There are so many legends about this amazing woman that it is impossible to say one hundred percent whether it is true or fiction. But it is reliably known that an ordinary peasant woman, who remained illiterate for almost her entire adult life, was called by King George V during a personal meeting “the Russian Joan of Arc.” Fate was destined for her to become the first female officer in the Russian army. The whole truth about the women's battalion death - in our article.
Youth, childhood, love
The creator of the women's death battalion, Maria Bochkareva, was born in a small village in the Novgorod province into an ordinary working-class family. Besides her, her parents had two more children. They lived quite poorly and, in order to improve their deplorable situation, decided to move to Siberia, where at that time the government provided assistance to newcomers. But hopes were not justified, so it was decided to marry Maria to a man whom she did not love, and who was also a drunkard. She got her famous surname from him.
After a short period of time, Maria Bochkareva (the women's death battalion was her idea) breaks up with her husband and begins a free life. It was at that time that she was lucky enough to meet her first and only love. Unfortunately, she had no luck with the stronger sex: while the first was a constant drinker, the second was a criminal and member of the Honghuz gang, which included people from Manchuria and China. His name was Yankel Buk. When he was arrested and redirected to Yakutsk, Bochkareva followed him, as the wives of the Decembrists did.
Sad outcome of the relationship
But the desperate Yakov could not be corrected, and even while in the settlement, he sold stolen goods, and later took up robberies. In order to prevent her beloved from going to hard labor, Maria had to follow the lead of the local governor, who harassed her. Subsequently, she was unable to survive her own betrayal and tried to poison herself. This difficult story ended in tears: upon learning about what had happened, the man, in the heat of anger, tried to kill the official. He was put on trial and sent to an unknown location, after which contact with his loved one was lost.
To the front by imperial favor
The outbreak of war led to an unprecedented surge of patriotic feelings. A huge number of volunteers went to the front, and Maria Leontievna Bochkareva did the same. The story of her entry into service is quite interesting. Arriving in 1914 to the commander of the reserve battalion, which was located in Tomsk, she was faced with a disregardful attitude and ironic advice to make a similar request to the Emperor. Contrary to his expectations, the woman dared to write a petition. To the surprise of the public, she soon received a positive response signed by Nicholas II.
After an accelerated training course, in February of the following year, Maria Leontyevna Bochkareva found herself at the front as a civilian soldier. Having taken on such a difficult task, she, along with the rest of the soldiers, went into bayonet attacks, helped the wounded escape from fire, and also showed real heroism. She was given the nickname Yashka, which she invented for herself in honor of her lover.
When the company commander died in March 1916, Maria took over his post and led her comrades in an offensive that became devastating. For the courage shown in the offensive, the woman received the St. George Cross, as well as three medals. While at the forefront, she was wounded more than once, but despite this, she was still in service. Only after being seriously wounded in the thigh was she sent to the hospital, where she spent several months.
Creation of women's death battalions
Returning to duty, Bochkareva found her own regiment in complete disintegration. While she was away, the February Revolution happened, and the soldiers endlessly rallied and tried to “fraternize” with the Germans. Maria, who did not want to put up with such a situation, never tired of looking for an opportunity to influence the situation. Very soon a similar opportunity presented itself.
The chairman of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was sent to the front to carry out propaganda work. Bochkareva, having secured his support, went to Petrograd, where she began to implement her long-standing idea - the opening of military formations, which included women ready to defend the Motherland. In her endeavor, she felt the support of the Minister of War Kerensky, as well as Brusilov, who was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief General. Thus began the history of the women's death battalion.
Battalion composition
In response to the calls of the courageous woman, several thousand Russian women responded, wanting to take up arms in the ranks of the new unit. It is worth noting the fact that most of them were literate girls - graduates of the Bestuzhev courses, and a third had a secondary education. At that time, no unit consisting of men could show such indicators. Among the shockwomen were representatives of all walks of life - from simple peasant women to aristocrats (bearers of famous surnames).
Among the subordinates in the women's death battalion (1917), commander Bochkareva immediately established strict discipline and strict subordination. The rise took place at five in the morning, and until ten in the evening there were constant classes with little rest. Many women who previously lived in fairly wealthy families found it difficult to accept soldier life and the established routine. But this was not their greatest difficulty.
Complaints about the commander
As the sources say, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief soon began to receive complaints regarding arbitrariness, as well as rude treatment on the part of the commander of the women’s death battalion in the First World War. The reports noted facts of beatings. In addition, the appearance within its walls of agitators conducting political activities, representatives of all kinds of parties, was strictly prohibited, which was a violation of the rules adopted as a result of the uprising. As a result of a large number of disagreements, 250 shockwomen left the 1st Petrograd Women's Death Battalion and moved to another formation.
Sending to the front
Soon the twenty-first of June 1917 arrived, the day when, in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral, in front of a large audience, the newly created unit was awarded the honor of receiving a battle flag. Needless to say, what emotions was experienced by the hero of the occasion, who stood in a new uniform.
