For centuries, the Cossacks formed distinctive military communities along the frontiers of the Russian Empire. The largest and best known were the Don, Kuban and Terek Cossack Hosts, although others lived in the Urals, Siberia, Orenburg and the Far East. In return for land and certain privileges, Cossack men were required to provide military service, supplying the Imperial Russian Army with large numbers of experienced horsemen.
Box art.
Cossacks were particularly suited to reconnaissance, screening, patrols, raids and the protection of an army's flanks and communications. They could move rapidly across the open country of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, operate in small detachments and live with less dependence upon regular supply columns than many conventional units. They were also used as escorts, messengers and military police, while larger formations could take part in mounted attacks or exploit gaps in an enemy line.
Test sprue.
Cossack regiments served extensively during the opening campaigns of the First World War in East Prussia, Poland and Galicia. In 1914, Cossack patrols searched for enemy forces, seized prisoners and gathered information ahead of the advancing Russian armies. During the fighting in Galicia, their mobility helped uncover gaps between Austro-Hungarian formations. Cossacks also served against the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus, where the broken terrain and great distances made mounted troops especially valuable.
Digital pics
As continuous fronts, trenches, machine guns and barbed wire restricted mounted operations, many Cossack units increasingly fought on foot. Their horses still allowed them to move rapidly between sectors, but in battle they might dismount and use their rifles alongside ordinary infantry. By the later years of the war, Cossacks were employed in both frontline and rear-area duties, and the heavy demands of mobilization placed considerable strain upon their home communities.
Sizing figures
The figures wear the characteristic fur papakha and long coat associated with Cossack troops, and are armed with lances, sabres and rifles. The poses include Cossacks charging with the sabre, carrying the lance and handling a rifle, allowing them to be arranged as a patrol, a moving detachment or a mounted attack. Each sprue contains four horses and five riders, including a special command figure, so the modeller can select four riders to complete the mounted group. With three sprues in the box, the set provides twelve mounted Cossacks.
Sprue makeup
This set can be combined with our Russian Cavalry to provide both regular and Cossack mounted formations. Our WWI Russian Infantry, Infantry Heavy Weapons, Artillery Crew and 76mm Putilov M1902 Gun can be added to create a broader Imperial Russian army for the campaigns in East Prussia and Galicia, the Great Retreat of 1915, the Brusilov Offensive of 1916 and the fighting in the Caucasus.
The figures are also particularly suitable for the Russian Civil War. The Cossack territories of the Don, Kuban, Terek, Orenburg and Siberia became major centres of conflict after 1917. Many Cossacks fought with the White armies, while others supported or later joined the Reds, allowing the same figures to appear on opposing sides in the fast-moving campaigns across southern Russia, Ukraine, Siberia and Central Asia.
8080 WWI Russian Infantry Heavy Weapons
8173 WWI 76mm Putilov M1902 Gun
8257 WWI Russian Artillery Crew
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