Russian cossack partisans (eastern front) 1915-16 ?

[alligator9]

Hello,

  anyone  got any photos  of the Russian cossack partisans that operated  on Russias western front  1915-16,

 in and around the Pripyet marshes area ?


  Pat.

[cuprum]

In the "Partisans" were recruited volunteers from ordinary cavalry or Cossack regiments. They wore uniforms of their units - cavalry or Cossack. Officially, they had to have the only difference is in the weapon - they were armed captured German or Austrian rifles, since they are easier to grab some ammo in the enemy rear. Unofficially, many partisan detachments had their own insignia - stripe, badges and the like. For example detachment yesaul (Major Cossack troops)  A.G. Shkuro have at ordinary Caucasian Cossack uniform sewn on in papakha - wolf's tail, own created a black colour with the head of a wolf.

These detachments usually consisted of 50-200 people. For large operations could unite several detachments.




Shkuro's partisans in 1916, showing the flag at that time.

[zebra55]

  Hi,

 in "The Russian army 1914-18" by Nik Cornish, he mentions  that the  Atman of cossacks ordered the formation  of partisan units fron volunteers in every cossack regiment. Most famous were the "wolves" so called as their standard was the skin of a wolf and had wolf tails attached to the poles. The men had wolfskin caps. This unit was lead by Kuban cossack officer A G Shkuro.

 Ken.

[elefant66]

Another book by Nik  Cornish -"The Russian army and the first world war" mentions-

 As the trenches were established, the cavalry were under used  so the SW front commander decided they could be used for other purposes.Individual squadrons and Cossack sotnia ( 100 men) were detached to infiltrate behind enemy lines and do as much harm as they could. Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich , as  Ataman (leader) of the Cossacks ordered all Cossack regiments to form a partisan detachment. Such sotnia operated individually or in groups.

 John.