But the holiday was replaced by trench life. The young defenders were faced with realities that they had never even imagined before. They found themselves in the midst of morally corrupt and degrading soldiers. In order to protect them from violence, it was sometimes necessary to post sentries on duty at the barracks. But after the first real battle, where Maria’s battalion took direct part, showing unprecedented courage, the shock troops began to be treated with respect.
Hospital and inspection of new units
The Women's Death Battalion in the First World War took part in operations along with other units and suffered losses. Maria Bochkareva, who received a severe concussion on July 9, was sent to Petrograd for treatment. During the period that she spent at the front, her ideas about the women's patriotic movement found a wide response in the capital. New formations were created, which were staffed by defenders of the Fatherland.
After being discharged from the hospital, by order of Kornilov, Bochkareva was given the task of checking such units. The results of the inspection were extremely negative. None of the battalions were truly combative. However, the atmosphere of turmoil that hovered in Moscow did not allow any tangible results to be achieved in a short time.
Soon the initiator of the creation of women's death battalions is sent to her native unit, but right now her fighting spirit is cooling down a little. She has said more than once that she was disappointed in her subordinates and believes that they should not be sent to the front. Maybe her demands on her subordinates were too high, and what she, a combat officer, could handle without problems was beyond the capabilities of ordinary women.
Features of the deadly part
Due to the fact that all these events were close to the episode with the defense of the Winter Palace (government residence), it is worth understanding in more detail what the military unit, the creator of which was Bochkareva, was then. In accordance with the law, the women's death battalion (historical facts confirm this) was equated to an independent unit and in its status corresponded to a regiment in which 1000 soldiers served.
The officer corps included representatives of the strong half who had considerable experience acquired on the fronts of the First World War. The battalion should not have had any political overtones. Its main purpose is to protect the Fatherland from external enemies.
Palace Defense
Suddenly, one of the units of the women's death battalion in the First World War receives an order to go to Petrograd, where a parade was supposed to take place on October 24th. In reality, this was only an excuse to attract shockwomen to defend the facility from the Bolshevik attack with weapons in their hands. During this period, the palace garrison consisted of units of Cossacks and cadets, and therefore had no real military power.
The women who arrived at the scene were ordered to defend the southeastern wing of the building. For the first 24 hours they managed to push back the Red Guards and take control of the Nikolaevsky Bridge. But a day later, troops of the revolutionary committee settled around the building, which resulted in a fierce clash.
It was after this that the defenders of the residence, not wanting to give their lives for the newly appointed government, began to retreat from their positions. The women managed to hold out the longest, and only at ten o’clock were negotiators sent out with a statement of surrender. This opportunity was provided, but only on the conditions of complete disarmament.
The arrival of the Bolsheviks and subsequent events
After an armed coup in October, the decision was made to disband the Women's Death Battalion of the First World War, but it was dangerous to return home in uniform. Not without the participation of the Security Committee, the women managed to find civilian clothes in order to get to their homes.
It has been confirmed that during the events described, Maria Leontyevna was at the front and did not take part in them. Despite this, there is a myth that she commanded the defenders of the palace.
In the future, fate threw up many more unpleasant surprises. During the outbreak of the civil war, Bochkarev found himself between two fires. At first, in Smolny, the highest ranks of the new government persuaded her to take command of the Red Guard unit. After this, Marushevsky, the commander of the White Guards, also tried to win her over to his side. But everywhere she refused: it was one thing to fight against foreigners and defend her homeland, another thing was to kill her own compatriots. Maria almost paid with her freedom for her refusal.
Legendary life
After the capture of Tomsk, Bochkareva herself came to the commandant’s office to hand over her weapons. After some time, she was taken into custody and sent to Krasnoyarsk. The investigators were in prostration, not knowing what to present to her. But the head of the special department, Pavlunovsky, arrives in the city from the capital. Without even trying to study the situation superficially, he makes a decision - to shoot, which was done. Maria Bochkareva was killed on May sixteenth, 1919.
But her life was so unusual that her death gave rise to a huge number of legends. It is impossible to say exactly where Maria Leontyeva’s grave is located. Because of this, rumors arose that she managed to avoid execution, and she lived until the forties, taking for herself a completely different name.
But the main legend, of course, remains the woman herself, whose biography can be used to make an exciting film novel.
From a family of illiterate peasants, Maria Bochkareva was clearly an extraordinary person. Her name thundered throughout the Russian Empire. Of course: a female officer, Knight of St. George, organizer and commander of the first female “battalion...
From a family of illiterate peasants, Maria Bochkareva was clearly an extraordinary person. Her name thundered throughout the Russian Empire. Of course: a female officer, Knight of St. George, organizer and commander of the first female “death battalion”. She met with Kerensky and Brusilov, Lenin and Trotsky, Kornilov and Kolchak, Winston Churchill, English King George V and US President Woodrow Wilson. They all noted the extraordinary strength of spirit of this woman.
