... How many years earlier did you serve in the Russian army? Service life of soldiers in the tsarist army Who served 25 years in Russia

In pre-revolutionary Russia:

Until 1874, recruits (peasants and burghers) served in the army. At first, the conscription was indefinite, from 1793 the service life was reduced to 25 years. It gradually decreased - and by the time of the military reform of 1874 it was already 7 years old.

After the reform, the recruitment was replaced by universal conscription. The total service life in the ground forces was 15 years (directly in service - 6 years, and the rest of the time - in reserve), the total service life in the fleet - 10 years (directly in service - 7 years).

In 1906, the term of active soldier's service was reduced to 3 years. Then, in August-December 1914, a general mobilization took place - in connection with the outbreak of the First World War.

After the 1917 revolution and civil war, a new army began to form in the new state.

IN USSR:

On the basis of various decrees and decisions of the CEC, the term of service changed several times until the law on compulsory military service was passed in 1925.

In the ground forces until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was 2 years. In aviation: from 1925 to 1928 - 3 years, from 1928 to 1939 - 2 years, from 1939 to 1941 - again 3 years. He also varied in the fleet. So, from 1924 to 1928, it was necessary to serve for 4 years, from 1928 to 1939 - 3 years, from 1939 - 5 years.

After the Great Patriotic War (with the beginning of which mobilization was carried out again), a new law on universal conscription was adopted already in 1949. In accordance with it, men were drafted into the ground forces and into the aviation for 3 years, and into the navy for 4 years.

In 1967, a new law on universal conscription was adopted, the service life was reduced and amounted to 2 years for those who were sent to the ground forces and the aviation, and 3 years to the navy.

In modern Russia:

In 1993, the normative act that existed in the USSR was canceled - the law of the Russian Federation "On military duty and military service" came into force. Initially, the document reduced the service life to 18 months (i.e. 1.5 years), and in the navy - to 2 years.

In 1996, in connection with the start of the Chechen campaign, a new law came into force, according to which the length of service in the army and in the navy became equal - and amounted to 2 years.
In the early 2000s, preparations began in Russia for the division of conscription and contract military service, and at the same time for a reduction in the conscript service life from 2 years to 1 year. For the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian leadership was planning to reduce the period of conscription back in 2002.

The transition took place in stages: for example, young people who left for the army in the fall of 2007 had to serve for 1.5 years. And since January 2008, the service life has been 12 months - 1 year.

In November 2012, the media, citing a statement by the chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, reported that the term of service in the Russian army would be revised again. So, according to the chairman of the committee, Vladimir Komoedov, the optimal length of service is one and a half years, and the reduction of service to 1 year was a "political decision" and in fact has a bad effect on the combat readiness of the army.

A source in the Kremlin almost immediately denied this information, recalling the implemented President's initiative to reduce the deadline.

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In order to answer the question of how long they served in the army in the USSR, one must understand that the formation of this period was preceded by a long history of the formation of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.

1. In pre-revolutionary Russia, 25 years were given to serve the fatherland. Without exception, all the nobles had to repay their debt to the Motherland during this period.
2. Thanks to the military reform of 1874, service was reduced to 7 years.
3. After the end of the First World War and general mobilization, the service life was 3 years. He remained that way until 1941.
4. From 1945 to 1967 - the term was 3 years, in the navy it was 4 years.
5. With the implementation of the military reform in 1967 and until 1993, he was drafted into the army for 2 years.

How was the service

The armed forces of the Soviet Union served to defend the freedoms and gains of the entire Soviet people. For this reason, the attitude towards the army was appropriate. On September 1, 1939, the law on general military conscription into the army came into force, as a result of which service in the Soviet army became an honorary right of all citizens. Since 1939, an active growth in the production of weapons began, and specialized military educational institutions were also opened.

Before the start of the war with Nazi Germany, the reorganization of the armed forces was not completed in full, so the war of 1941-1945 became a heavy burden for the Soviet people.

During the war, officers continued to be trained through accelerated courses. After the victory in the Second World War was won, the conscription service continued.

In those days it was an obligatory and prestigious duty and no one had a desire to somehow shirk it, but they were also afraid to go to serve, no less than now. Nevertheless, everyone had to go through this stage of life, otherwise in later life it will be difficult to find their place in society. After all, even when applying for a job, the first thing they asked was where he served. It was a shame not to go to the army, they were not taken into the ranks of the armed forces only because of illness, and this already cast a shadow on the attitude towards such a person.

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The service began with sending off to the army. During the Soviet era, great attention was paid to this issue, feasts were rolled, the number of guests equal to the wedding celebration. Such events usually lasted all night and the next morning the boy, with the whole company, was sent to the service.
The Soviet army for yesterday's schoolchildren was a school of life. They really grew up there. They got used to discipline, got the skills necessary for life. Not always helpful, but learned a lot. Primarily physical endurance.

Striking differences

What is the difference between the service in the days of the USSR and how it is going on now:

• In order to inform my mother that everything was fine, it took from two weeks to a month, that was how much time it took for the letter to reach by mail.
• Physical exercises. Great attention was paid to this issue. For 2 years, a guy who could not pull himself up on the bar once could make a strong and hardy man.
• It was necessary to get dressed in 45 seconds, and this was a prerequisite for further service.
• Due to the fact that 2 years is a long service life, there was a place for extra-statutory relations on the basis of service life. The army hierarchy was clearly observed.
• Anxious attitude towards fellow countrymen. In the USSR, they could be distributed throughout the Soviet Union, therefore, their fellow countrymen were treated in a special way.
• Without fail, an outfit in the kitchen was distributed to all soldiers. There were no specially invited people in the kitchen. The cooks were recruited from among the soldiers.
• Such a ritual as the hemming of collars was an obligatory part of a soldier's everyday day.

But in the army of the times of the USSR, the issue of "bullying" was very strongly developed. The entire hierarchical army order, from "spirit" to "grandfather", went through absolutely everyone, and in order to survive in this system, one had to have a strong spirit, first of all. Many who served then say that my service in the Soviet army was natural selection, because the strongest survived. It is believed that these army laws came into the ranks of the Soviet army in 1967, after another military reform.

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In the army of that year, the term was reduced by 1 year. This became the reason for the dissatisfaction of the old-timers, who threw out their anger on the young replenishment, and further, incrementally, the former "young", rose to the rank of "grandfathers" and, in turn, began to educate the new arrivals. It was already impossible to break this chain. Also, in Soviet times, there was a high probability of getting into some kind of hot spot, helping the fraternal people of some country, the soldiers were not given a choice.

Russian army in our time

Now the service in the Russian army is 1 year. The number of contract servicemen in the ranks of the armed forces exceeds the number of conscripts.
What changes did the military reform in the army bring:

• Due to the fact that the service life has decreased to 1 year, the duration of the KMB passage is 1 month.
• Such a concept as "hazing" has lost its meaning, because the new conscription can only meet with old-time soldiers who have served 8 months or less. There are almost no extra-statutory relationships on the basis of service life.
• The dining room outfits have been canceled. All food preparation is done by civilians.
• It is allowed to have a mobile phone. Thanks to this, the parents know all the details of the son's service.
• Soldiers in service are rarely allowed access to equipment and weapons. Service of military equipment and its repair is entrusted to servicemen under the contract.
• The soldiers are mainly engaged in ancillary work. They dig, paint fences and other useful things.
• The living conditions of the personnel have improved. Most of the soldiers live in refurbished or new barracks.
• The soldiers stopped beating. Physical examinations are performed daily for abrasions and bruises.
• In a soldier's uniform, such details of clothing as collars and footcloths were canceled. The soldiers use socks, but they don’t use the collars.

Summing up, I would like to say that military service was and remains a difficult task, both in Soviet times and now. But despite this, many young people go to the army, and even

In the Russian state, since the 30s of the 17th century. Attempts were made to create a better military system. The archers and the local cavalry were no longer reliable means of strengthening the borders.

The regular Russian army arose under Emperor Peter I (1682-1725). His Decree "On the admission to the service of soldiers from all sorts of free people" (1699) laid the foundation for the recruitment of the new army. In the Decree of February 20, 1705, the term "recruit" was first mentioned, the term of which was established by Peter I - "as long as strength and health allow." The recruiting system firmly consolidated the class principle of the organization of the army: the soldiers were recruited from peasants and other taxable strata of the population, and the officers were from the nobility. Each rural or bourgeois community undertook to provide the army with a man between the ages of 20 and 35 from a certain number (usually 20) of households.

In 1732, the favorite of the Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740) - B.Kh. Munnich (President of the Military Collegium) approved the recruitment of recruits between the ages of 15 and 30 by lot. Lifetime service was replaced by 10 years, moreover, military peasants could be promoted to officers, i.e. go out to the nobles. In addition, in 1736, an instruction was issued allowing the only sons in the family not to serve in the army, but to one of the brothers to avoid recruitment.

In 1762, Emperor Peter III (1761-1762) set the term of service in the army at 25 years.

In 1808-1815. under Emperor Alexander I (1801-1825), military settlements were organized - special volosts inhabited by state peasants, who were transferred to the category of military settlers. Soldiers' regiments settled here, their families were registered with the soldiers, the soldiers were married (often not at their choice). The military settlers served for life in military service and carried out agricultural work to provide for themselves. All boys from the age of 7 became cantonists, dressed in uniforms and carried out both soldier and peasant service for life. The state archive of the Chuvash Republic contains books on the registration of cantonists. In the 50s of the 19th century. settlers, cantonists, dismissed from the military department, were included in the rural societies of state and appanage peasants, as evidenced by revision tales and other documents.

Since 1834, under Emperor Nicholas I (1825-1855), a soldier was dismissed on indefinite leave ("reserve") after 20 years of service. From 1839 to 1859, the service life was reduced from 19 to 12 years, the maximum age of a recruit - from 35 to 30.

