Women's death battalion of the Russian Empire. Maria Bochkareva. Women's Death Battalion. Tsarist Russia. Story

From a family of illiterate peasants, Maria Bochkareva was clearly an extraordinary person. Her name thundered throughout the Russian Empire. Of course: a female officer, Knight of St. George, organizer and commander of the first female “death battalion”. She met with Kerensky and Brusilov, Lenin and Trotsky, Kornilov and Kolchak, Winston Churchill, English king George V and US President Woodrow Wilson. They all noted the extraordinary strength of spirit of this woman.

Maria Bochkareva

The hard lot of a Russian woman

Maria Bochkareva (Frolkova) came from Novgorod peasants. In hope of better share The Frolkov family moved to Siberia, where land was distributed to the peasants for free. But the Frolkovs were unable to raise virgin soil; they settled in the Tomsk province and lived in extreme poverty. At the age of 15, Marusya was married off, and she became Bochkareva. Together with her husband, she unloaded barges and worked in an asphalt laying crew. It was here that Bochkareva’s extraordinary organizational skills first appeared; very soon she became an assistant foreman, with 25 people working under her supervision. And the husband remained a laborer. He drank and beat his wife to death. Maria fled from him to Irkutsk, where she met Yakov Buk. New common law husband Maria was a player, moreover, with criminal inclinations. As part of a gang of Honghuz, Yakov took part in robbery attacks. In the end, he was arrested and exiled to the Yakut province. Maria followed her beloved to distant Amga. Yakov did not appreciate the feat of self-sacrifice of the woman who loved him and soon began to drink and beat Maria. There seemed to be no way out of this vicious circle. But the first one struck world war.

Private Bochkareva

On foot through the taiga, Maria went to Tomsk, where she appeared at the recruiting station and asked to be enrolled as an ordinary soldier. The officer wisely suggested that she enroll as a nurse in the Red Cross or some auxiliary service. But Maria definitely wanted to go to the front. Having borrowed 8 rubles, she sent a telegram to the Highest Name: why was she denied the right to fight and die for her Motherland? The answer came surprisingly quickly, and Highest resolution, an exception was made for Maria. This is how “Private Bochkarev” appeared on the battalion’s lists. They cut her hair like a clipper and gave her a rifle, two pouches, a tunic, trousers, an overcoat, a hat and everything else that a soldier should have.

On the very first night, there were people who wanted to check “by touch”, but was this unsmiling soldier really a woman? Maria had not only a strong character, but also a heavy hand: without looking, she hit the daredevils with all that came to hand - boots, a bowler hat, a pouch. And the fist of the former asphalt paver turned out to be not a lady’s at all. In the morning, Maria didn’t say a word about the “night fight,” but she was among the first in class. Soon the entire company was proud of their unusual soldier (where else is there such a thing?) and was ready to kill anyone who encroached on the honor of their “Yashka” (Maria received this nickname from her fellow soldiers). In February 1915, the 24th reserve battalion was sent to the front. Maria refused the officers' offer to travel in the staff car near Molodechno and arrived with everyone else in a heated train.

Front

On the third day after arriving at the front, the company in which Bochkareva served went on the attack. Of the 250 people, 70 reached the line of wire barriers. Unable to overcome the barriers, the soldiers turned back. Less than 50 reached their trenches. As soon as it got dark, Maria crawled to no man's land and spent the whole night dragging the wounded into the trench. She saved almost 50 people that night, for which she was nominated for an award and received the St. George Cross, 4th degree. Bochkareva went on attacks, night raids, captured prisoners, and “took more than one German at the bayonet.” Her fearlessness was legendary. By February 1917, she had 4 wounds and 4 St. George’s awards (2 crosses and 2 medals), and had the shoulder straps of a senior non-commissioned officer on her shoulders.

Year 1917

In the army at this time there is complete chaos: privates have equal rights with officers, orders are not carried out, desertion has reached unprecedented proportions, decisions to attack are made not at headquarters, but at rallies. The soldiers are tired and don't want to fight anymore. Bochkareva does not accept all this: how can it be, 3 years of war, so many victims, and all in vain?! But those who agitate at soldiers’ rallies for “war to a victorious end” are simply beaten. In May 1917, the chairman of the Provisional Committee arrived at the front. State Duma M. Rodzianko. He met with Bochkareva and immediately invited her to Petrograd. According to his plan, Maria should become a participant in a series of propaganda campaigns for the continuation of the war. But Bochkareva went further than his plans: on May 21, at one of the rallies, she put forward the idea of creating a “Shock Women’s Death Battalion.”

"Death Battalion" by Maria Bochkareva

The idea was approved and supported by Commander-in-Chief Brusilov and Kerensky, who then held the post of Minister of War and Navy. Within a few days, more than 2,000 female volunteers signed up for the battalion in response to Maria’s call to the women of Russia to shame the men by their example. Among them were bourgeois and peasant women, domestic servants and university graduates. There were also representatives noble families Russia. Bochkareva established strict discipline in the battalion and supported it with her iron hand (in the full sense of the word - she beat faces like a real old-regime sergeant). A number of women who did not accept Bochkarev’s measures to control the battalion broke away and organized their own shock battalion (it was this battalion, not the “Bochkarevsky” one, that defended the Winter Palace in October 1917). Bochkareva’s initiative was taken up throughout Russia: in Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, Poltava, Simbirsk, Kharkov, Smolensk, Vyatka, Baku, Irkutsk, Mariupol, Odessa, women’s infantry and cavalry units and even women’s naval teams began to be created (Oranienbaum). (However, the formation of many was never completed)

female recruits in Petrograd in 1917

On June 21, 1917, Petrograd escorted shockwomen to the front. In front of a huge crowd of people, the battalion was presented with a banner, Kornilov presented Bochkareva with a personalized weapon, and Kerensky - the shoulder straps of an ensign. On June 27, the battalion arrived at the front, and on July 8 entered into battle.