Maria Bochkareva
The hard lot of a Russian woman
Maria Bochkareva (Frolkova) came from Novgorod peasants. Hoping for a better life, the Frolkov family moved to Siberia, where land was distributed to the peasants for free. But the Frolkovs were unable to raise virgin soil; they settled in the Tomsk province and lived in extreme poverty. At the age of 15, Marusya was married off, and she became Bochkareva. Together with her husband, she unloaded barges and worked on an asphalt laying crew. It was here that Bochkareva’s extraordinary organizational skills first appeared; very soon she became an assistant foreman, with 25 people working under her supervision. And the husband remained a laborer. He drank and beat his wife to death. Maria fled from him to Irkutsk, where she met Yakov Buk. Maria's new common-law husband was a gambler and, moreover, with criminal inclinations. As part of a gang of Honghuz, Yakov took part in robbery attacks. In the end, he was arrested and exiled to the Yakut province. Maria followed her beloved to distant Amga. Yakov did not appreciate the feat of self-sacrifice of the woman who loved him and soon began to drink and beat Maria. There seemed to be no way out of this vicious circle. But the First World War broke out.
Private Bochkareva
On foot through the taiga, Maria went to Tomsk, where she appeared at the recruiting station and asked to be enrolled as an ordinary soldier. The officer wisely suggested that she enroll as a nurse in the Red Cross or some auxiliary service. But Maria definitely wanted to go to the front. Having borrowed 8 rubles, she sent a telegram to the Highest Name: why was she denied the right to fight and die for her Motherland? The answer came surprisingly quickly, and, by the Highest permission, an exception was made for Maria. This is how “Private Bochkarev” appeared on the battalion’s lists. They cut her hair like a clipper and gave her a rifle, two pouches, a tunic, trousers, an overcoat, a hat and everything else that a soldier should have.
On the very first night, there were people who wanted to check “by touch”, but was this unsmiling soldier really a woman? Maria had not only a strong character, but also a heavy hand: without looking, she hit the daredevils with all that came to hand - boots, a bowler hat, a pouch. And the fist of the former asphalt paver turned out to be not a lady’s at all. In the morning, Maria didn’t say a word about the “night fight,” but she was among the first in class. Soon the entire company was proud of their unusual soldier (where else is there such a thing?) and was ready to kill anyone who encroached on the honor of their “Yashka” (Maria received this nickname from her fellow soldiers). In February 1915, the 24th reserve battalion was sent to the front. Maria refused the officers’ offer to travel in the staff car near Molodechno and arrived with everyone else in a heated train.
Front
On the third day after arriving at the front, the company in which Bochkareva served went on the attack. Of the 250 people, 70 reached the line of wire barriers. Unable to overcome the barriers, the soldiers turned back. Less than 50 reached their trenches. As soon as it got dark, Maria crawled to no man's land and spent the whole night dragging the wounded into the trench. She saved almost 50 people that night, for which she was nominated for an award and received the St. George Cross, 4th degree. Bochkareva went on attacks, night raids, captured prisoners, and “took more than one German at the bayonet.” Her fearlessness was legendary. By February 1917, she had 4 wounds and 4 St. George awards (2 crosses and 2 medals), and had the shoulder straps of a senior non-commissioned officer on her shoulders.
Year 1917
In the army at this time there is complete chaos: privates have equal rights with officers, orders are not carried out, desertion has reached unprecedented proportions, decisions to attack are made not at headquarters, but at rallies. The soldiers are tired and don't want to fight anymore. Bochkareva does not accept all this: how can it be, 3 years of war, so many victims, and all in vain?! But those who agitate at soldiers’ rallies for “war to a victorious end” are simply beaten. In May 1917, the chairman of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, M. Rodzianko, arrived at the front. He met with Bochkareva and immediately invited her to Petrograd. According to his plan, Maria should become a participant in a series of propaganda campaigns for the continuation of the war. But Bochkareva went further than his plans: on May 21, at one of the rallies, she put forward the idea of creating a “Shock Women’s Death Battalion.”
"Death Battalion" by Maria Bochkareva
The idea was approved and supported by Commander-in-Chief Brusilov and Kerensky, who then held the post of Minister of War and Navy. Within a few days, more than 2,000 female volunteers signed up for the battalion in response to Maria’s call to the women of Russia to shame the men by their example. Among them were bourgeois and peasant women, domestic servants and university graduates. There were also representatives of noble families of Russia. Bochkareva established strict discipline in the battalion and supported it with her iron hand (in the full sense of the word - she beat faces like a real old-regime sergeant). A number of women who did not accept Bochkarev’s measures to control the battalion broke away and organized their own shock battalion (it was this battalion, not the “Bochkarevsky” one, that defended the Winter Palace in October 1917). Bochkareva’s initiative was taken up throughout Russia: in Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, Poltava, Simbirsk, Kharkov, Smolensk, Vyatka, Baku, Irkutsk, Mariupol, Odessa, women’s infantry and cavalry units and even women’s naval teams began to be created (Oranienbaum). (However, the formation of many was never completed)
female recruits in Petrograd in 1917
On June 21, 1917, Petrograd escorted shockwomen to the front. In front of a huge crowd of people, the battalion was presented with a banner, Kornilov presented Bochkareva with a personalized weapon, and Kerensky - the shoulder straps of an ensign. On June 27, the battalion arrived at the front, and on July 8 entered into battle.