From the formal (draft) list of the Cheboksary district presence for 1854:

620. Mikhailo Vasiliev (Note: this recruit entered hunting for his brother Kozma Vasiliev), age - 20 years, height - 2 arshins 3 vershoks, signs: hair on the head and eyebrows are dark blond, blue eyes, nose and mouth are ordinary, chin - round, in general the face is pockmarked. Special features: there is a spot on the right side of the back from the disease. From what class he was accepted, according to what set: Kazan province, Cheboksary district, Sundyr volost, village Bolshaya Akkozina, from state peasants, 11 in a private set, Orthodox, single. He doesn't know how to read, write, or any skill.

719. Vasily Fedorov, age 21/2 years, height - 2 yards 5 vershoks, signs: hair on the head and eyebrows - black, brown eyes, nose - wide-pointed, mouth - ordinary, chin - round, generally clean face. Special features: a birthmark on the lower back. From what class he was accepted, according to what set: Kazan province, Cheboksary district, Lipovskoy volost, village Bagildina, from state peasants, 11 private set, Orthodox, married to Elena Vasilyeva, no children. He doesn't know how to read, write, or any skill.

In the family recruitment list of the Cheboksary district of the Alymkasinsk volost of the Alymkasinsk rural society for 1859 there is information about the receipt of peasants in recruits since 1828, there is no data on the return of recruits.

The next changes in the terms of service are associated with the head of the Ministry of War D.A. Milyutin (1861-1881), who carried out a reform in 1873. As a result, from January 1, 1874, the recruitment system was replaced by universal military service. The entire male population that reached the age of 20, without distinction of class, served directly in the ranks for 6 years and was in the reserve for 9 years (for the fleet - 7 years of active service and 3 years in the reserve). Those who served their terms of active service and in the reserve were enlisted in the militia, in which they stayed up to 40 years. They were exempted from active service: the only son, the only breadwinner in the family with young brothers and sisters, conscripts whose older brother is serving or has served a period of active service. The rest of those fit for service, who had no privileges, drew lots. All fit for service, incl. and beneficiaries were enlisted in the reserve, and after 15 years - in the militia. Delays were given for 2 years in terms of property status. The terms of active military service were reduced depending on the educational qualification: up to 4 years for those who graduated from primary school, up to 3 years for a city school, and up to one and a half years for those who had a higher education. If the educated person entered active service voluntarily ("volunteer"), the terms of service were cut in half. In the service, the soldiers were taught to read and write. The clergy were exempted from military service.

From the draft list with. Yandashevo, Alymkasinskaya volost, Cheboksary district for 1881:

... v. Chodinoy

No. 2. Nikita Yakimov, b. May 24, 1860, marital status: sister Ekaterina, 12 years old, wife Oksinya Yakovleva, 20 years old.

The decision of the Presence on compulsory military service: “Has benefits of the first category as the only worker in the family. Enroll in the militia ";

village Oldeevo - Izeevo

No. 1. Ivan Petrov, b. January 4, 1860, marital status: mother is a widow, 55 years old, sisters: Varvara, 23 years old, Praskovya, 12 years old, wife Ogafya Isaeva, 25 years old.

The decision of the Presence on compulsory military service: “The privilege of the first category was given as the only worker in the family with his mother - a widow. Enlisted in the militia. "

From the report of the assistant foreman of the Alymkasin volost government to the Cheboksary district police officer dated August 17, 1881: “... in the village. Yurakovo has a soldier now dismissed to the reserve Porfiry Fedorov - musician of the 66th Infantry Regiment's choir, who entered the military service on December 16, 1876, due to weakness he was enrolled in the Arzamas reserve battalion, in which he took part in the Turkish war ... ".

Under the Minister of War P.S. Vannovsky (1882-1898), according to the new military regulations of 1888, there were new reductions in service life: 4 years in foot troops, 5 years in cavalry and engineering troops. The service life in the reserve has increased from 9 to 18 years. Those fit for service were listed in the militia up to 43 years of age, the draft age for active service increased from 20 to 21 years, the terms of service for persons who graduated from secondary and higher educational institutions, as well as for volunteers, increased by 2-4 times.

From the draft list of the Ishley-Sharbashevsky society of the Syundyr volost of the Kozmodemyansk district for 1892:

2. Markov Lavrenty Markovich, b. August 4, 1871. Marital status: brother Nikolai, 11 years old, sister Darius, 16 years old.

The decision of the Presence on military conscription: “Has the right to a privilege of the first category under Art. 45. as the only capable brother with a brother and sister - full orphans ... Enroll a warrior of the 2nd category in the militia. "

3. Nikolaev Philip Nikolaevich, b. November 2, 1871 Marital status: father Nikolai Fedorov, 45 years old, mother Agrafen Stepanova, 40 years old, brothers: Peter, 17 years old, Ivan, 13 years old, Kuzma, 10 ½ years old, Nikifor, 6 years old.

The decision of the Presence: “He is entitled to the benefit of the second category under Art. 45. as the only son capable of work with a capable father and brothers under 18 years of age. Enroll a warrior of the 1st category in the militia. "

From the draft list of the Syundyr volost for 1895:

40. Elakov Roman Evdokimovich, b. November 12, 1873 Marital status: father Evdokim Ivanov, 50 years old, mother Nastasya Petrova, 45 years old, brothers: Grigory, 23 years old, entered the draft in 1892 and is in the service, Philip, 18 years old, sisters: Nadezhda, 15 years old, Tatiana, 12 years old; Orthodox, single, belongs to the fourth category by education (certificate of the Kozmodemyansk district school council dated August 17, 1888), number of an extended lot number 230, height 1.7 1 , is eligible for the third category benefit as the immediately next oldest brother in active service. Solution: enroll in the militia, warrior of the 1st category.

The last change in the period of service in the tsarist army took place in 1906: they began to serve in the infantry for 3 years, in the rest of the troops - 4 years.

IN AND. Elakhova,

Department head

preservation

and document accounting

Universal military service in Russia in 1913.

Universal conscription, or as it was then called "conscription" as a method of recruiting the country's Armed Forces, was introduced in the Russian Empire by the Manifesto of Emperor Alexander II of January 1, 1874 to replace the recruiting method that had existed since the time of Emperor Peter I.

At the same time, the Charter on military service was introduced, which was repeatedly improved, changed and supplemented. The last major changes were made to it by the Law of June 23, 1912, and further clarifications in December 1912 and April 1, 1913.

Thus, during the period under review, the Charter on Military Service was in force as part of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire (Volume IV Book I of the 1897 edition) with additions as of April 1, 1913.

The author has no information at his disposal as to whether there were further changes in the Charter, but given that a little more than a year remained before the start of the First World War, it can be assumed with a certain degree of certainty that by the beginning of the war the country was guided by this Charter.

The charter is a very voluminous document in which only the main articles 504 and 1504 are additional. In addition, seven Appendices are attached to the Charter. We can say that in addition to the general provisions for all the provisions in the Charter, literally every specific case is considered in detail. In order to more or less accurately and in detail set out all the provisions of the Charter, it would be necessary to write a whole voluminous book. Therefore, I considered it appropriate to consider the Charter as a whole, without delving into all the subtleties. If the reader finds in the article something that does not coincide with the fate of his ancestors, then let him not be surprised or indignant. This means that your ancestor was subject to additional articles or even clarifications to additional articles. If it is important for one reader or another to understand the issue in detail, then we can try to do it together, or I can send a copy of this Charter.

First of all, military service was universal, i.e. in general, all male subjects of the Russian Empire of all classes were obliged to serve in the army. Nationals of other states could not serve in the army.

But there were usually more young people of draft age in the country than the army required. Therefore, completely certain categories of citizens were exempted from service (below in the text, as a more familiar word for us, we will use the word "citizens" instead of the more correct "subjects of the Russian Empire"). A number of categories were granted draft deferrals or complete exemptions from military service. And from among the citizens who did not have the right to deferment or exemption from military service, only those to whom the lot fell (or "lot" as it is written in the Charter) went to serve. Those. Not all.

In order to make all the provisions stated below, we will clarify some points.

Armed Forces of the Russian Empire consist of:
* Standing troops.
* State militia.

In fact, the Standing Forces are the Armed Forces of the country, since the State Militia is convened only during a war and plays a purely auxiliary role.

The standing troops are divided into:
*Ground troops.
* Naval forces.

The ground forces, in turn, are divided into
1. Army.
2. Reserve Army (divided into two categories).
3. Cossack troops.
4. Foreign troops.

Note. The Charter does not provide for the division into the Guard and the Army itself, since the issues of conscription, terms of service, etc. are the same for army and guardsmen.

Naval forces are divided into:
1.Operating teams,
2. The reserve of the fleet.

Below in the text we will use the more familiar terms "Army" and "Fleet", but those studying documents of that time should know the terms used at that time.

Immediately we will make a reservation that below in the text we will talk about the order of manning the Army and Navy, about citizens of all classes, with the exception of the Cossack class, which served in the Cossack troops. These troops were recruited according to other rules, which are not considered in this article. Cossacks will be discussed in a separate article.

Also here are not considered Foreign troops, which were recruited and recruited in general according to special rules.

The state militia is divided into two categories.

Military service in the Russian Empire was divided into:

* Active military service,
* Military service in reserve
- the reserve of the first category,
- reserve of the second category.

Terms of military service

In peacetime:

1. The general service life in the infantry and artillery (except for horse artillery) is 18 years, of which 3 years of active military service and 15 years of service in the reserve (of which 7 years in the reserve of the first category, the rest of the time in the reserve of the second category).

2. The overall service life in all other branches of the armed forces is 17 years, of which 4 years of active service and 13 years of service in the reserve (of which 7 years in the reserve of the first category, the rest of the time in the reserve of the second category).

3. In the Navy for 10 years, of which 5 years of active service and 5 years of service in the reserve.

4. Persons who graduated from educational institutions of the first and second category serve 18 years in all branches of the armed forces, of which 3 years of active service and 15 years in the reserve (of which 7 years in the reserve of the first category, the rest of the time in the reserve of the second category).

