WWI Russian Flags

[fred]

Hi all

What flags were carried by Russian units in 1914 to 17? I’m struggling to find anything definitive on google, currently leaning towards, white, blue, red horizontal stripes, or perhaps yellow with imperial eagle.

Ta

[armchairgeneral]

Cuprum of Siberia Miniatures, a regular to this forum, is the man to answer this question but in the meantime these are WW1 flags they sell.

http://siberia-miniatures.ru/index.php?cPath=62_218_192

[fred]

Thanks - those are interesting and not at all what I expected.

I am doing this in 10mm with Pendraken’s new RJW range so would need much smaller flags (but the smaller size does let you get away with less detail)

[cuprum]

In fact, you don't need banners to fight during the First World War. They were not used in the field and were stored in the wagon train or headquarters. They were used only for solemn ceremonies.
Only regimental and other signs were in use, indicating the corresponding headquarters of the units. But with them, no one went on the attack.
But in the Civil War, these flags have already been used in the traditional quality of past eras.

[fred]

Thanks cuprum - very useful to know.

So my standard bearers can wait to be used as Reds or Whites!

[cuprum]

I am glad to help.
The use of banners during the Civil War was mainly due to the fact that the parties to the conflict widely used the same uniform, and military operations were mainly of a maneuverable nature. As a result, there was a very significant need for rapid identification at a considerable distance of "friend or foe" on the battlefield for all parties to the conflict.

[Kuropatkin]

Another older thread that has great interest for me.

I generally agree with cuprum on the broad strokes (i.e. that the colors were normally kept in the rear for much of the war), but I do feel they were carried in the front lines in 1914 and during any subsequent Russian offensives in the later years. The practice of keeping them in the rear, I believe began sometime in late 1915 when trench warfare fully settled in on the Eastern front. The truth of something like this is difficult to demonstrate as photographic evidence during actual combat (not the staged stuff) is rare.

In my Courier article on the RJW flags, I found several accounts by military observers that stated the colors were carried cased into combat and a few more from less reliable sources stated they were sometimes uncased. I believe this practice was continued in WW1, given the absence of any record to the contrary.

I agree with cuprum in his statement in the linked thread below that colors could have been carried uncased. This would be a regimental-level decision and commanders are often proud of their units and see the colors as a unifying/motivational tool.

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=128333.0

In my search for some evidence, I did find this photo of a Russian regimental color in the trenches in Washburn's Field notes from the Russian Front, p.256. It is in his chapter 'A Visit to the Trenches' and is dated January 1915.

v/r  Jeff

[Kuropatkin]

When I was gaming the RJW using 15mm figures and a modified set of Fire & Fury rules, I did a mixture of cased and uncased colors. My basic paint job pales in comparison to the beautiful 28mm figures I have seen here on Lead Adventure Forum, but they did serve their purpose.

An East Siberian Rifle Regiment and two European Infantry Regiments. Note the smaller size of the Model 1883 and 1900 flags. While the flags I have seen here on the forum are gorgeous, they are a bit too big and appear to be of the size of the earlier Germanic style flags.