Vain victims of the women's battalion
The fate of the battalion can be called tragic. The women who rose to attack really carried away the neighboring companies. The first line of defense was taken, then the second, third... - and that’s it. Other parts did not rise. No reinforcements arrived. The shock troops repelled several German counterattacks. There was a threat of encirclement. Bochkareva ordered a retreat. The positions taken in battle had to be abandoned. The battalion's casualties (30 killed and 70 wounded) were in vain. Bochkareva herself was seriously shell-shocked in that battle and sent to the hospital. After 1.5 months, she (already with the rank of second lieutenant) returned to the front and found the situation even worse. Shock women served on an equal basis with men, were called up for reconnaissance, and rushed into counterattacks, but the example of women did not inspire anyone. The 200 surviving shockwomen could not save the army from decay. Clashes between them and the soldiers, who were striving to “bayonet in the ground and go home” as quickly as possible, threatened to escalate into a civil war in a single regiment. Considering the situation hopeless, Bochkareva disbanded the battalion and left for Petrograd.
In the ranks of the White movement
She was too prominent a figure to disappear unnoticed in Petrograd. She was arrested and taken to Smolny. Lenin and Trotsky talked with the famous Maria Bochkareva. The leaders of the revolution tried to attract such a bright personality to cooperation, but Maria, citing injuries, refused. Members of the White movement also sought meetings with her. She also told the representative of the underground officer organization, General Anosov, that she would not fight against her people, but she agreed to go to the Don to General Kornilov as a liaison organization. So Bochkareva became a participant in the Civil War. Dressed as a sister of mercy, Maria went south. In Novocherkassk, she handed over letters and documents to Kornilov and set off, now as the personal representative of General Kornilov, to ask for help from the Western powers.
Diplomatic mission of Maria Bochkareva
Having traveled through all of Russia, she reached Vladivostok, where she boarded an American ship. On April 3, 1918, Maria Bochkareva went ashore in the port of San Francisco. Newspapers wrote about her, she spoke at meetings, and met with prominent public and political figures. The envoy of the White movement was received by the US Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State Lansing and US President Woodrow Wilson. Next, Maria went to England, where she met with Secretary of War Winston Churchill and King George V. Maria begged, persuaded, and convinced all of them to help the White Army, with money, weapons, food, and they all promised her this help. Inspired, Maria goes back to Russia.
In the whirlwind of the fronts of the Civil War
In August 1918, Bochkareva arrived in Arkhangelsk, where she again took the initiative to organize a women’s battalion. The government of the Northern region reacted coolly to this initiative. General Marushevsky openly stated that he considers the involvement of women in military service to be a disgrace. In June 1919, a caravan of ships left Arkhangelsk heading east. In the holds of the ships there are weapons, ammunition and ammunition for the troops of the Eastern Front. On one of the ships is Maria Bochkareva. Her goal is Omsk, her last hope is Admiral Kolchak.
She reached Omsk and met with Kolchak. The admiral made a strong impression on her and entrusted the organization of a medical detachment. In 2 days, Maria formed a group of 200 people, but the front was already cracking and rolling to the east. Less than a month will pass before the “third capital” is abandoned; Kolchak himself has less than six months to live.
Arrest - sentence - death
In the tenth of November, Kolchak left Omsk. Maria did not leave with the retreating troops. Tired of fighting, she decided to reconcile with the Bolsheviks and returned to Tomsk. But her fame was too odious, the burden of Bochkareva’s sins before the Soviet regime was too heavy. People who took a much less active part in the White movement paid for it with their lives. What can we say about Bochkareva, whose name repeatedly appeared on the pages of white newspapers. On January 7, 1920, Maria Bochkareva was arrested, and on May 16, she was shot as “an irreconcilable and worst enemy of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Republic.” Rehabilitated in 1992.
The name will return
Maria Bochkareva was not the only woman who fought in the First World War. Thousands of women went to the front as sisters of mercy, many made their way to the front posing as men. Unlike them, Maria did not hide her female gender for a single day, which, however, does not in the least detract from the feat of the other “Russian Amazons.” Maria Bochkareva should have taken her rightful place on the pages of the Russian history textbook. But, for well-known reasons, in Soviet times the slightest mention of it was carefully erased. Only a few contemptuous lines from Mayakovsky remained in his poem “Good!”
We will not hide that the reason for writing this article was watching the film “Battalion” directed by Dmitry Meskhiev. Moreover, the film itself seemed not as interesting as its real prototypes. Going to “Battalion”, you expect stingy male tears to well up in your eyes. But in fact, the true drama of those days, filmed in our days, was more cruel and chilling than Meskhiev’s picture. We have not yet learned how to handle dramatic plots according to all the canons. No matter how much they swear at films produced abroad, they know how to make films there. So much so that it’s not a sin to shed a tear. But it’s good that such topics began to be raised. The heroes of the First World War, who were undeservedly forgotten and subjected to oblivion due to their disagreement with the policies of Soviet and communist ideologists, are now gaining recognition.