5. Persons who have the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Physician, Master of Veterinary Sciences, Pharmacist, Pharmacist and thus entitled to take class positions in the military or naval departments (i.e. military officials) - 18 years. Of these, in active military service with the lower rank of 4 months, in active military service as a class rank (military officer) 1 year 8 months. Then there are 16 years in the reserve (of which 7 years in the reserve of the first category, the rest of the time in the reserve of the second category).

6. Graduates of paramedic schools of the military or naval department -18 years. Of these, on active military service as military paramedics for 1.5 years for each year of study, the remaining time is left until the expiration of the total term of 18 years.

7. Graduates of the pyrotechnic or technical school of the artillery department - 4 years of active service as specialists of the artillery and technical service. In reserve until the age of 38 years (of which 7 years in the reserve of the first category, the rest of the time in the reserve of the second category).

8. Persons who graduated from the Jung School in Kronstadt -10 years, of which 4 years of active service as a lower rank in the navy and 4 years in the reserve of the navy.

But in all cases, the age limit of the state in the reserve is 38 years. After that, the store is transferred to the State Militia.

Note. The educational institutions of the first category include:
* All institutions.
* Art schools.
* Pyrotechnic and Technical School of the Artillery Department.
* Survey schools.

The educational institutions of the second category include:
* Higher primary schools.
* Vocational schools with two-year elementary school programs.

5. Persons who graduated from educational institutions of the first category and thus have the right to an officer's rank, subject to passing the exam for a warrant officer or second lieutenant, serve 18 years, of which 2 years are active service, and 16 years of service in the reserve (of which 7 years are in reserve the first category, the rest of the time in the reserve of the second category).

In wartime - the term of active service is not regulated. In general, in relation to the rules of peacetime, but not earlier than the end of the war. However, if military conditions make it possible to reduce the size of the army, then from active service they are transferred to the reserve in turn by age, starting with the oldest.

In peacetime, with an excessive number of the Armed Forces, the Military and Naval Ministries have the right to dismiss some of the lower ranks (soldiers and non-commissioned officers) to the reserve from active service and before the expiration of the term of active service, respectively increasing their service life in the reserve. Or provide the lower ranks with long vacations for up to 1 year.
Conversely, if the number of troops is insufficient, the Military and Naval Ministries have the right to detain lower ranks in active service beyond the established period, but for no more than 6 months.

The date of commencement of active military service is considered:
1.For those who arrived at the collection point from October 1 to December 31 from February 15 of the following year.
2. For those arriving at the assembly point from January 1 to February 15 from August 15 of the current year.

Those in the reserve can be called up again for active service given the existing insufficient number of troops. At the same time, the period of such re-service is not regulated, but according to the general meaning of the Charter it follows that re-service continues until the situation with the number of troops is corrected. In addition, those in the reserve can be called up twice during the life of the reserve for training camps of up to 6 weeks each.

From the time of socialism, when it was customary to paint the entire history of Russia until 1917 only with black paints, it is generally accepted that the soldier in tsarist Russia stood at the lowest rung of the social ladder, was an absolutely powerless creature, over whom everyone could scoff and humiliate ... However, Article 28 of the Charter (and this is a state law (!), And not a departmental regulatory document) states that a lower rank in active service enjoys all the personal and property rights of his class with some restrictions.

The lower rank during active service was limited:
1. Marriage is not permitted.
2. It is not allowed to personally manage industrial and commercial enterprises belonging to a lower rank (this restriction also applied to officers). The owner was obliged to appoint a manager responsible to him prior to the commencement of active service.
3. It is not allowed to trade in alcoholic beverages. Even through responsible managers.

At the same time, the lower ranks had a certain advantage. They could not be arrested for debts until the end of their active service. Note that if a soldier or non-commissioned officer remained on long-term service, then the creditors just had to wait until the debtor got tired of military service and he retired to the reserve. And then the statute of limitations expired.

The charter also indicates that peasants, burghers, artisans who are in active service, and at the end of it another year in reserve, continue to be members of their rural, guild and other communities and societies with all the ensuing rights and advantages. At the same time, they are completely exempted from all state capitation, local (zemstvo) taxes and fees, from in-kind duties.

Well, for example, a courtyard belonging to a lower rank is exempted from stays (i.e., the hostess is not obliged to provide a hut to accommodate officials who have arrived in the village on a business trip and to feed them). A soldier's peasant yard is not obliged to participate in public works to improve the village, local roads, etc.

The lower rank of the reserve entering the state civil service enters it with the rank that he received in the army, and the period of active military service is counted in the length of the state civil service.
For example, a man in the army received the rank of senior non-commissioned officer. I decided to join the police. There he will immediately have a rank equal to the army. And immediately he will be counted in the length of service in the police for the years spent on active military service.
But on the contrary, no civilian ranks and civilian service are not taken into account if the storekeeper decides, for example, to re-enroll in long-term military service. Even if in the civil service he rose to the rank of IV class (a rank equal to a major general), for the army he still remains a senior non-commissioned officer.

And again, a storekeeper who is in the civil service, in the event of a repeated call to active service, retains his civil rank, position and place in the civil service. It retains office housing, payments for heating, lighting, and transport. All the time of re-active service goes to the civil service experience, which gives the right to annual remuneration, pensions, benefits, the award of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree.

From the author. Hmmm, I would not say that a soldier in the tsarist army was a powerless gray cattle, cannon fodder. Obviously, even in those days, the frail and incapable of a real man's business, the Russian intelligentsia covered up their moral and physical squalor with stories about the "horrors of military service." And with ostentatious contempt for the "stupid and brainless army" she tried to hide from others (and from herself) her inferiority, including mental.

And even then to say, the army gave the country many outstanding writers, composers, artists, poets, architects, scientists, engineers, inventors. But on the contrary, as it is not very much. I don’t remember that even one composer or writer could become even a decent regiment commander.
Well, or let's put it this way - a sensible officer did not turn out from a man, but he became a good writer, poet (Tolstoy, Kuprin, Lermontov). But who else can name me a mediocre writer who abandoned his pen and became an outstanding commander?

Storekeepers who have become unfit for military service due to illness or injury are dismissed and excluded from the list of storerooms with the issuance of a certificate.

The lower ranks who became unfit for further service during active service and who became disabled at the same time, if they have no means of subsistence, receive a pension of 3 rubles. per month, and those in need of outside care are placed in almshouses or charitable institutions. Or the disabled are entrusted to the care of trustworthy persons with the payment of 6 rubles. per month.

Above, I wrote that certain categories of citizens were not called up for military service or enjoyed draft deferrals or benefits (exemption from conscription under certain circumstances).

Persons not subject to draft for military service in the Army or Navy

1. Persons of the Cossack estate (since they are subject to service in the Cossack troops).

2. Local residents:
* Turkestan Territory.
* Kamchatka region.
* Sakhalin Region.
* Srednekolymsky district.
* Verkhoyansk region.
* Vilyui region.
* Turukhansk and Boguchansk branches of the Yenisei province.
* Togursk branch of the Tomsk province.
* Berezovsky and Surgut districts of the Tobolsk province.

3. Non-native population of all provinces and regions of Siberia, with the exception of residents of the Bukhtarma volost of the Zmeinogorsk district of the Tomsk province, as well as the Koreans of the Primorsky and Amur regions.

4. Non-native population of the Astrakhan province.

5. Samoyeds of the Mezensky and Pechora districts of the Arkhangelsk province.

6. Non-native population of Akmola, Semipalatinsk, Semirechensk, Ural and Turgai regions.

7. Non-native population of the Trans-Caspian region.

8. Persons unfit for service for health reasons:
* Height shorter than 2 arshins and 2.5 vershoks (154 cm),
* Having diseases listed in the "Schedule of Disabilities and Diseases".

9. Persons using privileges for family reasons of the 1st category.

10. Priests of all Christian denominations.

11. Orthodox psalmists.

12. Superiors and mentors of Old Believers and sectarian Christian communities.

13. Persons of the highest Mohammedan clergy (khatyps, imams, mullahs).

14. Academicians, adjuncts, professors, dissectors and their assistants, associate professors, lecturers of oriental languages, privat-docents of scientists and higher educational institutions.

15. Boarders of the Imperial Academy of Arts and persons who have completed a course of study in art-industrial schools, sent abroad to improve their education.

16. Graduates of the Urga and Kulja schools of translators and interpreters who have served as translators and interpreters for over 6 years.

17. Pilots and pilot's apprentices. Moreover, they are not enrolled in the militia, but in the fleet reserve for 10 years.

Persons for whom military service has been replaced by a monetary tax.

1.Muslim population of Transcaucasia.

2.Muslim population of the Terek region.

3.Muslim population of the Kuban region.

4.Yazidis living in Transcaucasia, Igoloy Christians

5. Abkhaz Christians living in the Sukhum district.

6. Kalmyks, Trukhmen, Nogais living in the Stavropol Territory.

7. Citizens of Finland (not citizens pay, but 1 million Finnish marks annually are transferred from the treasury of Finland to the state treasury).

Persons who are granted deferrals from military service.

1. Persons who are recognized as weak - for one year.

2. Persons who have not recovered from past illnesses and who are temporarily unfit for service - for one year.

Note. If, after a year, persons of these two categories are again unfit for service, then they are completely released from service and transferred to the State Militia as warriors.

3. Persons studying in secondary educational institutions - up to the age of 24 years.

4. Persons studying in higher educational institutions with a 4-year period of study - up to the age of 27 years.

5. Persons studying in higher educational institutions with a 5-year period of study - up to the age of 28 years.

6. Persons studying in the Spiritual Orthodox and Catholic Academies - up to the age of 28 years.

7. Persons studying at the Echmiadzin Armenian-Gregorian Theological Academy - up to the age of 28.

8.Persons studying at the higher art school at the Imperial Academy of Arts - up to the age of 28 years.

