The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was the name of the Ground Forces of the young Soviet state in 1918-1922 and until 1946. The Red Army was created almost out of nothing. Its prototype was the detachments of the Red Guards, which were formed following the February coup of 1917, and parts of the tsarist army that went over to the side of the revolutionaries. Despite everything, she was able to become a formidable force and won during the civil war.

The guarantee of success in the construction of the Red Army was the use of the combat experience of old pre-revolutionary army personnel. So-called military experts, namely officers and generals who served “the Tsar and the Fatherland,” began to be enlisted en masse into the ranks of the Red Army. Their total number during the civil war in the Red Army was up to fifty thousand people.

Beginning of the formation of the Red Army

In January 1918, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars “On the Red Army” was published, which noted that all citizens of the new Republic at least eighteen years of age could join its ranks. The date of publication of this resolution can be considered the beginning of the formation of the Red Army.

Organizational structure, composition of the Red Army

At first, the main unit of the Red Army was made up of separate detachments, which were military units with independent farms. The heads of the detachments were the Soviets, which included one military leader and two military commissars. They had small headquarters and inspectorates.

When combat experience was gained with the involvement of military experts, full-fledged units, units, formations (brigades, divisions, corps), institutions and establishments began to be formed in the ranks of the Red Army.

Organizationally, the Red Army corresponded to its class characteristics and military needs of the beginning of the last century. The structure of the combined arms formations of the Red Army consisted of:

• Rifle Corps, which had two to four divisions;
• Divisions, which included three rifle regiments, an artillery regiment and a technical unit;
• A regiment that had three battalions, an artillery battalion and technical units;
• Cavalry Corps with two cavalry divisions;
• Cavalry division with 4-6 regiments, artillery, armored units, technical units.

Red Army uniform

The Red Guards did not have any established rules of dress. It was distinguished only by a red armband or a red ribbon on its headdress, and individual units were distinguished by Red Guard breastplates. At the beginning of the formation of the Red Army, they were allowed to wear the old uniform without insignia or a random uniform, as well as civilian clothes.

British and American-made French jackets have been very popular since 1919. Commanders, commissars and political workers had their own preferences; they could be seen in leather caps and jackets. Cavalrymen preferred hussar trousers (chakchirs) and dolmans, as well as uhlan jackets.

In the early Red Army, officers were rejected as “relics of tsarism.” The use of this word was banned and it was replaced by “commander”. Then the shoulder straps were canceled and military ranks. Their names were replaced by positions, in particular, “divisional commanders” or “corps commanders.”

In January 1919, a Table describing insignia was introduced; it established eleven insignia for command personnel from the squad commander to the front commander. The report card determined the wearing of badges, the material for which was red instrument cloth, on the left sleeve.

The presence of a red star as a symbol of the Red Army

The first official emblem indicating that a soldier belonged to the Red Army was introduced in 1918 and was a wreath of laurel and oak branches. A red star was placed inside the wreath, as well as a plow and a hammer in the center. In the same year, headdresses began to be decorated with cockade badges with a red enamel five-pointed star with a plow and a hammer in the center.

Composition of the workers' and peasants' red army

Rifle troops of the Red Army

Rifle troops were considered the main branch of the military, the main backbone of the Red Army. In 1920, it was the rifle regiments that made up the largest number of Red Army soldiers; later, separate rifle corps of the Red Army were organized. They included: rifle battalions, regimental artillery, small units (signals, engineers and others), and the headquarters of the Red Army regiment. Rifle battalions included rifle and machine gun companies, battalion artillery and the headquarters of the Red Army battalion. Rifle companies included rifle and machine gun platoons. The rifle platoon included squads. The squad was considered the smallest organizational unit in the rifle troops. The squad was armed with rifles, light machine guns, hand grenades and a grenade launcher.

Artillery of the Red Army

The Red Army also included artillery regiments. They included artillery divisions and the headquarters of the Red Army regiment. The artillery division included batteries and division control. There are platoons in the battery. The platoon consisted of 4 guns. It is also known about the breakthrough artillery corps. They were part of the artillery, part of the reserves led by the Supreme High Command.

Red Army Cavalry

The main units in the cavalry were cavalry regiments. The regiments included saber and machine gun squadrons, regimental artillery, technical units and the headquarters of the Red Army cavalry. Saber and machine gun squadrons included platoons. Platoons were built from sections. Cavalry units began to organize together with the Red Army in 1918. From the disbanded units of the former army, only three cavalry regiments were accepted into the Red Army.

Armored troops of the Red Army

Red Army tanks manufactured at KhPZ

Since the 1920s, the Soviet Union began producing its own tanks. At the same time, the concept for the combat use of troops was laid down. Later, the Red Army charter especially noted the combat use of tanks, as well as their interaction with infantry. In particular, the second part of the charter established the most important conditions for success:

• The sudden appearance of tanks together with attacking infantry, simultaneous and massive use over a wide area in order to disperse the enemy’s artillery and other anti-armor weapons;
• The use of echeloning of tanks in depth with the synchronous formation of a reserve from among them, which will allow developing attacks to great depths;
• close interaction of tanks with infantry, which secures the points they occupy.

Two configurations for using tanks in battle were envisaged:

• To directly support the infantry;
• Being an advanced echelon operating without fire and visual communication with it.

The armored forces had tank units and formations, as well as units armed with armored vehicles. The main tactical units were tank battalions. They included tank companies. Tank companies included tank platoons. The tank platoon had five tanks. The armored car company included platoons. The platoon included three to five armored vehicles.

The first tank brigade was created in 1935 as a reserve of the Commander-in-Chief, and already in 1940, on its basis, a tank division of the Red Army was formed. The same connections were included in mechanized corps.

Air Force (RKKA Air Force)

The Red Army Air Force was formed in 1918. They included separate aviation detachments and were in the district air fleet departments. Later they were reorganized, and they became front-line and army field aviation and aeronautics departments at front-line and combined-arms army headquarters. Such reforms occurred constantly.

