I became interested in this topic five years ago, - says photographer and enthusiastic researcher Vladimir Bogdanov. - When I started various sources about 100 military graves of that

period. Today I already know more than 230 such places where I have visited personally. I realized that not a single war left so much material evidence on the territory of Belarus as the First World War. Alas, these objects are not included in any lists of material values. But in their complex they have, like that war, world significance. We haven't realized this yet.

About two thousand volunteers signed up for the women's battalion in a week. True, after a month of training, his ranks were greatly thinned - 1,500 women were expelled for "easy behavior". Several volunteers found themselves in an interesting position. Of course, they, too, were expelled in disgrace. Another part of the ladies became interested in politics and Bolshevik ideas, a split occurred. As a result, 200 people remained subordinate to Bochkareva.

At first, the basics of military service were not easy for women. The officers jokingly took away the bolts of their rifles, only a few could shoot accurately. Bochkareva established strict discipline in her battalion: rising at five in the morning, classes until ten in the evening and simple soldier food. She forced illiterate peasant women to learn to read and write; foul language was not allowed in the battalion. Women were shaved bald. Black epaulettes with a red stripe and an emblem in the form of a skull and two crossed bones symbolized "unwillingness to live if Russia perishes." However, the volunteers steadfastly endured these hardships (there were almost no deserters) and gradually improved their combat skills.

In early July 1917, the battalion was baptized by fire in the Rogachevo tract, in the Novospassky forest, 10 kilometers south of Smorgon. Within two days, he repelled 14 enemy attacks and, despite heavy machine-gun fire, went over to counterattacks several times. The reports said that "Bochkareva's detachment behaved heroically in battle." The eloquent fact of the heroism of women is reflected in one of the reports: there were cases when women stopped the fleeing, stopped the robbery, took bottles of alcoholic drinks from the soldiers and immediately broke them. Despite some irony, try to imagine what it meant (especially for a woman) to take away a bottle of alcohol from an armed man and immediately break it, without fear of getting a bullet or a bayonet blow from a grateful defender of the Fatherland.

Co-workers Bochkareva, alas, more than once showed themselves not from the best side. The soldiers besieged the volunteer women in droves, and no amount of persuasion could make them disperse and give the women even a moment of peace. But when it came to the fight, the men were blown away like the wind. In one of the attacks, the women's battalion crushed two German defense lines at once. But the soldiers left them alone, and the next morning the Germans drove the women out of their trenches.

Until November 1917, the women's battalion stood in positions near the village of Belaya (east of Smorgon). And after the revolution, they were dismissed as unnecessary. One of the companies of the women's battalion, however, managed to take part in the defense during the revolution. Winter Palace. And Maria Bochkareva herself joined the White movement afterwards. On behalf of General Kornilov, she went to the United States to ask for help to fight the Bolsheviks. Upon her return to Russia (in 1919), she met with Admiral Kolchak. And on his behalf, she formed a women's sanitary detachment of 200 people. After the capture of Omsk by the Red Army, the Bolsheviks arrested her and sentenced her to death. In May 1920, the sentence was carried out. Russian Jeanne d "Arc was thirty-one years old.

Dr. Albert Ippel served in the 10th German Army. He became the first researcher of Belarusian folk art. In 1918, he even held two exhibitions - in Vilna and in Minsk. Moreover, he was the first of all art critics to separate Belarusian art from Polish and Russian. A book about it was even published in Belarusian.

In the village of Ganuta, a local historian discovered a whole bundle of marriage licenses issued by the command of the Russian troops. Everything is as it should be - with stamps of regiments and divisions and indicating who wants to marry and whom. These permissions were introduced by order of the General Staff with a good purpose - so as not to produce fatherlessness. The command issued permits, the church made inquiries at the place of birth and checked whether the person was already married. Thus, the children were legitimate, and widows received a pension after the death of their husbands.

As you know, chemical weapons were used for the first time in World War I. The first, in 1915, were the Germans. A year later, Russian troops used gas for the first time. It happened near Smorgon. Gases caused very large losses - for example, 3 thousand people died in one gas attack near Smorgon in August 1916.

