Author: VK
After some regions of the Caucasus had joined the Russian Empire in the 1800-1810s, the necessity appeared to integrate new residents and effectively involve them in settling tasks important for the whole state. It should be noted that the Russian authorities succeeded in this sphere, managing to respect the ethnic, cultural, and social identities of the Caucasus people.
By the beginning of World War One, the highlanders were well integrated into the Russian army. In December 1914 frightening rumours spread across the Habsburg Empire, threatening the soldiers and the residents of the villages close to the front line. It was said that the Russian army was bringing some unknown force from the Asian depths - a horde of wild riders with black and white wings; they eat the flesh of babies and are more horrible than anything Europe had ever seen before. Soon the Austrians and the Germans would call them the "devils in shaggy hats," while the Russian tsar was calling them "the eagles of the Caucasus." However, they would become best-known under another name - "The Savage Division".
In October 1915 part of the Chechen regiment of the Savage Division was surrounded by the Austrian army. The Austrians were happy that they had to capture these "terrible" highlanders. They sent an envoy with an offer to surrender. The Chechen interpreter became confused, as he could not translate into Chechen the phrase "yield themselves prisoners" and translated it as "We were told to remove our epaulettes, belts, boots, put down the weapons, raise our hands and marry the Germans." The Chechens became furious and were ready to cut off the head of the envoy. The highlanders never give themselves prisoners and in the first months of war do not take prisoners themselves - this is a tradition of the war in the mountains. Those who survived the attack of the Caucasians believed themselves to be very lucky people.
The advisers to Nicholas II took the psychology of the highlanders into account. The emperor made his brother, Prince Mikhail Romanov, the commander of the division. Mikhail was not very happy with this appointment, as he was heading only a group of volunteers. The way to the throne was blocked to him. But he did not worry too much, as he was a beloved husband and beloved commander. The highlanders were very proud that their chief was a brother of the emperor. This was the highest honour. The Caucasian Native Mounted Division was part of the 2nd corps under the command of General-Lirutenant Husein Khan Nakhichevansky.. The Division included three brigades. The first one included regiments from Kabarda and Dagestan. The second was formed of the Chechen and the Tartar regiments. The third one included the Circassians and the Ingushetians.
The Tartar regiment was the most important in the division, it had the special support of the family of Nicholas II. Husein Khan at some point saved Mikhail Romanov from shame connected to an inappropriate marriage. Husein Khan proposed the prince be decorated with the St. George Cross and thus removed the stain of shame from him. After that the royal family had special confidence in Husein Khan and the Tartar regiment. The congratulatory telegrams and the awards from the Emperor were addressed not to the entire division but to the Tartar regiment.
Ordinary soldiers and junior commanders were called not the lower ranks but the horsemen. Highlanders did not say "thee" to the officers, generals, and even to the division commander, indeed they said "thou" even to the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. However, in their eyes this did not diminish the authority of the commander. Command of the division is unique: serving with Caucasians among the officers is a matter of honor since the Russian-Turkish and Russian-Japanese War.
Among the legendary Savage Division commanders there was the commander of the Tatar (Azerbaijani) Cavalry Regiment, a native of Ganja Alekper Rafibeyli Bey, General Ibragimbekov Vekilov, Hussein Khan of Nakhichevan, who will be described below, and Colonel Georgi Kibirov from Ossetia. Back in 1913, commanding a unit of Dagestani Cavalry Regiment, Kibirov managed to find and kill the most famous Chechen brigand Zelimkhan Harachayski. By law, the mountain brigands declared revenge for their murdered friend. And in the Savage Division Kibirov was commissioned to lead the fifth special unit of the Ingush regiment. It included only brigands pardoned by the emperor. Once Kibirov was surrounded by the Austrian cavalry. Another second – and he would have died, but the brigands and the Ingush rushed to help, rescued their commander and saved his life.
In a campaign the Caucasian division represented a very picturesque scene. Anatoly Markov, officer of the Ingush regiment, described the situation, "The riders formed a long string of random, not observing any system. They sat on horses of all kinds and sizes. Highlanders wore their cloaks, coats, leather jackets or shirts. Everyone wore a cap and hood of different colors and with imagination. In a manner to keep in the saddle, in the saddling and even in the arms you could feel the individuality of each rider. Each rider had a gun and knife in a different way - right, left behind , trunk up and down, and even on the saddle, according to the mountain customs. The appearance of heavily armed horsemen in huge furry hats alone shock the locals".
On May 29, 1916 50 riders of the Chechen regiment of the Savage Division crossed the Dniester and immediately occupied the foothold. However, only 250 Austrians and Hungarians were captured. That same night, the rest of the division crossed the river. A week later, on June 4, the Russian army would attack on the south-western front, it will be a powerful military operation, which will last two and a half months and will go down in history as the Brusilov Offensive. The foothold occupied by the Chechens would play an important role during the breakout.
To be continued
In preparing the article we used films by NTV "Caucasians in Russian wars" and "Horsemen of the Emperor" from the series of documentaries on the history of national units from the North Caucasus in Tsarist, Soviet and modern Russian Army and the role of the representatives of the Caucasian peoples in the protection of the country, as well as the interview of Rudolf Ivanov to historical and analytical portal of the Center of History of the Caucasus at the Institute for Public Policy Research "Azer-Globe".