Vain victims of the women's battalion

The fate of the battalion can be called tragic. The women who rose to attack really carried away the neighboring companies. The first line of defense was taken, then the second, third... - and that’s it. Other parts did not rise. No reinforcements arrived. The shock troops repelled several German counterattacks. There was a threat of encirclement. Bochkareva ordered a retreat. The positions taken in battle had to be abandoned. The battalion's casualties (30 killed and 70 wounded) were in vain. Bochkareva herself was seriously shell-shocked in that battle and sent to the hospital. After 1.5 months, she (already with the rank of second lieutenant) returned to the front and found the situation even worse. Shock women served on an equal basis with men, were called up for reconnaissance, and rushed into counterattacks, but the example of women did not inspire anyone. The 200 surviving shockwomen could not save the army from decay. Clashes between them and the soldiers, who were striving to “bayonet in the ground and go home” as quickly as possible, threatened to escalate into a civil war in a single regiment. Considering the situation hopeless, Bochkareva disbanded the battalion and left for Petrograd.

In the ranks of the White movement

She was too prominent a figure to disappear unnoticed in Petrograd. She was arrested and taken to Smolny. WITH famous Maria Bochkareva was interviewed by Lenin and Trotsky. The leaders of the revolution tried to attract such a bright personality to cooperation, but Maria, citing injuries, refused. Members of the White movement also sought meetings with her. She also told the representative of the underground officer organization, General Anosov, that she would not fight against her people, but she agreed to go to the Don to General Kornilov as a liaison organization. So Bochkareva became a participant in the Civil War. Dressed as a sister of mercy, Maria went south. In Novocherkassk, she handed over letters and documents to Kornilov and set off, now as the personal representative of General Kornilov, to ask for help from the Western powers.

Diplomatic mission of Maria Bochkareva

Having traveled through all of Russia, she reached Vladivostok, where she boarded an American ship. On April 3, 1918, Maria Bochkareva went ashore in the port of San Francisco. Newspapers wrote about her, she spoke at meetings, and met with prominent public and political figures. The envoy of the White movement was received by the US Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State Lansing and US President Woodrow Wilson. Next, Maria went to England, where she met with Secretary of War Winston Churchill and King George V. Maria begged, persuaded, and convinced all of them to help the White Army, with money, weapons, food, and they all promised her this help. Inspired, Maria goes back to Russia.

In the whirlwind of the fronts of the Civil War

In August 1918, Bochkareva arrived in Arkhangelsk, where she again took the initiative to organize a women’s battalion. The government of the Northern region reacted coolly to this initiative. General Marushevsky openly stated that attracting women to military service considers it a disgrace. In June 1919, a caravan of ships left Arkhangelsk heading east. In the holds of the ships there are weapons, ammunition and ammunition for the troops of the Eastern Front. On one of the ships is Maria Bochkareva. Her goal is Omsk, her last hope is Admiral Kolchak.

She reached Omsk and met with Kolchak. The admiral made a strong impression on her and entrusted the organization of a medical detachment. In 2 days, Maria formed a group of 200 people, but the front was already cracking and rolling to the east. Less than a month will pass before the “third capital” is abandoned; Kolchak himself has less than six months to live.

Arrest - sentence - death

In the tenth of November, Kolchak left Omsk. Maria did not leave with the retreating troops. Tired of fighting, she decided to reconcile with the Bolsheviks and returned to Tomsk. But her fame was too odious, the burden of Bochkareva’s sins before the Soviet regime was too heavy. People who took a much less active part in the White movement paid for it with their lives. What can we say about Bochkareva, whose name repeatedly appeared on the pages of white newspapers. On January 7, 1920, Maria Bochkareva was arrested, and on May 16, she was shot as “an irreconcilable and worst enemy of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Republic.” Rehabilitated in 1992.

The name will return

Maria Bochkareva was not the only woman who fought in the First World War. Thousands of women went to the front as sisters of mercy, many made their way to the front posing as men. Unlike them, Maria did not hide her belonging to the female, which, however, does not in any way detract from the feat of the other “Russian Amazons.” Maria Bochkareva should have taken her rightful place on the pages of the Russian history textbook. But, according to known reasons, V Soviet era the slightest mention of her was carefully erased. Only a few contemptuous lines from Mayakovsky remained in his poem “Good!”

We will not hide that the reason for writing this article was watching the film “Battalion” directed by Dmitry Meskhiev. Moreover, the film itself seemed not as interesting as its real prototypes. Going to “Battalion”, you expect stingy male tears to well up in your eyes. But in fact, the true drama of those days, filmed in our days, was more cruel and chilling than Meskhiev’s picture. We have not yet learned how to handle dramatic plots according to all the canons. No matter how much they swear at films produced abroad, they know how to make films there. So much so that it’s not a sin to shed a tear. But it’s good that such topics began to be raised. The heroes of the First World War, who were undeservedly forgotten and subjected to oblivion due to their disagreement with the policies of Soviet and communist ideologists, are now gaining recognition.

Maria Bochkareva

It is with this name that the formation of the first women’s death battalion is associated, which, in fact, is the subject of the story in Meskhiev’s film. Her fate is very indicative as an example of the traditional Russian character, when from rags through all obstacles a person achieved recognition and fame among worthy people, and then paid for it with interest. A peasant woman who became the commander of an entire battalion, received many awards, and was recognized by many officers as an equal. What had to happen in the life of this woman for her to turn from a representative of the fairer sex into a soldier.

Born into a poor peasant family, Maria Bochkareva soon left with her parents for Siberia, where they were promised land and government subsidies. But as often happens, they lured us with bread and butter, but in reality it turned out to be a big deal. It was impossible to overcome poverty; they were managed as best they could. Therefore, her parents had to marry Maria off at the age of 15. But this marriage did not last long. Her betrothed, despite his 23 years, was a serious alcoholic, and in the heat of ensuing insanity, he began to beat his wife. Masha could not stand this behavior and ran away from her unlucky hubby. She ran to the local butcher Yakov Buk. But that one also turned out to be a gift from fate. First, he was arrested in 1912 for robbery, and a little later Yakov received an even longer sentence for participating in a Honghuz gang. His current wife followed him to each of the places of detention, but only until he, too, began to drink and began to repeat the mistakes of his previous chosen one.

