Russian Guard Day
Russian Guard has more than 300-year history, which includes both ups and downs. The Guard units reached their greatest prosperity at the beginning of the 20th century. After the fall of the Russian Empire, the Second World War II became the second noticeable take-off of the guard units. Despite its centuries-old history, the Day of the Russian Guard appeared in our country quite recently. This memorable date in the history of the domestic armed forces was approved by decree of the Russian President 22 on December 2000.
Now every year on September 2, our country celebrates the Day of the Russian Guard. The date of the celebration was chosen based on historical background, it refers to the first years of the reign of Peter I, who is considered the founder of the Russian guard. Today we can say that the first mention of the guard units dates back to the very beginning of the XVIII century and is contained in the historical annals of the Russian army, describing the campaigns of the troops of Peter I to Azov and Narva, the official website of the Russian Defense Ministry reports. It is on the basis of the “Chronicle of the Russian Imperial Army”, which was commanded by the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, that we can say that on the 2 of September 1700 of the year (August 22 of the old style), two regiments of the Russian army, Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, officially began to be called guards.
The Russian guard leads its way from the amusing regiments of the future Russian emperor Peter I. These military units were specially formed to train and educate the army of the new system in the country, which was supposed to replace the streltsy army. The regiments went down in history as Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky by the name of the villages in which they stood. These two regiments became the basis of the renewed army, as well as the first two infantry guards. The shelves were recreated again in 2013, which confirms the adherence to historical traditions.
The combat debut of the Russian Guard was the war with Sweden 1700-1721 years, which went down in history as the Northern War. In the first serious and very difficult battle for the entire Russian army near Narva, only thanks to the actions of two guards regiments it was possible to avoid a complete defeat. The regiments themselves suffered heavy losses, but did not show cowardice. Until the 1740 year, all the soldiers of the Semenovsky regiment wore red stockings. It was a kind of privilege, which emphasized that in the battle of Narva the soldiers of the regiment stood "knee-deep in blood", but did not flinch.
Subsequently, both regiments took part in all significant battles of the Northern War, as well as the Persian campaign of Peter I. At different times, prominent people, representatives of the Russian aristocracy, favorites or relatives of the royal family, among whom were Dolgoruky, Golitsyn, Matyushkin, Yusupov and others. At the same time, shelves stood out in their numbers. So, by the beginning of the Northern War, there were 3 infantry battalions in the Semenovsky regiment, and 4 battalions in the Preobrazhensky regiment, while there were only two battalions in ordinary infantry regiments.
After the death of Peter I, the guard did not disappear, on the contrary, over time, the number of guard units only increased, reaching its peak by the 1914 year. For several centuries, Russian guards took part in the Russian-Turkish wars 1735-1739 and 1877-1879, the Patriotic War of 1812, the Russian army fought and died on the Austerlitz field in 1805 and the battlefields of the Russian-Swedish war 1788-1790. The Guard participated in almost all the wars that Russia waged in the 18th-19th centuries, showing examples of courage, heroism and self-sacrifice.
By the beginning of World War I, the Russian guard had reached its highest power. The guard consisted of 12 infantry regiments and 4 infantry battalions, the main locations of which were St. Petersburg (1st and 2nd infantry divisions) and Warsaw (3rd infantry division). In addition, the guard numbered 13 cavalry regiments, three artillery brigades, naval crew, sapper battalion and several guards warships.
In 1914, more than 60 thousand soldiers and approximately 2,5 thousand officers served in the guard. By the end of the first year of the war, the guard units had lost more than 20 thousand people killed and seriously wounded. And in just the 1914-1915 years, the officer corps of the guard was almost completely destroyed. Despite the losses, the number of troops in the guard units only increased. By the summer of 1916, more than 110 thousand people served in the guard. Naturally, such an expansion occurred to the detriment of the quality of the military contingent.