9. Government scholarships who are sent abroad at public expense to prepare for academics or academic positions in academic institutions or higher education - up to the age of 30.

10. Persons retained in higher educational institutions to prepare for the employment of scientists or educational positions in academic institutions or higher educational institutions - up to the age of 30 years.

11. Persons enrolled in the railway traffic service schools - up to the age of 24 years.

12. Persons who entered the missionary courses at the Kazan Theological Academy - up to the age of 27.

13. Persons who successfully graduated from the Novozybkovskoe Agricultural Technical School - up to the age of 24 years.

14. Persons who have completed the course of foremen's schools in road and construction business - up to the age of 24 years.

15 .. Persons who are trainees-listeners in winemaking at the Nikita School of Horticulture and Winemaking.

16. Candidates of the Evangelical Lutheran clergy for ordination as preachers - for a period of five years.

17. Persons who have successfully completed the course of study in Orthodox and Armenian-Gregorian theological academies and seminaries - for a period of 1 year.

18. Graduates of the Urga and Kulja schools of translators and interpreters for the period of service as translators and interpreters.

19. Persons who manage their personally owned real estate, trade, factory, industrial enterprise - until he selects a property manager for the duration of his service, but not more than 2 years.

20. Persons moving to new and undeveloped lands of the Russian Empire - for 3 years.

21. Sailors, machinists, stokers of sea vessels of the Russian merchant fleet - until the expiration of their contract, but not more than for 1 year.

The difference between the beneficiaries from other categories, who were granted deferrals from service or were exempted from conscription, was that they were subject to conscription if there was not enough of the main conscript contingent, i.e. it was necessary to call on more young people than were available to those who were not entitled to benefits.
Basically, it was a privilege in marital status. Beneficiaries were divided into 4 categories. And, if necessary, to replenish the ranks of conscripts to the required number, first they called for beneficiaries of the 4th grade, then 3 and 2. Beneficiaries of the 1st grade were not subject to conscription at all.

Individuals who are granted marital status benefits

1 rank. * The only son in the family. * The only able-bodied son in the family if the father is disabled or died, and the other brothers are in active military service. * The only able-bodied grandson living with grandparents if they no longer have able-bodied sons or grandchildren or are on active duty. * A person in the care of a single mother or unmarried sister if there are no more able-bodied men in the home or they are on active military service. * A widower who has one or more of his children in the care.

Note. An able-bodied family member is a male person who has reached the age of 16, but not older than 55.

2nd category. * The only able-bodied son in the family if the father is able-bodied, but is between 50 and 55 years old, and the other brothers are in active military service.

3rd category. * The only able-bodied son in the family if the father is able-bodied and is up to 50 years old, and the other brothers are in active military service. * The next oldest brother of a war dead or missing.

4th grade. * Next oldest brother on active duty. * A person who did not receive benefits of 1,2 or 3 categories due to the fact that the family has younger brothers of working age Стр. 168

The conscription campaign is held annually from October 1 to November 1. All males who have turned 20 years old by January 1 of this year are called to draw. Persons deprived by the court of all rights of the state are not allowed to the drawing of lots, i.e. civil rights.

Note. We will especially highlight paragraph 10 of the Charter, which states that persons who by lot did not receive active military service are enrolled in the State Militia with the assignment of a name warrior... The draw is drawn once and for life. Warriors are not subject to transfer to active service or enrollment in the reserve. But on the other hand, the warriors retain the right to enter active service as a volunteer or hunter.

From the author. For comparison. In Germany, the soldier's service was seen as a school for the education of the German as a citizen of his country, and the soldier was considered a person standing on the social ladder above all civilians. The basic principle of the attitude to military service was as follows: "If you consider this country your country, then you must once put all your affairs aside and for some time stand guard over your state and your property with arms in hand. Who, if not you. he himself must defend his property. "
The issue of release from service was solved simply - whoever did not serve in the soldier's service (regardless of the reasons) did not have the right to enter the state civil service (even as a postman), could not elect and be elected to municipal, public positions (even at least the head of a public choral society in the village). He could not practice law. Moreover, he could not own a house, a land plot, or a commercial enterprise. In short, he was a second-class citizen.
A curious moment. In Germany, there were also more young men of military age than the army required. And they were also enrolled in the service by lot. And it was also possible to go to serve voluntarily (volunteers). But what is interesting is that the volunteer served at his own expense. He paid for everything from his pocket - from food, housing and to cartridges for his rifle (which he also received for a fee). In a word, the volunteer did not cost the treasury a pfenning. So there were also restrictions on the number of volunteers that the regiment commander could take into service. Outside the gates of each barracks there was a line of people willing to become a soldier for their own money. The young man who had the lot to go to the service could consider himself lucky.
Do I need to talk about the attitude of young Germans to the service? And about the attitude of the German intelligentsia to the army?

The structure of conscription bodies.

The structure of the bodies dealing with the issues of conscription existed as follows.

The highest body in the Russian Empire -
Office of military service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In each province (region) -
Provincial (Regional) military service Presence.

In each district of the province, and accordingly in each district of the region -
Uyezd (District) military service Presence.

Members of the Presences are:
* in the Provincial Presence:
- the chairman - the governor,
-Members - the provincial leader of the nobility,
-Vice Governor,
- the chairman of the provincial zemstvo council or a member of the council,
- the prosecutor of the district court or his deputy,
- general from the nearest division,
-three staff officers (for the duration of the draft campaign).

* in the County Presence - the chairman - the county leader of the nobility,
- members - district military commander,
- county police officer,
- a member of the county zemstvo council,
- one of the residents of the county,
- an officer from the nearest regiment (during the conscription campaign)

The Charter describes many clarifying, changing provisions concerning a number of localities. But it is simply impossible to describe all the subtleties within the framework of the article. We will only note that in large cities there were City Presences on the rights of County Presences.

During the conscription campaign, two doctors are assigned to the Uyezd Presence, who are responsible for medical examination of conscripts. One doctor must be a civilian, the other a military one.

The recruiting stations are subject to the County Presence.

Recruiting sites.
Created depending on the size and population of the county. In small counties, one recruiting station is created, in large ones several. In rural areas, there is one plot for every 8-20 thousand inhabitants. In cities, recruiting stations are created for every 5-10 thousand inhabitants.

Recruiting points.
In the recruiting station, one or several recruiting points are created at the rate of no more than 50 versts from the point to the most remote settlement.

Organization of conscription.

All male subjects of the Russian Empire who have reached the age of 16 are assigned to the corresponding recruiting stations at the place of residence. The basis for adding a person to the enrollment list are records in the birth registers of church parishes, family lists maintained by local authorities or the police, lists of members of workshops and societies. However, persons who have reached the age of 16 are obliged to make sure that they are included in the enrollment list by submitting a corresponding application. Those who fail to do so are subject to prosecution according to the law.
Persons assigned to the recruiting station receive a certificate of postscript to the recruiting station. All changes in the family, property, class status are required to be reported to the recruiting office.

From December 1st of every year County Presences are starting to draw up private draft lists. Private master lists A and private supplementary lists B are compiled.

By March 1 the compilation of private lists ends and they are posted for two weeks in the county presences for general information. During this time, everyone subject to conscription this year is obliged to check the list and declare all inaccuracies, mistakes, omissions made in relation to him.
Also during this period, persons who wished to enter the military service as volunteers or hunters (aged 17 to 20) submit applications for their inclusion in the lists.
Also, during this period, persons entitled to a postponement submit to the County Presence an application for a postponement with the attachment of supporting documents.
Also, during this period, persons eligible for benefits submit applications to the Uyezd Presence for their inclusion in additional lists (for benefits) with the attachment of supporting documents.
Also, during this period, persons eligible for exemption from service submit an application to the County Presence with the attachment of supporting documents.

After checking private draft lists, the County Presence by March 15 is
General precinct lists of conscripts for each recruiting station separately.

Three additional draft lists are attached to the general district draft list:
Additional draft list A, which includes persons subject to conscription without drawing lots. These are the ones who have tried to evade accounting and conscription in a variety of ways.
Additional draft list B, which includes persons who previously had a deferral from conscription and who have now lost it.
Additional draft list B, which includes persons who have declared their desire to enter the service as volunteers or hunters.

By May 1 County Presences submit general draft lists and additional lists A and B to the Provincial Presence.

By May 15 The Provincial Presences submit to the War Ministry information on the number of conscripts available.

By July 15 The County Presences submit to the Provincial Presence the revised general draft lists and additional lists A and B.

By August 1 Provincial Presences submit to the Ministry of Internal Affairs updated information on the number of conscripts available.

Upon receipt of all information, the Ministry of Internal Affairs distributes orders for conscription between the provinces, based on the needs of the army and the availability of a conscript contingent.

By September 1 The Ministry of Internal Affairs sends instructions to the County Presences through the Provincial Presences:
1. What categories of conscripts are subject to conscription (only non-privileged or non-privileged and privileged persons of certain categories).
2. What percentage is subject to conscription from among those categories that are not fully subject to conscription.
3. Which categories of those called should be included in the stock of lots.

The conscription campaign begins on October 1 and lasts until November 1. By this time, the Uyezd Presences assign days for the recruits to appear at the recruiting centers for each district. Everyone should appear there, except for those who are exempted from military service, who have received deferrals, who have a privilege in marital status of the 1st category, who enter the service as hunters and volunteers.

The very events on the conscription at the recruiting stations are directed by the County Presences, for which they arrive at the stations on the appointed days.

At the appointed time, the chairman of the Presence reads out all the lists (main, additional A, B and C.) and conducts a roll call.

The drawing of lots does not involve persons who are not subject to conscription for military service, who have a privilege for marital status of the first category and persons included in additional lists A, B, C. Persons included in lists A, B and C are enrolled in recruits without a draw.

