There are many legends about Russian soldiers, their exploits are known all over the world and command the respect of fellow countrymen and citizens of other countries. The image of a Russian warrior is especially vividly formed from the qualities that characterize his opponents. Those who have encountered them in combat situations believe that the Russians have a special set of traits, shaped by mentality, traditions and ethnic characteristics. So what qualities of our soldiers were most feared by the opponents?

The secret to the success of military operations

After the German army in 1914 and 1940 was able to destroy the French and British, whose armies were considered the strongest in Europe, but were defeated during the Great Patriotic War by the Russians, historians and military analysts began to wonder what was the true reason such outcomes? After a thorough analysis, experts came to the conclusion that it is not only a matter of equipment, modern weapons, tactical and technical training - the psychological and physiological characteristics of soldiers and officers, their national traditions, values ​​and priorities play a huge role.

Fighting spirit

Many historians agree that it is in the mysterious fighting spirit that the secret of all the victories of the Russian army lies. This combination of moral and psychological qualities determines combat capability. During the war, the morale of the soldiers is supported by the commanders. Raising morale is achieved by cultivating ideological convictions, cohesion, and courage. An integral part of the formation of fighting spirit is an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual assistance.

Fighting spirit determines the moral and physical readiness of soldiers to resist enemies, endure the hardships and hardships of military life, overcome themselves and constantly strive for victory. Napoleon spoke about the importance of this quality: “One soldier with a high fighting spirit is worth three, deprived of this weapon.”

Purposefulness and tenacity

The Russian soldier always clearly knows what he is striving for. The ultimate goal of all actions is victory. Win every battle, every battle, and ultimately win the war. As Europeans say about Russians, "there are no half measures for them - either everything or nothing."

Studying the episodes of hostilities, analysts concluded that it was the purposefulness of Russian soldiers that often played the role of a catalyst, because the most correct and balanced, but not completed, decision will eventually lose in terms of effectiveness to a spontaneous impulse, executed with accuracy and logically completed.

Fortitude is inherent in all Russian soldiers. In any battle, soldiers fight to the last bullet, their last breath. The resilience of the Russians on the defensive scares the opponents. Thanks to this quality, many attacks and sieges were repelled.

Bravery

This quality of the Russian warrior is sung by many authors. Courage is considered a national trait of a Russian person. The ability to save others at the cost of one's own life, to rush at tanks, to cover live shells with one's body, realizing that this is necessary for the Motherland, for fellow countrymen, for future generations, is inherent in Russian officers and soldiers.

According to the confessions of those who met them in battle, “Russians boldly go to their death, without fear and hesitation. They believe that if they are destined to die, then death will find them anywhere. These people often say a strange phrase that there can be no two deaths. Russians despise cowardice in the same way that meanness is despised in other armies.

The German military historian General von Pozek noted in his writings: “The Russians often went on the attack on our machine guns and artillery, even when their attack was doomed to defeat. They did not pay attention either to the strength of our fire or to their losses.

composure

The ability to maintain clarity of mind in any critical situation is another characteristic feature of Russian soldiers. The Russian soldier does not panic. On the battlefield among the killed and wounded colleagues, being under the bullets of the enemy, he is able to collect his thoughts in a matter of minutes. Many cases are known when, in a state close to death, soldiers undertook brilliant tactical actions and often emerged victorious from difficult situations.

A military observer in one of the Austrian newspapers considered composure to be one of the most striking features of the Russian military. He wrote: “Russian pilots are cold-blooded. The Russian attacks may not be planned as well as the French, but in the air Russian pilots are unshakable and can endure heavy losses without any panic. The Russian pilot is and remains a formidable adversary.”

Unity and solidarity

And many years ago, and now the Russians amaze everyone with their ability to unite in the most difficult situations. For foreigners, it is a real mystery how, at a moment when everything is going very badly, Russians find strength, rise from their knees, stand shoulder to shoulder. And at this moment they are able to resist the enemies, confidently defending the interests of their country.

F. Engels noted: "There is no way to disperse the Russian battalions: the more menacing the danger, the stronger the soldiers hold on to each other."

This is true even today. The more dangerous the threat hanging over the country and the Russian people, the stronger the desire to unite and fight for the Motherland without a shadow of a doubt.

Strength of will

Willpower is an integral feature of the Russian soldier. This ability to overcome difficulties helps to withstand the harsh conditions of wartime. Unbending willpower was reflected in various military episodes. Many Russian soldiers, officers, partisans endured torture and bullying of enemies to the end, but did not betray their homeland, did not surrender and did not give out secret information.