In the same 1916 year, during the Battle of Kovel, the guard suffered terrible losses. The Russian units could not break through the enemy’s powerful defense on the Stokhod River, the losses of the guard units amounted to approximately 50 of thousands of soldiers and officers, that is, almost half of the entire composition. The Guard was no longer able to recover from this disaster. In the 1917 year, it was a faded shadow of those units and subunits that were available at the beginning of the war, primarily in terms of training level, contingent quality and reliability. The units, which were supposed to be the pillar of the monarchy, lost almost the entire personnel of the last sets on the battlefields of the First World War. Together with the Russian Empire, after two revolutions of the 1917 year, the guard also perished, in the 1918 year it was disbanded along with the tsarist army.
Once again, they returned to the experience of creating guards in the Soviet Union during the years of World War II. The birth of the Soviet Guard took place in the hardest war year for the country - already in the fall of 1941, for the mass courage of the personnel and shown heroism, as well as the high military skill that the Soviet units demonstrated during the Smolensk battle and battles near Yelnya, four rifle divisions were given the honorary name guards. The 1, 2, 3, and 4 guards divisions were the former 100, 127, 153 and 161 rifle divisions, respectively. Then, in September 1941, the very concept of “guards unit” was officially introduced in the Red Army.
Already in May of the following year, in order to emphasize the belonging of the soldiers and commanders to the guards units in the army, a new badge "Guard" was officially established, and its own badge was established for representatives of the navy. In the course of the war, many hardened units and formations of the Red Army received the rank of guards. By the end of World War II, there were already more than 4,5 thousand units, ships and formations in the army and navy, which bore the honorary title of the Guards, including 11 combined arms and 6 tank armies.
After the war, the assignment of parts of the guards were no longer made. At the same time, after the reorganization, they retained the honorary name of the guards to preserve the fighting traditions. This tradition has been preserved in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, as well as in several other countries of the former USSR. Moreover, already in modern Russian history, the Guards title was awarded to the 22 separate special forces brigade, special forces received this honorary title in the 2001 year, this is the first such case after the end of World War II. And already in the 2018 year in honor of the 100 summer anniversary, the honorary name "Guards" was awarded to the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.
Breastplate "Guard", which appeared in the year 1942
Now every year on September 2, our country celebrates the Day of the Russian Guard. The date of the celebration was chosen based on historical background, it refers to the first years of the reign of Peter I, who is considered the founder of the Russian guard. Today we can say that the first mention of the guard units dates back to the very beginning of the XVIII century and is contained in the historical annals of the Russian army, describing the campaigns of the troops of Peter I to Azov and Narva, the official website of the Russian Defense Ministry reports. It is on the basis of the “Chronicle of the Russian Imperial Army”, which was commanded by the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, that we can say that on the 2 of September 1700 of the year (August 22 of the old style), two regiments of the Russian army, Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, officially began to be called guards.
Funny shelves
The Russian guard leads its way from the amusing regiments of the future Russian emperor Peter I. These military units were specially formed to train and educate the army of the new system in the country, which was supposed to replace the streltsy army. The regiments went down in history as Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky by the name of the villages in which they stood. These two regiments became the basis of the renewed army, as well as the first two infantry guards. The shelves were recreated again in 2013, which confirms the adherence to historical traditions.
The combat debut of the Russian Guard was the war with Sweden 1700-1721 years, which went down in history as the Northern War. In the first serious and very difficult battle for the entire Russian army near Narva, only thanks to the actions of two guards regiments it was possible to avoid a complete defeat. The regiments themselves suffered heavy losses, but did not show cowardice. Until the 1740 year, all the soldiers of the Semenovsky regiment wore red stockings. It was a kind of privilege, which emphasized that in the battle of Narva the soldiers of the regiment stood "knee-deep in blood", but did not flinch.
Soldiers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, modern reconstruction
Subsequently, both regiments took part in all significant battles of the Northern War, as well as the Persian campaign of Peter I. At different times, prominent people, representatives of the Russian aristocracy, favorites or relatives of the royal family, among whom were Dolgoruky, Golitsyn, Matyushkin, Yusupov and others. At the same time, shelves stood out in their numbers. So, by the beginning of the Northern War, there were 3 infantry battalions in the Semenovsky regiment, and 4 battalions in the Preobrazhensky regiment, while there were only two battalions in ordinary infantry regiments.