In 1916, near the town of Boruny, the airship Ilya Muromets No. 16, Lieutenant Dmitry Moksheev, died in battle. In an unequal battle, he shot down 3 German fighters, but he himself was hit and fell on German territory. This was the only case in the entire war when a Russian bomber hit the Germans. The fallen crew - four non-commissioned officers - were buried by the Germans with military honors in the cemetery near the village of Boruny, about which the Russians were informed through a newspaper and a note that they dropped by plane.

The trenches of the German fortified area in the Rassokh area

WHAT PEOPLE Fought!

The women's death battalion in the First World War (photos are available in the article) arose at the behest of the Provisional Government. One of the main initiators of its creation was M. Bochkareva. The Women's Death Battalion in World War I was created to raise the morale of male soldiers who refused to go to the front.

Maria Bochkareva

Since 1914, she was at the front with the rank of senior non-commissioned officer, having received Highest Resolution. Thanks to her heroism, by 1917 Maria Bochkareva became quite famous. Arrived in April Western Front Rodzianko secured a personal meeting with her, and then took her with him to Petrograd to conduct agitation for the struggle "to the bitter end" among the troops of the garrison and before the delegates of the congress of the Petrograd Soviet. In her speech, Bochkareva put forward a proposal to form a women's death battalion. In the war, according to her, such a formation was extremely necessary. After that, she was invited to speak at a meeting of the Provisional Government.

Prerequisites for the formation of a detachment

During World War I the most different ages- schoolgirls, female students and representatives of other strata of society - went voluntarily to the front. In the "Bulletin of the Red Cross" in 1915, a story appeared about 12 girls who fought in the Carpathians. They were 14-16 years old. In the very first battles, two schoolgirls were killed and 4 were wounded. The soldiers treated the girls in a paternal way. They got them uniforms, taught them how to shoot, and then signed them up under male names like ordinary. What made women who were pretty, young, rich or noble, plunge into military everyday life? Documents and memoirs point to many reasons. The main one, of course, was a patriotic impulse. He covered everything Russian society. It was the feeling of patriotism and duty that made many women change their elegant outfits for military uniform or the clothes of sisters of mercy. Family circumstances were also important. Some women went to the front for their husbands, others, having learned about their death, joined the army out of a sense of revenge.

The developing movement for equality of rights with men also played a special role. The revolutionary 1917 gave women many opportunities. They received voting and other rights. All this contributed to the emergence of soldier detachments, which consisted entirely of women. In the spring and summer of 1917, units began to form throughout the country. Already from the name itself it was clear what the women's battalion of death was. In the First World War, the girls were ready to give their lives for their Motherland. About 2,000 girls responded to Bochkareva's call. However, only 300 of them were selected for the women's death battalion. In the First World War, the "shock girls" showed what Russian girls are capable of. With their heroism, they infected all the soldiers who participated in the battles.

Women's death battalion: the history of creation

The battalion was formed in enough short term. In 1917, on June 21, a solemn ceremony was held near St. Isaac's Cathedral on the square. On it, a new military formation received a white banner. On June 29, the Regulations were approved. It established the procedure for the formation of military units from female volunteers. Representatives of different strata of society were enrolled in the ranks of the "drummers". So, for example, Bochkareva's adjutant was the 25-year-old general's daughter Maria Skrydlova. She had an excellent education and knew five languages.

The women's death battalion in the First World War consisted of women serving in front-line units and ordinary citizens. Among the latter were noblewomen, workers, teachers, female students. Simple peasant women, servants, girls from famous noble families, soldiers, Cossacks - they and many others went to serve in the women's death battalion. The history of the creation of the part of Bochkareva began in a difficult time. However, this was the impetus for the unification of girls in soldier groups in other cities. Mostly Russian women entered the unit. However, it was possible to meet representatives of other nationalities. So, according to the documents, Estonians, Latvians, Jews also went to serve in the women's death battalion.

The history of the creation of the detachments testifies to the high patriotism of the fairer sex. Parts began to form in Kyiv, Smolensk, Kharkov, Mariupol, Baku, Irkutsk, Odessa, Poltava, Vyatka and other cities. According to sources, a lot of girls immediately signed up for the first women's death battalion. In the First World War, military formations numbered from 250 to 1500 people. In October 1917, the following were formed: the Naval team, the Minsk guard squad, the Petrograd Cavalry Regiment, as well as the First Petrograd, Second Moscow, Third Kuban women's death battalion. In the First World War (history testifies to this), only the last three detachments participated. However, due to the increasing destruction Russian Empire the formation of the parts was never completed.