Just at this time, the First World War broke out, and Maria Bochkareva (by the way, she got her last name from her first husband) decided to volunteer for the front. At first they didn’t want to accept her at all, but then they agreed to put the young girl into service in the medical troops. For some time, helping the wounded, she did not give up hope of being transferred to the front. Which happened just a few weeks later. At the front, Bochkareva became a phenomenon. Experiencing regular rounds of cruel mockery from the soldiers, she fought fiercely and selflessly in battle. Therefore, soon the bullying ended, and she began to be treated as an equal. The result of his service in the ranks of the Russian Army on the fronts of the First World War was the rank of non-commissioned officer, the St. George Cross, 3 medals of distinction and 2 wounds.

But there were troubled times just around the corner.

Creation of a women's death battalion

The provisional government could not hold the front. The activities of Soviet agitators undermined rear support, and rebellion and mutiny were brewing in the ranks of the soldiers themselves. People, tired of the war, were ready to throw down their weapons and go home. In such a situation, senior officers demanded that strict measures be taken to introduce disciplinary penalties, including the execution of deserters. But the chairman of the provisional government was General A.F. Krymovo, remembered by us for the fate of his life. Kerensky, he had his own opinion on this matter. At his request, instead of introducing a harsh suppression of disobedience, a decision was made to form a women’s battalion in the ranks of the Russian army in order to increase the morale of the soldiers and shame those who laid down their arms without ending the war.

The best commander for such a unit could only be Maria Bochkareva. At the urgent request of the officers, Kerensky personally instructs Maria to lead the detachment and begin staffing it immediately. Those were desperate times, many people felt pain for the Fatherland, even women. Therefore, there were enough volunteers. There were many women who served, but there were also civilians. There was a special influx from widows and soldiers' wives. Noble maidens also walked. In total, the first recruitment into the battalion consisted of about 2,000 women and girls who decided to help their country in such an unusual way for them.

Kerensky listened with obvious impatience. It was obvious that he had already made up his mind on this matter. I doubted only one thing: whether I could maintain high morale and morality in this battalion. Kerensky said that he would allow me to begin formation immediately<…>When Kerensky accompanied me to the door, his gaze settled on General Polovtsev. He asked him to provide me with any necessary assistance. I almost suffocated with happiness.
M.L. Bochkareva.

Maria Bochkareva's life was not all sugar, so she long ago stopped considering herself just a woman. She is a soldier, an officer, so she demanded the same approach from her subordinates. There shouldn't have been women in her battalion; she needed soldiers. Of the 2,000 people, 300 completed training; only 200 returned to the front. The rest could not withstand the stress and barracks situation. Before being sent to the front on June 21, 1917, the new unit of troops was presented with a white banner, on which there was an inscription that read “The first women's military command of the death of Maria Bochkareva.” The women went to the front.

At the front, Bochkareva’s battalion heard a lot of “pleasant things” from the soldiers. The gentlemen with red bows in their buttonholes, imbued with the new revolutionary ideology, especially ranted. They considered the arrival of female soldiers to be a provocation, which was actually not far from the truth. After all, women screaming and dying with weapons in their hands are a disgrace to healthy men who have laid down their arms, who were sitting in the rear and drinking German swill.

Arriving on the Western Front, the battalion of female soldiers entered its first battle on July 9. Positions in this part of the front constantly changed hands. Having repulsed the attack of German troops, Bochkareva’s unit took enemy positions and for a long time held them back. The heaviest battles were accompanied by equally heavy losses. By the time of direct hostilities, the battalion commander had 170 bayonets at his disposal. By the end of a series of protracted battles, only 70 remained in the ranks. The rest were listed as killed and seriously wounded. Maria herself received another wound.

Bochkareva’s detachment behaved heroically in battle, always in the front line, serving on an equal basis with the soldiers. When the Germans attacked, on his own initiative he rushed as one into a counterattack; brought cartridges, went to secrets, and some to reconnaissance; With their work, the death squad set an example of bravery, courage and calmness, raised the spirit of the soldiers and proved that each of these female heroes is worthy of the title of warrior of the Russian revolutionary army.

V. I. Zakrzhevsky

Having seen enough of the blood of female soldiers, the commander of the Russian Army, General Lavr Kornilov, banned the formation of women’s detachments, and sent the current detachments to the rear and for sanitary provision. It really was last Stand death battalion of Maria Bochkareva.

Legacy of a Warrior Woman

Over time, despite Kornilov’s order, other battalions will be created in the army, the numerical and qualitative composition of which will be made up only of women. During civil war Bochkareva, due to persecution by the new government, will leave the country in search of help for the White movement. Returning to the country and starting to form new units to fight the Bolsheviks, she will be arrested and thrown into prison. According to documentary evidence, in 1920 Maria Bochkareva was shot for aiding the White movement and devotion to the ideas of General Kornilov. But according to other sources, she was released from prison, married a third time and lived under a false name on the Chinese Eastern Railway.

During her trip abroad, she met US President Woodrow Wilson, King George V of England, and shortly before her arrest she was received by Admiral Kolchak. If you believe the documentary reports, she lived only 31 years, but during this time she saw so much that people would not have seen in 2 or even 3 lives. Her name has been forgotten for aiding the White movement, but the advantages of the current times are that individuals like her are receiving rehabilitation. Not only official at the government level, but also popular. Our magazine is dedicated to men, but this woman was more worthy than many of us, so it is our duty to talk about her and remember her.

In the early morning of July 8, 1917, extraordinary excitement reigned at the location of the 525th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Siberian Corps near the Bogushevsky forest in the Molodechno region near Smorgon. Why, on this day the “women” should start fighting the Germans! Laughter, and that's all! They sent a whole battalion of living women - the soldiers were amused. "Women's Death Battalion" is a circus! There was no longer any discipline at the front, order number one of the Provisional Government made itself felt, allowing the privates to choose their own commanders and discuss whether to obey the orders of the officers or not. The commander of the women's battalion, in which iron discipline reigned, wrote: “... never before have I met such a ragged, unbridled and demoralized bunch of people called soldiers.”