Since 1938-1939, aviation in military districts was transferred from brigade to regimental and divisional organizational structures. The main tactical units were aviation regiments consisting of 60 aircraft. The activities of the Red Army Air Force were based on inflicting fast and powerful air strikes on the enemy at long distances, inaccessible to other types of troops. The aircraft were armed with high-explosive, fragmentation and incendiary bombs, cannons and machine guns.

The main units of the Air Force were air regiments. The regiments included air squadrons. The air squadron included flights. There were 4-5 aircraft in the flights.

Chemical Troops of the Red Army

The formation of chemical troops in the Red Army began in 1918. In the fall of the same year, the Republican Revolutionary Military Council issued Order No. 220, according to which the Chemical Service of the Red Army was created. By the 1920s, all rifle and cavalry divisions and brigades acquired chemical units. Since 1923, rifle regiments began to be supplemented with anti-gas teams. Thus, chemical units could be encountered in all branches of the military.

Throughout the Great Patriotic War chemical troops had:

• Technical teams (to install smoke screens, as well as to camouflage large or important objects);
• Brigades, battalions and companies for chemical protection;
• Flamethrower battalions and companies;
• Bases;
• Warehouses, etc.

Red Army Signal Troops

The mention of the first units and communications units in the Red Army dates back to 1918, when they were formed. In October 1919, the Signal Troops were given the right to become independent special forces. In 1941, a new position was introduced - Chief of the Signal Corps.

Automotive troops of the Red Army

The Red Army Automotive Troops were an integral part of the Armed Forces' Rear Services Soviet Union. They were formed back in the Civil War.

Railway troops of the Red Army

The railway troops of the Red Army were also an integral part of the rear of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. They also formed during the Civil War. It was mainly the Railway Troops who laid communication routes and built bridges.

Road troops of the Red Army

The Road Troops of the Red Army were also an integral part of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. They also formed during the Civil War.

By 1943, the Road Troops had:

• 294 separate road battalions;
• 22 military highway departments, which had 110 road commandant areas;
• 7 military road departments, in which there were 40 road detachments;
• 194 horse-drawn transport companies;
• Repair bases;
• Bases for the production of bridge and road devices;
• Educational and other institutions.

Military training system, training of the Red Army

Military education in the Red Army, as a rule, was divided into three levels. The basis of higher military education consisted of a well-developed network of higher military schools. All students there bore the title of cadets. The duration of training ranged from four to five years. Graduates mostly received the military ranks of lieutenants or junior lieutenants, which corresponded to the first positions of “platoon commanders.”

During peacetime, the training program at military schools provided for obtaining higher education. But during wartime it was reduced to secondary special education. The same thing happened with the timing of training. They were rapidly reduced, and then short-term six-month command courses were organized.

A feature of military education in the Soviet Union was the presence of a system in which there were military academies. Studying at such an academy provided higher military education, while the academies of Western states trained junior officers.

Red Army Service: personnel

Each Red Army unit appointed a political commissar, or so-called political leaders (political instructors), who had almost unlimited powers; this was reflected in the Charter of the Red Army. In those years, political commissars could easily cancel, at their own discretion, orders from unit and unit commanders that they did not like. Such measures were presented as necessary.

Weapons and military equipment of the Red Army

The formation of the Red Army corresponded to general trends in military-technical development around the world, including:

• Formed tank forces and air forces;
• Mechanization of infantry units and their reorganization as motorized rifle troops;
• Disbanded cavalry;
• Appearing nuclear weapons.

The total number of the Red Army in different periods

Official statistics present the following data on the total number of the Red Army at different times:

• From April to September 1918 - almost 200,000 soldiers;
• In September 1919 - 3,000,000 soldiers;
• In the fall of 1920 - 5,500,000 soldiers;
• In January 1925 - 562,000 soldiers;
• In March 1932 - more than 600,000 soldiers;
• In January 1937 - more than 1,500,000 soldiers;
• In February 1939 - more than 1,900,000 soldiers;
• In September 1939 - more than 5,000,000 soldiers;
• In June 1940 - more than 4,000,000 soldiers;
• In June 1941 - more than 5,000,000 soldiers;
• In July 1941 - more than 10,000,000 soldiers;
• Summer 1942 - more than 11,000,000 soldiers;
• In January 1945 - more than 11,300,000 soldiers;
• In February 1946, more than 5,000,000 military personnel.

Red Army losses

There are different data on the human losses of the USSR in the Second World War. The official figures for Red Army losses have changed many times.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, irrecoverable losses in battles on the territory of the Soviet-German front amounted to more than 8,800,000 Red Army soldiers and their commanders. Such information came from declassified sources in 1993, according to data obtained during search operations, as well as from archival data.

Repressions in the Red Army

Some historians believe that if there had been no pre-war repressions against the commanding staff of the Red Army, it is possible that history, including the Great Patriotic War, could have turned out differently.

During the 1937-1938s, the following were executed from the command staff of the Red Army and the Navy:

• Brigade commanders and equivalents from 887 - 478;
• Division commanders and equivalents from 352 - 293;
• Komkor and equivalent units – 115;
• Marshals and army commanders – 46.

In addition, many commanders simply died in prisons, unable to withstand torture, many of them committed suicide by suicide.

Subsequently, each military district was subject to a change of 2-3 or more commanders, mainly due to arrests. Their deputies were repressed many times more. On average, 75% of the highest military echelons had little (up to a year) experience in their positions, and the lower echelons had even less experience.

On the results of the repressions, the German military attaché, General E. Kestring, made a report to Berlin in August 1938, which stated approximately the following.

Due to the elimination of many senior officers who had perfected their professionalism over decades of practical and theoretical studies, the Red Army was paralyzed in its operational capabilities.

The lack of experienced command personnel had a negative impact on the training of troops. There was a fear of making decisions, which also had a negative impact.