Public attitude

The Russian historian Solntseva wrote that the Soviets and the mass of soldiers perceived the female death battalion rather negatively. In the World War, however, the role of the detachment was quite significant. However, many front-line soldiers spoke very unflatteringly about the girls. In early July, the Petrograd Soviet demanded that all battalions be disbanded. It was said that these units were "unfit for service." In addition, the Petrograd Soviet regarded the formation of these detachments as a "hidden bourgeois maneuver", as a desire to bring the struggle to victory.

Women's death battalion in World War I: photos, activities

Part of Bochkareva arrived in the active army on June 27, 1917. The number of the detachment was 200 people. The female death battalion entered the rear units of the First Siberian Corps of the 10th Army on the Western Front. An offensive was being prepared for July 9th. On the 7th, the infantry regiment, which included the female death battalion, received an order. He was supposed to take a position at Krevo. On the right flank of the regiment was a shock battalion. They were the first to enter the battle, since the enemy, who knew about the plans of the Russian army, inflicting a preemptive strike, entered the location of our troops.

Within three days, 14 enemy attacks were repelled. Several times during this time the battalion made counterattacks. As a result, the German soldiers were driven out of the positions they had occupied the day before. In his report, Colonel Zakrzhevsky wrote that the women's death battalion in World War I behaved heroically, being constantly at the forefront. The girls served in the same way as the soldiers, on a par with them. When the Germans attacked, they all rushed to the counterattack, went on reconnaissance, brought cartridges. The women's death battalion in the First World War was an example of bravery, calmness and courage. Each of these girl-heroines is worthy of the highest title of Soldier of the revolutionary army of Russia. As Bochkareva herself testified, out of 170 strikers who took part in the battles, 30 people were killed and about 70 were wounded. She herself was wounded five times. After the battle, Bochkareva was in the hospital for a month and a half. For participation in the battles and the heroism shown, she was awarded the rank of second lieutenant.

Consequences of losses

Due to the large number of girls killed and wounded in the battles, General Kornilov signed an order prohibiting the formation of new death battalions to participate in the battles. The existing detachments were assigned only an auxiliary function. In particular, they were ordered to provide security, communications, act as sanitary groups. As a result, many volunteer girls who wanted to fight for their Motherland with weapons in their hands applied with written statements, which contained a request to dismiss them from the death battalion.

Discipline

She was tough enough. The women's death battalion in the First World War showed not only an example of courage and patriotism. The main principles were proclaimed:

Positive points

The women's death battalion in the First World War not only participated in battles. "Drummers" got the opportunity to master men's professions. For example, Princess Shakhovskaya is the world's first female pilot. In Germany, in 1912, she was issued a pilot's license. There, at the Johannistal airfield, she worked for some time as an instructor. At the beginning of the war, Shakhovskaya filed a petition to send her as a military pilot to the front. The emperor granted the request, and in November 1914 the princess was enrolled in the rank of ensign in the First Aviation Detachment.

Another striking example is Elena Samsonova. She was the daughter of a military engineer, she graduated from the gymnasium and courses in Peretburg with a gold medal. In the Warsaw hospital, Samsonova worked as a nurse. After that, she was enlisted as a driver in the 9th Army, located on the Southwestern Front. However, she did not serve there for long - about four months, and then was sent to Moscow. Before the war, Samsonova received a pilot diploma. In 1917, she was assigned to the 26th Aviation Detachment.

Protection of the Provisional Government

One of the "shock battalions" (First Petrograd, commanded by Staff Captain Loskov), together with cadets and other units, took part in October 1917 in protecting the Winter Palace. On October 25, the detachment, which was quartered at the Levashovo station, was supposed to head to the Romanian front. But the day before, Loskov received an order to send a unit "on parade" to Petrograd. In fact, it was supposed to provide protection

Loskov learned about the real task and did not want to involve his subordinates in political disagreements. He led the battalion back to Levashovo, except for the 2nd company of 137 people. With the help of two shock platoons, the headquarters of the Petrograd district tried to carry out the wiring of Liteiny, Dvortsovoy and But this task was thwarted by Sovietized sailors. The remaining company of strikers was located to the right of the main gate on the ground floor of the palace. During the night assault, she surrendered, was disarmed. The girls were taken to the barracks, first by Pavlovsky, and then. According to some reports, a number of shock girls were "ill-treated." Subsequently, a special commission of the Petrograd Duma found that four girls had been raped (although, probably, few were generally ready to admit it), and one committed suicide. On October 26, the company was poisoned back to Levashovo.