The Russian soldier is able to endure want and hardship for a long time. He can endure hunger, cold, lack of basic living conditions for a long time.

The greatest commander of the 18th century, Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (1730-1800), who had the titles of Rymniksky, His Grace Prince of Italy, Count of the Russian and Roman Empires, Generalissimo of the Russian Naval and Land Forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian Forces, Grandee of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Prince, awarded for outstanding military merit by the highest Russian and foreign orders, was a truly Orthodox, deeply believing Christian; a father to soldiers and a humble man who bequeathed to write on his tombstone only three words: “Here lies Suvorov.”

It can be said with certainty that there are few generals in world history whose spiritual and moral principles are so strongly developed as those of Suvorov. In his faith in the providence of God, in his mercy, chastity and simplicity, there was a huge power. The authors of Suvorov's biography wrote well about this in pre-revolutionary publications, they were silent in Soviet publications, paying more attention to Suvorov's military talent, and now the spiritual and moral beginning of Suvorov's personality is most fully and deeply covered in the book by Maria Georgievna Zhukova “Your I am az Suvorov”, the daughter of the successor Suvorov traditions of the great Russian commander, Marshal G.K. Zhukov.

On the day of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Suvorov, Alexander Vasilyevich was called the “Russian Archangel”. Just as the holy Archangel Michael, the leader of the heavenly army, so Suvorov, the leader of the earthly army, always put faith in God in the first place, which firmly connected him with the “knights-officers” and “wonderful heroes” - soldiers and helped to win brilliant victories over enemies.

Suvorov in holy baptism was named in honor of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, the great warrior and diplomat, defender of Russia (whose memory is celebrated on November 23, old style). As a boy, Suvorov was frail and weak, not distinguished by good health. But even as a child, Suvorov liked to read books about holy people and old warriors, about battles and exploits. On the advice of a friend of the Suvorov family, the old general Hannibal, Suvorov's father, Vasily Ivanovich, gave the young man Alexander as a private in the Semyonovsky regiment. While in the regiment, Suvorov visited the cadet corps. Having entered the regiment, Suvorov dressed as a real soldier, studied with enthusiasm, studied military sciences, tempered his body, strengthened his health, always prayed to God and was honest in conscience, he fulfilled any duty or official requirement with the greatest accuracy.

Almost no details about his service in the lower ranks have come down to us, except for one incident, which he himself later related. Of the military occupations in peacetime, guard duty is the most important and is carried out almost unchanged in wartime. Therefore, the strict fulfillment of all the requirements of guard duty is an indispensable condition for soldier upbringing and education. It was in this that the soldier Suvorov once had to pass the test. Being in Peterhof on guard, he stood on the clock at Monplaisir. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna passed by, Suvorov saluted her. The Empress drew attention to him and asked him his name. Learning that he was the son of Vasily Ivanovich Suvorov, who was well known to her, she took out a silver ruble and wanted to give it to the young Suvorov. He refused to take it, explaining that the sentinel regulations forbade taking money. “Well done,” said the Empress, “you know the service. When you change, take it.” This ruble Suvorov kept all his life.

Soldier science was easy for Suvorov. For nine years he served in the Semyonovsky regiment in the rank of soldier. These years have not passed in vain for him. He loved the soldiers, and the soldiers loved him. Suvorov learned to speak their language, and in the future he could simply and clearly explain military wisdom to the most obtuse soldier. He was successively promoted to corporal, ensign, sergeant, and in 1754 was promoted to officer. Having become an officer and enrolling in the Ingermanlan Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant, Suvorov tried to continue not to leave military science.

Suvorov did not want to be only a military craftsman, although he put him above any other. Of the subjects of general education, history and literature were in the first place for him. The literary celebrities of recent times were well known to him, and he liked to quote them at the opportunity. He not only read a lot, but also tried to write himself. Once in the war, Suvorov became convinced that soldiers needed to be trained for war in a different way than they were trained in peacetime.
In 1763, 33-year-old Suvorov, already a colonel, began to command the Suzdal infantry regiment. The soldiers then served in the regiment all their lives. They entered the military service as young recruits, and left as gray-haired old men. When the regiment was a lot of soldiers and noble children who did not learn anything. Suvorov quickly began to educate his regiment. He built a building and opened two schools in it - for children of the nobility and soldiers, divided them into classes and himself taught arithmetic, the Law of God, he himself compiled a prayer book for children and a short catechism.
In 1764, being the commander of the Suzdal infantry regiment, Suvorov founded and built a wooden church in Novaya Ladoga in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, which has since been called Suvorovskaya. Suvorov personally carried logs for this church and carved a wooden cross for it. Being the commander of the Kuban corps, he built fortresses in the Kuban, and by personal order of Suvorov in 1778 a church was built in the Yeysk fortification, in which he liked to pray. The name of Suvorov is associated with the laying of Ekaterinodar, and the strengthening of Russia in the Kuban lands.

