The Grenadier Platoons

During the course of the war the Russian Army began to realise the need for specialist soldiers trained in infiltration and assault tactics to lead attacks and carry out trench raids for information gathering. In Italy these soldiers were called Arditi, in the Central Powers they were Sturmtruppen (Storm troops). In Russia they were the Grenadier platoons, formed in 1916. These should not be confused with the traditional grenadier regiments of the Russian Army.

Grenadier on Patrol near the Russian Wire

As well as being a response to the new conditions of prolonged trench warfare, the creation of the Grenadier Platoons was an acknowledgement of the increasingly fragile morale of the Russian Army. It allowed commanders the opportunity to gather the most vigorous and effective soldiers together in a unit that could spearhead a battalion attack. These men trained to overcome the defences that became the hallmark of trench warfare on the Eastern Front and carried weapons suitable to their role - carbines, pistols, grenades, knives or clubs. The Grenadiers wore a cloth patch on their left sleeve, a flaming grenade as a mark of distinction.

Grenadier with Grenade Patch clearly visible

The use of the Grenadier Platoons underlines the increasing sophistication with which the Russian Army planned its attacks, a movement which reached its high point in the Brusilov Offensive in the summer of 1916. Previously the most common infantry assault tactic had been 'the chain' - basically rows of men in extended order adavancing to fifty metres then launching a bayonet charge, all too often with tragic results. The Russian Army had theoretically adopted a system of platoon attacks by 1914 with alternate movements of groups of three soldiers, however this seems rarely to have been used in practice.