Maria Bochkareva
It is with this name that the formation of the first women’s death battalion is associated, which, in fact, is the subject of the story in Meskhiev’s film. Her fate is very indicative as an example of the traditional Russian character, when from rags through all obstacles a person achieved recognition and fame among worthy people, and then paid for it with interest. A peasant woman who became the commander of an entire battalion, received many awards, and was recognized by many officers as an equal. What had to happen in the life of this woman for her to turn from a representative of the fairer sex into a soldier.
Born into a poor peasant family, Maria Bochkareva soon left with her parents for Siberia, where they were promised land and government subsidies. But as often happens, they lured us with bread and butter, but in reality it turned out to be a big deal. It was impossible to overcome poverty; they were managed as best they could. Therefore, her parents had to marry Maria off at the age of 15. But this marriage did not last long. Her betrothed, despite his 23 years, was a serious alcoholic, and in the heat of ensuing insanity, he began to beat his wife. Masha could not stand this behavior and ran away from her unlucky hubby. She ran to the local butcher Yakov Buk. But that one also turned out to be a gift from fate. First, he was arrested in 1912 for robbery, and a little later, Yakov received an even longer sentence for participating in a Honghuz gang. His current wife followed him to each of the places of detention, but only until he, too, began to drink and began to repeat the mistakes of his previous chosen one.
Just at this time, the First World War broke out, and Maria Bochkareva (by the way, she got her last name from her first husband) decided to volunteer for the front. At first they didn’t want to accept her at all, but then they agreed to put the young girl into service in the medical troops. For some time, helping the wounded, she did not give up hope of being transferred to the front. Which happened just a few weeks later. At the front, Bochkareva became a phenomenon. Experiencing regular rounds of cruel mockery from the soldiers, she fought fiercely and selflessly in battle. Therefore, soon the bullying ended, and she began to be treated as an equal. The result of his service in the ranks of the Russian Army on the fronts of the First World War was the rank of non-commissioned officer, the St. George Cross, 3 medals of distinction and 2 wounds.
But there were troubled times just around the corner.
Creation of a women's death battalion
The provisional government could not hold the front. The activities of Soviet agitators undermined rear support, and rebellion and mutiny were brewing in the ranks of the soldiers themselves. People, tired of the war, were ready to throw down their weapons and go home. In such a situation, senior officers demanded that strict measures be taken to introduce disciplinary penalties, including the execution of deserters. But the chairman of the provisional government was General A.F. Krymov, who is remembered by us for the fate of his life. Kerensky, he had his own opinion on this matter. At his request, instead of introducing a harsh suppression of disobedience, a decision was made to form a women’s battalion in the ranks of the Russian army in order to increase the morale of the soldiers and shame those who laid down their arms without ending the war.
The best commander for such a unit could only be Maria Bochkareva. At the urgent request of the officers, Kerensky personally instructs Maria to lead the detachment and begin staffing it immediately. Those were desperate times, many people felt pain for the Fatherland, even women. Therefore, there were enough volunteers. There were many women who served, but there were also civilians. There was a special influx from widows and soldiers' wives. Noble maidens also walked. In total, the first recruitment into the battalion consisted of about 2,000 women and girls who decided to help their country in such an unusual way for them.
Kerensky listened with obvious impatience. It was obvious that he had already made up his mind on this matter. I doubted only one thing: whether I could maintain high morale and morality in this battalion. Kerensky said that he would allow me to begin formation immediately<…>When Kerensky accompanied me to the door, his gaze settled on General Polovtsev. He asked him to provide me with any necessary assistance. I almost suffocated with happiness.
M.L. Bochkareva.
Maria Bochkareva’s life was not all sugar, so she long ago stopped considering herself just a woman. She is a soldier, an officer, so she demanded the same approach from her subordinates. There shouldn't have been women in her battalion; she needed soldiers. Of the 2,000 people, 300 completed training; only 200 returned to the front. The rest could not withstand the stress and barracks situation. Before being sent to the front on June 21, 1917, the new unit of troops was presented with a white banner, on which there was an inscription that read “The first women's military command of the death of Maria Bochkareva.” The women went to the front.
At the front, Bochkareva’s battalion heard a lot of “pleasant things” from the soldiers. The gentlemen with red bows in their buttonholes, imbued with the new revolutionary ideology, especially ranted. They considered the arrival of female soldiers to be a provocation, which was actually not far from the truth. After all, women howling and dying with weapons in their hands are a disgrace to healthy men who have laid down their arms, who were sitting in the rear and drinking German swill.
Arriving on the Western Front, the battalion of female soldiers entered its first battle on July 9. Positions in this part of the front constantly changed hands. Having repulsed the attack of German troops, Bochkareva’s unit took enemy positions and held them for a long time. The heaviest battles were accompanied by equally heavy losses. By the time of direct hostilities, the battalion commander had 170 bayonets at his disposal. By the end of a series of protracted battles, only 70 remained in the ranks. The rest were listed as killed and seriously wounded. Maria herself received another wound.
