Osprey [MAA] 298.Russian.Army.of.the.Seven.Years.War.(2)（七年战争中的俄军2）

~ MILITARY MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES 298 RUSSIAN ARMY OF THE SEVEN YEARS WAR (2) ANGUS KONSTAM BILL YOUNGHUSBAND SERIES EDITOR: LEE JOHNSON RUSSIAN ARMY OF THE SEVEN YEARS WAR (2) TEXT BY ANGUS KONSTAM COLOUR PLATES BY BILL YOUNGHUSBAND t!mm MILITARY First published In Great Britain in 1996 by OsPfIEv, an imprint of Reed Consumer Books Ltd. MIChelin House. 81 Fulham Road, London SW3 6AB and Auckland, Melbourne, Singapore and Toronto o Copyright 1996 Reed International Books Ltd. Publisher's Note Reader's may wish to study thiS title in conJUnction with the followlIlg 0spr8)I publications: All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright. Designs and Palents Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be rePfoduCed, stored in a retrieval system. or transmillect in any form or by any means, electronic. electrical, chemical. mechanicaJ, opticsJ, photocopying, recording or otherwise. without the poor pemussioo of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed to the Publishers. MAA 297 MAA 236 MAA240 MAA248 MAA260 MAA264 Russian Army of the Seven Years War (I) Frederick the Great's Army (1) Cavalry Frederick the Great's Army (2) Infantry Frederick the Great's Army (3) Spedalist Peter lhe Great's Atmy (1) Infanrry Peter the Great's Army (2) Cavalry ~ 2nd Floor, Unit 6, Spring Gardens, Tinworlh Street, Vauxhall. London SE11 5EH ISBN 1 85532 587 X F~msetln Great Britain by KDI, Newton Ie Willows Printed through Work:! Pnnt Ltd, Hong Kong Editor: Sharon van der MetWe Design: the Black Spot For a catalogue of all books published by Osprey Military please write to: The Marke1ing Manager, Osprey Publishing ltd.. Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road. London SW3 GAB Artist's Note Readers may care to note that the original paintings from which the Colour plates in this book were prepared are available for private sale. All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the publisher. All enquiries should be addressed to: Bil Youngllusband, 12 St. Manhew's Walk, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, LS7 3PS The publishers regret that they can entef into no correspondence on this matter. Russian Dragoon trooper, c.1757-62. This uniform was worn by all dragoons, the only regimental distinction being the crests mounted on their car- tridge boxes. Note the method of securing the shortened musket, which hung muzzle down from the carbine sling, with the muzzle held in a leather cup suspended from the saddle. (Viskovatov, 1844-56) RUSSIAN ARMY OF THE SEVEN YEARS WAR (2) INTRODUCTION The first volume of this study - MAA 297, Russian Ann)' of the Seven Years \iVa,- (1) - covered the infanlry component of the mid-18th century Russian army. This volume concentrates on the cavalry, both the regular troops and irregular forces such as the Cossacks, and considers their composition, nature and effectiveness. It also outlines the state of the Russian u-ain of artillery, which was seen as the premier branch of the army and dominated Russian military doctrine throughout the 18th century. The anillerywould maintain this status until at least 1917, if not to the present day. Reforms to the army immediately prior to the Seven Years ',Val' created severe problems for Russian commanders; their effects had not yet begun to take full effect, but their influence was enough to put the army in some state of disarray. As a result, the Russian ;Hm)' entered the war with Prussia somewhat wrong foot.ed. The disarray was most apparent in the cavalry ann, where changes of organisation, tactics and even role had been undertaken in 1756. The ability of the anTlY to recover from this in the crucible of war is a major part of this story. Experience gained during the early years of the \var was rapidly assimilated and put to good use. Organisation and tactics were changed to produce a more effective army, one that was capable of inflicting upon Frederick t.he Creat what was probably his greatest defeat, and one whose forces could even caplllre Berlin. By the end of the war and the accession of the Empress Catherine II ('the Creat'), the army and iLS actions had placed Russia among the foremost European military powers, a position enjoyed by the country ever since. CHRONOLOGY Covering Russian operations during the Seven Years ,.val'. Note Ulat all dates are in the modern Uulian) calendar, for ease of reference. 1757 Spring Apraxin's army still in winler quarters in Livonia. 3 I'·:'·,'..... n". ".... . . ....... The methods of changing for- mation for a Divisional sized force from line of march in columns into a linear defence. The level of tactical co-ordi- nation was only achieved by the Russians during the latter years of the war, as both staff officers and troops gained experience. From a contemporary tactical manual. (Author's collection) April Frederick the GreaL's Prussian army invades Austrian Bohemia. May BauJe of Prague. Prussians defeat Austrians. Frederick besieges Prague. Russian ar111)' begins march LO\Varrls Prussian bordcr. June Baltle of Kotlin. Austrians defeat Prussians. Frederick abandons Bohemia. August Russian army of 55,000 enters East Prussia. Lehwaldt's ann}/ intercepts with 25,000 Prussians. 