Russian Army
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Contents
État-Major
Guard
Horse Guard
Preobrazhenskiy Leib-Guard
Semyonovskiy Leib-Guard
Izmailovskiy Leib-Guard
Infantry
Line Infantry
Organisation
Generalities about the uniforms
Generalities about drill (as per the "Reglement" of 1756)
Generalities about weapons and equipment
Generalities about the colours
Regular Line Infantry
1st Grenadier 2nd Grenadier |
10. Novgorodskiy 11. Schlusselburgskiy |
22. Rostovskiy 23. Velikolutskiy |
35. Muromskiy 36. Uglitskiy |
Observation Corps
The Observation Corps was created in October 1756 as an autonomous multi-arms corps. It was finally ready at the beginning of 1758 even though it counted only 12,000 men instead of the planned 30,000. The corps was disbanded at the beginning of 1760 and its troops were incorporated into the field artillery as fusiliers.
Grenadier Regiment
1st Musketeer Regiment
2nd Musketeer Regiment N.B.: 2nd Musketeer Regiment was never completed
3rd Musketeer Regiment
4th Musketeer Regiment
5th Musketeer Regiment
Mecklenburg Corps
This unit first served in Russia in 1719. The Duke of Mecklenburg, Karl Leopold, had married one of Peter the Great's niece. When hostilities broke out between England and Russia in 1719, the Duchy of Mecklenburg was occupied by English forces. The Duke with his military force of about 1,900 men made for Russia. This force was stationed in Ukraine. This Corps had no fixed organization or strength.
The Mecklenburg Corps was disbanded in 1743 and its personnel expatriated to Mecklenburg or distributed among garrison regiments.
Garrison Infantry
Ostsee Garrison Infantry
There were 20 "Ostzeiskiy" (Ostsee/Baltic) garrison regiments stationed in the area of the Baltic. They were garrisoning fortresses along the western frontier of Russia.
1. Sankt-Peterbúrgskiy 2. Névskiy |
8. Nárvskiy 9. Výborgskiy |
15. Liflyándskiy 16. Ézelskiy |
Besides the garrison infantry regiments, there was also one independent garrison battalions
1. Ládozhskiy Сanal
Inner Garrison Infantry
The Inner garrison regiments were primarily used for police duty in the inner regions of Russia.
21. Kolómenskiy 3-battalion 22. Kíevskiy |
30. Pénzenskiy 31. Ufímskiy |
39. Yakútskiy 3-battalion 40. Arkhangelogoródskiy |
Besides the garrison infantry regiments, there were also three independent garrison battalions.
1. Moskóvskiy Leib-Guard
2. Velikolútskiy
3. Bákhmutskiy
Cavalry
Line Cavalry
Cuirassiers
Organisation
Generalities about the uniforms
Leib Cuirassier
His Imperial Highness aka Prince Fedorovitch or Altesse Impériale
3rd Cuirassier
Kazanskiy
Kievskiy
Novotroitskiy
Horse Grenadiers
Astrakhanskiy
Kargopolskiy
Narvskiy
Sankt-Peterburgskiy
Rizhskiy
Ryazanskiy
Dragoons
Organisation
Generalities about weapons and equipment
Moskovskiy Troitskiy |
Tverskoy Permskiy |
Ingermanlandskiy |
Garrison Cavalry
The Garrison Dragoons counted 7 regiments and 2 independent squadrons. They were deployed along the southern border and in the Government of Siberia. During the war, only 1 regiment and 1 independent squadron were transferred to the west.