From the author. An explanation is required here. For example, for this recruiting station there is an order to call 100 people into active service. Lists A, B and C include 10 people. All these 10 people are automatically recruited. And the remaining 90 places will be drawn by those on the main list.
Let's say there are 200 of them. The recruits will be those who draw the draw from number 1 to number 90. The remaining 110 people fall into the category of "draws supply".
Of those who were recruited (10 people from lists A, B and C, plus 90 people by lot), doctors rejected, for example, 15 people. Then 110 people from the category "stock of lots" draw lots again. And to whom the numbers from 1 to 15 fall out are among the recruits.

And all this is being done in front of everyone present at the recruiting station. And there, apart from those who are directly affected by all this, everyone who wishes can be present. It seems that in such conditions it is hardly possible to cheat, to save your little man from the soldiery. The possibilities of fraud, although not completely excluded, are extremely difficult.

At the end of the drawing of lots, all who are among the recruits undergo a medical examination. After the examination, recruits are entered into reception list.

The acceptance list is announced to all those present at the recruiting office.

Lists are also read here:
1.List of enlisted warriors in the State Militia of the second category (beneficiaries by marital status of the first category, and persons recognized as unfit for military service),
2.List of persons enrolled in the stock of lots.

From the author. They will be listed in the draw list until the conscription campaign is over and the conscription order is completed in this recruiting station. The fact is that the decision of doctors about fitness for service or unfitness for service, benefits for marital status, etc. can be contested in the Provincial Presence, and if the complaint is satisfied, an additional drawing of lots may be required. At the end of the draft campaign, they from the stock of lots will be transferred to the warrior of the State Militia of the first category.

3. List of persons enrolled as warriors in the State Militia of the first category. These are beneficiaries of marital status 2, 3, and 4 categories (if the Ministry of Internal Affairs in this call decided to release from service either all these categories, or some of the categories).

At the end of all events, the recruits are announced the date of arrival and the address of the assembly point, where they must appear.

The day of the beginning of the state on active military service is the day of appearance at the assembly point.

When recruits arrive at the assembly point, they are sworn in and undergo a medical examination. then they are sent to the troops.

To everyone else, the County Presence issues Certificate of attendance for the performance of military service... This document further confirms the status of a citizen about his attitude to military service.

The certificate is issued for the period:
1. Recognized as completely unfit for military service - indefinitely.
2. Those enrolled in the State Militia - indefinitely.
3. Persons who have received deferrals from service - for a period of deferral.

From the author. It should be noted that those enrolled in the State Militia can no longer be called up for military service, even if their health status and marital status have changed. Even those who turned out to be perfectly fit for service, did not have any deferrals and did not get into service just because they pulled out the appropriate lot, they can no longer be called up for military service. Even during the war. They retain the right to enter the service as volunteers or hunters.

Volunteers.

Usually, from literary works, the reader gets the impression that the volunteers were sons of the nobility, the offspring of aristocrats, or at least from wealthy families who, due to their slovenliness, were not able to hide from the soldiers' ranks in the universities, or did not want to enter the cadet schools. So they were enlisted as volunteers, and for a very short time they hung around in the regiment in the uniform of privates on a short leg with officers, waiting for the order to confer an officer rank. Well, or during the First World War, incorrigible romantics who yearned for feats and awards were credited as "freelancers". And also, they say, they very quickly put on officer's shoulder straps.

In reality, everything was somewhat different.

Those wishing to enter the Land Forces as volunteers had to meet the following requirements:
1. Age 17 or older.

3. Have a certificate of graduation from an educational institution of the first category (i.e. institute), or 6 grades of a gymnasium (i.e., have a complete secondary education).
4. Do not be under trial or investigation.

As you can see, among these conditions there is no condition to belong to the nobility or to have some kind of high social position.

The service life of volunteers is 18 years, of which 2 years of active service in the lower rank and 16 years of service in the reserve.

The service itself did not give the volunteers the right to be awarded an officer rank. For this, it was necessary to pass an examination for production with the rank of warrant officer or second lieutenant (cornet). The knowledge requirements are the same as for the cadets of military schools.

From the author. Those. a "free fighter" in a regiment is in worse conditions than a cadet in a military school. He must actually train himself, while carrying out the usual soldier's service. And he will take the exam at a military school. I do not think that the teachers of the school will treat the "free-performer" more leniently than their own cadets.

If a volunteer has passed the exam for a warrant officer before the expiration of the first year of service, then the term of his active service is reduced to 1 year and 6 months, moreover, for the remaining six months he serves with the rank of warrant officer.

If a freelancer has passed the second lieutenant exam before the expiration of the first year of service, then the term of his active service is reduced to 1 year and 6 months, and he can be retained in the officer's service. But if there was no need for officers in the regiment, those who passed the exam served the remaining six months in the rank of second lieutenant and retired to the reserve.

The advantage of serving as a volunteer was primarily that he served 1 or 2 years less than the conscripts. Secondly, if he passed the exam for an officer, he won another six months. Thirdly, the main purpose of recruiting as volunteers was still the goal of preparing young people as officers, which means that the attitude of the regimental officers to him should have been more attentive. And fourthly, depending on his success in service, he was quickly promoted to non-commissioned officer ranks, which greatly facilitated life in the barracks.

Persons with a doctorate in medicine, physician, master of veterinary sciences, pharmacist, pharmacist, which gives them the right to occupy class positions in the military or naval departments (i.e. military officials), who entered military service as volunteers, serve in the ranks for 4 months lower ranks and then 1 year 8 months class ranks (i.e. military officials), after which they are retired.

Students of the Corps of Pages, military schools in relation to military service are considered volunteers. For graduates of these military educational institutions, the training time is counted in the total service life. Moreover, if they are released or expelled from military educational institutions by lower ranks, then each year of training is counted as one and a half years of soldier's service.

Persons who graduate from educational institutions of state civilian departments, and are therefore obliged to serve in the civilian public service for a certain number of years, have the right to enter military service as volunteers, but after the end of military service they are still required to serve the prescribed number of years in civil service. If they wished to remain in military service, then they remain on it with the permission of their civilian department, but not less than for the number of years that they were required to serve in the civilian department.

Hunters.

Hunters are persons who volunteered to serve in the army, but do not have higher or secondary education.

Those wishing to enter the Ground Forces as hunters had to meet the following requirements:
1.Age from 18 to 30 years old.
2. Fitness for military service for health reasons.
3.Do not be under trial or investigation.
5. Not to be deprived of the right to enter the civil service.
6. Have no criminal record for theft or fraud.

The terms of service of hunters are the same as for those called by lot.

Service of the lower ranks in reserve.

At the end of active military service, the lower ranks (soldiers and non-commissioned officers) are dismissed into active service and sent to the places of their chosen residence. Upon arrival at the place of residence, the lower rank becomes registered with District Military Chief, who is in charge of all issues of accounting for military servicemen, reserve personnel, conscription from the reserve to active service or training camps, transferring from the reserve of the first category to the reserve of the second category, excluding from the military registration for various reasons.

When leaving a military unit, those dismissed receive leave ticket, which is the basis for admission to military registration by the District Military Commander. He also makes a note in the passport that the owner is in stock.

Direct registration of the lower ranks of the reserve in the field is carried out by:
* Volost Board- on peasants, burghers, townspeople, artisans, guilds living in rural areas within the volost.
* County Police Department - on all storerooms living in cities, provincial cities, townships, townships of the given county.
* City Police Department - on all storerooms living in cities that have their own police department.
* Bailiff - on all storerooms living in the camps.

When changing the place of residence, the storekeeper is obliged to deregister at the old place of residence and register at the new place of residence.

The call for reservists for re-active service is carried out on the basis of the Highest Decree, if necessary, to increase the size of the army. Usually when there is a threat of war.

The call can be announced:

1. General, if necessary, increase the number of all troops.
2.Chastny, if necessary, to increase the number of troops in certain areas.

The term “mobilization” is also widely used in documents and in the Charter instead of the term “conscription” in order to distinguish ordinary conscription, existing in both peacetime and war, from emergency measures associated with the return to service of storekeepers.

The call for mobilization is handled by the County Military Commander with the help of the County Police Department.

When a mobilization is announced, all storekeepers are given one day to set up all personal affairs, after which they must appear at the collection points at their place of residence. Here they undergo a medical examination. From them are formed marching teams, which are sent to military units in various ways.

State militia.

The state militia is convened only during the war to solve auxiliary tasks of a military nature in order to free up those in military service for combat units who in peacetime performed these duties. For example, the protection of military facilities (warehouses, arsenals, ports, stations, tunnels), the protection of the coastline, the protection of the rear of the active army, transport service, service in hospitals, etc.
At the end of the war or when the need is over, the militia units are immediately disbanded.

The state militia is recruited from males under the age of 43 who are not in military service (active and in reserve), but are capable of carrying weapons. Older persons are enrolled in the militia at will. All militias share the same name "warrior" except for officers.

The militia is recruited by age, starting at a younger age, as needed.

The militia is divided into two categories.
First rank these are militia units and militia units to reinforce standing troops. The first category includes:
1 Persons who were called up for active service during the regular annual conscription, but who were not drawn by lot.
2. Persons enrolled in the militia upon dismissal from military service in the reserve.

Second rank these are only militia units. The second category includes all persons recognized as unfit for military service, but capable of carrying weapons.

From the warriors of the state militia are formed:
* militia foot squads,
* militia horse hundreds,
* militia artillery batteries,
* militia fortress artillery companies,
* militia sapper companies,
* militia naval crews, half-crews and companies.

Foot mogu squads are reduced to brigades and divisions, hundreds of horsemen and artillery batteries into regiments, fortress artillery companies and sapper companies into squads.

Warriors enjoy all the rights, privileges and are subject to the same rules and laws as the lower ranks of the standing troops. However, in the event of a crime, the warriors are subject to civil rather than military court.