30 August Battle of Gross-Beeren. Russian arl11)' surprised but beaLS off Prussian attack and holds field. September Apraxin approaches Konigsberg, then inexplicably orders a withdrawal. French arm)' advances on Magdeburg. November Battle of Rossbach. Frederick crushes French army. Ausu-ians invade Prussian-held Silesia and capture Breslau. Frederick's force marches from Magdeburg to Breslau. Battle of Leuthen. Austrians defeated and retreat from Silesia. Frederick recaptures Breslau. December Apraxin relieved of command and dies of a seizure shonly afterwards. 4 1758 January Fermor appointed as commander of Russian army. East Prussia invaded in winter campaign and Konigsberg captured. May Russians begin march through Poland towards the middle OdeI' R. June Frederick's Prussians invade Austrian Moravia and besiege OIIllULZ. August Fermor with 43,000 men reaches Oder R at KULZlrin and COIll- mences siege. Frederick's force rnarches from Olmutz to Kutztrin with 37,000 men. Frederick crosses Oder R above KUlZtrin and out- flanks Fermor's army. Russians draw up in defensive position near Zorndorf~ on east ban k of river. 25 August Battle of Zorndorf. Fermor holds Frederick to a draw in an inconclusive bloodbath. Neither army capable of continuing the fighl. September Austrians invade Prussian-held Saxony. Frederick's force marches to intercept. Small blocking force left facing Russians. Battle of Hochkirch. Austrians defeat Prussian forces in Saxony. October Austrians besiege Dresden, but retreat over border when Frederick approaches with main army. Russian army withdraws to winter quarters in East Prussia. Russians attempt half·hearted siege of Colberg, then continue to \vithdraw. 1759 May Fermor replaced by Saltykov. Russian ann)' prepares to renew offensive. Plans drawn up to co-operate with Ausu"ian army in middle Oder R area. June Saltykov marches towards OdeI' with 55,000 men, including Cossacks. July Russians outmanoeuvre Prussian blocking force of 30,000 men. 23 July Battle of Paltzig. vVedel's Prussians are decisively beaten by Saltykov, who figills an exemplary defensive battle. August Russians occupy Frankfurt-on-Oder and control river crossings. Austrians send Loudon and 24,000 men to link up with Russian army. Frederick marches to intercept both armies, crossing to the east of the Oder R. Russians and Austrians link up and adopt a defensive position near Kunersdorf. 12 August Battle of Kunersdorf. Frederick and 50,000 Prussians are deci- sively beaten. Frederick narrowly avoids capture by Cossacks. September Attempts to link up main Russian and Austrian armies fail. Austrians invade Saxony and capture Dresden. Russians march to Glogau but need siege train to take city. November Battle of Maxen. Small Prussian army defeated by Austrians in Saxony. Russians withdraw to winter quarters in East Prussia. A Russian cavalry pistol, 1735 pattern. This was the standard cavalry sidearm issued to all regular Russian cavalrymen from 1735 until 1766, and was the only issued firearm whose pattern was closely regulated. This drawing is based on an example manufactured in Tula, in the collection of the State Historical Museum, Moscow. 5 1760 Spring Sahykov and 60,000 Russians gather at Posen, in Poland. June Austrians invade Silesia. Battle of Landshul. Local Prussian army defeated. July Ausu-ians capture Glatz. Frederick marches army to Silesia. 26 July Russians begin marching LOwarcls middle OdeI' R. 15 August Battle of Leignitz. Frederick defeats Austrians. Austrians retreat from Silesia. September A second half-hearted siege of Colberg is attempted and abandoned. Saltykov resigns due to ill health. Fermor temporarily appointed to command. 26 September Joint Austro-Russian raid on Berlin launched, led by TOLleben (Russian). 9 October Berlin's defences sLOrmed, city captured and ransomed. City then abandoned. October Buturlin assumes command of the Russian army. 3 November Baltle of Torgau. Frederick defeats Austrians in a bloody battle. ]5 November Russian army withdraws to winter quarters in East Prussia. 1761 January BUlllriin's Russian army prepares for a fresh campaign. Totleben undertakes operations in Pomerania and threatens Colberg. February Totleben inexplicably withdraws army in face of minimal oppo- sition. June He is arrested on charges of u·easonable dealings WitJl the enemy. Russian army begins march tmvards upper Oder R area. July Buturlin reaches Oder R and links up with Loudon and 70,000 Austrians. August Frederick's army forced inLO defensive position at Bunzelwitz. Stalemate. September l.