Thus, due to the mass repressions of 1937-1939, the Red Army approached 1941 completely unprepared. She had to go through the “school of hard knocks” directly during combat operations. However, the acquisition of such experience cost millions of human lives.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

History of the Red Army

See main article History of the Red Army

Personnel

In general, the military ranks of junior command personnel (sergeants and foremen) of the Red Army correspond to the tsarist non-commissioned officer ranks, the ranks of junior officers - chief officer (the statutory address in the tsarist army is “your honor”), senior officers, from major to colonel - headquarters officers (the statutory address in the tsarist army is “your honor”), senior officers, from major general to marshal - general (“your excellency”).

A more detailed correspondence of ranks can only be established approximately, due to the fact that the very number of military ranks varies. Thus, the rank of lieutenant roughly corresponds to lieutenant, and the royal rank of captain roughly corresponds to the Soviet military rank of major.

It should also be noted that the insignia of the Red Army of the 1943 model was also not an exact copy of the tsarist ones, although they were created on their basis. Thus, the rank of colonel in the tsarist army was designated by shoulder straps with two longitudinal stripes and without stars; in the Red Army - two longitudinal stripes, and three medium-sized stars, arranged in a triangle.

Repressions 1937-1938

Battle Banner

Battle banner of one of the units of the Red Army during the civil war:

The imperialist army is a weapon of oppression, the Red Army is a weapon of liberation.

For each unit or formation of the Red Army, its Battle Banner is sacred. It serves as the main symbol of the unit, and the embodiment of its military glory. In the event of the loss of the Battle Banner, the military unit is subject to disbandment, and those directly responsible for such disgrace are subject to trial. A separate guard post is established to guard the Battle Banner. Each soldier, passing by the banner, is obliged to give it a military salute. On especially solemn occasions, the troops carry out a ritual of solemnly carrying out the Battle Banner. To be included in the banner group directly conducting the ritual is considered a great honor, which is awarded only to the most honored officers and warrant officers.

Oath

It is mandatory for recruits in any army in the world to take an oath. In the Red Army, this ritual is usually carried out a month after conscription, after the young soldier has completed the course. Before being sworn in, soldiers are prohibited from being entrusted with weapons; There are a number of other restrictions. On the day of the oath, a soldier receives weapons for the first time; he breaks ranks, approaches the commander of his unit, and reads a solemn oath in front of the formation. The oath is traditionally considered an important holiday, and is accompanied by the ceremonial carrying out of the Battle Banner.

The text of the oath was changed several times; the first option sounded like this:

I, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, joining the ranks of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, take the oath and solemnly swear to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant fighter, strictly keep military and state secrets, unquestioningly carry out all military regulations and orders of commanders, commissars and bosses.

I swear to conscientiously study military affairs, to protect military property in every possible way and to be devoted to my people, my Soviet Motherland and the workers' and peasants' government.

I am always ready, by order of the workers' and peasants' government, to defend my Motherland - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and, as a warrior of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, I swear to defend it courageously, skillfully, with dignity and honor, not sparing my blood and life itself to achieve complete victory over the enemy.

If, out of malicious intent, I violate this solemn oath of mine, then may I suffer the severe punishment of Soviet law, the general hatred and contempt of the working people.

Late version

I, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, joining the ranks Armed Forces, I take the oath and solemnly swear to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant warrior, to strictly maintain military and state secrets, to unquestioningly carry out all military regulations and orders of commanders and superiors.

I swear to conscientiously study military affairs, to protect military and national property in every possible way, and to be devoted to my people, my Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government until my last breath.

I am always ready, by order of the Soviet government, to defend my Motherland - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and, as a warrior of the Armed Forces, I swear to defend it courageously, skillfully, with dignity and honor, not sparing my blood and life itself to achieve complete victory over enemy.

If I violate this solemn oath of mine, then may I suffer the severe punishment of Soviet law, the general hatred and contempt of the Soviet people.

Modern version

I (last name, first name, patronymic) solemnly swear allegiance to my Motherland - the Russian Federation.

I swear to sacredly observe its Constitution and laws, to strictly comply with the requirements of military regulations, orders of commanders and superiors.

I swear to fulfill my military duty with dignity, to courageously defend the freedom, independence and constitutional system of Russia, the people and the Fatherland.

Notes

Links

• Vladimir Ilyich Lenin's address to the Red Army (1919) (text of speech, phonogram (info))

Initially, the Soviet Red Army, the creation of which took place against the backdrop of the beginning of the civil war, had utopian features. The Bolsheviks believed that under a socialist system the army should be built on a voluntary basis. This project was in line with Marxist ideology. Such an army was opposed to the regular armies of Western countries. According to the theoretical doctrine, society could only have “universal arming of the people.”

Creation of the Red Army

The first steps of the Bolsheviks indicated that they really wanted to abandon the previous tsarist system. On December 16, 1917, a decree was adopted abolishing officer ranks. Commanders were now elected by their own subordinates. According to the party's plan, on the day the Red Army was created, the new army was to become truly democratic. Time has shown that these plans could not survive the trials of the bloody era.

The Bolsheviks managed to seize power in Petrograd with the help of a small Red Guard and separate revolutionary detachments of sailors and soldiers. The provisional government was paralyzed, which made the task indecently easier for Lenin and his supporters. But outside the capital there remained a huge country, most of which was not at all happy with the radical party, whose leaders came to Russia in a sealed carriage from enemy Germany.

By the beginning of a full-scale civil war, the Bolshevik armed forces were characterized by poor military training and the absence of centralized effective control. Those who served in the Red Guard were guided by revolutionary chaos and their own political convictions, which could change at any moment. The position of the newly proclaimed Soviet power was more than precarious. She needed a fundamentally new Red Army. The creation of armed forces became a matter of life and death for the people sitting in Smolny.

What difficulties did the Bolsheviks face? The party could not form its own army using the previous apparatus. The best cadres of the period of the monarchy and the Provisional Government hardly wanted to cooperate with the radical left. The second problem was that Russia had already been at war against Germany and its allies for several years. The soldiers were tired - they were demoralized. In order to replenish the ranks of the Red Army, its founders needed to come up with a nationwide incentive that would be a compelling reason to take up arms again.