Squad liquidation

After graduation October revolution the new Soviet government took a course towards making peace, as well as withdrawing the country from the war. In addition, part of the forces was sent to eliminate the Imperial Army. As a result, all "shock units" were disbanded. The battalions were disbanded on November 30, 1917 by order of the Military Council of the former Ministry. Although shortly before this event, it was ordered to make all members of volunteer units for military merit into officers. Nevertheless, a large number of shock girls remained in positions until January 1918 and beyond.

Some women moved to the Don. There they took an active part in the fight against the Bolsheviks in the ranks. The last of the remaining units was the Third Kuban death battalion. He was quartered in Yekaterinodar. This shock unit was disbanded only by February 26, 1918. The reason was the refusal of the headquarters of the Caucasian district to provide further supplies to the detachment.

and form

Women who served in the Bochkareva battalion wore the symbol of "Adam's Head" on their chevrons. They, like other soldiers, passed the medical examination. Like men, girls cut their hair almost bald. During the hostilities, women's participation and asceticism acquired a mass character for the first time in history. There were more than 25,000 female volunteers in the Russian army at the front. A sense of patriotism and duty to the Fatherland led many of them to serve. Being in the ranks of the army changed their outlook.

Finally

It must be said that Kerensky played a special role in the creation of the first women's battalion. He was the first to support this idea. Kerensky received a huge number of petitions and telegrams from women who sought to join the ranks of the unit. He also received the minutes of the meetings and various notes. All these papers reflected the women's concern about the future fate of the country, as well as the desire to protect the Motherland and preserve the freedom of the people. They believed that to remain inactive is tantamount to shame. Women aspired to the army, guided solely by love for the motherland, the desire to raise the morale of the soldiers. The Main Directorate of the General Staff formed a special commission on labor service. At the same time, the headquarters of the military districts began to work to attract female volunteers to the army. However, the desire of women was so great that a wave of creation of military organizations spontaneously passed through the country.

The future heroine of the Russian-American blockbuster "Battalion", which our modern "patriots" watch with aspiration, Maria Bochkareva was born in 1889 in the family of peasants in the village of Nikolskoye, Novgorod province, Leonty and Olga Frolkov. The family, fleeing poverty and hunger, moved to Siberia, where fifteen-year-old Maria was married to a local drunkard. Bochkareva after some time left her husband for the butcher Yakov Buk, who led a local gang of robbers. In May 1912, Buk was arrested and sent to serve his sentence in Yakutsk. Bochkareva followed Yasha on foot to Eastern Siberia, where the two of them again opened a butcher's shop to avert their eyes, although in fact Buk, with the participation of his mistress, organized a gang of hunghuz and traded in the usual robbery on the high road. Soon the police came on the trail of the gang, Buk and Bochkareva were arrested and transferred to a settlement in the remote taiga village of Amga, where there was already no one to rob.

The narrowed Bochkareva, from such grief and the inability to do what he loves, namely to rob, as is usual in Russia, took to drink and began to train in the massacre of his mistress. At this time, the First World War broke out, and Bochkareva decided to end her taiga-robber stage of life and go to the front, especially since Yashka became more and more brutal with longing. Only the entry into the army as a volunteer allowed Mary to leave the place of settlement, determined by the police. The male military refused to enroll the girl in the 24th reserve battalion and advised her to go to the front as a nurse. Bochkareva, not wanting to carry the wounded and wash the bandages, sent a telegram to the tsar with a request to give her the opportunity to shoot the Germans to her heart's content. The telegram reached the addressee, and the king unexpectedly received a positive answer. So the mistress of the Siberian robber got to the front.

At first, a woman in uniform caused ridicule and harassment by her colleagues, but her bravery in battle brought her universal respect, the St. George Cross and three medals. In those years, she was given the nickname "Yashka", in memory of her unlucky life partner. After two wounds and countless battles, Bochkareva was promoted to senior non-commissioned officer.