Officer and non-commissioned officer positions in the militia units are held by persons with the appropriate military ranks received in military service. It is allowed to appoint to a position one step above or below the rank. For example, a staff captain may be appointed as battalion commander, company commander, or junior company officer.
Officers who do not have officers' ranks, or who have an officer's rank two or more steps lower than the position, can be appointed to officer positions when there is a shortage of officers. In this case, they are assigned a temporary rank corresponding to the position, which they wear only while they are in this position. To distinguish it from real ranks, the word "mediocrity" is added to the name of the rank. For example, a retired army second lieutenant was appointed commander of a militia regiment. He receives the rank of "mediocre colonel".

From the author. During the First World War, the most common rank among militia officers was the rank of ordinary warrant officer. This was due to the fact that there were the fewest retired officers just for the lower officer positions. Therefore, these positions were filled by retired non-commissioned officers, who were assigned the rank of ordinary ensign.

Ordinary officers, when they were awarded the Order of St. George, lost the prefix "mediocrity" and their officer rank from temporary to real.

Afterword.

This was the system of universal conscription of the Russian Empire on the eve of the First World War. Of course, after its beginning and the further course of the war, it underwent certain changes. Something was canceled, something was introduced. But in general, this system remained until the 1917 revolution. The subsequent events of the revolution and the Civil War completely broke it both on the side of the White Movement and among the Bolsheviks. The beginning of the destruction of both the Russian Army and the system of its manning, and then the entire Russian state, was laid not by the Bolsheviks, but by the parties of the liberal and democratic persuasion, which were proliferating at that time in incredible numbers. At the head of these parties were Russian intellectuals (all these attorneys at law, lawyers, writers, economists, journalists, etc., etc.), extremely far from understanding the place and significance of the army in the state, who were completely incapable of building a new state or manage the existing, but possessed a monstrous aplomb and conceit, spewing stormy fountains of eloquence and delusional utopian ideas.
Well, something happened that could not happen. The army collapsed and collapsed, this backbone of any state. And the entire Russian state collapsed instantly.

Attempts by the not the most stupid and not the most mediocre generals of the old army to collect and glue the fragments of the shattered army were as unsuccessful as the attempts to glue the broken jug.

The Bolsheviks initially tried to build a new army on the basis of Marx's completely utopian and unimaginably stupid idea of ​​replacing the compulsory army with the general arming of the people. But two or three months in 1918 turned out to be quite enough to understand that it is absolutely impossible to build an army on democratic principles even in the most democratic state. And a long road began to restore the army and the manning system on the basis of the old tsarist principles, which could not be fully completed by 1941.

Destruction is easy, fun, and enjoyable. It only took a couple of years (1917-1918). It took twenty years to restore it.

Today the Russian Army and its manning system have been destroyed again. And again, by democratic intellectuals. And it was destroyed much more thoroughly than in 1917.

What's next? The intellectuals of the beginning of the 20th century paid heavily and cruelly for their stupidity and wandering in the clouds of thoughtlessness. Executions, expulsions, labor camps, repressions. And it serves it right!
But history has taught nothing to today's democrats. Do you think that this cup will blow you away? Oh, is it?

Source and Literature

1.S.M. Goryainov. Military service regulations. Commissioner of military educational institutions. St. Petersburg 1913
2. Directory of necessary knowledge. All Perm, Algos-Press. Permian. 1995
3. Life of the Russian Army of the XVIII-early XX century. Military publishing house. Moscow. 1999

These are photographs from a Soviet photo album of the 80s of the Armed Forces of the USSR with comments taken from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. “… From the taiga to the British seas: the Red Army is the strongest of all,” - so they sang in a Soviet song. During World War II, the Red Army became Soviet and, together with the Navy, Civil Defense Troops, Border and Internal Troops, formed the Armed Forces of the USSR.
The Armed Forces of the USSR are the military organization of the Soviet state designed to protect the socialist gains of the Soviet people, the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union. Together with the armed forces of other socialist countries, they ensure the security of the entire socialist community from the encroachments of the aggressors.
Construction workers at BAM. Sappers in action. The Armed Forces of the USSR are divided into types: Strategic Rocket Forces, Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces of the country, Air Force, Navy, and also include the Logistics of the Armed Forces, headquarters and Civil Defense troops. The types of the Armed Forces, in turn, are divided into branches of the armed forces, branches of the armed forces (Navy) and special forces, which organizationally consist of subunits, units, formations. The Armed Forces also include border and internal troops. The Armed Forces of the USSR have a unified system of organization and recruitment, centralized control, unified principles of training and education of personnel and training of command personnel, a general procedure for the passage of service by privates, sergeants and officers.
The direct leadership of the Armed Forces is carried out by the USSR Ministry of Defense. All branches of the Armed Forces, Logistics of the Armed Forces, headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense are subordinate to him. Each branch of the Armed Forces is led by the corresponding commander-in-chief, who is the deputy. Minister of Defense. The border and internal troops are directed, respectively, by the State Security Committee under the USSR Council of Ministers and the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Defense includes the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR, directorates of the commanders-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the Logistics Directorate of the Armed Forces, main and central directorates (Main Directorate of Personnel, Central Financial Directorate, Directorate of Affairs, etc.), as well as military command and control bodies and institutions of the Civil defense. The Ministry of Defense, among other tasks, is entrusted with: working out plans for the construction and development of the Armed Forces in peacetime and wartime, improving the organization of troops, weapons, military equipment, providing the Armed Forces with weapons and all types of material supplies, guiding the operational, combat training of troops and a number of others. functions determined by the requirements of state protection. The leadership of party political work in the Armed Forces of the Central Committee of the CPSU is carried out through the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and the Navy, which works as a department of the Central Committee of the CPSU. It directs political bodies, army and naval party and Komsomol organizations, ensures party influence on all aspects of the life of military personnel, directs the activities of political agencies, party organizations to increase the combat readiness of troops, strengthen military discipline and the political and moral state of personnel. Crossing on a pontoon. Artillery crew during exercises. The material and technical support of the Armed Forces is carried out by the Directorates and Logistics Services, subordinate to the Deputy Minister of Defense - the Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces. The territory of the USSR is divided into military districts. A military district can cover the territories of several territories, republics or regions. To fulfill allied obligations to jointly ensure the security of the socialist states, groups of Soviet troops are temporarily located on the territories of the GDR, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. In the branches of the Armed Forces, military districts, groups of forces, air defense districts, fleets, military councils have been created, which have the right to consider and resolve all important issues of the life and activities of the troops of the corresponding branch of the Armed Forces, the district. They bear full responsibility before the Central Committee of the CPSU, the government and the Minister of Defense of the USSR for the implementation of decisions of the party and government in the Armed Forces, as well as orders of the Minister of Defense. On a submarine. Against the background of the Motherland-Mother monument in the hero-city of Volgograd. The recruitment of the Armed Forces with privates, sergeants and petty officers is carried out by calling Soviet citizens into active military service, which, according to the Constitution of the USSR and the Law on General Military Duty of 1967, is an honorary duty of citizens of the USSR (see Conscription in the USSR). The conscription is made by order of the Minister of Defense everywhere 2 times a year: in May - June and in November - December. Male citizens who have reached 18 years of age by the day of conscription are called up for active military service, for a service life of 1.5 to 3 years, depending on their education and the type of Armed Forces. An additional source of recruitment is the admission of servicemen and reserve personnel on a voluntary basis for the posts of warrant officers and warrant officers, as well as for long-term service. Officers are recruited on a voluntary basis. Officers are trained in the higher and secondary military schools of the corresponding branches of the Armed Forces and combat arms; political officers - in higher military-political schools. Suvorov and Nakhimov schools exist to prepare young men for entering higher military educational institutions. The advanced training of officers is carried out at higher advanced training courses for officers, as well as in the system of combat and political training. Leading command, political, engineering and other officer cadres are trained in the military, air force, naval and special academies.
Communication with the commander.
Solemn ceremony of taking the oath. The history of the Soviet Army and the Navy began with the formation of the world's first socialist state. After the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, the Soviet people had not only to build a new society, but also to defend it with arms in hand from internal counter-revolution and repeated attacks by international imperialism. The Armed Forces of the USSR were created directly by the Communist Party under the hands of. VI Lenin, based on the provisions of the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of war and the army. By the decree of the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets dated October 26 (November 8), 1917, during the formation of the Soviet government, a Committee for Military and Naval Affairs was created consisting of V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko, N. V. Krylenko, P. Ye. Dybenko; from October 27 (November 9) 1917 it was called the Council of People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs, from December 1917 - the Collegium of Military Commissars, from February 1918 - 2 People's Commissariats: for military and naval affairs. The main armed force in overthrowing the rule of the bourgeoisie and the landowners and conquering the power of the working people were the Red Guard and the revolutionary sailors of the Baltic Fleet, soldiers of the Petrograd and other garrisons. Relying on the working class and the peasant poor, they played a crucial role in the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, in the defense of the young Soviet republic in the center and in the localities, in the defeat at the end of 1917 - the beginning of 1918 of the counter-revolutionary revolts of Kerensky - Krasnov near Petrograd, Kaledin on the Don, Dutov in the South Urals, in ensuring the Triumphal procession of Soviet power throughout the territory of Russia. Army amateur performances. "... The Red Guards did the noblest and greatest historical deed of liberating the working people and the exploited from the oppression of the exploiters" (VI Lenin, Poln. Sobr. Soch., 5th ed., Vol. 36, p. 177).
At the beginning of 1918, it became obvious that the forces of the Red Guard, as well as detachments of revolutionary soldiers and sailors, were clearly not enough to reliably defend the Soviet state. In an effort to strangle the revolution, the imperialist states, above all Germany, undertook an intervention against the young Soviet Republic, which merged with the appearance of an internal counter-revolution: White Guard revolts and conspiracies of Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, remnants of various bourgeois parties. What was needed was a regular armed force capable of defending the Soviet state from numerous enemies.
On January 15 (28), 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), and on January 29 (February 11), a decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) on a voluntary basis. The direct leadership of the formation of the Red Army was carried out by the All-Russian Collegium, established by the Council of People's Commissars on January 15 (28), 1918 under the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs. In connection with the violation by Germany of the armistice and the transition of its troops to the offensive, the Soviet government on February 22 addressed the people with a decree-appeal written by Lenin "The socialist fatherland is in danger!" This decree marked the beginning of the mass enrollment of volunteers in the Red Army and the formation of many of its parts. In commemoration of the general mobilization of revolutionary forces to defend the socialist Fatherland, as well as the courageous resistance of the Red Army units to the invaders, February 23 is annually celebrated in the USSR as a national holiday - the Day of the Soviet Army and the Navy.
In an army bath. Physical training. During the Civil War of 1918-20, the construction of the RKKA and RKKF was carried out in extremely difficult conditions. The country's economy was undermined, railway transport was disorganized, the supply of food to the army was carried out irregularly, weapons and uniforms were not enough. The army did not have the required number of command personnel; means. some of the officers of the old army were on the side of the counter-revolution. The peasantry, from which the rank and file and junior command personnel, devastated by the First World War of 1914-18, were mainly recruited, were not inclined to voluntarily join the army. All these difficulties were aggravated by the sabotage of the old bureaucratic apparatus, the bourgeois intelligentsia and the kulaks.
Veteran and conscript.
From January to May 1918, the RKKA and RKKF were recruited with volunteers, the command staff (up to the regiment commander) was selected; the number of volunteer units was extremely insufficient. By April 20, 1918, the Red Army numbered only 196 thousand people. The recruitment of the army with volunteers and the election of the command staff could not ensure the creation of a massive regular army, which was necessary in the international situation and in the context of the expansion of the scale of the Civil War. On March 4, 1918, the Supreme Military Council was formed to direct the military operations and the organization of the army. On April 8, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree on the establishment of volost, uyezd, provincial and district military commissariats; on May 8, instead of the All-Russian Collegium for the formation of the Red Army, the All-Russian General Headquarters (Vseroglavshtab) was created - the supreme executive body in charge of the mobilization, formation, organization and training of troops ... On April 22, a decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee introduced universal military training for workers (Vsevobuch), and the military department began to appoint the command staff. Due to the lack of qualified command personnel, former officers and generals were recruited into the army and navy; the institute of military commissars was formed.
Military ID. On July 10, 1918, the 5th All-Russian Congress of Soviets adopted a resolution "On the Organization of the Red Army" on the basis of universal conscription of workers aged 18 to 40 years. The transition to compulsory military service made it possible to dramatically increase the size of the Red Army. By the beginning of September 1918, there were already 550 thousand people in its ranks. On September 6, 1918, simultaneously with the declaration of martial law in the country, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) was created instead of the Supreme Military Council, whose functions included operational and organizational command and control of the troops. In September 1918 the RVSR was transferred to the functions and personnel of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs, and in December 1918 - the People's Commissariat for Naval Affairs (became part of the RVSR as the Naval Department). The RVSR led the active army through its member - the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Republic (commander-in-chief: from September 1918 - I. I. Vatsetis, from July 1919 - S. S. Kamenev). On September 6, 1918, the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic was established (on February 10, 1921, it was merged with the All-Russian Headquarters into the Headquarters of the Red Army), subordinate to the commander-in-chief and engaged in the training of troops and the leadership of military operations. Political information.
Party political work in the army and navy was carried out by the Central Committee of the RCP (b) through the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars (created on April 8, 1918), which on April 18, 1919, by decision of the 8th Party Congress, was replaced by the RVSR department, renamed on May 26, 1919 into the Political Directorate (PUR) under the RVSR, which was at the same time a department of the Central Committee of the RCP (o). In the troops, party political work was carried out by political departments and party organizations (cells).
In 1919, on the basis of the decisions of the 8th Party Congress, the transition to a regular mass army was completed, with a strong proletarian, politically conscious, cadre core of personnel, a unified manning system, a stable organization of troops, centralized control and an effective party-political apparatus. The construction of the USSR Armed Forces took place in an acute struggle with the "military opposition", which opposed the creation of a regular army, defended the remnants of partisanism in command and control of troops and the conduct of war, underestimated the role of old military specialists.
By the end of 1919, the size of the Red Army reached 3 million people, by the fall of 1920 - 5.5 million people. The share of workers was 15%, peasants - 77%, others - 8%. In total, in 1918-20, 88 rifle and 29 cavalry divisions, 67 air detachments (300-400 aircraft), as well as a number of artillery and armored units and subunits were formed. There were 2 reserve (reserve) armies (of the Republic and the South-Eastern Front) and parts of the Vsevobuch, in which about 800 thousand people were trained. During the years of the Civil War, 6 military academies and over 150 courses and schools (October 1920) trained 40,000 commanders from workers and peasants. As of August 1, 1920, there were about 300,000 communists in the Red Army and in the navy (about 1/2 of the total composition of the party), who were the cementing core of the army and navy. About 50 thousand of them died a heroic death during the Civil War. In the summer and fall of 1918, active troops began to be brought together in armies and fronts, headed by revolutionary military councils (PBC) of 2-4 members. By the fall of 1919, there were 7 fronts, each of 2-5 armies. In total, there were 16-18 combined-arms armies in the fronts, one Cavalry Army (1st) and several separate cavalry corps. The 2nd Cavalry Army was formed in 1920.