The Bolsheviks did not have to go far for this. They made the principle of class struggle the main driving force of their army. Since coming to power, the RSDLP(b) issued many decrees. According to the slogans, peasants received land, and workers received factories. Now they had to defend these gains of the revolution. Hatred of the previous system (landowners, capitalists, etc.) was the foundation on which the Red Army rested. The creation of the Red Army took place on January 28, 1918. On this day, the new government, represented by the Council of People's Commissars, adopted a corresponding decree.

First successes

Vsevobuch was also established. This system was intended for universal military training of residents of the RSFSR, and then the USSR. Vsevobuch appeared on April 22, 1918, after the decision to create it was made at the VII Congress of the RCP (b) in March. The Bolsheviks hoped that new system will help them quickly join the ranks of the Red Army.

The formation of armed units was directly carried out by councils at the local level. In addition, for this purpose they were established. At first, they enjoyed significant independence from the central government. Who did the then Red Army consist of? The creation of this armed structure entailed an influx of a variety of personnel. These were people who served in the old tsarist army, peasant militias, soldiers and sailors from among the Red Guards. The heterogeneity of the composition had a negative impact on the combat readiness of this army. In addition, the detachments often acted uncoordinatedly due to the election of commanders, collective and rally management.

Despite all the shortcomings, the Red Army was able to achieve important successes in the first months of the civil war, which became the key to its future unconditional victory. The Bolsheviks managed to hold Moscow and Yekaterinodar. Local uprisings were suppressed due to a noticeable numerical advantage, as well as widespread popular support. The populist decrees of the Soviet government (especially in 1917-1918) did their job.

Trotsky at the head of the army

It was this man who stood at the origins of the October Revolution in Petrograd. The revolutionary led the seizure of city communications and Winter Palace from Smolny, where the Bolshevik headquarters was located. At the first stage Civil War The figure of Trotsky, in terms of its scale and importance of the decisions made, was in no way inferior to the figure of Vladimir Lenin. Therefore, it is not surprising that Lev Davidovich was elected People's Commissar for Military Affairs. His organizational talent manifested itself in all its glory in this post. The very first two people's commissars stood at the origins of the creation of the Red Army.

Tsarist officers in the Red Army

Theoretically, the Bolsheviks saw their army as meeting strict class requirements. However, the lack of experience of the majority of workers and peasants could be the reason for the defeat of the party. Therefore, the history of the creation of the Red Army took another turn when Trotsky proposed staffing its ranks with former tsarist officers. These specialists had significant experience. They all passed the first world war, and some remembered the Russian-Japanese. Many of them were nobles by birth.

On the day the Red Army was created, the Bolsheviks proclaimed that it would be cleared of landowners and other enemies of the proletariat. However, practical necessity gradually corrected the course of Soviet power. In conditions of danger, she was quite flexible in her decisions. Lenin was a pragmatist much more than a dogmatist. Therefore, he agreed to a compromise on the issue with the tsarist officers.

The presence of a “counter-revolutionary contingent” in the Red Army had long been a headache for the Bolsheviks. Former tsarist officers repeatedly rebelled. One of these was the rebellion led by Mikhail Muravyov in July 1918. This left Socialist Revolutionary and former tsarist officer was appointed by the Bolsheviks as commander of the Eastern Front, when the two parties still formed a single coalition. He tried to seize power in Simbirsk, which at that time was located next to the theater of military operations. The rebellion was suppressed by Joseph Vareikis and Mikhail Tukhachevsky. Uprisings in the Red Army, as a rule, occurred due to the harsh repressive measures of the command.

The appearance of the commissars

Actually, the date of the creation of the Red Army is not the only important mark on the calendar for the history of the formation of Soviet power in the vastness of the former Russian Empire. Since the composition of the armed forces gradually became more heterogeneous, and the propaganda of opponents became stronger, the Council of People's Commissars decided to establish the post of military commissars. They were supposed to conduct party propaganda among soldiers and old specialists. The commissars made it possible to smooth out contradictions in the rank and file, which had diverse political views. Having received significant powers, these party representatives not only enlightened and educated the Red Army soldiers, but also reported to the top about the unreliability of individuals, discontent, etc.

Thus, the Bolsheviks imposed dual power in military units. On one side there were commanders, and on the other, commissars. The history of the creation of the Red Army would have been completely different if not for their appearance. In an emergency, the commissioner could become the sole leader, leaving the commander in the background. Military councils were created to manage divisions and larger formations. Each such body included one commander and two commissars. Only the most ideologically seasoned Bolsheviks became them (as a rule, people who joined the party before the revolution). With the increase in the army, and therefore the commissars, the authorities had to create a new educational infrastructure necessary for the operational training of propagandists and agitators.

Propaganda

In May 1918, the All-Russian Main Headquarters was established, and in September, the Revolutionary Military Council. These dates and the date of the creation of the Red Army became key to the spread and strengthening of Bolshevik power. Immediately after the October Revolution, the party set a course for radicalizing the situation in the country. After unsuccessful elections for the RSDLP(b), this institute (necessary for determining the Russian future on an elective basis) was dispersed. Now Bolshevik opponents were left without legal tools to defend their position. The white movement quickly emerged in different regions of the country. It was possible to fight it only by military means - this is precisely why the creation of the Red Army was needed.

Photos of defenders of the communist future began to be published in a huge pile of propaganda newspapers. The Bolsheviks initially tried to ensure an influx of recruits with the help of catchy slogans: “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!” etc. These measures had an effect, but it was insufficient. By April, the size of the army had increased to 200 thousand people, but this would not have been enough to subjugate the entire territory of the former Russian Empire to the party. We should not forget that Lenin dreamed of a world revolution. For him, Russia was only the initial springboard for the offensive of the international proletariat. To strengthen propaganda in the Red Army, a Political Directorate was established.

In the year of the creation of the Red Army, people joined it not only for ideological reasons. In the country, exhausted by the long war with the Germans, there had long been a shortage of food. The danger of famine was especially acute in cities. In such bleak conditions, the poor sought to be in the service at any cost (where regular rations were guaranteed).

