Russian Army in the beginning of XX century.
Since Tsar's
Peter The Great reformations (in the beginning of XVIII century)
Russian army wore "an European-style" uniforms. Also "an
European - type" infantry and cavalry regiments were raised: grenadiers,
musketeers,dragoons, and later - chasseurs, hussars, lancers, cuirassiers
etc., and Russian army became regular.
Only one type of forces - famous Cossacks
- remained irregular and wore a Russian "national - type's"
uniform.
In 1881 emperor Alexander III
(the true Russian "nationalist") have abolished "foreign-type"
regiments in cavalry (only dragoons and Cossacks remained), and also
has established a "new national type" of uniform for all army.
It was a really progressive event in fact, 'cos an expenses for military
uniform's became rather lower (hussar's dolmans and pelisses, cuirassiers
cuirasses and helmets etc. were very nice, but expensive elements
of uniform). Also after US Civil War it became clear for every military
specialists, that only dragoon's cavalry tactics is suitable for new
times.
But emperor in the same time forgot
about regiment's traditions and glorious military history, and it was
very negative element for the army.
For example: famous Akhtyrka or Mariupol hussars, Novgorod
or Astrakhan cuirassiers or Lithuanian lancers etc. were not very glad,
when they awoke one morning as "dragoons".
The new (and the last) Russian
emperor Nicholas II (son of Alexander III) after unsuccessful
Russian - Japanese war 1904 - 1905 in a hopes to inspirit army has introduced
a "new - old" uniform and has returned the historical old
regiment's titles.
This uniform was intended only for parades,
of course, the "field dress' was "khaki" since XX century's
beginning.
It were a really beautiful shows: different - colored hussars
and lancers, Cossacks and dragoons, cuirassiers and infantry - in the
parades in Moscow and St. Petersburg - which were dedicated to 100 -years
anniversary of
Patriotic War 1812, 200 -years anniversary of the Poltava's victory,
or 300 - years anniversary of Romanov's Emperor's Family.
It was real "Last
Parade", all these famous "old" regiments soon
went to the Great War's battlefields, and during the 1914 - 15 in fact
crashed German's plans of invasion into Russia's territory and even
saved Paris in
august 1914. But price was very high.
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