Bochkareva’s detachment behaved heroically in battle, always in the front line, serving on an equal basis with the soldiers. When the Germans attacked, on his own initiative he rushed as one into a counterattack; brought cartridges, went to secrets, and some to reconnaissance; With their work, the death squad set an example of bravery, courage and calmness, raised the spirit of the soldiers and proved that each of these female heroes is worthy of the title of warrior of the Russian revolutionary army.
V. I. Zakrzhevsky
Having seen enough of the blood of female soldiers, the commander of the Russian Army, General Lavr Kornilov, banned the formation of women’s detachments, and sent the current detachments to the rear and for sanitary provision. This was truly the last battle of Maria Bochkareva’s death battalion.
Legacy of a Woman Warrior
Over time, despite Kornilov’s order, other battalions will be created in the army, the numerical and qualitative composition of which will be made up only of women. During the civil war, Bochkareva, due to persecution by the new government, will leave the country in search of help for the White movement. Returning to the country and starting to form new units to fight the Bolsheviks, she will be arrested and thrown into prison. According to documentary evidence, in 1920 Maria Bochkareva was shot for aiding the White movement and devotion to the ideas of General Kornilov. But according to other sources, she was released from prison, married a third time and lived under a false name on the Chinese Eastern Railway.
During her trip abroad, she met US President Woodrow Wilson, King George V of England, and shortly before her arrest she was received by Admiral Kolchak. If you believe the documentary reports, she lived only 31 years, but during this time she saw so much that people would not have seen in 2 or even 3 lives. Her name has been forgotten for aiding the White movement, but the advantages of the current times are that individuals like her are receiving rehabilitation. Not only official at the government level, but also popular. Our magazine is dedicated to men, but this woman was more worthy than many of us, so it is our duty to talk about her and remember her.
Of course, I have never specifically addressed this topic, but nevertheless, I cannot agree with you. As you can see, from textual displays on the Internet, people mainly use materials from old,... even Soviet articles! ...for example this one, - Astrakhan H.M. About the women's battalion that defended the Winter Palace. History of the USSR. 1965, September-October. No. 5.http://pyhalov.livejournal.com/89660.html Similar texts, rewritten,... "amplified" and rethought, "in every way" by modern, online "historians" now wander from resource to resource without a real critical look at, so to speak... the format of the text, the time of publication of the material ( 1965!!!) and, most importantly, the true historicity of the “primary sources” used. What is worth just one excerpt from the text... - “According to the testimony of Louise Bryant, in response to her question: “Have you forgiven the Bolsheviks for disarming you?” - one of the former soldiers of the women’s battalion hotly objected: “They should forgive us, working girls, and the traitors tried to push us to fight against our people and we almost came to this”... - and more...- “The Military Revolutionary Committee helped women deceived by the bourgeoisie to join the creative life of the Soviet Republic.” The evidence of the literary-classical “reforging” of the enemy of Soviet power... Here it is, the complete victory of socialist “morality”, over the remnants of the past, in action! ! (further, as expected... Glory to the CPSU! and stormy applause from the inspired audience!) And here are the words of the same Bryant - ““Many joined the battalion because they sincerely believed that the honor and very existence of Russia was under threat. , and that her salvation lies in enormous human self-sacrifice." In Soviet research, it was, to put it mildly, not accepted...Now, regarding the dissolution of the battalion and two hundred defenders. In the book given in the link, there is something about this. The training of the battalion as a whole was completed by October 1917. General Directorate General. headquarters reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief that the formation of the 1st Petrograd Women's Battalion was completed and it could be sent to the active army on October 25. He was supposed to be sent to the Romanian front. However, subsequent events in Petrograd dramatically changed the plans of the command. On October 24, the women's battalion was instructed to board carriages and arrive at Palace Square for a ceremonial parade. Feeling the tense situation in St. Petersburg, A.F. Kerensky wanted to use the women's battalion blindly, planning to use it to fight the Bolsheviks if necessary. That is why, immediately upon arrival in Petrograd, the women were given clips of ammunition in case riots broke out during the parade. It should be noted that the ceremonial parade on Palace Square did take place, and Kerensky himself greeted the shockwomen. At this time, the real purpose of the battalion’s stay in the capital became clear. Having soberly assessed the situation, battalion commander Staff Captain A.V. Loskov voluntarily decided to withdraw the women's battalion from the capital, realizing the senselessness and disastrousness of its participation in the St. Petersburg Troubles. Most of the battalion was withdrawn from Petrograd in the city of Kerensky and managed to leave only the 2nd company of the battalion consisting of 137 people under the pretext of delivering gasoline from the Nobel plant. M.V. Bocharnikova recalled: “After the parade, the 1st company headed straight to the station, and ours was led back to the square with their right shoulder. We see how the entire battalion, having passed through a ceremonial march, also followed the 1st company to the station. The square is empty.” ... Vasiliev, in his study of the history of the battalion, writes - “After the defenders of the Winter Palace laid down their arms, the women were sent to the Pavlovsk barracks, and the next day to the Levashovo station. The women’s battalion, after the officers returned to the barracks, was again armed from the stocks of the armory and dug in, preparing for defense. And only the lack of the required amount of ammunition saved the battalion from complete destruction in a shootout with revolutionary soldiers. On October 30, the battalion was disarmed by the Red Army soldiers who arrived in Levashovo. 891 rifles, 4 machine guns, 24 sabers and 20 revolvers were confiscated. various equipment. Female scouts delivered boxes of ammunition half an hour after the Red Guards left the military camp.