Introduction of universal conscription

Although the creation of the Red Army began in accordance with the decree of the Council of People's Commissars in January 1918, the accelerated pace of organizing new armed forces began in May, when the Czechoslovak Corps rebelled. These soldiers, captured during World War I, sided with the White movement and opposed the Bolsheviks. In a paralyzed and fragmented country, a relatively small 40,000-strong corps became the most combat-ready and professional army.

News of the uprising excited Lenin and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. The Bolsheviks decided to take the lead. On May 29, 1918, a decree was issued introducing forced recruitment into the army. It took the form of mobilization. In domestic policy The Soviet government adopted the course of war communism. The peasants not only lost their harvests, which went to the state, but also enlisted in large numbers into the army. Party mobilizations to the front became commonplace. By the end of the Civil War, half of the members of the RSDLP (b) ended up in the army. At the same time, almost all Bolsheviks became commissars and political workers.

In the summer, Trotsky became the initiator. The history of the creation of the Red Army, in short, crossed another important milestone. On July 29, 1918, all healthy men who were between 18 and 40 years old were registered. Even representatives of the enemy bourgeois class (former merchants, industrialists, etc.) were included in the rear militia. Such drastic measures have borne fruit. The creation of the Red Army by September 1918 made it possible to send more than 450 thousand people to the front (another 100 thousand remained in the rear troops).

Trotsky, like Lenin, put Marxist ideology aside for a time in order to increase the combat effectiveness of the armed forces. It was he, as People's Commissar, who initiated important reforms and transformations at the front. The death penalty for desertion and failure to follow orders was reinstated in the army. The insignia, uniform uniform, sole authority of leadership and many other signs of tsarist times returned. On May 1, 1918, the first parade of the Red Army took place on Khodynka Field in Moscow. The Vsevobuch system began working at full capacity.

In September, Trotsky headed the newly formed Revolutionary Military Council. This government agency became the top of the management pyramid that led the army. Trotsky's right hand was Joachim Vatsetis. He was the first to receive the position of commander-in-chief under Soviet rule. That same autumn, fronts were formed - Southern, Eastern and Northern. Each of them had its own headquarters. The first month of the creation of the Red Army was a time of uncertainty - the Bolsheviks were torn between ideology and practice. Now the course towards pragmatism became the main one, and the Red Army began to take those forms that turned out to be its foundation over the next decades.

War communism

Without a doubt, the reasons for the creation of the Red Army were to protect Bolshevik power. At first, it controlled a very small part of European Russia. At the same time, the RSFSR was under pressure from opponents on all sides. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed with the Kaiser's Germany, Entente forces invaded Russia. The intervention was minor (it covered only the north of the country). The European powers supported the Whites mainly with arms and money. For the Red Army, the attack by the French and British was only an additional reason for consolidating and strengthening propaganda among the rank and file. Now the creation of the Red Army could be briefly and clearly explained by the defense of Russia from foreign invasion. Such slogans allowed to increase the influx of recruits.

At the same time, throughout the Civil War there was a problem of supplying the armed forces with all kinds of resources. The economy was paralyzed, strikes often broke out at enterprises, and hunger became the norm in the countryside. It was against this background that the Soviet government began to pursue the policy of war communism.

Its essence was simple. The economy was becoming radically centralized. The state took full control of the distribution of resources in the country. Industrial enterprises were nationalized immediately after the October Revolution. Now the Bolsheviks needed to squeeze all the juice out of the village. Prodrazverstka, harvest taxes, individual terror of peasants who did not want to share their grain with the state - all this was used in order to feed and finance the Red Army.

Fight against desertion

Trotsky personally went to the front in order to monitor the execution of his orders. On August 10, 1918, he arrived in Sviyazhsk, when battles for Kazan were taking place nearby. In a stubborn battle, one of the Red Army regiments faltered and fled. Then Trotsky publicly shot every tenth soldier in this formation. This reprisal, more like a ritual, was reminiscent of the ancient Roman tradition - decimation.

By decision of the People's Commissar, they began to shoot not only deserters, but also malingerers who asked to leave the front due to an imaginary illness. The apogee of the fight against fugitives was the creation of foreign detachments. During the offensive, specially selected military men stood behind the main army and shot the cowards directly during the battle. Thus, with the help of draconian measures and incredible cruelty, the Red Army became exemplary disciplined. The Bolsheviks had the courage and pragmatic cynicism to do something that Trotsky’s commanders, who did not disdain any methods to spread Soviet power, did not dare to do, soon began to be called the “demon of the revolution.”

Unification of the armed forces

The appearance of the Red Army soldiers gradually changed. At first, the Red Army did not provide for a uniform uniform. Soldiers, as a rule, wore out their old military uniforms or civilian clothes. Due to the huge influx of peasants shod in bast shoes, there were many more than those shod in the usual boots. This anarchy lasted until the end of the unification of the armed forces.

At the beginning of 1919, according to the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council, sleeve insignia were introduced. At the same time, the Red Army soldiers received their own headdress, which became popularly known as the Budenovka. Tunics and overcoats now have colored flaps. The red star sewn onto the headdress became a recognizable symbol.

The introduction of some characteristic features of the former army into the Red Army led to the emergence of an opposition faction in the party. Its members advocated the rejection of ideological compromise. Lenin and Trotsky, having joined forces, were able to defend their course at the VIII Congress in March 1919.

The fragmentation of the white movement, the powerful propaganda of the Bolsheviks, their determination to carry out repressions to unite their own ranks and many other circumstances led to the fact that Soviet power was established on the territory of almost the entire former Russian Empire, except for Poland and Finland. The Red Army won the Civil War. At the final stage of the conflict, its number was already 5.5 million people.

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) on a voluntary basis. On January 29 (February 11), the Decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) was signed. Direct management of the formation of the Red Army was carried out by the All-Russian Collegium, created under the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs.

