As you know, cavalry (cavalry) (from the Latin caballus - horse) is a type of weapon (type of troops) in which a horse was used for combat operations or movement. It seems to us very interesting to prepare several brief informative articles showing the specifics of the development of the Russian cavalry during the First World War. We hope that the abbreviations in the text are clear to the reader. A related bibliography will be provided at the end of the cycle.
In the summer of 1914, before the outbreak of the First World War, the cavalry of the Russian army consisted of 123 cavalry, Cossack and foreign horse regiments and 3 divisions. These regiments and one division were combined into 24 divisions (1st and 2nd Guards cavalry, 1st - 15th and Caucasian cavalry, 1st Don, 2nd Consolidated, 1st - 3rd Caucasus and 1st Turkestan Kaz.) And 8 departments. brigades (Guards cavalry, 1st - 3rd cavalry, Ussuri cavalry, Transcaspian, Siberian and Transbaikal kaz.). These divisions and brigades included 116 regiments (13 guards, 19 dragoons, 17 lancers, 18 hussars, 48 cossacks, 1 foreign horse) and a foreign horse division. Seven regiments (one dragoon, two horse-foreign and four Cossack regiments) and two Cossack divisions were not included in the divisions and brigades.
In 24 divisions and 8 divisions. cavalry brigades had 674 squadrons and hundreds. Most kav. and kaz. divisions consisted of 24 squadrons and hundreds (4 regiments of 6 squadrons or hundreds). The exception was 4 divisions: 1st Guards. kav. - 28 squadrons and hundreds (7 regiments of 4 squadrons or hundreds). In wartime, all regiments, with the exception of the Life Guards. Consolidated-Cossack, it was supposed to bring up to 6 squadrons or hundreds; 12th cav. - 22 squadrons and hundreds (the 3rd Ufa-Samara regiment of the Orenburg Cossack army consisted of 4 hundred, in wartime it was supposed to bring up to 6 hundred); 3rd Caucasus. kaz. - 18 hundred (Dagestan cavalry regiment - 4 hundreds, Ossetian cavalry division - 2 hundreds); 1st Turkestan Kaz. division - 20 hundred (5 regiments of 4 hundred each).
The fire support in the divisions was art. division (two cavalry or kaz. batteries, six rapid-firing 3-inch cannons of the 1900 model). In cav. divisions, these were horse-art., and in Kaz. divisions - Kaz. art. divisions. In the 10th and 12th kav. divisions, these were Kaz. art. divisions, and in the 8th cavalry. divisions - a division of mixed composition: one horse battery, the second Cossack battery. 13th cav. the division did not have its own artillery - in case of war, the 12th horse-art. division included in the 14th kav. division, was divided between these two divisions, 1st Turkestan Kaz. the division had only one Kaz. battery, and Kavk. kav. division - Kavk. horse-mountain art. division. In the guards. cavalry fire support was assigned to the Life Guards. Horse artillery - a two-division brigade. Three-battery divisions of the Life Guards Horse artillery was attached to the Guards. kav. divisions, while one of the batteries of the 2nd division was attached to the Det. guards kav. brigade. Thus, as in the army (Cossack) cavalry, one Guards. art. the battery belonged to the brigade of the guards. cavalry. 8 Sep 1913 cav. and kaz. divisions and dep. The brigades were supplemented with horse-machine-gun teams (eight machine guns of the Maxim system on packs), and on June 12, 1914, horse-sapper teams, which were intended to establish and maintain communications, cause destruction (mainly railways), and minor repairs of roads and bridges. Entering one of the regiments, horse-machine-gun and horse-sapper teams provided the division or det. the whole brigade.