Suddenly, most of the corps refuses to go into battle at all. Endless rallies begin - to fight or not to fight. For the women's battalion such questions did not arise. They were volunteers and were ready to carry out orders at any time. Although artillery preparation had already been carried out and the front lines of the Germans were pretty battered, no one except the women’s battalion was going to attack. Meanwhile, 75 officers who remained faithful to the oath, led by the commander of the 525th regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov, approached them and asked to join the women's battalion.

Under desperate German fire, the combined unit took the first line of German trenches in the summer and continued to advance on the edge of the Novospassky and Bogushevsky forests. Seeing the heroism of women and officers, the shamed soldiers began to rise to the attack. As a result, the front was broken through for 4 versts and advanced 3.5 versts in depth. But, occupying the German trenches, the soldiers come across huge stocks of beer and vodka. That's all. Drunkenness and looting ensued. The offensive stalled. The regimental report said this:

“...the companies became sensitive and fearful even to their own shots, not to mention enemy fire. A striking example of this in this regard is the lagging position on the western edge of the Novospassky forest, which was abandoned only by rare enemy fire. Even the victory did not bring the soldiers to consciousness; they refused to remove the trophies, but at the same time, many remained on the battlefield and robbed their own comrades. Crowds of soldiers, loaded with German rubbish, went deep into the rear, where trade in German things took place during the battle. The women, judging by the reports, fought as follows: On July 7, the 525th Infantry Regiment of the 132nd Division received an order to move to a position in the Krevo area. The women's battalion included in the regiment was located on the right flank along with the 1st battalion. On the morning of July 9, the regiment reached the edge of the Novospassky forest and came under artillery fire. Over the course of two days, he repelled 14 enemy attacks and, despite heavy machine-gun fire, launched counterattacks several times. According to the testimony of the regiment's officers, the women's battalion behaved heroically in battle, always in the front line, serving on an equal basis with the soldiers. His losses in the battles of July 9-10 were: 2 killed, 33 wounded and shell-shocked, 5 of them seriously, 2 missing.”

General A.I. Denikin later wrote: “What can I say about the “women’s army”?.. I know the fate of Bochkareva’s battalion. He was met by the unbridled soldier environment mockingly and cynically. In Molodechno, where the battalion was originally stationed, at night it had to set up a strong guard to guard the barracks... Then the offensive began. The women's battalion, attached to one of the corps, valiantly went on the attack, not supported by the “Russian heroes.” And when the pitch hell of enemy artillery fire broke out, the poor women, having forgotten the technique of loose formation, huddled together - helpless, alone in their section of the field, loosened by German bombs. We suffered losses. And the “heroes” partly returned, and partly did not leave the trenches at all.”

Who is warrant officer Maria Bochkareva, by the way, who was wounded in that memorable battle near Molodechno and promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and what kind of “women’s death battalion” did she lead?

Maria Bochkareva

In 1919, Bochkareva’s memoirs “Yashka. My life as a peasant, an officer and an exile.” The book is not a reliable source, because it was written from the words of a not particularly literate woman - only at the age of 26 she was able to read syllable by syllable for the first time in her life, and then write her name. The book she studied from was a popular detective story in Russia about the American detective Nick Carter.

Maria Bochkareva (Frolkova) was born in July 1889 in the family of Leonty Semenovich and Olga Eleazarovna Frolkova, in the village of Nikolskoye, Kirillovsky district, Novgorod province. Besides her, there were two more daughters in the family. When the girl turned six years old, the family moved to Siberia to receive a plot of land under the resettlement program. Marusya was sent to work as a servant, first to look after the child, then to the shop. At the age of 16, Maria gets married. There is an entry in the book of the Ascension Church dated January 22, 1905: “In his first marriage, Afanasy Sergeevich Bochkarev, 23 years old, of the Orthodox faith, living in the Tomsk province, Tomsk district, Semiluzhskaya volost, the village of Bolshoye Kuskovo” married “the maiden Maria Leontyeva Frolkova. .. of the Orthodox religion, living in the Tomsk province, Tomsk district, Novo-Kuskovskaya volost, Ksenyevsky village.”

Mary's marriage was not easy. Afanasy drank, she worked hard. She laid pavements in Irkutsk. At first she was a worker, then an assistant foreman. She cannot stand her husband's drinking bouts, breaks up with him, becomes seriously ill, and loses her job. He is hired again as a servant.

Later, she meets Yankel Buk, falls in love with him, and he becomes her common-law husband. Buk, considered a law-abiding peasant of the Chita district, was engaged in robbery together with Chinese Honghuz bandits. With this money he opens a butcher shop. Maria is happy family life. She has no idea about her husband's criminal business. But in May 1912, Yakov (Yankel) Buk was arrested, exile or hard labor awaited him.

Maria decided to share the fate of her loved one and in May 1913 she went with him on a convoy to Yakutsk. The distribution list for the administrative exile Yankel Gershev Buk reports that by decree of the Irkutsk Governor-General of August 18, 1912, he was expelled “under the public supervision of the police to the Yakut region for the entire duration of martial law in the Trans-Baikal region. Arrived in Yakutsk on July 14, 1913. To prevent Buk from being sent further to Kolymsk, Maria surrendered to the Yakut governor I. Kraft. Having a hard time experiencing her betrayal, she tried to poison herself. Kraft released Book from prison, but demanded new meeting with Bochkareva. The unfortunate woman told about Governor Buku, and he decided to kill him. But Buk was arrested in the governor’s office and deported to the Yakut settlement of Amga. Maria followed him again. However, from the memoirs one can understand that the relationship between Mary and Jacob was very tense; he was capable of beating or even killing his faithful wife for the slightest reason.