In connection with the violation of the truce concluded with Germany and its troops going on the offensive, on February 22, 1918, the government turned to the people with a decree-appeal signed by V.I. Lenin “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!” The next day, mass enrollment of volunteers into the Red Army and the formation of many of its units began. In February 1918, Red Army detachments offered decisive resistance to German troops near Pskov and Narva. In honor of these events, on February 23, a national holiday began to be celebrated annually - the Day of the Red (Soviet) Army and Navy (later Defender of the Fatherland Day).

DECREE ON THE FORMATION OF THE VOLUNTARY WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' RED ARMY JANUARY 15(28), 1918

The old army served as an instrument of class oppression of the working people by the bourgeoisie. With the transfer of power to the working and exploited classes, the need arose to create a new army, which will be the stronghold of Soviet power in the present, the foundation for replacing the standing army with all-people's weapons in the near future and will serve as support for the coming socialist

revolutions in Europe.

In view of this, the Council of People's Commissars decides:

organize a new army called the "Workers' and Peasants' Red Army", on the following grounds:

1) The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army is created from the most conscious and organized elements of the working masses.

2) Access to its ranks is open to all citizens of the Russian Republic at least 18 years of age. Anyone who is ready to give his strength, his life to defend the gains of the October Revolution, the power of the Soviets and socialism, joins the Red Army. To join the Red Army, the following recommendations are required:

military committees or public democratic organizations standing on the platform of Soviet power, party or professional organizations or at least two members of these organizations. When joining in whole parts, mutual responsibility of everyone and a roll-call vote are required.

1) Warriors of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army are on full state pay and on top of this receive 50 rubles. per month.

2) Disabled members of the families of Red Army soldiers, who were previously their dependents, are provided with everything necessary according to local consumer standards, in accordance with the decrees of local bodies of Soviet power.

The supreme governing body of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army is the Council of People's Commissars. Direct leadership and management of the army is concentrated in the Commissariat for Military Affairs, in the special All-Russian Collegium created under it.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars

V. Ulyanov (Lenin).

Supreme Commander-in-Chief N. Krylenko.

People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs:

Dybenko and Podvoisky.

People's Commissars: Proshyan, Zatonsky and Steinberg.

Administrator of the Council of People's Commissars

Vlad.Bonch-Bruevich.

Secretary of the Council of People's Commissars N. Gorbunov.

Decrees of the Soviet government. T. 1. M., State Publishing House of Political Literature, 1957.

APPEAL OF THE BOLSHEVIK GOVERNMENT

In order to save an exhausted, tormented country from new military trials, we made the greatest sacrifice and announced to the Germans our agreement to sign their peace terms. On the evening of February 20 (7), our envoys left Rezhitsa for Dvinsk, and there is still no answer. The German government is apparently slow to respond. It clearly doesn't want peace. Fulfilling the instructions of the capitalists of all countries, German militarism wants to strangle the Russian and Ukrainian workers and peasants, return the lands to the landowners, factories and factories to the bankers, and the authorities to the monarchy. German generals want to establish their “order” in Petrograd and Kyiv. The Socialist Republic of Soviets is in the greatest danger. Until the moment when the German proletariat rises and wins, the sacred duty of the workers and peasants of Russia is the selfless defense of the Soviet Republic against the hordes of bourgeois-imperialist Germany. The Council of People's Commissars decides: 1) All forces and means of the country are entirely allocated to the cause of revolutionary defense. 2) All Soviets and revolutionary organizations are charged with the duty of defending every position to the last drop of blood. 3) Railway organizations and the Soviets associated with them are obliged to do their best to prevent the enemy from using the communications apparatus; during retreat, destroy tracks, blow up and burn railway buildings; all rolling stock - carriages and locomotives - should be immediately sent east into the interior of the country. 4) All grain and food supplies in general, as well as any valuable property that is in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy, must be subject to unconditional destruction; supervision of this is entrusted to local Councils under the personal responsibility of their chairmen. 5) The workers and peasants of Petrograd, Kyiv and all cities, towns, villages and villages along the new front must mobilize battalions to dig trenches under the leadership of military specialists. 6) These battalions must include all able-bodied members of the bourgeois class, men and women, under the supervision of the Red Guards; Those who resist are shot. 7) All publications that oppose the cause of revolutionary defense and take the side of the German bourgeoisie, as well as those seeking to use the invasion of the imperialist hordes for the purpose of overthrowing Soviet power, are closed; able-bodied editors and staff of these publications are mobilized to dig trenches and other defensive work. 8) Enemy agents, speculators, thugs, hooligans, counter-revolutionary agitators, German spies are shot at the scene of the crime.

The socialist fatherland is in danger! Long live the socialist fatherland! Long live the international socialist revolution!

Decree “The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger!”

DECISION OF THE VTsIK ON FORCED RECRUITMENT INTO THE WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' ARMY

The Central Executive Committee believes that the transition from a volunteer army to a general mobilization of workers and poor peasants is imperatively dictated by the entire situation of the country, both for the struggle for bread and for repelling the insolent counter-revolution, both internal and external, due to hunger.

It is necessary to move immediately to forced recruitment of one or more ages. In view of the complexity of the matter and the difficulty of carrying it out simultaneously over the entire territory of the country, it seems necessary to begin, on the one hand, with the most threatened areas, and on the other hand, with the main centers of the labor movement.

Based on the foregoing, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decides to order the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs to develop within a week for Moscow, Petrograd, the Don and Kuban regions a plan for implementing forced recruitment within such limits and forms that would least disrupt the course of production and social life of the designated regions and cities.

The corresponding Soviet institutions are ordered to take the most energetic and active part in the work of the Military Commissariat to fulfill the tasks assigned to it.