The cavalry was distributed over the military districts as follows:
St. Petersburg military. district - in Guards. building 1 (quartered in St. Petersburg, Gatchina, Pavlovsk, Tsarskoe Selo) and 2 (quartered in the city of St. St. Petersburg, New Peterhof, Old Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo) Guards. kav. divisions, in the 18th arm. corps of the 20th Finnish Dragoon Regiment (stationed in Vilmondstrand) and in the 22nd Arm. building Orenburg Kaz. division (stationed in Helsingfors) - 12, 5 regiments: 11 Guards. kav. (including guards. kaz.) regiments, 1 cav. regiment, half kaz. shelf, and 5 conn. batteries (30 guns);
Vilensky military. district - in the 2nd arm. corps 2nd cav. division (stationed in the cities of Suwalki, Avgustov, Kalvari), in the 3rd arm. corps 3rd cav. division (stationed in the cities of Kovno, Vilno, Volkovyshki, Mariampol) and in the 20th arm. building 1st dep. kav. brigade (stationed in Riga, Mitava) - 10 regiments in total: 8 cavalry. regiments and 2 kaz. shelf, and 4 conn. batteries (24 guns);
Warsaw military. the district is subordinate to the teams. troops of the military. district Dept. guards kav. brigade and Kuban Kaz. division (stationed in Warsaw), in the 6th arm. corps 4th cav. division (stationed in the cities of Bialystok, Shchuchin and in the village of Graev), in the 15th arm. building 6 (quartered in the towns of Tsekhanov, Mlava, Ostrolenka, Prasnysh) and 15 (quartered in the towns of Plock, Wroclawsk) cav. divisions, in the 14th arm. building 13 (quartered in the cities of Warsaw, Garwolin, Novo-Minsk, Sedletsk) and 14 (quartered in the cities of Czestochow, Bendin, Kalisz, Pinchov) cav. divisions, in the 19th arm. corps 7th cav. (quartered in the cities of Kovel, Vladimir-Volynsky, Grubeschev) and 1st Don Kaz. (stationed in the cities of Zamosc, Krasnik) divisions - a total of 30, 5 regiments: 2 Guards. kav. shelf, 18 cav. and 10, 5 kaz. regiments, and 13 conn. and kaz. batteries (78 guns);
Kiev military. district - in the 9th arm. corps 9th cav. division (stationed in the cities of Kiev, Belaya Tserkov, Vasilkov, Zhitomir), in the 10th arm. corps 10th cav. division (stationed in the cities of Kharkov, Akhtyrka, Sumy, Chuguev), in the 11th arm. corps 11th cav. division (stationed in the cities of Dubno, Kremenets, Lutsk, Radziwilov), in the 12th arm. corps 12th cav. (quartered in the cities of Proskuro, Volchisk, Mezhebuzhie) and the 2nd Consolidated Kaz. (stationed in the city of Kamenets-Podolsky) divisions - 20 regiments in total: 12 cavalry. and 8 kaz. regiments, and 10 conn. and kaz. batteries (60 guns);
Odessa military man. the district is subordinate to the teams. troops of the military. district of the 7th Don kaz. regiment (stationed in Nikolaev), in the 8th arm. corps 8th cav. division (stationed in the cities of Chisinau, Balti, Bendery, Odessa, Tiraspol), in the 7th arm. corps of the Crimean horse. regiment (stationed in Simferopol) - 6 regiments in total: 3 cavalry. shelf, 2 kaz. regiment and 1 horse-foreign regiment, conn. and kaz. batteries (12 guns);
Moscow military. county - to Grenada. corps 1st cav. division (stationed in the cities of Moscow, Rzhev, Tver), in the 5th arm. building 2 (quartered in the cities of Orel, Yelets) and 3rd (quartered in the cities of Voronezh, Novokhopyorsk) dep. kav. brigades - a total of 8 regiments: 7 cavalry. regiments and 1 kaz. regiment, and 2 conn. batteries (12 guns);
Kazan military. district - in the 16th arm. corps 5th cav. division (stationed in the cities of Samara, Kazan, Simbirsk) and the 1st Astrakhan Kaz. regiment (stationed in Saratov) - 5 regiments in total: 3 cavalry. and 2 kaz. shelf, and 2 conn. batteries (12 guns);
Kavk. military district - in the 1st Kavk. arm. corps 1st Caucasus. kaz. division (stationed in the cities of Kars, Kalizman, Karakut, Olty, the village of Akhalkalaki and the fortress of Sarakamysh), in the 2nd Caucasus. arm. corps 2nd Caucasus. kaz. (quartered in the cities of Erivan, Dzhelal-Ogly, Kutais, Erivan province and the Khan-Kendy tract) and Kavk. kav. (stationed in the cities of Tiflis, Alexandropol, Elendorf, Tsarskie Wells) divisions and in the 3rd Kavk. arm. corps 3rd Caucasus. kaz. division (stationed in the cities of Vladikavkaz, Grozny, Yekaterinodar, Maykop, Mozdok, Stavropol, Temir-Khan-Shura) - 15 in total, 5 regiments: 3 cavalry. regiment, 11 kaz. regiments and 1, 5 horse-foreign regiments, and 8 horse-mountain and Kaz. batteries (48 guns);
Turkestan military. the district is subordinate to the teams. troops of the military. district Siberian Kaz. brigade (quartered in the cities of Dzharkent, Verny, Koldzhat tract, Khoros locality and fortifications of Naryn and Bakhty) and the Turkmen horse. regiment (stationed in Kashi), in the 1st Turkestan arm. building 1st Turkestan Kaz. division (stationed in the cities of Samarkand, Kerki, Skobelev), in the 2nd Turkestan arm. Corps of the Transcaspian Kaz. brigade (quartered in the city of Merv, Kashi, p. Kaaiha) - only 10 regiments: 9 kaz. regiments and 1 horse-foreign regiment, and 2 Kaz. batteries (12 guns);
Omsk military. district - in the 2nd Turkestan arm. building of the 3rd Siberian Kaz. regiment (stationed in the city of Zaisan);
Irkutsk military. district - in the 2nd Siberian arm. building Zabaikalskaya Kaz. brigade (quartered in the cities of Chita, Troitskosavsk, the village of Dauria and at the Dno station) - only 3 Kaz. shelf, and 2 kaz. batteries (12 guns);
Priamurskiy soldier. district - in the 1st Siberian arm. corps Ussuriyskaya cavalry. brigade (quartered in the cities of Nikolsk-Ussuriisky, Khabarovsk, the villages of Vladimir-Aleksandrovskoye, Zaisanovka, Promyslovka, Razdolnoye, Shkotovo) and in the 4th Siberian arm. building of the Amur Kaz. regiment (stationed in Blagoveshchensk) - 4 regiments in total: 1 cavalry. and 3 kaz. regiment, and 2 horse-mountain batteries (12 guns);
Zaamur district Dept. corps frontier. guards - in the 1st detachment of the 1st (stationed at the Hailar and Buhedu stations) and the 2nd (stationed at the Fulyaerdi station) Zaamur frontier. cavalry regiments, in the 2nd detachment of the 3rd (stationed in Harbin) and 4th (stationed at the Loushagou junction and Kuanachendzi station) Zaamur frontier. conn. regiments, in the 3rd detachment, the 5th (stationed at the Echo junction and the Imyanpo station) and the 6th (stationed at the Mulin station) Zaamur frontier. conn. shelves - 6 regiments in total.
