Siberian: 1st

By the time of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the 1st Siberian had earned a brutal reputation. Unlike the inexperienced European conscripts who crumbled at Mukden, the Siberians were hardened. They were used to extreme cold, long marches, and fighting with minimal supply lines. The Japanese nicknamed them the Kuroi Kiri (Black Fog) for their relentless night attacks. When World War I broke out, the 1st Siberian was rushed to the Eastern Front. While the rest of the Russian Army suffered from a lack of artillery shells and corrupt officers, the Siberian regiments were comparatively autonomous and pragmatic.

When the Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917, the 1st Siberian did what most units could not: . While the rest of the Russian Army dissolved into deserting mobs, many members of the 1st Siberian slipped back toward their home bases in Omsk and Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk). The Civil War: Admiral Kolchak’s Spearhead This is where the story of the 1st Siberian takes its most dramatic turn. In the summer of 1918, the regiment re-formed as part of the White Army under Admiral Kolchak. 1st siberian

Why? Because they were ultimately on the losing side. In Soviet history, they were labeled "Belogvardeyskie bandity" (White Guard bandits). But for the historian, the 1st Siberian represents the tragic paradox of Russia: a unit of brave, resilient, and patriotic men who fought to preserve an old world, only to be swept away by a new one that had no room for them. By the time of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905),

In the White movement, the "First Siberian" became a legend. They were the shock troops of the . Unlike the officer-led "Drozdovsky" or "Kornilov" regiments (which were aristocratic and political), the 1st Siberian was pragmatic. They fought for the "Motherland" and against the Reds' radical land policies, which they saw as an attack on the Siberian peasant farmer. The Japanese nicknamed them the Kuroi Kiri (Black