Suvorov hated idleness, and he considered constant work and prayer an indispensable condition for achieving the highest requirements of service. The invincibility of Suvorov's "miracle heroes" consisted in the training of the body for any difficult trials and in the high spiritual and moral strength of their spirit. Suvorov himself was distinguished by a highly moral life; mercy, charity, love of truth, chastity were the virtues that adorned him. Suvorov considered strict morality the duty of a Christian warrior. Suvorov himself regularly resorted to church sacraments, prayed as he drove past the church, bowed to the ground in front of the images, strictly kept fasts, was baptized, entering the room, sitting down at the table. Suvorov began and ended the day with prayer. Before dinner, his adjutant read "Our Father" and each of the guests had to answer "Amen". Suvorov had a special zeal for the church service, he himself read the Apostle and sang in the church choir. His piety was manifested in constant concern for the maintenance of old and the construction of new churches. Firm faith in God, strong hope in Him, fervent prayer, bringing down invisibly the help of God, is visibly reflected in the uplifting of the spirit of the army, in courage and energy. The ancestors knew this and said: "He who fears God is not afraid of the enemy."

In fact, a believer, wholly devoted to the Providence of God, patiently endures all hardships and trials, calmly and boldly goes towards any danger. He is not afraid of death. “For the holy faith, for the tsar-father, for my native land, I will lay down my life and soul: I swore an oath to that,” the Russian warrior argues in simplicity of heart and fearlessly enters into battle with the enemy. He knows that for death on the battlefield the Kingdom of Heaven is prepared for him, for “there is no greater love than if someone lays down his life for his friends” (Gospel).

All the victories of the Russian troops won in former times over enemies several times stronger and more prepared for war were accompanied by a great upsurge in the religious feeling of the soldiers. The help of God, won by the piety of our ancestors, crowned them with victory. Suvorov, like no one else, was aware of this. He said: “To teach an unfaithful army is like sharpening burnt iron.” By prayer, he always prepared troops for battle and won brilliant victories. In his testament to posterity, Suvorov writes: "Begin everything with the blessing of God and be faithful to the Sovereign and the Fatherland until you breathe out." “God have mercy!” was Suvorov's usual exclamation. Alexander Vasilievich greeted his associates, Bagration and others: “God help!” To which they usually replied: “God have mercy on us!” or “Lord, have mercy!”

His “Notebook of Corporal Conversations” began with the advice: “Pray to God, victory is from him!”, And then the prayers that are obligatory for every soldier were carried out: “Blessed Mother of God, save us!”, “To Hierarch Father Nicholas the Wonderworker, pray to God for us!” and it was explained as follows: “Without this prayer, do not draw your weapon, do not load the gun, do not start anything!” The fruitfulness of this advice was especially expressed in the Italian company, where for seventy-five killed enemies there was only one Russian soldier killed. Moreover, the soldiers who had unbending faith and prayed remained unharmed and did not even have frostbite while crossing the Alps, while those who did not have such faith froze both their hands and feet. Suvorov said about such people: “They are not pleasing to God…” The “Notebook of Corporal Conversations” says: “Short is the swing of the saber, short is the bayonet, and death to the enemy. God's help is faster than the thought of a valiant warrior; therefore, asking for mercy in battle - have mercy, whoever is the avenger is that robber, and God is not a helper to robbers!

How did Suvorov understand the military oath? The current explanation of the oath says that the oath is an oath and therefore seems to the weak-hearted only a “chain” that forcibly chains them to the fulfillment of their duty. Suvorov's explanation of the oath spoke directly to the heart: “You cannot overcome one tenth with your strength, God's help is needed! She is sworn in: you will be a hero in battle, even a sheep in the house; but you will remain a sheep in the house so that you do not become proud ... "

This interpretation of the oath, as a covenant with God, encouraged the weak-hearted, who knew that in battle they would receive both courage and strength from the Lord. Suvorov was unshakable in his trust in God. This is the source of his genius as a commander. Illumination from above and the power of the Lord were granted to the army to the soul “leading an exclamation”. For example, under Trebbia, at a decisive moment, when no tactics helped, Suvorov, having jumped off his horse, fell prostrate on the ground and, in prayer to God, remained in this position for several minutes, then illuminedly gave such orders that the Russian troops won ...
(To be continued)