Now it is difficult to judge the truth of this information, perhaps real facts The life of this amazing woman is intertwined with the journalistic speculation of the American authors of the book, recording the story of her life.

Volunteers

Meanwhile, in August 1914, the First World War began. His personal life did not work out; we know nothing more about the fate of the robber Buk. Maria decided to become a soldier. She recalled: “My heart strove there - into a boiling cauldron, to be baptized in fire, to be tempered in lava. The spirit of sacrifice entered into me. My country was calling me."

Arriving in Tomsk in November 1914, Bochkareva turned to the commander of the 25th reserve battalion with a request to enroll her as a volunteer. Naturally, she is refused. Then she sends a telegram to the Tsar with her last money and, miraculously, receives the highest approval. In February 1915, the regiment formed in Siberia, together with the civilian Bochkareva, was assigned to the 2nd Army near Molodechno. Bochkareva ended up at the front line of the 5th Army Corps, in the 28th Polotsk Regiment of the 7th Division. When asked by her colleagues what to call her, the army then accepted short names and nicknames, Maria, remembering Buk, answered: “Yashka.” This name became her pseudonym for many years.

Maria turned out to be a brave soldier: she pulled the wounded from the battlefield, once pulled fifty people from the battlefield, and she herself was wounded four times. Moreover, she herself went on bayonet attacks in the advanced detachments! She was given the ranks of junior non-commissioned officer and senior non-commissioned officer and was entrusted with platoon command. She was awarded two St. George's crosses, two St. George's medals and the medal "For Bravery".

At the training camp in Levashovo

The February Revolution of 1917 brought discord among the troops and endless glorification of rallies. At one of these events, Bochkareva, who had already become a legendary war hero, met the Chairman of the IV State Duma M.V. Rodzianko, who invites her to Petrograd. There, during the congress of soldiers' delegates in the Tauride Palace, the idea came to her (or maybe it was suggested to her) about creating a women's battalion. Bochkareva, known throughout the front, is invited by A.F. Kerensky, she discusses her project with General A.A. Brusilov. Maria spoke at the Mariinsky Palace with an appeal:

“Citizens, everyone who values the freedom and happiness of Russia, hurry into our ranks, hurry, before it’s too late, to stop the decay of our dear homeland. By direct participation in hostilities, not sparing our lives, we, citizens, must raise the spirit of the army and through educational and propaganda work in its ranks, instill a reasonable understanding of the duty of a free citizen to his homeland... The following rules are mandatory for all members of the detachments:

1. Honor, freedom and the good of the homeland are in the foreground;
2. Iron discipline;
3. Firmness and steadfastness of spirit and faith;
4. Courage and bravery;
5. Accuracy, accuracy, perseverance and speed in executing orders;
6. Impeccable honesty and serious attitude to business;
7. Cheerfulness, politeness, kindness, friendliness, cleanliness and accuracy;
8. Respect for other people's opinions, complete trust in each other and the desire for nobility;
9. Quarrels and personal scores are unacceptable, as they degrade human dignity.”

Bochkareva speaks:

“If I undertake the formation of a women’s battalion, I will be responsible for every woman in it. I will introduce strict discipline and will not allow them to speak or roam the streets. When Mother Russia dies, there is neither time nor need to control the army through committees. Even though I am a simple Russian peasant, I know that only discipline can save the Russian army. In the battalion I propose, I will have complete sole authority and seek obedience. Otherwise, there is no need to create a battalion.”

Soon her appeal was published in the newspapers. Many women had a great desire to enlist in the army; soon about two thousand applications fell on the table of the founders of the women's battalion. The Main Directorate of the General Staff took the initiative to divide all volunteers into three categories. The first was to include those who directly fight at the front; the second category is auxiliary units made up of women (communications, security railways); and finally, the third is nurses in hospitals. According to the conditions of admission, any woman aged 16 years (with parental permission) to 40 years old could become a volunteer. At the same time, she had to have an educational qualification and pass a medical examination, which identified and screened out pregnant women.

Women underwent a medical examination and had their hair cut almost bald. On the first day, Bochkareva expels 30 people from the battalion, and on the second - 50. The reasons are common - giggling, flirting with male instructors, failure to follow orders. She constantly encourages women to remember that they are soldiers and take their responsibilities more seriously.

1st Petrograd Women's Battalion

The recruits were quite educated, unlike the bulk of the army, where only a few were literate. And here up to 30 percent turned out to be student students (there were also Bestuzhevkas, graduates of the most prestigious female educational institution) and up to 40 percent had secondary education. There were sisters of mercy, domestic servants, peasants and bourgeois women, and university graduates. There were also representatives famous names- Princess Tatueva from a famous Georgian family, Dubrovskaya - the daughter of a general, N.N. was the battalion adjutant. Skrydlova is the daughter of an admiral of the Black Sea Fleet.

On June 21, the “Women's Battalion of Death” - as it was called because of strict discipline and a sincere desire not to spare life to defend the Motherland - was presented with a banner. General L.G. Kornilov presented Maria Bochkareva with a revolver and a saber with a gold hilt, Kerensky read out the order to promote her to ensign. 300 women from the initial recruitment went to the front lines on June 23, being assigned to the 172nd division of the 1st Siberian Corps.

Similar women's volunteer groups began to emerge everywhere. 1st Petrograd Women's Death Battalion, 2nd Moscow Women's Death Battalion, 3rd Kuban Women's Shock Battalion (infantry); Marine women's team in Oranienbaum; Cavalry 1st Petrograd Battalion of the Women's Military Union; Minsk separate guard squad of female volunteers.

At the beginning of 1918, all these formations were disbanded by the Soviet government.