After disarmament, the 1st Petrograd Women's Battalion continued to exist for another two months by inertia; discipline was maintained, guards were posted and various orders were carried out. Losing all hope of being sent to the front, volunteers began to go home or make their way to the front. It is known that some of the women were still able to reach the front in various units, most of them to the women’s company of the Turkestan division, some began to care for the wounded in military hospitals. Most of the battalion's personnel dispersed to various directions in November-December 1917. The Petrograd battalion finally ceased to exist on January 10, 1918, when staff captain A.V. Loskov provided a report on the dissolution of the battalion and the delivery of property to the commissariat and headquarters of the Red Guard."
Women and war - this combination of incongruous things was born at the very end of old Russia. The purpose of creating women's death battalions was to raise the patriotic spirit of the army and to shame by their own example male soldiers who refused to fight.
The initiator of the creation of the first women's battalion was senior non-commissioned officer Maria Leontievna Bochkareva, holder of the St. George Cross and one of the first Russian female officers. Maria was born in July 1889 into a peasant family. In 1905, she married 23-year-old Afanasy Bochkarev. Married life did not work out almost immediately, and Bochkareva broke up with her drunkard husband without regret.
On August 1, 1914, Russia entered the world war. The country was gripped by patriotic enthusiasm, and Maria Bochkareva decided to join the active army as a soldier. In November 1914, in Tomsk, she appealed to the commander of the 25th reserve battalion with a request to enlist her in the regular army. He invites her to go to the front as a sister of mercy, but Maria insists on her own. The annoying petitioner is given ironic advice - to contact the emperor directly. For the last eight rubles, Bochkareva sends a telegram to the highest name and soon, to her great surprise, receives a positive response. She was enrolled as a civilian soldier. Maria fearlessly went into bayonet attacks, pulled the wounded out of the battlefield, and was wounded several times. “For outstanding valor” she received the St. George Cross and three medals. Soon she was awarded the rank of junior and then senior non-commissioned officer.
Maria Bochkareva
After the fall of the monarchy, Maria Bochkareva began the formation of women's battalions. Having secured the support of the Provisional Government, she spoke at the Tauride Palace calling for the creation of women's battalions to defend the Fatherland. Soon her call was published in newspapers, and the whole country learned about women's teams. On June 21, 1917, on the square near St. Isaac's Cathedral, a solemn ceremony was held to present the new military unit with a white banner with the inscription “The first female military command of the death of Maria Bochkareva.” On the left flank of the detachment, in a brand new ensign’s uniform, stood an excited Maria: “I thought that all eyes were fixed on me alone. Petrograd Archbishop Veniamin and Ufa Archbishop bid our death battalion farewell with the image of the Tikhvin Mother of God. It’s finished, the front is ahead!”
The Women's Death Battalion goes to the front in World War I
Finally, the battalion marched solemnly through the streets of Petrograd, where it was greeted by thousands of people. On June 23, an unusual military unit went to the front, to the Novospassky forest area, north of the city of Molodechno, near Smorgon (Belarus). On July 9, 1917, according to the plans of the Headquarters, the Western Front was supposed to go on the offensive. On July 7, the 525th Kyuryuk-Darya Infantry Regiment of the 132nd Infantry Division, which included shock troops, received an order to take positions at the front near the town of Krevo.
The "death battalion" was on the right flank of the regiment. On July 8, 1917, he entered into battle for the first time, since the enemy, knowing about the plans of the Russian command, launched a preemptive strike and wedged itself into the location of the Russian troops. Over three days, the regiment repelled 14 attacks by German troops. Several times the battalion launched counterattacks and knocked the Germans out of the Russian positions occupied the day before. Many commanders noted the desperate heroism of the women's battalion on the battlefield. So Colonel V.I. Zakrzhevsky, in his report on the actions of the “death battalion,” wrote: “Bochkareva’s detachment behaved heroically in battle, all the time in the front line, serving on an equal basis with the soldiers. When the Germans attacked, on his own initiative he rushed as one into a counterattack; brought cartridges, went to secrets, and some to reconnaissance; With their work, the death squad set an example of bravery, courage and calmness, raised the spirit of the soldiers and proved that each of these female heroes is worthy of the title of warrior of the Russian revolutionary army.” Even General Anton Denikin, the future leader of the White movement, who was very skeptical about such “army surrogates,” recognized the outstanding valor of female soldiers. He wrote: “The women’s battalion, attached to one of the corps, valiantly went on the attack, not supported by the “Russian heroes.” And when the pitch hell of enemy artillery fire broke out, the poor women, having forgotten the technique of scattered combat, huddled together - helpless, alone in their section of the field, loosened by German bombs. We suffered losses. And the “heroes” partly returned, and partly did not leave the trenches at all.”
