How deviators, deserters and self-gunners appeared in the Russian army during the First World War

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The First World War became a terrible test for Russian soldiers. In addition to the enemies behind the front line, there were others, closer ones: hunger, poor weapons, crumbling uniforms and lack of confidence in their commanders and comrades. According to rough estimates, about two million people fled home from the trenches in different ways and ways. Most, of course, after February 1917, but the desertion process began much earlier.

In 1914, when the Fatherland called the people to battle, the country responded with unprecedented enthusiasm. To fulfill their duty, 96% of recruits came to the recruiting offices, which was a very high figure, it was expected that no more than 90% would arrive. However, the fighting spirit vanished very soon. According to official data, even before 1917, 350 thousand deserters were identified among the Russian units. Compared with the armies of other countries, this figure is huge: the Germans and the British had exactly ten times less "fugitives". The main reason for the loss of morale was the time - when everything was just beginning, the soldiers expected to return home in a few months and, of course, with victory. They were not ready for protracted hostilities, because most of them came from villages and villages, and on a peasant farm without a peasant they could not last long.

There was, of course, a certain percentage of savvy conscripts who tried not to get to the front, because running away from the trenches is much more difficult than finding a reason and a way to stay at home. Such people most often feigned ill health, and those responsible for the bribes turned a blind eye to this (some things do not change over time). Those who were unlucky tried to escape on the way to the place of service. They jumped out of the cars, left the camp at night and got home on their own. For those who arrived safely at the front, there was still a loophole - the infirmary. Any scratch, if you pick it open, could provide a good reason for those unwilling to fight a good reason to lie in bed longer or, if lucky, get the long-awaited freedom - writing off as unfit for service. Therefore, there were widely known "folk remedies" of the reverse action, which did not allow wounds to heal: salt and kerosene.

One more figures that can be terrifying: in 1915, 20% (one fifth!) Of all wounds received by Russian soldiers were done by themselves. "Samostrel" has met before. In order not to go on the attack, the soldiers inflicted slight injuries on themselves and lay down in the hospital. They shot most often at the arms and legs, but the most effective way was to injure the index finger of the right hand. After such a minor injury, the long-awaited write-off was, consider it, in his pocket, since the soldier could not pull the trigger and was declared unfit for service. Because of this, self-mutilators were also called “finger-mongers”. By 1915, the situation with crossbows had become so aggravated that the identified draft evaders began to be shot on the spot. The cruel measure proved to be effective and helped to cope with this phenomenon.

Over time, the surrender of soldiers began to increase. For example, on December 7, 1914, three companies of the 8th Estland Infantry Regiment went over to the enemy. The soldiers stocked up with white rags and brandished them. After a while, in front of the officers' eyes, a group of soldiers from the 336th Infantry Regiment surrendered to the Germans. Often the surrenders simply lingered in the trenches while retreating. Enemy propaganda in this "quiet battle" outplayed ours - the slogans about "protecting the interests of Russia" and "loyalty to the Tsar and the Fatherland" turned out to be weaker than the remuneration promised by the Germans (for weapons and other property taken with them for surrender). - this joke spread in active units in the fall of 1916, when food shortages began to be felt in the Russian army. In total, about 2.4 million Russian soldiers were captured. It is believed that a significant part of these fighters surrendered voluntarily.

But most of the soldiers who made the decision to return to a peaceful life, without any special undertakings, simply tried to sneak out of the trenches. Such fugitives, if caught, were tried, but the fear of punishment turned out to be not as great as the desire to be home as soon as possible. Generals Brusilov, Radko-Dmitriev, Ivanov and others offered to shoot deserters in the back and sometimes even formed detachments, but even such measures were not able to cope with the total flight from the army.

It is interesting that sometimes they ran away from the trenches not even home, but to neighboring villages and cities, just to remember a normal life for a few days. Then many returned to the combat units, composing some kind of tale about the reason for the absence. Some during this "extraordinary vacation" drank their uniforms and returned when the money ran out. Others began the long journey home, sometimes turning into robbers and marauders along the way. These "wandering deserters" sometimes formed small detachments and caused a lot of trouble for the police. They tried to catch them most often on the railways, but lone policemen could not cope with the semi-organized and often armed gangs. Probably not many of the deserters of the First World War managed to truly return to a peaceful life, because in just a couple of years all these people who fled from the trenches will face a new war and will again have to make a choice between a peaceful life and weapons.

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