M. V. Rodzianko, who arrived in April on a propaganda trip to the Western Front, where Bochkareva served, took her with him to Petrograd to agitate the “war to a victorious end” among the troops of the Petrograd garrison and among the delegates of the Congress of Soldiers’ Deputies of the Petrograd Soviet.

After a series of speeches by Bochkareva, Kerensky, in a fit of yet another propaganda adventurism, turned to her with a proposal to organize a "women's battalion of death." Both Kerensky's wife and St. Petersburg institute girls were involved in this pseudo-patriotic project, up to 2000 girls in total. In an unusual military unit, arbitrariness reigned, to which Bochkareva was accustomed to in the army: subordinates complained to their superiors that Bochkareva "beats their faces like a real wahmister of the old regime." Not many survived such treatment: in a short time, the number of female volunteers was reduced to 300.

But nevertheless, on June 21, 1917, on the square near St. Isaac's Cathedral in Petrograd, a solemn ceremony was held to present a new military unit with a white banner with the inscription "The first women's military command of the death of Maria Bochkareva." On June 29, the Military Council approved the regulation "On the formation of military units from female volunteers." The appearance of Bochkareva's detachment served as an impetus for the formation of women's detachments in other cities of the country (Kyiv, Minsk, Poltava, Kharkov, Simbirsk, Vyatka, Smolensk, Irkutsk, Baku, Odessa, Mariupol), but in connection with historical development events, the creation of these female shock units was never completed.

Strict discipline was established in the women's battalions: rising at five in the morning, classes until ten in the evening, and simple soldier food. Women were shaved bald. Black epaulettes with a red stripe and an emblem in the form of a skull and two crossed bones symbolized "unwillingness to live if Russia perishes."

M. Bochkareva banned any party propaganda and the organization of any councils and committees in her battalion. Due to harsh discipline, a split occurred in the battalion that was still being formed. Some women made an attempt to form a soldiers' committee and sharply criticized Bochkareva's brutal management methods. There was a split in the battalion. M. Bochkareva was called in turn to the commander of the district, General Polovtsev and Kerensky. Both conversations were stormy, but Bochkareva stood her ground: she would not have any committees!

She reorganized her battalion. About 300 women remained in it, and it became the 1st Petrograd shock battalion. And from the rest of the women who disagreed with Bochkareva's command methods, the 2nd Moscow shock battalion was formed.

The 1st Battalion received its baptism of fire on July 9, 1917. The women came under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. Although the reports said that "the Bochkareva detachment behaved heroically in battle," it became clear that women's military units could not become an effective fighting force. After the battle, 200 female soldiers remained in the ranks. Losses were 30 killed and 70 wounded. M. Bochkareva was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and later - to lieutenant. Such heavy losses of volunteers had other consequences for the women's battalions - on August 14, the new Commander-in-Chief L. G. Kornilov, by his Order, prohibited the creation of new women's "death battalions" for combat use, and the already created units were ordered to be used only in auxiliary sectors (security functions, communications , sanitary organizations). This led to the fact that many volunteers who wanted to fight for Russia with weapons in their hands wrote statements asking them to be fired from the "parts of death."

The second Moscow battalion, which had left the command of Bochkareva, was destined to be among the last defenders of the Provisional Government during the days of the October Revolution. Kerensky managed to inspect this single military unit the day before the coup. As a result, only the second company was selected to guard the Winter Palace, but not the entire battalion. The defense of the Winter Palace, as we know, ended in failure. Immediately after the capture of the Winter Palace, the most sensational stories about the terrible fate of the women's battalion defending the palace circulated in the anti-Bolshevik press. It was said that some female soldiers were thrown onto the pavement from the windows, almost all the rest were raped, and many committed suicide themselves, not being able to survive all these horrors.

The city council appointed a special commission to investigate the case. On November 16 (3), this commission returned from Levashov, where the women's battalion was quartered. Deputy Tyrkova said: "All these 140 girls are not only alive, not only not injured, but also not subjected to those terrible insults that we have heard and read about." After the capture of Zimny, the women were first sent to the Pavlovsky barracks, where some of them were really treated badly by the soldiers, but that now most of them are in Levashov, and the rest are scattered in private houses in Petrograd. Another member of the commission testified that not a single woman was thrown out of the windows of the Winter Palace, that three were raped, but already in the Pavlovsk barracks, and that one volunteer committed suicide by jumping out of a window, and she left a note in which she writes that “ disappointed in her ideals.