Bochkareva is first on the left.
There were 6 nurses, formerly actual doctors, factory workers, office workers and peasants who also came to die for their country.One of the girls was only 15 years old. Her father and two brothers died at the front, and her mother was killed when she was working in a hospital and came under fire. At 15 years old, they could only pick up a rifle and join the battalion. She thought she was safe here.
According to Bochkareva herself, out of 170 people who took part in the hostilities, the battalion lost up to 30 people killed and up to 70 wounded. Maria Bochkareva, herself wounded in this battle for the fifth time, spent a month and a half in the hospital and was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. After recovery, she received an order from the new Supreme Commander-in-Chief Lavr Kornilov to inspect the women’s battalions, of which there were already almost a dozen.
After the October Revolution, Bochkareva was forced to disband her battalion home, and she again headed to Petrograd. In winter, she was detained by the Bolsheviks on the way to Tomsk. After refusing to cooperate with the new authorities, she was accused of counter-revolutionary activities, and the matter almost reached the tribunal. Thanks to the help of one of her former colleagues, Bochkareva broke free and, dressed as a sister of mercy, traveled across the country to Vladivostok, from where she sailed on a campaign trip to the USA and Europe. American journalist Isaac Don Levin, based on Bochkareva’s stories, wrote a book about her life, which was published in 1919 under the title “Yashka” and was translated into several languages. In August 1918, Bochkareva returned to Russia. In 1919, she went to Omsk to see Kolchak. Aged and exhausted from wanderings, Maria Leontyevna came to ask for resignation, but the Supreme Ruler persuaded Bochkareva to continue serving. Maria made passionate speeches in two Omsk theaters and recruited 200 volunteers in two days. But the days of the Supreme Ruler of Russia and his army were already numbered. Bochkareva’s detachment turned out to be of no use to anyone.
When the Red Army occupied Tomsk, Bochkareva herself came to the city commandant. The commandant took her undertaking not to leave the place and sent her home. On January 7, 1920, she was arrested and then sent to Krasnoyarsk. Bochkareva gave frank and ingenuous answers to all the investigator’s questions, which put the security officers in a difficult position. No clear evidence of her “counter-revolutionary activities” could be found; Bochkareva also did not participate in hostilities against the Reds. Ultimately, the special department of the 5th Army issued a resolution: “For more information, the case, along with the identity of the accused, should be sent to the Special Department of the Cheka in Moscow.”
Perhaps this promised a favorable outcome, especially since the death penalty in the RSFSR was once again abolished by a resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars. But, unfortunately, the deputy head of the Special Department of the Cheka, I.P., arrived in Siberia. Pavlunovsky, endowed with extraordinary powers. The “representative of Moscow” did not understand what confused the local security officers in the case of Maria Leontyevna. On the resolution, he wrote a short resolution: “Bochkareva Maria Leontievna - shoot.” On May 16, 1920, the sentence was carried out. On the cover of the criminal case, the executioner wrote a note in blue pencil: “The fast has been fulfilled. 16th of May". But in the conclusion of the Russian prosecutor’s office on the rehabilitation of Bochkareva in 1992, it is said that there is no evidence of her execution. Russian biographer of Bochkareva S.V. Drokov believes that she was not shot: Isaac Don Levin rescued her from the Krasnoyarsk dungeons, and with him she went to Harbin. Having changed her last name, Bochkareva lived on the Chinese Eastern Railway until 1927, until she shared the fate of Russian families forcibly deported to Soviet Russia.
In the fall of 1917, there were about 5,000 female warriors in Russia. Their physical strength and abilities were similar to all women, ordinary women. There was nothing special about them. They just had to learn how to shoot and kill. The women trained 10 hours a day. Former peasants made up 40% of the battalion.
Women's Death Battalion soldiers receive a blessing before going into battle, 1917.
Russian women's battalions could not go unnoticed in the world. Journalists (such as Bessie Beatty, Rita Dorr and Louise Bryant from America) would interview the women and photograph them to later publish a book.
Female soldiers of the 1st Russian female death battalion, 1917
Maria Bochkareva and her Women's Battalion
Women's battalion from Petrograd. They drink tea and relax in the field camp.
Maria Bochkareva with Emmeline Pankhurst
Women's Death Battalion" in Tsarskoe Selo.
Maria Bochkareva is in the center, teaching shooting.
female recruits in Petrograd in 1917
Death Battalion, soldier on duty, Petrograd, 1917.
Drink tea. Petrograd 1917
These girls defended the Winter Palace.
1st Petrograd Women's Battalion
The commander of the Petrograd Military District, General Polovtsev, and Maria Bochkareva in front of the formation of the women's battalion