VIEW FROM THE WHITE CAMP

Back in mid-January, the Soviet government promulgated a decree on organizing a “workers’ and peasants’ army” from “the most conscious and organized elements of the working class.” But the formation of a new class army was unsuccessful, and the council had to turn to old organizations: units from the front and from reserve battalions were allocated. respectively, screened out and processed, Latvian, sailor detachments and the Red Guard, formed by factory committees. They all went against Ukraine and the Don. What force moved these people, mortally tired of the war, to new cruel sacrifices and hardships? Least of all is devotion to Soviet power and its ideals. Hunger, unemployment, prospects for an idle, well-fed life and enrichment through robbery, the inability to get back to their native places in any other way, the habit of many people during the four years of war to soldiering as a craft (“declassed”), and finally, to a greater or lesser extent, a sense of class malice and hatred, nurtured over centuries and fueled by the strongest propaganda.

A.I. Denikin. Essays on Russian Troubles.

DEFENDER OF THE FATHERLAND DAY - HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY

The holiday originated in the USSR, then February 23 was celebrated annually as a national holiday - the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.

There was no document establishing February 23 as an official Soviet holiday. Soviet historiography linked the commemoration of the military to this date with the events of 1918: on January 28 (15 old style) January 1918, the Council of People's Commissars (SNK), headed by Chairman Vladimir Lenin, adopted a Decree on the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), and February 11 (January 29, old style) - Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF).

On February 22, the decree-appeal of the Council of People's Commissars "The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger!" was published, and on February 23, mass rallies took place in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities of the country, at which workers were called upon to stand up for the defense of their Fatherland. This day was marked by the massive entry of volunteers into the Red Army and the beginning of the formation of its detachments and units.

On January 10, 1919, the Chairman of the Higher Military Inspectorate of the Red Army, Nikolai Podvoisky, sent to the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee a proposal to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army, timing the celebration to the nearest Sunday before or after January 28. However, due to the late submission of the application, no decision was made.

Then the Moscow Soviet took the initiative to celebrate the first anniversary of the Red Army. On January 24, 1919, its presidium, which at that time was headed by Lev Kamenev, decided to coincide these celebrations with the day of the Red Gift, held for the purpose of collecting material and Money for the Red Army.

A Central Committee was created under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) to organize the celebration of the anniversary of the Red Army and Red Gift Day, which took place on Sunday, February 23.

On February 5, Pravda and other newspapers published the following information: “The organization of the Red Gift Day throughout Russia has been postponed to February 23. On this day, celebrations of the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army, which was celebrated on January 28, will be organized in cities and at the front.”

On February 23, 1919, Russian citizens celebrated the anniversary of the Red Army for the first time, but this day was not celebrated either in 1920 or 1921.

On January 27, 1922, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published a resolution on the fourth anniversary of the Red Army, which stated: “In accordance with the resolution of the IX All-Russian Congress of Soviets on the Red Army, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee draws the attention of the executive committees to the upcoming anniversary of the creation of the Red Army (February 23).”

The Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council, Leon Trotsky, organized a military parade on Red Square on this day, thereby establishing the tradition of an annual national celebration.

In 1923, the five-year anniversary of the Red Army was widely celebrated. The resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, adopted on January 18, 1923, stated: “On February 23, 1923, the Red Army will celebrate the 5th anniversary of its existence. On this day, five years ago, the Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars dated January 28 of the same year, which marked the beginning of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the stronghold of the proletarian dictatorship."

The tenth anniversary of the Red Army in 1928, like all previous ones, was celebrated as the anniversary of the Council of People's Commissars decree on the organization of the Red Army of January 28, 1918, but the date of publication itself was directly linked to February 23.

In 1938, in the “Short Course on the History of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)” the fundamental a new version origin of the date of the holiday, not related to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars. The book stated that in 1918, near Narva and Pskov, “the German occupiers were given a decisive rebuff. Their advance to Petrograd was suspended. The day of repulse to the troops of German imperialism - February 23 - became the birthday of the young Red Army.” Later, in the order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR dated February 23, 1942, the wording was slightly changed: “The young detachments of the Red Army, which entered the war for the first time, completely defeated the German invaders near Pskov and Narva on February 23, 1918. That is why February 23 was declared a day birth of the Red Army."

In 1951, another interpretation of the holiday appeared. In the “History of the Civil War in the USSR” it was stated that in 1919 the first anniversary of the Red Army was celebrated “on the memorable day of the mobilization of workers for the defense of the socialist Fatherland, the mass entry of workers into the Red Army, the widespread formation of the first detachments and units of the new army.”

In the Federal Law of March 13, 1995 "On the Days of Military Glory of Russia", the day of February 23 was officially called "The Day of the Red Army's Victory over the Kaiser's troops of Germany (1918) - the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland."

In accordance with the amendments made to the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory of Russia” by the Federal Law of April 15, 2006, the words “Victory Day of the Red Army over the Kaiser’s troops of Germany (1918)” were excluded from the official description of the holiday, and also stated in the singular the concept of "defender".

In December 2001, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation supported the proposal to make February 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day - a non-working holiday.

On Defender of the Fatherland Day, Russians honor those who served or are currently serving in the ranks of the country's Armed Forces.

The Red Army was created, as they say, from scratch. Despite this, she managed to become a formidable force and win the civil war. The key to success was the construction of the Red Army using the experience of the old, pre-revolutionary army.

On the ruins of the old army

By the beginning of 1918, Russia, which had survived two revolutions, finally emerged from the First World War. Her army was a pitiful sight - soldiers deserted en masse and headed to their homes. Since November 1917, the Armed Forces did not exist de jure - after the Bolsheviks issued an order to dissolve the old army.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the former empire, a new war was breaking out - a civil one. In Moscow the battles with the cadets had just died down, in St. Petersburg - with the Cossacks of General Krasnov. Events grew like a snowball.

On the Don, generals Alekseev and Kornilov formed the Volunteer Army, in the Orenburg steppes the anti-communist uprising of Ataman Dutov unfolded, in the Kharkov region there were battles with the cadets of the Chuguev Military School, in the Yekaterinoslav province - with detachments of the Central Rada of the self-proclaimed Ukrainian Republic.

Labor activists and revolutionary sailors

The external, old enemy was not asleep either: the Germans intensified their offensive on the Eastern Front, capturing a number of territories of the former Russian Empire.

