flank of the 19th Army Corps - at Pabianice. As a result, at dawn on November 21, five Russian armored vehicles destroyed two German infantry regiments that were trying to start encircling the left flank of the 19th Army Corps. The company's cannon armored car effectively shot the German battery moving into position.
In the Lodz battles, the commander of the 4th auto-machine gun platoon, staff captain Gurdov, performed a feat. The document testifies: “The cars rolled up at the moment when the left flank of the Butyrka regiment trembled 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, with the help of wounded machine gunners in his arms, rolled both vehicles back to our chains, from where they had already been towed."
The second Prasnysh battle on February 7 - March 17, 1915 is significant in that the strategic situation in the northwest direction was stabilized. Russian troops won a decisive victory over an equal enemy. The consequences of the tactically unsuccessful August battle were largely eliminated: the initial combat successes of the Germans in the winter operation in Masuria were replaced by their defeat at the hands of the 12th and 1st armies. This success of ours, along with other factors, upset the entire German plan for the spring campaign of 1915.
During the Second Prasnysh battle in February 1915, the Russian infantry repulsed three German attacks in the Prasnysh area with the support of armored cars. They broke into the battle formations of the advancing German infantry and shot them at point-blank range, and when the Germans retreated from under Prasnysh, they contributed to the development of success, preventing the enemy from stopping and putting himself in order: “On the night of February 12-13, 1915, in one Day, having spread from Starozheb through Pultusk under Prasnysh, marching 120 miles, a detachment of the 1st auto-machine-gun company of four machine-gun and one cannon vehicle burst into the fortified position of the Germans near the village. Dobrzhankovo. Having lost three cars with all the servants, shot from 30 steps, he occupied two bridges, cutting off the path of the Germans' retreat. As a result, the 2nd and 3rd Siberian Rifle Regiments of the 1st Siberian Rifle Division surrendered to a German infantry brigade.
Russian armored cars solved complex combat missions, positively influencing the most important operations of the maneuvering period of the world war on the Russian front.