In the course of the struggle against the interventionists and the White Guards, the weapons of the old army were mainly used. At the same time, the extraordinary measures taken by the party to establish the military industry and the unparalleled heroism of the working class made it possible to switch to an organized supply of the Red Army with weapons, ammunition and uniforms of Soviet production. The average monthly production of rifles in 1920 amounted to more than 56 thousand pieces, cartridges - 58 million pieces. In 1919, aviation enterprises built 258 and repaired 50 aircraft. Along with the creation of the Red Army, Soviet military science was born and developed, based on the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of war and the army, the practice of the revolutionary struggle of the masses, the achievements of the military theory of the past, creatively reworked in relation to new conditions. The first regulations of the Red Army were published: in 1918 - the Charter of the Internal Service, the Charter of the Garrison Service, the Field Charter, in 1919 - the Disciplinary Charter. Lenin's provisions on the essence and nature of war, the role of the masses, the social system, and the economy in achieving victory were a great contribution to Soviet military science. Already at that time, the characteristic features of Soviet military art were clearly manifested: revolutionary creative activity; irreconcilability to the template; the ability to determine the direction of the main blow; a reasonable combination of offensive and defensive actions; pursuit of the enemy up to its complete destruction, etc. After the victorious end of the Civil War and the infliction of a decisive defeat on the combined forces of the interventionists and White Guards, the Red Army was transferred to a peaceful position and by the end of 1924 its number had decreased tenfold. Simultaneously with the demobilization, the Armed Forces were strengthened. In 1923, the united People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs was recreated. As a result of the military reform of 1924-25, the central apparatus was reduced and updated, new staffs of units and formations were introduced, the social composition of command personnel was improved, new regulations, manuals and guidelines were developed and implemented. The most important issue of military reform was the transition to a mixed system of manning the troops, which made it possible in peacetime to have a small cadre army with a minimum expenditure of funds for its maintenance in combination with the territorial militia formations of the internal districts (see Territorial militia structure). Most formations and units of border districts, technical and special forces, and the Navy remained personnel. Instead of L.D. Trotsky (since 1918 - the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic), who sought to tear the Red Army and the Navy from the party leadership, on January 26, 1925, M.V. Frunze was appointed Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, after which became the people's commissar K. E. Voroshilov.
The first all-Union law "On compulsory military service", adopted on September 18, 1925 by the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, consolidated the measures taken in the course of the military reform. This law determined the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, which included the Ground Forces (infantry, cavalry, artillery, armored forces, engineering troops, signal troops), the Air and Naval Forces, the troops of the United State Political Administration (OGPU) and the USSR convoy guard. Their number in 1927 was 586 thousand people.

In the 30s. on the basis of the successes achieved in building socialism, the Armed Forces were further improved; their territorial and personnel structure ceased to meet the needs of the state's defense. In 1935-38, a transition was made from the territorial personnel system to a single personnel structure of the Armed Forces. In 1937 there were 1.5 million people in the ranks of the army and navy, in June 1941 there were about 5 million people. On June 20, 1934, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR abolished the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and renamed the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs into the People's Commissariat for Defense of the USSR. In November 1934, the Military Council of the People's Commissariat of Defense was created, in 1937 military councils in the districts, in 1935 the Headquarters of the Red Army was transformed into the General Staff. In 1937, the All-Union People's Commissariat of the Navy was created; The political administration of the Red Army was renamed into the Main Directorate of Political Propaganda, and the political administrations of the districts and the political departments of the formations were renamed into administrations and departments of political propaganda. On May 10, 1937, by a decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the institution of military commissars was introduced, who, together with the commanders, were responsible for the political and moral state of the troops, operational and mobilization readiness, the state of weapons and military equipment; in 1938 the main military councils of the Red were established; Army and Navy. On September 1, 1939, the law "On universal military duty" was adopted, which abolished the previous restrictions on conscription into the army and navy for certain categories of the population and proclaimed military service an honorary duty of all citizens of the USSR, regardless of their class.