At that time, the Soviet government had at its disposal only Red Guard units, created locally mainly from activists working environment and revolutionary-minded sailors.

During the initial period of general partisanship in the civil war, the Red Guards were the support of the Council of People's Commissars, but it gradually became clear that voluntariness should be replaced by the conscription principle.

This was clearly shown, for example, by the events in Kyiv in January 1918, where the uprising of the working detachments of the Red Guard against the power of the Central Rada was brutally suppressed by national units and officer detachments.

The first step towards the creation of the Red Army

On January 15, 1918, Lenin issued a Decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. The document emphasized that access to its ranks is open to all citizens of the Russian Republic at least 18 years of age who are ready to “give their strength, their lives to defend the won October Revolution and the power of the Soviets and socialism.”

This was the first, but half-hearted step towards creating an army. So far it was proposed to join it voluntarily, and in this the Bolsheviks followed the path of Alekseev and Kornilov with their voluntary recruitment of the White Army. As a result, by the spring of 1918, no more than 200 thousand people were in the ranks of the Red Army. And its combat effectiveness left much to be desired - most of the front-line soldiers were resting at home from the horrors of the World War.

A powerful incentive to create a large army was given by the enemies - the 40,000-strong Czechoslovak corps, which in the summer of the same year rebelled against Soviet power along the entire length of the Trans-Siberian Railway and overnight captured vast areas of the country - from Chelyabinsk to Vladivostok. In the south of the European part of Russia, Denikin’s troops were not asleep; having recovered from the unsuccessful assault on Ekaterinodar (now Krasnodar), in June 1918 they again launched an attack on Kuban and this time achieved their goal.

Fight not with slogans, but with skill

Under these conditions, one of the founders of the Red Army, People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs Leon Trotsky proposed moving to a more rigid model of army building. According to the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on July 29, 1918, military conscription was introduced in the country, which made it possible to increase the number of the Red Army to almost half a million people by mid-September.

Along with quantitative growth, the army also strengthened qualitatively. The leadership of the country and the Red Army realized that slogans alone that the socialist fatherland was in danger would not win the war. We need experienced personnel, even if they do not adhere to revolutionary rhetoric.

So-called military experts, that is, officers and generals of the tsarist army, began to be conscripted en masse into the Red Army. Their total number during the Civil War in the ranks of the Red Army was almost 50 thousand people.

The best of the best

Many later became the pride of the USSR, such as Colonel Boris Shaposhnikov, who became Marshal of the Soviet Union and Chief of the Army General Staff, including during the Great Patriotic War. Another head of the General Staff of the Red Army during World War II, Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky entered the Civil War as a staff captain.

Another effective measure to strengthen the middle command level was military schools and accelerated training courses for Red commanders from among soldiers, workers and peasants. In battles and battles, yesterday's non-commissioned officers and sergeants quickly rose to become commanders of large formations. Suffice it to recall Vasily Chapaev, who became a division commander, or Semyon Budyonny, who headed the 1st Cavalry Army.

Even earlier, the election of commanders was abolished, which had an extremely harmful effect on the level of combat effectiveness of units, turning them into anarchic spontaneous detachments. Now the commander was responsible for order and discipline, albeit on an equal basis with the commissar.

Kamenev instead of Vatsetis

It is curious that a little later whites also joined the conscript army. In particular, the Volunteer Army in 1919 largely remained such only in name - the ferocity of the Civil War imperiously demanded that opponents replenish their ranks by any means.

Former Colonel Joachim Vatsetis was appointed the first Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the RSFSR in the fall of 1918 (since January 1919, he simultaneously led the army’s actions Soviet Latvia). After a series of defeats for the Red Army in the summer of 1919 in European Russia, Vatsetis was replaced in his post by another tsarist colonel, Sergei Kamenev.

Under his leadership, things went much better for the Red Army. The armies of Kolchak, Denikin, and Wrangel were defeated. Yudenich's attack on Petrograd was repulsed, Polish units were driven out of Ukraine and Belarus.

Territorial police principle

By the end of the Civil War, the total strength of the Red Army was more than five million people. The Red Cavalry, initially numbering only three regiments, over the course of numerous battles grew to several armies that operated on widely extended communications of countless fronts of the civil war, serving as shock troops.

The end of hostilities required a sharp reduction in the number of personnel. This, first of all, was needed by the war-depleted economy of the country. As a result, in 1920-1924. demobilization was carried out, which reduced the Red Army to half a million people.

Under the leadership of the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs Mikhail Frunze, most of the remaining troops were transferred to the territorial-militia principle of recruitment. It consisted in the fact that a small part of the Red Army soldiers and unit commanders carried out permanent service, and the rest of the personnel were called up for five years for training sessions lasting up to a year.

Strengthening combat capability

Over time, Frunze's reform led to problems: the combat readiness of the territorial units was much lower than the regular ones.

The thirties, with the advent of the Nazis in Germany and the Japanese attack on China, began to smell distinctly of gunpowder. As a result, the USSR began transferring regiments, divisions and corps to a regular basis.

This took into account not only the experience of the First World War and the Civil War, but also participation in new conflicts, in particular, the clash with Chinese troops in 1929 on the Chinese Eastern Railway and Japanese troops on Lake Khasan in 1938.

The total number of the Red Army increased, the troops were actively rearming. This primarily concerned artillery and armored forces. New troops were created, for example, airborne troops. Mother infantry became more motorized.

Premonition of World War

Aviation, which had previously performed mainly reconnaissance missions, was now becoming a powerful force, increasing the proportion of bombers, attack aircraft and fighters in its ranks.

Soviet tank crews and pilots tried their hand at local wars taking place far from the USSR - in Spain and China.

In order to increase the prestige of the military profession and the convenience of serving in 1935, personal military ranks were introduced for career military personnel - from marshal to lieutenant.

The territorial-militia principle of recruiting the Red Army was finally put to rest by the law on universal conscription of 1939, which expanded the composition of the Red Army and established longer terms of service.

And there was a big war ahead.