Organisation
Generalities about the uniforms
Garrison Dragoons
Garrison Dragoon Regiments
1. Kazánskiy 2. Vorónezhskiy |
5. Orenbúrgskiy 6. Ufímskiy |
Garrison Dragoon Independent Squadrons
1. Moskóvskiy
2. Roslávlskiy
Hussars
Field Hussars
Serbskiy (Serbian)
Gruzinskiy (Georgian)
Vengerskiy (Hungarian)
Moldavskiy (Moldavian)
Slobodskiy (Slobodian)
Makedonskiy (Macedonian)
Zholtiy (Yellow)
Bolgarskiy (Bulgarian)
Settled Hussars
1st Novoserbskiy or Horvat
2nd Novoserbskiy
Shevich
Preradovich
Irregular Cavalry
Generalities about Cossacks Organisation
Generalities about the Cossack Uniforms
Enlisted Irregular Cavalry
Most Cossacks were subordinated to the Military Collegium. In reports, they are listed as irregular forces. As per the 1755 report, they counted a total of 35,204 men including:
Cossack Hosts Don Cossacks (15,732 men) |
Cossack Regiments
Azov Cossacks (513 men) |
Other Cossack Units Orenburg Town Cossacks (3,765 men) |
Other Irregular Cavalry
Some Cossacks were not subordinated to the Military Collegium but were still considered as potential irregular forces:
- Malorussian Cossacks formed the Kiev Governorate, which had exclusive administrative division of 10 regiments. During the 1757 campaigns of the Seven Years' War, these Cossacks fielded the Companeyskiy (volunteer) Cossack Regiment.
- Zaporozhje Cossacks settled to the south of the Ukrainian defence line. They were considered as a buffer zone on the border with Crimean Khanate, a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire).
- Siberian Cossacks settled to the east of the Orenburg Cossacks along the southern border of Russian Siberian lands.
In addition to Cossacks, the Russian Army could also field irregular cavalry of some semi-nomad and nomad nations who were considered as "natural cavalrymen":
Militias
Ukrainian Landmilitia
The 20 Ukrainian Landmilitia mounted regiments were military settlements on the southern border of Russia in Ukraine.
1. Lívenskiy 2. Tambóvskiy |
8. Ryázhskiy 9. Bélevskiy |
15. Bryánskiy 16. Vorónezhskiy |
Trans-Kama Landmilitia
The 4 Trans-Kama (Zakamskaia) Landmilitia regiments were military settlements in the region of Orenburg, near the Kama River. There were 3 mounted regiments and 1 infantry regiment.
Mounted: 1. Sheshminskiy |
Infantry: 4. Alekséevskiy |
Artillery
Regular Artillery
Equipment - Guns, Howitzers, Mortars, Carriages
Organisation
1st Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Regimental Artillery Regiment
Observation Corps Field Artillery Train
Secret Howitzer Corps (Shuvalov's)
Siege (Fortress) Artillery Trains
In 1760, the troops of the disbanded Observation Corps were used to create Fusilier regiments assigned to the escort of the artillery.
1st Fusilier Regiment
2nd Fusilier Regiment
Fusilier Reserve
Garrison Artillery
The Garrison Artillery totalled some 6,000 men distributed among the various fortresses and artillery parks.
Engineers
Regular Engineers
Organisation
Engineer Regiment
Pontoon Company
Garrison Engineers
There were 600 engineers distributed among the various fortresses of the empire.
Light Troops
Organisation
1st Pandur
2nd Pandur
3rd Pandur
Jägers (raised in August 1761)
Logistic
n/a
References
Books:
- Duffy, Christopher: Russia's military way to the West, London 1981, pp. 120-121
- Großer Generalstab, Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II (Publisher). Die Kriege Friedrichs des Großen. Dritter Teil: Der Siebenjährige Krieg 1756–1763. Vol. 4 Groß-Jägersdorf und Breslau, Berlin 1902
- chapter A: Das Kaiserlich Russiche Heer, page 1-46
- appendix: supplement 1, Das Kaiserlich Russiche Heer, page 3-18
- Konstam, Angus; Younghusband, Bill: Russian Army of the Seven Years War (1), Men-At-Arms Series 297, Osprey Punblishing 1996
- Konstam, Angus; Younghusband, Bill: Russian Army of the Seven Years War (2), Men-At-Arms Series 298, Osprey Punblishing 1996
- Masslowski, Dmitrij F.: Der Siebenjährige Krieg nach russischer Darstellung
- Band 1: Der Feldzug Apraxin's in Ostpreussen 1756 - 1757, Berlin 1888