<'lck of supplies forces allies to abandon siege of Bunzelwitz camp. Chernyshev's Corps is attached to Ausu·ian army. and they storm Schweidnitz. Rumyantsev's Corps besieges Colberg. October Remainder of army withdraws to its winter quarters in East Pruss!a. 16 December Colberg surrendei"s to Russians. 1762 January Frederick gives orders to sue for peace. when: 6 January The Empress Elizabeth dies. succeeded by pro-Prussian Emperor Peter II I. 16 March Peter III signs armistice with the Prussians. 2 May Armistice converted to peace treaty and pact of co-operation. June Russia places troops at Frederick's disposal, and Cossack raids ordered against Austrian Moravia. Peter III orders plans drawn up for war with Denmark. East Prussia and Colberg returned to Prussia. 8 July Empress Catherine seizes power in palace coup, backed by the guards. Peter III forced to abdicate. August Peter III killed or assassinated in staged brawl. Empress Catherine has supreme power. \,Val" wcary. she ratifies peace treaty 6 with Prussia. Cuirassier trooper, c.1757-62. The trooper is shown bearing a long infantry musket rather than his normal issued carbine. Cuirassiers frequently provided headquarters guards for army commanders, prOViding both mounted and dismounted sentries or escorts. For dis- mounted sentry duty infantry muskets were issued to the cavalrymen. (Viskovatov. 1841 56) Cuirassier officer, c.1758. His cuirass differed from those issued to enlisted men in that the red cloth backing extended into a decorative fringe at the neck and around the arms. It was further distinguished by the white scalloped lace around the rivets and the golden cypher plate in the centre of the cuirass. 19th century watercolour by an unknown artist. (Collection of the Russian Museum, St Petersburg) 1763 February Treaty of Hubenusburg ends Seven Years War. SlaLUS quo maintained in Central and Eastern Europe. RUSSIAN CAVALRY, 1725-1740 In 1725 Russian cavalry comprised a guard cavalry regiment (Leib Regiment), 30 line dragoon regiments and three regiments of horse grenadiers. Peter the Great refused to raise heavy cavalry regiments because of his belief that u1e dragoon was the ideal regular cavalryman for lise in Eastern Europe. This was based on a combination of tactical doctrine, geographical considerations and the availability of horses capable of bearing heavy cuirassiers within Russia. This force was aug- mented, when required, by calling out the Cossack hosts, providing, at least on paper, a force of over 40,000 irregular light cavalrymen. Following Peter the Great's death, and the subsequent brief reigns of his wife, the Empress Catherine, and the Emperor Peter II, the throne passed into the hands of the Empress Anna in 1730. Her succession was assisted by the guard regiments, to whom she owed a debt of gratitude and from whom she learned a valuable lesson in the political power of the Russian military. To create her O\vn power within the army she raised a third guard infantry regiment (Ismailovski) and a squadron of horse guards, who quickly amal~ gamated with the Leib Regiment, thereby ensuring their loyalty. For her military council she relied on a group of foreign officers in Russian service, principally Baron Burchard Christoph Munnich, \Nho in ] 732 became president or the \\1ar college, the senior rnilitary post in Russia. Many of his reforms are covered in MAA 297, and they can be summarised as a remodelling of the army along Prussian lines. One of Munnich's first changes concerned cavalry: 'The Russian army has never possessed any other category of horse.. than dragoons. Several other armies, however, and especially that of Imperial Austria, own regiments of cuirassiers, which have proved more effective than other kinds against the Turks... Since light cavalry reg- iments are incapable o[withstanding regiments of heavy cavalry or cuirassiers with advantage, the Military Commission considers that, in the present time of peace, we should establish ten cuirassier regiments of this kind, rnounted on German horses.' (Baiov, 1906.) In 1731 the Vyborgski dragoon regiment became the Munnich cuirassiers. In the following year the Nevski dragoon regiment became the Leib cuirassiers, and the Iaroslavski dragoons the 3rd cuirassiers. A shortage of suitable mounts made the conversion process a slow one, and only one 7 8 A non·commissioned officer (left) and a junior officer (right) of the Garde it Cheval, during the earty years of the reign of Catherine the Great. They wear their full court uniform, a variant on that depicted in Plate A, figures 1 and 2. (Viskovatov, 1844·56) one further regiment was raised before the Empress Anna's death in 1740. That year the Kazanski dragoon regiment became the Holstein cuirassiers. The horse grenadier regiments were amalgamated into the line dragoons, and a new dragoon regiment was raised to keep the dragoons at a level of 30 regiments. lew regulations concerning cavalry drill and tactics werc also introduced in 1731, stressing the current German doctrine that