The social composition of the army improved: from 40 to 50% of the soldiers and junior commanders were representatives of the working class. In 1939 there were 14 military academies, 63 military schools of the Ground Forces and 14 navies, and 32 flight and flight technical schools. On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced (see Military ranks), and on May 7, 1940 - general and admiral ranks. In terms of the technical equipment of the Armed Forces, during the years of the pre-war five-year plans (1929-40), they rose to the level of the armies of the advanced capitalist states. In the Land Forces in 1939 the amount of artillery increased in comparison with 1930; 7 times, including anti-tank and tank - 70 times. The number of tanks from 1934 to 1939 increased 2.5 times. Along with the quantitative growth of weapons and military equipment, their quality has improved. A notable step has been taken in increasing the rate of fire of small arms. The mechanization and motorization of all branches of the armed forces increased. The air defense, engineering, communications, and chemical defense troops were armed with new technical means. On the basis of the successes of aircraft and engine building, the Air Force received further development. In 1939, compared with 1930, the total number of aircraft increased 6.5 times. The navy began building surface ships of various classes, submarines, torpedo boats, and naval aircraft. Compared with 1939, the volume of military production in 1940 increased by more than one-third. Through the efforts of the teams of the design bureaus of A.I. Mikoyan, M.I. Gurevich, A.S. Yakovlev, S.A. Lavochkin, S.V. Ilyushin, V.M. fighter aircraft: Yak-1, MiG-Z, LaGG-Z, Pe-2 dive bomber, Il-2 attack aircraft. The design teams of Zh.Ya. Kotin, M.I. The design bureaus of V.G. Grabin, I.I. Ivanov, F.I.Petrov, and others created new original types of artillery pieces and mortars, many of which entered mass production. From May 1940 to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the gun park increased by more than 1.2 times. Designers Yu. A. Pobedonostsev, I. I. Gvay, V. A. Artemiev, F. I. Poyda and others created a rocket weapon for salvo fire across areas. A large group of designers and scientists - A. N. Krylov, P. N. Papkovich, V. L. Pozdyunin, V. I. Kostenko, A. N. Maslov, B. M. Malinin, V. F. Popov and others. , developed several new models of warships, which were put into mass production. Great successes were achieved in 1940-41 by factories for the production of small arms, ammunition, fuels and lubricants, etc. The increased technical equipment made it possible to significantly improve the organizational structure of the troops on the eve of the war. The rifle divisions included tanks, powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, which significantly increased their firepower. The organization of the artillery reserve of the High Command (RGK) received further development. Instead of separate tank and armored brigades, which since 1939 were the main formations of armored forces, the formation of larger formations - tank and mechanized divisions - began. In the airborne troops, they began to form airborne corps, and in the Air Force, from 1940 to a divisional organization. In the Navy, formations and formations were organized, intended for joint actions with the ground forces and for conducting independent operations.

Military strategy, operational art and tactics were further developed. In the mid-30s. a theory of deep combat and deep operation is being developed, reflecting qualitative changes in the technical equipment of troops - a fundamentally new theory of conducting operations by massive, highly mobile, well-equipped armies. The theoretical provisions were tested during maneuvers and exercises, as well as during the hostilities of the Red Army in the area of ​​Lake Khasan, r. Khalkhin-Gol, in the Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40. Many charters and instructions were developed anew. In 1940, the troops received the Infantry Combat Regulations (part 1), the draft Field Regulations and the Infantry Combat Regulations (part 2), the Tank Troops Combat Regulations, the Combat Regulations, the Guard Service Regulations, etc. On May 7, 1940, S. K. Timoshenko.
Despite the measures taken, the preparation of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression prepared by German fascism was not completed. The reorganization of the Armed Forces on a new technical basis was not completed by the beginning of the war. Most of the units transferred to the new states were not fully equipped with weapons and military equipment, as well as vehicles. Many middle and senior commanders lacked experience in modern warfare.

Great Fatherland. the war of 1941-45 was the hardest test for the Soviet people and the Armed Forces of the USSR. Due to the surprise of the attack, the lengthy preparation for war, the 2-year experience of hostilities in Europe, superiority in the number of weapons, the number of troops and other temporary advantages, the German-fascist troops were able to advance hundreds of kilometers in the first months of the war, regardless of losses deep into Soviet territory. The CPSU and the Soviet government did everything necessary to eliminate the mortal threat hanging over the country. Since the beginning of the war, the deployment of the Armed Forces has been carried out in an orderly and prompt manner. By July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were called up from the reserve. The whole life of the country was rebuilt in a military manner. The main sectors of the economy switched to the production of military products. In July - November 1941, 1,360 large enterprises, mainly of defense importance, were evacuated from the front-line areas. On June 30, 1941, an extraordinary body was formed - the State Defense Committee (GKO), chaired by J.V. Stalin. On July 19, 1941, JV Stalin was appointed People's Commissar of Defense, and on August 8 he also became the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The GKO directed the entire life of the country, combining the efforts of the rear and the front, the activities of all state bodies, party and public organizations for the complete defeat of the enemy. Fundamental issues of state leadership and warfare were decided by the Party Central Committee - the Politburo, the Orgburo and the Secretariat. The decisions made were implemented through the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, created on August 8, 1941. The Headquarters carried out strategic leadership of the Armed Forces with the help of its working body - the General Staff. The most important issues of waging war were discussed at joint meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee, GKO and Headquarters. Since the beginning of the war, the training of officers has been expanded by increasing the contingent of students of academies, cadets of schools and reducing the duration of training, creating a large number of courses for accelerated training of junior officers, especially from among soldiers and sergeants. From September 1941, the distinguished formations began to be given the name of the Guards (see Soviet Guard). Thanks to the extraordinary measures taken by the CPSU and the Soviet government, massive heroism and unprecedented self-sacrifice of the Soviet people, army and navy soldiers, by the end of 1941 it was possible to stop the enemy on the approaches to Moscow, Leningrad and other vital centers of the country. During the Moscow Battle of 1941-42, the first major defeat was inflicted on the enemy in the entire 2nd World War. This battle dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the German fascist army, thwarted the "blitzkrieg" plan, and was the beginning of a decisive turn in the war in favor of the USSR.

In the summer of 1942, the center of hostilities moved to the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. The enemy was striving for the Volga, the oil of the Caucasus, the grain regions of the Don and Kuban. The party and the Soviet government made every effort to stop the enemy and continued to build up the power of the Armed Forces. By the spring of 1942, 5.5 million people were in the Armed Forces alone. From the middle of 1942, industry began to increase the output of military products, to more fully meet the needs of the front. If in 1941, 15 735 aircraft were produced, then in 1942 already 25 436, tanks 6590 and 24 446, respectively, the release of ammunition almost doubled. In 1942, 575 thousand officers were sent to the army. In the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943, Soviet troops defeated the enemy and seized the strategic initiative. This victory was the beginning of a radical turning point not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in the entire 2nd World War. In 1943, military production developed at a rapid pace: the release of aircraft compared with 1942 increased by 137.1%, warships by 123%, submachine guns by 134.3%, shells by 116.9%, and bombs by 173.3%. In general, the production of military products increased by 17%, and in Nazi Germany by 12%. The Soviet defense industry was able to surpass the enemy not only in the quantity of weapons, but also in their quality. The massive release of artillery pieces made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery, to create corps, army artillery and powerful artillery of the Supreme Command (RVGK) reserve, new units and subunits of rocket, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later reduced to a tank. army. Armored and mechanized troops became the main striking force of the Ground Forces (by the end of 1943 they included 5 tank armies, 24 tank and 13 mechanized corps). The composition of aviation divisions, corps and air armies has increased. A significant increase in the power of the Soviet Armed Forces and the increased military leadership skills of its commanders made it possible to inflict a major defeat on the Nazi troops in the Battle of Kursk in 1943, which put Nazi Germany in front of a military catastrophe.
Warriors-internationalists and pioneers.
Decisive victories were won by the Armed Forces of the USSR in 1944-45. By this time, they had enormous combat experience, possessed colossal power, and by the beginning of 1945 they numbered 11 365 thousand people. The advantages of the socialist economic system, the vitality of the economic policy of the CPSU and the Soviet government were clearly revealed. Between 1943 and 1945, an average of 220,000 artillery pieces and mortars, 450,000 machine guns, 40,000 aircraft, 30,000 tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles were produced annually. New types of aircraft were produced in large quantities - La-7, Yak-9, Il-10, Tu-2, heavy tanks IS-2, self-propelled artillery mounts ISU-122, ISU-152 and SU-100, rocket launchers BM- 31-12, 160-mm mortars and other military equipment. As a result of strategic offensive operations, including those near Leningrad and Novgorod, in the Crimea, in the Right-Bank Ukraine, in Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic States and in the Arctic, the Armed Forces cleared Soviet land of invaders. Developing a swift offensive, Soviet troops in 1945 conducted East Prussian, Vistula-Oder and other operations. In the Berlin operation, they achieved the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The Armed Forces fulfilled a great liberation mission - they helped to get rid of the fascist occupation of the peoples of the countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Fulfilling its allied obligations, the Soviet Union entered the war with Japan in August 1945. The armed forces of the USSR, together with the armed forces of the Mongolian People's Republic, defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army and thus played a decisive role in ending World War II (see Manchurian Operation 1945).
The leading force of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was the Communist Party. During the war, it sent over 1.6 million communists to the front; during the war, about 6 million people joined the ranks of the Communist Party.
In the Afghan gorge. The party and the Soviet government appreciated the heroic deeds of the soldiers on the war fronts. Over 7 million soldiers were awarded orders and medals; over 11,600 of them - representatives of 100 nations and nationalities - were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About half of all awarded soldiers are communists and Komsomol members.

Wall newspaper. In the course of the war, the Armed Forces of the USSR acquired vast combat experience. Soviet military science was further developed, especially the art of war and all its constituent parts - strategy, operational art and tactics. The issues of front-line and strategic offensive operations of a group of fronts were comprehensively developed, the problems of breaking through enemy defenses, the continuity of the development of the offensive by introducing mobile - tank and mechanized formations and formations into the breakthrough, achieving a clear interaction of forces and means, sudden delivery of strikes, and comprehensive support of operations were successfully resolved. strategic defense and counteroffensive issues In the army canteen. Having defeated the armies of fascist Germany and imperialist Japan, the Armed Forces of the USSR emerged from the war organizationally stronger, equipped with the latest technology, with a sense of their duty to the Soviet people and all mankind. Mass layoffs of personnel began. On September 4, 1945, the GKO was abolished, the Supreme Command Headquarters ceased its activities. On February 25, 1946, instead of the People's Commissariats of Defense and the Navy, a single People's Commissariat of the SS Armed Forces was created
Young family.