- Band 2: Der Feldzug des Grafen Fermor in den östlichen Gebieten von Preussen (1757 - 1759), Berlin 1891
- Band 3: 1759 - 1762, die Feldzüge des Grafen P.S. Ssaltykow I. und A. B. Buturlin's, Berlin 1893
- Sdvidzkov, Denis: Landschaft nach der Schlacht. Briefe russischer Offiziere aus dem Siebenjährigen Krieg. Forschungen zur Brandenburgischen und Preußischen Geschichte 22, vol. 1 (2012): 33-56
- Sdvidzkov, Denis: Letters from the "Prussian War". The People of the Russian Imperial Army in 1758. Moscow: New Literature Review, 2019
Manuscripts and working papers:
- Pengel, R.D.; Hurt, G.R.: Russian Infantry of the Seven Years War, Birmingham 1976
- Pengel, R.D.; Hurt, G.R.: Russian Uniforms and Flags of the Seven Years War, Birmingham 1980
- Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, hrsg. von der KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, überarb. u. aktual. Neuauflage 1989
Contemporary documents, paintings, "Bilderhandschriften" and copper engraving series:
- ETAT nouveau. De toutes les Troupes tant régulières qu'irregulières de l'Imperatrice de toute la Russie, comme elles étoint effectivement l'an ... Jacques Andre Frederic, Augsbourg
- 1758 (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz)
- 1759 (Staats- und Stadtbibliothek Augsburg)
- Entwurf einer Vorstellung der Russisch-Kayserlichen Armee, 1760 (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz)
Prints:
- Knötel, Richard: Uniformkunde, Lose Blätter zur Geschichte der Entwicklung der militärischen Tracht, Rathenow 1890-1921, Vol. III, No. 21; Vol. III, No. 26; Vol. III, No. 27; Vol. III, No. 33; Vol. III, No. 34; Vol. VI, No. 46
- Friedrich Schirmer: Zweifarben-Tücher - Eine Folge von Bildtafeln militärischer Uniformen usw. Burgdorf Hann. o.J., Group 106 and Groups 139-144
- Viskovatov, A.V.: Istoritsheskoe opisanie odezhdy i voisk , vol. 3, St. Petersburg 1844-1856, Viskovatov, Viskovatov
Articles:
- Brock, Dr.: Russische Truppen im siebenjährigen Kriege, in: Mittheilungen zur Geschichte der militärischen Tracht, Beilagen zum V. Bande der "Uniformkunde", No. 4, 1894, page 16
- Ellfeldt, Hans-Günter: 1756-1763 die Russische Armee 1757-1758 in zeitgenössischer Sicht, in: Das Sponton (1961), vol. 1, no. 1, page 6-14; (1961), vol. 1, no. 2/3, page 17-22; (1962), vol. 2, no. 4/5, page 3-11
- Knötel, Richard: Russiche Truppen in der Neumark 1758, in: Mittheilungen zur Geschichte der militärischen Tracht, Beilagen zum X. Bande der "Uniformkunde", No. 6, 1899, page 21-23
- Lubimow, A.J.: Die Feldzeichen der russischen Armee 1741-1761, in: Die Zinnfigur, Uniformheft 18, o.J.
- Ziegler, Volker: Das russische Observationskorps im siebenjährigen Krieg, in: Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für hessische Militär- und Zivilgeschichte, Band 1, 2001, page 29-33
- Ziegler, Volker: Die Infanterie der russischen Garde zur Zeit des 7-jährigen Krieges (1756-1763), in: Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für hessische Militär- und Zivilgeschichte, Band 2, 2003, page 45-51
- Ziegler, Volker: Die Russische Linien-Infanterie zur Zeit des 7-jährigen Krieges (1756-1763), in: Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für hessische Militär- und Zivilgeschichte, Band 3, 2005, page 73-86
- Ziegler, Volker: Die Russische Kavallerie zur Zeit des 7-jährigen Krieges (1756-1763), in: Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für hessische Militär- und Zivilgeschichte, Band 4, 2007, page 62-80
- Ziemer, Erich: Russiche Fahnen und Standarten unter der Zarin Elisabeth 1741-62. in: Artikel für KA7-Sammler aus alten "Zinnfigur" Heften (1924-1944), KLIO-Arbeitsgruppe 7jähriger Krieg, Manuskript, Köln 1980, page 123-124
- Ziemer, Erich: Russiche Fahnenwappen aus der Zeit 1741-62. in: Artikel für KA7-Sammler aus alten "Zinnfigur" Heften (1924-1944), KLIO-Arbeitsgruppe 7jähriger Krieg, Manuskript, Köln 1980, page 126-127
Internet:
- Gromoboy, Vlad; Russian army during the reign of Empress Elisabeth, Nec Pluribus Impar
- Yahoo SYW Group Message No. 1831, 1835