Maria Bochkareva lived another fantastic few years. After the collapse of the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks coming to power, she, on instructions from Lavr Kornilov, went to the United States to ask for help from the allies to fight the new government. The poorly literate woman did not understand the intricacies of big politics, but she sincerely loved her Motherland. She achieved a meeting with US President Woodrow Wilson, and in Great Britain she met with King George the Fifth. This is how she very naively later talks about this audience during interrogation at the Cheka:

“In mid-August 1918, the king’s secretary arrived in a car and handed me a piece of paper that said that the King of England was receiving me for 5 minutes, and I put on a military officer’s uniform, put on the orders I received in Russia and, with my translator Robinson, went to king's palace She entered the hall, and a few minutes later the door opened and the King of England came out. He bore a great resemblance to Tsar Nicholas II. I went to meet the king. He told me that he was very glad to see the second Joan of Arc and as a friend of Russia, I greet you as a woman who has done a lot for Russia. In response, I told him that I consider it a great happiness to see the king of free England. The king invited me to sit down and sat down opposite me. The king asked what party I belonged to and whom I believed; I said that I don’t belong to any group, but that I only believe in General Kornilov. The king told me the news that Kornilov had been killed; I told the king that I don’t know who to believe now, and I don’t think about fighting in a civil war. The king told me: “You are a Russian officer,” I answered him yes; the king then said that “You have a direct duty to go to Russia, to Arkhangelsk, in four days, and I hope for you that you will work.” I told the King of England: “I obey!”

Energetic Maria travels to Arkhangelsk, Siberia, where she organizes combat battalions and medical teams, meets with Kolchak and other leaders of the White movement. But it is very difficult for a rather naive but honest woman to fully understand where the enemies are and where the friends are. Almost unbearable. The cunning British and other yesterday's allies are turning away from her.

When Soviet power was established in Toska, Maria Bochkareva “Yashka” came to the city commandant in December 1919, handed over a revolver to him and offered her services. The commandant sent her home. However, on January 7, 1920, she was arrested and put in prison, from where she was transferred to Krasnoyarsk in March.

In the conclusion to the final protocol of her interrogation dated April 5, 1920, investigator Pobolotin noted that “Bochkareva’s criminal activities before the RSFSR have been proven by the investigation... I believe that Bochkareva, as an irreconcilable and worst enemy of the workers’ and peasants’ republic, will be transferred to the disposal of the head of the special department of the Cheka of the 5th army.” .

On April 21, 1920, a resolution was passed: “For more information, the case, together with the identity of the accused, should be sent to the Special Department of the Cheka in Moscow.” On May 15, this resolution was revised and a new decision was made: Bochkareva should be shot.

March forward, forward to battle,
Women soldiers!
The dashing sound calls you into battle,
The adversaries will tremble!

(From the song of the 1st Petrograd Women's Battalion)

Vladimir Kazakov

From a family of illiterate peasants, Maria Bochkareva was clearly an extraordinary person. Her name thundered throughout the Russian Empire. Of course: a female officer, Knight of St. George, organizer and commander of the first female “death battalion”. She met with Kerensky and Brusilov, Lenin and Trotsky, Kornilov and Kolchak, Winston Churchill, English King George V and US President Woodrow Wilson. They all noted the extraordinary strength of spirit of this woman.

The hard lot of a Russian woman

Maria Bochkareva (Frolkova) came from Novgorod peasants. Hoping for a better life, the Frolkov family moved to Siberia, where land was distributed to the peasants for free. But the Frolkovs were unable to raise virgin soil; they settled in the Tomsk province and lived in extreme poverty. At the age of 15, Marusya was married off, and she became Bochkareva. Together with her husband, she unloaded barges and worked in an asphalt laying crew. It was here that Bochkareva’s extraordinary organizational skills first appeared; very soon she became an assistant foreman, with 25 people working under her supervision. And the husband remained a laborer. He drank and beat his wife to death. Maria fled from him to Irkutsk, where she met Yakov Buk. Maria's new common-law husband was a gambler and, moreover, with criminal inclinations. As part of a gang of Honghuz, Yakov took part in robbery attacks. In the end, he was arrested and exiled to the Yakut province. Maria followed her beloved to distant Amga. Yakov did not appreciate the feat of self-sacrifice of the woman who loved him and soon began to drink and beat Maria. There seemed to be no way out of this vicious circle. But the First World War broke out.

Private Bochkareva

On foot through the taiga, Maria went to Tomsk, where she appeared at the recruiting station and asked to be enrolled as an ordinary soldier. The officer wisely suggested that she enroll as a nurse in the Red Cross or some auxiliary service. But Maria definitely wanted to go to the front. Having borrowed 8 rubles, she sent a telegram to the Highest Name: why was she denied the right to fight and die for her Motherland? The answer came surprisingly quickly, and, by the Highest permission, an exception was made for Maria. This is how “Private Bochkarev” appeared on the battalion’s lists. They cut her hair like a clipper and gave her a rifle, two pouches, a tunic, trousers, an overcoat, a hat and everything else that a soldier should have.

Front

Year 1917

In the army at this time there is complete chaos: privates have equal rights with officers, orders are not carried out, desertion has reached unprecedented proportions, decisions to attack are made not at headquarters, but at rallies. The soldiers are tired and don't want to fight anymore. Bochkareva does not accept all this: how can it be, 3 years of war, so many victims, and all in vain?! But those who agitate at soldiers’ rallies for “war to a victorious end” are simply beaten. In May 1917, the chairman of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, M. Rodzianko, arrived at the front. He met with Bochkareva and immediately invited her to Petrograd. According to his plan, Maria should become a participant in a series of propaganda campaigns for the continuation of the war. But Bochkareva went further than his plans: on May 21, at one of the rallies, she put forward the idea of creating a “Shock Women’s Death Battalion.”

