Боже, Царя храни! / God Save the Tsar!

Russian

Боже, Царя храни!

Сильный, державный,

Царствуй на славу, на славу нам!

Царствуй на страх врагам,

Царь православный!

Боже, Царя, Царя храни!

Transliteration

Bozhe, Tsarya khrani !

Sil'niy, derzhavniy,

Tsarstvuiy na 'slavu, Na 'slavu nam !

Tsarstvuiy na strakh vragam,

Tsar pravoslavniy.

Bozhe, Tsarya khrani !

English translation (literal)

God, protect the Tsar !

Strong and majestic,

Reign for glory, For our glory !

Reign to foes’ fear,

Orthodox Tsar.

God, protect the Tsar !

Spring Battle 2012

The GWHS Spring Battle is scheduled for March 30-April 1 2012. As the event draws closer please pay attention to this thread for any road condition updates.

NOTE: GWHS battle events are not postponed or cancelled due to weather. An event will only be postponed or cancelled due to unsafe road conditions.

[I'll update this post as necessary, or you can follow the original post on the GWHS forum here.]

Order No. 1

Order No. 1 of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies
to the Petrograd District Garrison

March 1, 1917

To be immediately and fully executed by all men in the Guards, army, artillery and navy and to be made known to the Petrograd workers.

The Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies has resolved:

1. In all companies, battalions, regiments, batteries, squadrons and separate services of various military departments and on board naval ships committees shall be immediately elected from among representatives of the rankers of the foregoing units.

2. In all units which have not yet elected their representatives to the Soviet of Workers' Deputies, one representative from each company shall be elected. All representatives, carrying appropriate identity cards, are to arrive at the building of the State Duma by 10 a. m., March 2, 1917.

3. In all their political actions, units are subordinated to the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies and their own committees.

4. All orders issued by the Military Commission of the State Duma shall be carried out, except those which run counter to the orders and decrees issued by the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

5. All kinds of weapons, namely rifles, machine-guns, armoured cars and so forth, shall be placed at the disposal and under the control of the company and battalion committees and shall by no means be issued to the officers, not even at their insistence.

6. In formation and on duty, soldiers shall strictly observe military discipline; however, off duty and formation, in their political, civic and private life, soldiers shall fully enjoy the rights granted to all citizens.

In particular, standing to attention and obligatory saluting off duty shall be cancelled.

7. Likewise, officers shall be addressed as Mr. General, Mr. Colonel, etc., instead of Your Excellency, Your Honour, etc.

Rudeness towards soldiers of all ranks and, in particular, addressing them as `thou' shall be forbidden. Any violation of this rule and all cases of misunderstanding between officers and soldiers shall be reported by the latter to the company committees.

This order shall be read out in all companies, battalions, regiments, ship crews, batteries and other combat and non-combat detachments.

Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

Written: March 1, 1917
First Published: March 1, 1917
Source: An Illustrated History of the Great October Socialist Revolution: 1917; Moscow, USSR, 1988.
Translated: Unknown
Transcription/Markup: Brian Baggins
Public Domain: Soviet History Archive 2005. This work is completely free.

Pre-1917 Russian Recordings

Major Russian labels (index)

Inspection Display

I've used Google Translate (very imperfectly!) on the page from the Soldier's Notebook that details how a soldier's items are to be laid out for a formal inspection. For some reason, the shelter half seems to be listed twice.

Click to enlarge.

Выкладка вещей на инспекторском смотру // Layout of things on show of inspector

1. место нижн. чина. // Soldier's place..
2. Патронташ // bandoleer (not shown)
3. Ранец или вещмешок. // Satchel or rucksack.
4. Шинель  // Greatcoat
5. Записная книжка // Planner notebook
6. Полотнище палатки. // Shelter-half
7. Вещевой мешок // duffel bag
8. Мешок с мелочью // coin purse
9. Пузырек с маслом // Oil bottle
10. Шпилька /// pin/spike
11. Протирка /// wiper (this seems to be a bore swab for the Three-line rifle)
12. Отвертка // screwdriver
13. тканью с перьями // cloth 'with feathers'. (I think this is a towel or handkerchief)
14. Щетка. // Brush
15. Сало в коробочке // bacon, or lard in a box 
16. Чарка. // Cup
17. Веревка палатки // Tent rope
18. Полустойка и прикол. // Tent pole (lit. pole-stand) and stake.
19. Две рубахи // Two shirts
20. Подштанники // Drawers
21. Гимнастиу. рубаха // Gymnasterka
22. 2 п. портянок.// 2 pair foot wraps
23. Башлык и баклага (где положены) перчатки (и галстук в л-гв.) // hood and gloves
24. Котелок и баклага // Kettle and canteen
25. Сапоги.  //  Boots
26. Полотно палатки (послано)// Canvas Tent

Update 1/3/2011

Порядок укладки

Укладка вещей в следующем порядк - 1) мешок с 2 1/2 сухарей 2) рубахи, 3) подштанники, 4) портянки, 5) принадлежности к винтовке,

6) принадлежности для чистоты и опрятности в мешочк, 7) рукавицы, 8) соль и 9) мешок с 2 1\2 ф. Сухарей.

Order of Placement - Stacking items in the following order: 1) bag with 2 1/2 rusks on it 2) 2 shirts, 3) drawers, 4) footcloths ) 5 rifle accessories, 6) grooming accessories in  the bag, 7) gloves, 8) saly, and 9) bag with 2 1/2 lb. biscuit.

Fall Trench Battle Dates

In an effort to aid in everyone's event planning, the Board has decided on the following date for the Fall Battle:

November 5-6, 2011

Please note that this is earlier than the usual date set on the third weekend of November.

The reason for this is quite simple in that we're attempting to avoid the disruption caused by the weather with last year's Fall Battle event. While this doesn't guarantee perfect weather, it will greatly increase our odds (plus I won't have to watch the weather reports and try to make sense of them as much).

Please note that the weekend of November 19-20 will be our rain/snow back-up date.

Original GWHS Forum Post 

A Priceless Photo-Documentary of Old Wars

from English Russia: http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2011/05/12/a-priceless-photo-documentary-of-old-wars/

Notes on War and Peace

"A Frenchman is self-assured because he considers himself personally, in mind as well as body, irresistibly enchanting for men as well as women. An Englishman is self-assured on the grounds that he is a citizen of the best-organized state in the world, and therefore, as an Englishman, he always is unquestionably good. An Italian is self-assured because he is excitable and easily forgets himself and others. A Russian is self-assured precisely because he does not know anything and does not want to know anything, because he does not believe it possible to know anything fully. A German is self-assured worst of all, and most firmly of all, and most disgustingly of all, because he imagines that he knows the truth, science, which he has invented himself, but which for him is the absolute truth."

Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

Russian WWI Era Postcards

http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2010/07/28/wise-postcards-that-used-to-be-made-in-russia/

Event is GO!

The weather picture appears to have changed for the better in regard to road conditions so the Board has decided to go ahead with the event. Some rain is predicted and it will be cold so plan accordingly. Naturally, conditions are always changing in the mountains so use common sense and it might be a good idea for people to caravan. 

Spring Battle 2011

La Legion Russe of the Great War Historical Society in Southern California will be participating this month at the Spring Trench Battle on March 26th-27th.

Dig Day will be Sunday, March 13th.

Please email the General Secretary of the Soldier's Committee for more info!