Voennyi Sbornik

Number 1 (7), 2015

4-13
“Keeping Solid Memoirs About the Performed Exploits”: a Case for the Caucasus Military-Historical Department’s Role in the Establishment of the Regimental Historiography in the Late XIX c.

Authors: Tatyana A. Kolosovskay

Abstract

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The aim of this paper is to consider the experience of saving the military sector of the historical memory. It is particularly concern with the issue of the foundation of so-called “regimental historiography” – a corpus of investigations, performed by the militaries about their regiment’s deeds. The article attempts to bring in a number of general questions, related to the history of the troops of the Caucasus Army of the XIX c. The investigation is devoted specifically to the role of the Military-Historical department of the Caucasus Military District General Stuff. The research is based on either newspapers (as the “Caucasus Journal”) or primary sources, collected in Federal and regional archives with a particular focus on published “regimental histories” of certain troops. Based on the approach offered by research direction of the “intellectual history”, the author came to the conclusions, that all regiment histories were written by non-professional historians. Their historical plot was determined by the official ideological background and by the wish for keeping the memory about the war exploits and traditions of their regiment. The work existence depended not only on the author subjective will, but either on financial issues – money need for the papers printing. The Caucasus Military-Historical department’s participation in this process allowed achieving extremely high results. Many printed and edited papers contained much more than making the dry roll-call of battles and military events. They included either reviews of political, historical, cultural and ethnological context, making some shift to mastering the base for the further scientific Caucasus studies.

14-29
Letters from Officer/Orientalist K.N. Smirnov from the Caucasian Front as a Source for the Study of the Military/Political Situation in Turkey and Iran in 1914–1917 (Continuation)

Authors: Nugzar K. Ter-Oganov

Abstract

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Number of views: 467

This study attempts to analyze the letters of officer/orientalist and military oriental scholar, officer in the Intelligence Section of the Staff of the Caucasian Military District, Staff Captain Konstantin Nikolayevich Smirnov, sent by him from the Turkish and Iranian sectors of the Caucasian front to his wife Kseniya Karlovna Smirnova (Kester) over the period 1914–1917. Depending on changes in the deployment of Russian troops fighting against the Turkish army, as well as the German-Turkish block, both in the north-eastern part of Turkey and in the north-west of Iran, K.N. Smirnov had sent those letters from Kamarli, Diadin, Iğdır, Beyazıt, Trebizond, Kazvin, Kermanshah, Kerind, Qasr-e Shirin, Ava now to Tiflis and now to Sevastopol, Hamadan, and Kazvin, where his wife was staying at that particular point in time. K.N. Smirnov’s surviving letters, just like their fragments, give us an idea of the military/political situation along the line of contact with the enemy on the Caucasian front, as well as many aspects of the activity of officers from the Expeditionary Corps of General N.N. Baratov in Iran over the period 1915–1917. Of interest is his characterization of the personal qualities of many Russian officers, such as General N.N. Baratov, the immediate superior of Staff Captain Smirnov, who at the time headed the reconnaissance unit of the Expeditionary Corps, Colonel N.F. Ern, Chief of Staff, and other officers of the corps. The letters also bring to light the character of activity by K.N. Smirnov as a “political officer”. K.N. Smirnov’s letters contain extremely rare information on the episode of short-term Anglo-Russian military cooperation on the Caucasian front intended to coordinate actions against Turkish troops in Mesopotamia.

30-39
The Price of Caralessness

Authors: Yuri F. Katorin

Abstract

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Number of views: 506

In the article it is told about one of the episodes World War II (1939 – 1945) – the loss of Australian cruiser HMAS «Sydney» in combat with the German raider HSK-8 «Kormoran», the picture of battle is restored, the effective forces and loss of sides are analyzed, is in detail described the raid «Kormoran» for the disturbance of British navigation, speaks out the version of the reason for sinking powerful warship, by the auxiliary cruiser, which was in the essence the armed merchant ship.

40-47
Condition and Organization of Everyday Life in the Military Units of the Southwestern, Stalingrad and Don fronts (1942–1943)

Authors: Tatiana P. Khlynina

Abstract

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Number of views: 433

The article is devoted to various aspects of the condition and organization of the everyday life of military units of the Southwestern, Stalingrad and Don fronts in 1942–1943 years. The looks of the questions of food and clothing supplies, ensure domestic needs and recreation. At the base of the article are documents of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, recorded memories participants in the events of that time, published sources.

48-56
Iraqi Military Academies

Authors: Nodar Z. Mossaki

Abstract

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Number of views: 462

The article analyzes the system of training of officers in military academies in Iraq – in Zakho, Qalacholan, ar-Rustamiyah and an-Nasiriyah. The author describes the history of creation, process of evolution, challenges and features of training in these colleges. Particular attention paid to military academies in the territory of Iraqi Kurdistan, which actually do not obey the central government of Iraq, however, have the highest level of training. Currently, Iraq's military academies operate on the basis of the NATO standards. Iraqi military academies paid miuch attention to the specifics of the military and political situation in Iraq – counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, patrolling cities, fighting in an urban environment etc. Significant place in the curriculum take the courses contributing to the formation of pro-Western sentiment.