Guard sheds blood
After the death of Peter I, the guard did not disappear, on the contrary, over time, the number of guard units only increased, reaching its peak by the 1914 year. For several centuries, Russian guards took part in the Russian-Turkish wars 1735-1739 and 1877-1879, the Patriotic War of 1812, the Russian army fought and died on the Austerlitz field in 1805 and the battlefields of the Russian-Swedish war 1788-1790. The Guard participated in almost all the wars that Russia waged in the 18th-19th centuries, showing examples of courage, heroism and self-sacrifice.
By the beginning of World War I, the Russian guard had reached its highest power. The guard consisted of 12 infantry regiments and 4 infantry battalions, the main locations of which were St. Petersburg (1st and 2nd infantry divisions) and Warsaw (3rd infantry division). In addition, the guard numbered 13 cavalry regiments, three artillery brigades, naval crew, sapper battalion and several guards warships.
His Majesty's Life Guards Hussars Regiment at the parade in Tsarskoye Selo, 1912 year
In 1914, more than 60 thousand soldiers and approximately 2,5 thousand officers served in the guard. By the end of the first year of the war, the guard units had lost more than 20 thousand people killed and seriously wounded. And in just the 1914-1915 years, the officer corps of the guard was almost completely destroyed. Despite the losses, the number of troops in the guard units only increased. By the summer of 1916, more than 110 thousand people served in the guard. Naturally, such an expansion occurred to the detriment of the quality of the military contingent.
In the same 1916 year, during the Battle of Kovel, the guard suffered terrible losses. The Russian units could not break through the enemy’s powerful defense on the Stokhod River, the losses of the guard units amounted to approximately 50 of thousands of soldiers and officers, that is, almost half of the entire composition. The Guard was no longer able to recover from this disaster. In the 1917 year, it was a faded shadow of those units and subunits that were available at the beginning of the war, primarily in terms of training level, contingent quality and reliability. The units, which were supposed to be the pillar of the monarchy, lost almost the entire personnel of the last sets on the battlefields of the First World War. Together with the Russian Empire, after two revolutions of the 1917 year, the guard also perished, in the 1918 year it was disbanded along with the tsarist army.
Birth of the Soviet Guard
Once again, they returned to the experience of creating guards in the Soviet Union during the years of World War II. The birth of the Soviet Guard took place in the hardest war year for the country - already in the fall of 1941, for the mass courage of the personnel and shown heroism, as well as the high military skill that the Soviet units demonstrated during the Smolensk battle and battles near Yelnya, four rifle divisions were given the honorary name guards. The 1, 2, 3, and 4 guards divisions were the former 100, 127, 153 and 161 rifle divisions, respectively. Then, in September 1941, the very concept of “guards unit” was officially introduced in the Red Army.
Combat training of servicemen of the 22-th separate guards brigade of special purpose
Already in May of the following year, in order to emphasize the belonging of the soldiers and commanders to the guards units in the army, a new badge "Guard" was officially established, and its own badge was established for representatives of the navy. In the course of the war, many hardened units and formations of the Red Army received the rank of guards. By the end of World War II, there were already more than 4,5 thousand units, ships and formations in the army and navy, which bore the honorary title of the Guards, including 11 combined arms and 6 tank armies.
After the war, the assignment of parts of the guards were no longer made. At the same time, after the reorganization, they retained the honorary name of the guards to preserve the fighting traditions. This tradition has been preserved in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, as well as in several other countries of the former USSR. Moreover, already in modern Russian history, the Guards title was awarded to the 22 separate special forces brigade, special forces received this honorary title in the 2001 year, this is the first such case after the end of World War II. And already in the 2018 year in honor of the 100 summer anniversary, the honorary name "Guards" was awarded to the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.
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