Confessor of the Krasnodar Regional
public association "Cadet
Suvorov-Nakhimov Brotherhood,
Rector of the Holy Transfiguration Church
Gelendzhik, graduate of Kiev SVU-73
Archpriest Vitaly KOVALEV

Kaliningrad State Technical University

Naval Department

Abstract on the topic:

“Patriotism is the source of the spiritual forces of war”

Task accepted Task completed

Captain II rank student of group 98-is

Piece S.A. Samoletov M.V. "___" ___________2001 "___" __________2001

Kaliningrad 2001

MILITARY PROFESSIONAL PATRIOTISM

“Whoever swore to the banner once, he must stand by it until death.”

All Russian military ships should not lower flags and pennants in front of anyone.

From the Petrovsky maritime charter.

Any person is always a member of some community of people: a nation, a class, a social stratum, a production team, a team of interests, and so on. Each community has its own characteristics, and its members, as a rule, are proud of their belonging to it. As a result, we can talk about various particular variants of patriotism: class, national, professional, and others. Military people are usually interested in military-professional patriotism.

In the history of Russia, its appearance is associated with the birth of a regular army. Its basis is the two amusing regiments of the young Peter I. When the teenage nobles entered adulthood, these regiments became a kind of military schools that trained officers for the infantry and cavalry. Specialist officers were trained by the navigation, artillery, and engineering schools opened on the orders of Peter. With the development of the regular army and the formation of a fundamentally new officer corps, military-professional patriotism receives its final form as an expression of the essence of people who have dedicated their lives to defending the Fatherland. In its main features, it reaches to the present day.

The features of military-professional patriotism did not fall from the sky. They are due to quite objective circumstances. The army in Russia has always been revered, and a military man, as a rule, was a favorite of the people. There are only two situations in the 20th century when interested forces turned the public of Russia against the army and navy. The first time - after the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, the second - after the collapse of the USSR and the transition to market relations.

The military-democratic traditions were quite strong in the Russian army, represented by such generals and admirals as Peter I, G. Potemkin, A. Suvorov, M. Kutuzov, F. Ushakov, P. Nakhimov, M. Skobelev, M. Dragomirov, S. Makarov, M. Frunze, I. Isakov, K. Rokossovsky, G. Zhukov, N. Kuznetsov and many others.

The army was the most important instrument for the formation of the Russian state, and the navy very often served as an instrument of international politics. Since the time of Peter I, a peculiar role of officers in the life of society has developed. The officers not only defended the Fatherland, but built cities and factories, were inventors, discovered new lands, ruled provinces, served as diplomats, and at one time commanded the Orthodox Church. The first Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod was Colonel I. V. Boltin (1721-1726).

An important circumstance that influenced the formation of military-professional patriotism was also the Russian national character.

These reasons determined the peculiar features of Russian military-professional patriotism both before 1917 and after it. Here they are.

Unlimited devotion to the Fatherland and willingness to consciously give up his life for him.

High concepts of military honor and military duty, both among officers and among soldiers and sailors.

Fortitude and perseverance in battle, readiness for a feat as a norm of behavior.

Devotion to the regiment, the ship, its banner, "its" traditions.

Respect and observance of military rituals, awards and honor of the uniform.

Heroic behavior in captivity.

Willingness to come to the aid of peoples in need.

A personal example of an officer to his subordinates.

Mastery of his profession from the commander to the private.

A. V. Suvorov gave the enemy more than sixty fights and battles and did not lose a single one. Military history shows that no other army in the world has such a set of features.

"The significance of military-professional patriotism is great, although it is an intangible phenomenon: neither weigh, nor measure, nor calculate. But at critical moments, it was he who each time pulled the scales of the fighting parties in favor of Russia.

For clarity, two examples.

One textbook example is 28 Panfilov heroes. Think about it: only 28 people, including one officer. Armament - fuel bottles, grenades, several anti-tank rifles. Right and left - no one. Could run up and look for the wind in the field. They could have given up and no one would have known. They could lie at the bottom of the trench and come what may. But neither one, nor the other, nor the third happened. We repulsed two tank attacks: one - 20 tanks, the other - 30. They burned half! According to all conceivable and unthinkable calculations, they should have lost, because almost two tanks per brother. But they didn't lose. Won! Today, many do not believe and ask: why?

Answer in three words - oath, duty, patriotism:

oath - an oath to the Motherland,

duty - obligation to the Motherland,

Patriotism - love for the Motherland.