"Death Battalion" by Maria Bochkareva

The idea was approved and supported by Commander-in-Chief Brusilov and Kerensky, who then held the post of Minister of War and Navy. Within a few days, more than 2,000 female volunteers signed up for the battalion in response to Maria’s call to the women of Russia to shame the men by their example. Among them were bourgeois and peasant women, domestic servants and university graduates. There were also representatives of noble families of Russia. Bochkareva established strict discipline in the battalion and supported it with her iron hand (in the full sense of the word - she beat faces like a real old-regime sergeant). A number of women who did not accept Bochkarev’s measures to control the battalion broke away and organized their own shock battalion (it was this battalion, not the “Bochkarevsky” one, that defended the Winter Palace in October 1917). Bochkareva’s initiative was taken up throughout Russia: in Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, Poltava, Simbirsk, Kharkov, Smolensk, Vyatka, Baku, Irkutsk, Mariupol, Odessa, women’s infantry and cavalry units and even women’s naval teams began to be created (Oranienbaum). (However, the formation of many was never completed)

On June 21, 1917, Petrograd escorted shockwomen to the front. In front of a huge crowd of people, the battalion was presented with a banner, Kornilov presented Bochkareva with a personal one, and Kerensky - ensign's shoulder straps. On June 27, the battalion arrived at the front, and on July 8 entered into battle.

Vain victims of the women's battalion

In the ranks of the White movement

She was too prominent a figure to disappear unnoticed in Petrograd. She was arrested and taken to Smolny. Lenin and Trotsky talked with the famous Maria Bochkareva. The leaders of the revolution tried to attract such a bright personality to cooperation, but Maria, citing injuries, refused. Members of the White movement also sought meetings with her. She also told the representative of the underground officer organization, General Anosov, that she would not fight against her people, but she agreed to go to the Don to General Kornilov as a liaison organization. So Bochkareva became a participant in the Civil War. Dressed as a sister of mercy, Maria went south. In Novocherkassk, she handed over letters and documents to Kornilov and set off, now as the personal representative of General Kornilov, to ask for help from the Western powers.

Diplomatic mission of Maria Bochkareva

In the whirlwind of the fronts of the Civil War

In August 1918, Bochkareva arrived in Arkhangelsk, where she again took the initiative to organize a women’s battalion. The government of the Northern region reacted coolly to this initiative. General Marushevsky openly stated that he considers the involvement of women in military service to be a disgrace. In June 1919, a caravan of ships left Arkhangelsk heading east. In the holds of the ships there are weapons, ammunition and ammunition for the troops of the Eastern Front. On one of the ships is Maria Bochkareva. Her goal is Omsk, her last hope is Admiral Kolchak.

Arrest - sentence - death

The name will return

Maria Bochkareva was not the only woman who fought in the First World War. Thousands of women went to the front as sisters of mercy, many made their way to the front posing as men. Unlike them, Maria did not hide her female gender for a single day, which, however, does not in the least detract from the feat of the other “Russian Amazons.” Maria Bochkareva should have taken her rightful place on the pages of the Russian textbook. But, for well-known reasons, in Soviet times the slightest mention of it was carefully erased. Only a few contemptuous lines from Mayakovsky remained in his poem “Good!”

Currently, a film about Bochkareva and her drummers “Death Battalion” is being filmed in St. Petersburg; the release is planned for August 2014. We hope that this film will return the name of Maria Bochkareva to the citizens of Russia, and her star, which was extinguished, will flare up again.

There are so many legends about this amazing woman that it is impossible to say one hundred percent whether it is true or fiction. But it is reliably known that an ordinary peasant woman, who remained illiterate for almost her entire adult life, was called by King George V during a personal meeting “the Russian Joan of Arc.” Fate was destined for her to become the first female officer in the Russian army. The whole truth about the women's battalion death - in our article.

Youth, childhood, love

The creator of the women's death battalion, Maria Bochkareva, was born in a small village in the Novgorod province into an ordinary working-class family. Besides her, her parents had two more children. They lived quite poorly and, in order to improve their deplorable situation, decided to move to Siberia, where at that time the government provided assistance to newcomers. But hopes were not justified, so it was decided to marry Maria to a man whom she did not love, and who was also a drunkard. She got her famous surname from him.

After a short period of time, Maria Bochkareva (the women's death battalion was her idea) breaks up with her husband and begins free life. It was at that time that she was lucky enough to meet her first and only love. Unfortunately, she had no luck with the stronger sex: while the first was a constant drinker, the second was a criminal and member of the Honghuz gang, which included people from Manchuria and China. His name was Yankel Buk. When he was arrested and redirected to Yakutsk, Bochkareva followed him, as the wives of the Decembrists did.

Sad outcome of the relationship

But the desperate Yakov could not be corrected, and even while in the settlement, he sold stolen goods, and later took up robberies. In order to prevent her beloved from going to hard labor, Maria had to follow the lead of the local governor, who harassed her. Subsequently, she could not survive her own betrayal, trying to poison herself. This difficult story ended in tears: upon learning about what had happened, the man, in the heat of anger, tried to kill the official. He was put on trial and sent to an unknown location, after which contact with his loved one was lost.

To the front by imperial favor

The outbreak of war led to an unprecedented surge of patriotic feelings. A huge number of volunteers went to the front, and Maria Leontievna Bochkareva did the same. The story of her entry into service is quite interesting. Arriving in 1914 to the commander of the reserve battalion, which was located in Tomsk, she was faced with a disregardful attitude and ironic advice to make a similar request to the Emperor. Contrary to his expectations, the woman dared to write a petition. To the surprise of the public, she soon received a positive response signed by Nicholas II.

After an accelerated training course, in February of the following year, Maria Leontyevna Bochkareva found herself at the front as a civilian soldier. Having taken on such a difficult task, she, along with the rest of the soldiers, went into bayonet attacks, helped the wounded escape from fire, and also showed real heroism. She was given the nickname Yashka, which she came up with for herself in honor of her lover.

When the company commander died in March 1916, Maria took over his post and led her comrades in an offensive that became devastating. For the courage shown in the offensive, the woman received the St. George Cross, as well as three medals. While at the forefront, she was wounded more than once, but despite this, she was still in the ranks. Only after being seriously wounded in the thigh was she sent to the hospital, where she spent several months.

Creation of women's death battalions

Returning to duty, Bochkareva found her own regiment in complete disintegration. While she was away, the February Revolution happened, and the soldiers endlessly rallied and tried to “fraternize” with the Germans. Maria, who did not want to put up with such a situation, never tired of looking for an opportunity to influence the situation. Very soon similar case introduced himself.