The slanderers were also exposed by the volunteers themselves. “In view of the fact that in a number of places malicious persons are spreading false, unsubstantiated rumors that, allegedly, during the disarmament of the women’s battalion, sailors and Red Guards committed violence and excesses, we, the undersigned,” the letter from the soldiers of the former women’s battalion said, “ we consider it our civic duty to declare that nothing of the kind happened, that it is all lies and slander” (November 4, 1917)

In January 1918, the women's battalions were formally disbanded, but many of their members continued to serve in parts of the White Guard armies.

Maria Bochkareva herself took an active part in the White movement. On behalf of General Kornilov, she went to visit the best "friends" of Russia - the Americans - to ask for help in the fight against the Bolsheviks. We observe approximately the same thing today, when various Parubiy and Semenchenko go to the same America to ask for money for the war with the Donbass and Russia. Then, in 1919, the help of Bochkareva, as well as today's emissaries of the Kyiv junta, was promised by the American senators. Upon returning to Russia on November 10, 1919, Bochkareva met with Admiral Kolchak. On his behalf, she formed a women's sanitary detachment of 200 people. But in the same November 1919, after the capture of Omsk by the Red Army, she was arrested and shot.

Thus ended the "glorious" path of the new idol of our patriotic public.

There are so many legends about this amazing woman that it does not allow one hundred percent to say whether this is true or fiction. But it is known for certain 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. " She was destined to become the first female officer in Russian army. The whole truth about the women's death battalion is 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 in an ordinary working-class family. Her parents also had two more children. They lived quite poorly and, in order to improve their deplorable situation, they decided to move to Siberia, where at that time the government provided assistance to newcomers. But the hopes did not come true, so it was decided to marry Mary to a man whom she did not love, and who was also a drunkard. From him she got a well-known surname.

After a short period of time, Maria Bochkareva (the female death battalion was her idea) breaks up with her husband and begins a free life. It was at that time that she was lucky to meet her first and only love. Unfortunately, she was not at all lucky with the stronger sex: if the first one constantly drank, then the second one was a criminal and a member of the Honghuz gang, which included people from Manchuria, as well as China. His name was Yankel Buk. When he was arrested and redirected to Yakutsk, Bochkareva followed him, as the wives of the Decembrists did.

The sad end of the relationship

But the desperate Jacob 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, Mary had to follow the lead of the local governor, who harassed her. Subsequently, she could not survive her own betrayal, trying to poison herself. This difficult story ended in tears: after 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 destination, after which contact with his beloved was lost.

To the front by imperial grace

The outbreak of war led to an unprecedented outburst of patriotic feelings. A huge number of volunteers left for the front, and Maria Leontyevna Bochkareva also entered. The history of her entry into the service is quite interesting. Arriving in 1914 to the commander of the reserve battalion, which was located in Tomsk, she was faced with a disdainful 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, a positive response was soon delivered to her under the personal signature of Nicholas II.

After an accelerated training course, in February of the following year, Maria Leontievna Bochkareva ended up at the front as a civilian soldier. Taking on such a difficult task, she, along with the rest of the soldiers, went on bayonet attacks, helped the wounded get out of the fire, and also showed real heroism. She was given the nickname Yashka, which she invented for herself in honor of her lover.

When death overtook the company commander in March 1916, Maria took over his post and led her comrades on the offensive, which became devastating. For the courage that was shown in the offensive, the woman received the St. George Cross, as well as three medals. Being at the forefront, she was wounded more than once, but, despite this, she was still in the ranks. Only after a severe wound 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 absolute decay. During the time she was away, the February Revolution happened, and the soldiers held endless meetings and tried to "fraternize" with the Germans. Maria, who did not want to put up with such a situation, did not get tired of looking for an opportunity to influence the situation. Very soon, a similar case presented itself.