caval!")' units should trot into aclion in order to maintain cohesion_ These regu- lations remained in [prce until the eve of the Seven Years \·Var, placing Russian cavalry at a serious disadvantage when opposed by the Prussians, who by then had developed a more aggressive doctrine, involving charging into conraCl. This and the backlash against Munnich's 'German' reforms after 1741 would hinder the development of Russian cavalry in the crucial decades before it embarked on its war with Prussia. THE EMPRESS ELIZABETH'S CAVALRY Guard Cavalry Since 1721 the Russian monarchy had been protected by a mounted guard regiment, Peter t.he Great's Leib Regimenl. It was used primarily for ceremonial purposes, and once amalgamated with the Empress Anna's horse guards, it became a potcnt political force within the Russian courl. The unit was the Garde aCheval regiment (174]). Its primary role was to protect the empress, and it was never really seen as an operational military force, unlike the guard infantry regiments, who were only retained in St Petersburg throughout the war due to a combined fear of a direct attack on the capital and the chance of a military coup. The regiment was used extensively on ceremon ial occasions, and it performed the majority of imperial escort dulies. All cavaliers in the ranks of the unit were regarded as officers in their own right, and command was given to senior Russian noblemen more for their abilities in court rather than for any military prowess they exhibited. Reputedl)', the Empress Elizabeth rewarded handsome young guards officer~with promotions and litles for aclS that were linked more to sexual than military prowess, a habit continued by the Empress Cathel-ine. On cerrain state occasions the Leib Company, a ceremonial foot unit of the Impel-ial Guard, provided a mounted escort for the empress, com· manded by a major~eneral and with the ranks made up of guard captains and lieutenants. Although not really a pure cavalry formation, the Chevalier Garde of the Leib Company maintained its own stable and was provided with special uniforms for the rare occasions when it was used. Both of these guard units participated in the overthrow of me pro-Prussian Peter III in the coup orchestrated by the fUlUre Empress Catherine II ('the Great') ill 1762. Cuirassiers The rationale behind the formation of cuirassier regimenlS in the Russian army has already been mentioned. Before 1756 these regimenlS were trained to engage in shock combat, but still retained an earlier function of having a fire combat capa- bility. The 1731 cavalry regulations laid down that cuirassiers should be armed with carbines and pistols. and that these should be discharged in the face of the enemy immediately prior to engaging them in close combat. The new regulations of 1756 dropped this as a viable military manoeuvre, and instead saw the cuirassier as me shock troop par excellence of ule army. Despite this. throughout the war Russian dragoons were equipped with pistols and carbines in addition to the sword. almough in action the use of the former was consigned to skirmishes and when performing piquet duty. Once the problems of providing suitable mounlS had been resolved, Russian cuirassiers performed their' role admirably, and were regarded as the most useful troops on ule battlefield, after the artillery that is; the latter were always seen as the premier force within the army. Dragoons The mainstay of the Russian cavalry throughout the 18th century were the dragoon regiments - medium cavalrymen mounted on smaller horses than those encountered in western European armies. While other armies saw their dragoons, at least for the most part. as U'ue cavalrymen, the Russian army still retained elements of the Petrine notion that the dragoon should function equally well as a dismounted musketeer, a cav- alryman capable of engaging the enemy in melee and as a kind of irregular cavalryman who could scout, perform piquet duty, harass the enemy and supplement the Cossacks in their traditional role. This mul- tiplicity of roles was enshrined in the Petrine cavalry regulations as well as in the 'Prussian' guidelines for cavalry, issued by Munnich in J73J. The reorganisation of the cavalry and me introduction of new regu- lations in ]756 came at a bad time for me Russian dragoons. They were' being forced to re-evaluate their role on the eve of their entrance to a major European war. Their tardiness in adapting to their new role and the lack of enthusiasm shown by their officers in reorganising and reu-aining their men meant that at least during the first twO years of the Note on the naming of cuirassier regiments The Leib cuirassier regiment was originally the Nevski dragoon regiment; it was changed in 1732. The FedoroYitch cuirassier regiment (also knoown as the Imperial Crown Pmce regimeot-Altesse Imperiale) began a!l the 1aros1avsk1 dragoon regiment, becoming the 3rd cuirassier regiment in 1732. the Bevem cuirassier regimenl