From 24 cav. and kaz. only one division (2nd Consolidated Kaz.) was quartered compactly, when the division control and all four regiments were located in one settlement. Six divisions (1st and 2nd Guards Cavalry, 1st, 2nd and 15th Cavalry and 1st Don Cossacks), together with the management, had one of the brigades (the 1st Guards. cav. - three-brigade - two). The regiments of the other brigade were located in two independent settlements (at the 2nd cavalry and 1st Don kaz. Divisions, one of the regiments of the second brigade was quartered together with the management and the first brigade). In eleven divisions - 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and Kavk. kav. divisions, as well as the 1st Kavk. and 1st Turkestan Kaz. divisions - the management of the division was located in the same settlement together with one of the regiments. At the same time, in three divisions it was the first regiment, in five divisions - the second, in three divisions - the third and in three more - the fourth. The other three regiments of each division were quartered in independent settlements. Three divisions (6th Cavalry, 2nd and 3rd Cavalry. Kaz.) Management and all regiments were stationed in different settlements - each in his own. Of the eight dep. brigades in only two brigades (Guards Cavalry and Siberian Kaz.) management and regiments were placed together. In five brigades, the management was located with one of the regiments, and in the Ussuri horse. brigade - management and all three regiments were quartered in independent settlements.
The regular cavalry had no reserve units, since in peacetime it was kept in full force. The training and preparation of horse personnel to replace those who had served their term or who left for other reasons were carried out in the Kav brigades. stock of three zap. kav. regiment each and Kavk. app. kav. division (for army cavalry) and in the Guards. app. kav. regiment (for guards cavalry). At 52 Kaz. the regiment in service (regiments of the 1st stage) in the reserve consisted of 99 regiments (51 regiments of the 2nd stage and 48 regiments of the 3rd stage). Of these, 40 second-order regiments were included in 10 reserve preferential kaz. divisions that were stationed: in the area of the Don Troops - the 3rd (division headquarters and two regiments in the Khopyorsky district and one regiment each in Ust-Medveditsky and Donetsk districts), the 4th (division headquarters and one regiment in the Cherkasy district and three regiments in the 1st Don district) and the 5th (division headquarters and three regiments in the Donetsk district and one regiment in the Cherkassk district) Don Kaz. divisions; in the Kuban region - the 1st (division headquarters in the Yekaterinodar department and two regiments each in the Yeisk and Taman divisions) and the 2nd (division headquarters and two regiments in the Labinsk division and one regiment each in the Caucasian and Batalpashin divisions) Kuban Kaz. divisions and headquarters of the 3rd (Caucasian department) and 4th (Yeisk department) of the Kuban Kaz. divisions; in the Terek region - the 1st Terek Kaz. division (division headquarters in Vladikavkaz, regiments in Pyatigorsk, Mozdok, Kizlyar and Sunzha districts); in the Ural region - the Ural Kaz.division (division headquarters and a regiment in the 1st military department, two regiments in the 2nd military department and one regiment in the 3rd military department); in the Orenburg region - the Orenburg Kaz. division (division headquarters in the 1st (Orenburg) military department and two regiments each in the 2nd (Verkhneuralsk) and in the 3rd (Troitsk) military departments); in the Siberian region - Siberian Kaz. division (division headquarters, 2nd brigade headquarters and two regiments in the 2nd military department, headquarters of the 1st brigade and two regiments in the 1st military department); in the Trans-Baikal region - the Trans-Baikal Kaz. division (division headquarters and a regiment in the 1st military department, and three regiments in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th military departments).