The chairman of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was sent to the front to carry out propaganda work. Bochkareva, having secured his support, went to Petrograd, where she began to implement her long-standing idea - the opening of military formations, which included women ready to defend the Motherland. In her endeavor, she felt the support of the Minister of War Kerensky, as well as Brusilov, who was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief General. Thus began the history of the women's death battalion.

Battalion composition

In response to the calls of the courageous woman, several thousand Russian women responded, wanting to take up arms in the ranks of the new unit. It is worth noting the fact that most of them were literate girls - graduates of the Bestuzhev courses, and a third had a secondary education. At that time, no unit consisting of men could show such indicators. Among the shockwomen were representatives of all walks of life - from simple peasant women to aristocrats (bearers of famous surnames).

Among the subordinates in the women's death battalion (1917), commander Bochkareva immediately established strict discipline and strict subordination. The rise took place at five in the morning, and until ten in the evening there were constant classes with little rest. Many women who previously lived in fairly wealthy families found it difficult to accept soldier life and the established routine. But this was not their greatest difficulty.

Complaints about the commander

As the sources say, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief soon began to receive complaints regarding arbitrariness, as well as rude treatment on the part of the commander of the women’s death battalion in the First World War. The reports noted facts of beatings. In addition, the appearance within its walls of agitators leading political activity, representatives of all kinds of parties, which was a violation of the rules adopted following the uprising. As a result of a large number of disagreements, 250 shockwomen left the 1st Petrograd Women's Death Battalion and moved to another formation.

Sending to the front

Soon the twenty-first of June 1917 arrived, the day when, in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral, in front of a large audience, the newly created unit was awarded the honor of receiving a battle flag. Needless to say, what emotions was experienced by the hero of the occasion, who stood in a new uniform.

But the holiday was replaced by trench life. The young defenders were faced with realities that they had never even imagined before. They found themselves in the midst of morally corrupt and degrading soldiers. In order to protect them from violence, it was sometimes necessary to post sentries on duty at the barracks. But after the first real battle, where Maria’s battalion took direct part, showing unprecedented courage, the shock troops began to be treated with respect.

Hospital and inspection of new units

The Women's Death Battalion in the First World War took part in operations along with other units and suffered losses. Maria Bochkareva, who received a severe concussion on July 9, was sent to Petrograd for treatment. During the period that she spent at the front, her ideas about the women's patriotic movement found a wide response in the capital. New formations were created, which were staffed by defenders of the Fatherland.

After being discharged from the hospital, by order of Kornilov, Bochkareva was given the task of checking such units. The results of the inspection were extremely negative. None of the battalions were truly combative. However, the atmosphere of turmoil that hovered in Moscow did not allow any tangible results to be achieved in a short time.

Soon the initiator of the creation women's battalions Death is sent to her native unit, but right now her fighting spirit is cooling down a little. She has said more than once that she was disappointed in her subordinates and believes that they should not be sent to the front. Maybe her demands on her subordinates were too high, and what she, a combat officer, could handle without problems was beyond the capabilities of ordinary women.

Features of the deadly part

Due to the fact that all these events were close to the episode with the defense of the Winter Palace (government residence), it is worth understanding in more detail what the military unit, the creator of which was Bochkareva, was then. In accordance with the law, the Women's Death Battalion ( historical facts this is confirmed) was equated to an independent unit and in its status corresponded to a regiment in which 1000 soldiers served.

The officer corps included representatives of the strong half who had considerable experience acquired on the fronts of the First World War. The battalion should not have had any political overtones. Its main purpose is to protect the Fatherland from external enemies.

Palace defense

Suddenly, one of the units of the women's death battalion in the First World War receives an order to go to Petrograd, where a parade was supposed to take place on October 24th. In reality, this was only an excuse to attract shockwomen to defend the facility from the Bolsheviks’ attack with weapons in their hands. IN this period The palace garrison consisted of units of Cossacks and cadets, and therefore had no real military power.

The women who arrived at the scene were ordered to defend the southeastern wing of the building. For the first 24 hours they managed to push back the Red Guards and take control of the Nikolaevsky Bridge. But a day later, troops of the revolutionary committee settled around the building, which resulted in a fierce clash.

It was after this that the defenders of the residence, not wanting to give their lives for the newly appointed government, began to retreat from their positions. The women managed to hold out the longest, and only at ten o’clock were negotiators sent out with a statement of surrender. This opportunity was provided, but only on the conditions of complete disarmament.

The arrival of the Bolsheviks and subsequent events

After an armed coup in October, the decision was made to disband the Women's Death Battalion of the First World War, but it was dangerous to return home in uniform. Not without the participation of the Security Committee, the women managed to find civilian clothes in order to get to their homes.

It has been confirmed that during the events described, Maria Leontyevna was at the front and did not take part in them. Despite this, there is a myth that she commanded the defenders of the palace.

IN future fate threw up many more unpleasant surprises. During the outbreak of the civil war, Bochkarev found himself between two fires. First in Smolny senior officials the new authorities persuaded her to take command of the Red Guard unit. After this, Marushevsky, the commander of the White Guards, also tried to win her over to his side. But everywhere she refused: it was one thing to fight against foreigners and defend her homeland, another thing was to kill her own compatriots. Maria almost paid with her freedom for her refusal.

Legendary life

After the capture of Tomsk, Bochkareva herself came to the commandant’s office to hand over her weapons. After some time, she was taken into custody and sent to Krasnoyarsk. The investigators were in prostration, not knowing what to present to her. But the head of the special department, Pavlunovsky, arrives in the city from the capital. Without even trying to study the situation superficially, he makes a decision - to shoot, which was done. Maria Bochkareva was killed on May sixteenth, 1919.

But her life was so unusual that her death gave birth to huge amount legends. It is impossible to say exactly where Maria Leontyeva’s grave is located. Because of this, rumors arose that she managed to avoid execution, and she lived until the forties, taking for herself a completely different name.

But the main legend, of course, remains the woman herself, whose biography can be used to make an exciting film novel.