To carry out propaganda work, the chairman of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was sent to the front. Bochkareva, enlisting his support, went to Petrograd, where she began to realize her long-standing idea - the opening of military formations, which included women who were ready to defend their homeland. In her undertaking, she felt the support of the Minister of War Kerensky, as well as Brusilov, who is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief General. Thus began the history of the women's death battalion.

Composition of the battalion

In response to the calls of a courageous woman, several thousand Russian women responded, who wanted to join the ranks of the new unit with weapons in their hands. 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. Such indicators for that period could not be shown by any unit consisting of men. Among the drummers were representatives of all walks of life - from simple peasant women to aristocrats (bearers of high-profile 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 had difficulty accepting the soldier's life and the approved routine. But this was not their greatest difficulty.

Complaints about the commander

As the sources say, complaints soon began to come to the name of the Supreme Commander regarding arbitrariness, as well as rude attitude on the part of the commander of the female death battalion in the First World War. In the reports, facts of beatings were noted. In addition, under a strict ban was the appearance within its walls of agitators leading political activity, representatives of various parties, which was a violation of the rules adopted following the uprising. As a result of a large number of disagreements, 250 shock women left the 1st Petrograd Women's Death Battalion and moved to another formation.

Sending to the front

Soon the twenty-first of June 1917 came, the day when, in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral, with a large audience, the newly created unit was honored to receive a battle flag. Needless to say, what emotions the “culprit” of the celebration experienced, who stood in a new uniform.

But in place of the holiday, trench life came into reality. Young defenders faced realities that they had not even suspected before. They were at the center of the morally decomposed and degrading soldiers. In order to protect them from violence, it was sometimes necessary to put up sentries who were on duty at the barracks. But after the first real battle, where Maria's battalion took a direct part, showing unprecedented courage, they began to treat the shock women 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 the 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 fighting. However, the atmosphere of unrest that soared in Moscow did not allow to achieve any tangible results in a short time.

Soon, the initiator of the creation of women's death battalions goes to his native part, but right now her fighting spirit is cooling down a bit. She has repeatedly said 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, coped with without problems, went beyond the capabilities of ordinary women.

Features of the death part

In view of the fact that all these events were close to the episode with the defense of the Winter Palace (government residence), it is worthwhile to understand in more detail what the military unit was then, the creator of which was Bochkareva. Under the law, the Women's Death Battalion ( historical facts this is confirmed) was equated to an independent unit and, in terms of its status, corresponded to a regiment in which 1000 fighters served.

The officers included representatives of the strong half, who had considerable experience acquired on the fronts of the First World War. The battalion was not supposed to have a political color. Its main purpose is to protect the Fatherland from enemies from outside.

Palace defense

Unexpectedly, one of the divisions of the women's death battalion in World War I receives an order to go to Petrograd, where a parade was to take place on October 24th. In reality, this was only an excuse to involve shock women in protecting the object from the offensive of the Bolsheviks with weapons in their hands. AT given period the garrison of the palace consisted of divisions of Cossacks and junkers, so it had no real military power.

The women who arrived at the scene were ordered to defend the southeast wing of the building. For the first time in a day they managed to throw back the Red Guards and take the Nikolaevsky bridge into their own hands. But a day later, the troops of the revolutionary committee settled around the building, the result was a violent 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 stand the longest, and only by ten o'clock did they send out negotiators with a statement of surrender. Such an opportunity was provided, but only on the terms of complete disarmament.

The arrival of the Bolsheviks and further events

After the armed coup that took place in October, a decision is 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 native places.

It is 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 saying that she commanded the defenders of the palace.

In the future, fate threw many more unpleasant surprises. During the outbreak of the civil war, Bochkareva found herself 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 that, Marushevsky, the commander of the White Guards, also tried to win her over to his side. But everywhere she refused: it is one thing to fight against foreigners and defend your homeland, another thing is to kill your own compatriots. For her refusal, Maria almost paid with her freedom.

legendary life

After the capture of Tomsk, Bochkareva herself came to the commandant's office to hand over her weapons. Some time later, 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 decides to shoot, which was done. Maria Bochkareva was killed on May 16, 1919.

But her life was so unusual that the death gave rise to a huge number of legends. It is impossible to say exactly where the grave of Maria Leontieva is located. Because of this, rumors appeared that she managed to avoid execution, and she lived until the forties, taking on 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.