If the military people have it, they are invincible. The feat of twenty-eight heroes throws down those who would like to see only blood, torment and mistakes in the war - real and imaginary - and not notice the will, talent, skill and contempt for death in the name of the Fatherland.

Another example from another war. It was February 26, 1904. Small destroyer "Guarding" against two cruisers and four large destroyers of Japan. Seventy gun barrels, including six-inch ones, against four.

The Japanese, surrounding the destroyer, offered him to surrender. The Russian sailors did not even respond to this proposal, and the St. Andrew's flag was nailed to the mast just in case. During the battle, out of 52 crew members, 46, including all the officers, were killed, the Japanese captured four wounded sailors. An attempt to take the dilapidated ship in tow failed. Two sailors: Ivan Mikhailovich Bukharev - engine quartermaster and Vasily Sergeevich Novikov - bilge engineer rushed into the engine room, battened down the room and, sacrificing their lives, opened the kingstones.

The move is amazing! Everything is here - loyalty to the oath and military duty, steadfastness and perseverance in battle, feat as a norm of behavior, a personal example of officers, especially the commander of the ship, Lieutenant Alexander Semenovich Sergeev.

On May 10, 1911, a monument by the artist K. V. Isenberg was unveiled in St. Petersburg, depicting two sailors opening portholes and kingstones in order to flood the destroyer so that the enemy does not get it. The monument was cast from the barrels of ancient ship guns stored in the Kronstadt arsenal. If you look closely, you can see a massive and wide cross in the outer outlines of the sculpture with only one word on the crosshairs - “GUARDING”.

In dictionaries, military-professional patriotism is defined as pride in belonging to the army and navy, in one's regiment, ship, their honor and glory. This definition is quite usable, but, in our opinion, there is no bearer of professional military patriotism in it: a soldier, sailor, midshipman, cadet, officer. Therefore, we supplement the definition with the following reflection: military professional patriotism is the ability of a soldier at a critical moment to reach his highest professional physical, strong-willed, moral and moral limit and surpass it in the interests of the Motherland.

On this occasion, the Prussian king Frederick II respectfully said: "It is not enough to kill a Russian soldier, he must be knocked down." And the words belong to the famous Napoleon: “Give me a Russian soldier, and I will conquer the whole world.” Bernadotte, a former marshal of Napoleon, then the king of Sweden advised the Swedes: "Imitate the Russians, nothing is impossible for them." But A. V. Suvorov formulated it best of all, just two words: “Wonderful heroes!”

Soldiers and sailors are brought up, trained and led into battle by officers. They also die next to them. No matter what the philistine gossip about them - this is a special, noble and, as already noted, the most patriotic layer of citizens.

After the builder stay at home.

After the grain grower - bread.

After the writer - books.

What remains after the officer?

Only legendary examples of highly patriotic service that determine the fate of the Motherland and the face of the army and navy.

A few examples.

1380 year. Kulikovo field. Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, having taken off his grand ducal vestments and put on the armor of a simple warrior, stood in the general formation of the Big Regiment and together with him held a terrible blow of the Tatar cavalry for three hours.

· 1812. General Nikolai Raevsky. In a hopeless situation near the village of Saltanovka, he personally led his corps into the attack, taking with him two sons - sixteen and eleven years old. Struck by the general's determination not to spare either himself or his children, the soldiers overthrew the enemy in a fierce battle.

· 1854. Admiral Vladimir Kornilov, organizer of the defense of Sevastopol. Mortally wounded, bleeding, he manages to say: “Tell everyone how pleasant it is to die when the conscience is calm. I am happy that I am dying for the Fatherland.”

· 1904. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev, commander of the Varyag cruiser, being face to face with the Japanese squadron, rejected the demand to surrender, entered the battle and, having won a moral victory, glorified the Russian fleet and Russian national character for centuries.

· 1945. Captain 3rd rank A. I. Marinesko, commander of the famous S-13 submarine, made the world-famous “attack of the century”, which decided the fate of the German submarine fleet.

This list can be continued indefinitely. M. Lermontov's famous line comes to mind: “Yes, there were people in our time...” Let's try to evaluate our day.

The first, main and most important male profession is the profession of an officer. I clearly realize that for someone this idea is controversial, but for someone it is unacceptable. Well, I do not impose my point of view, but I have the right to express judgments in its defense.

S. G. Maksimov. Russian military traditions

The path of the Russian army

And truly bright and holy

The glorious cause of war

Seraphim, clear and winged,

Behind the shoulders of the soldiers are visible.

The spiritual foundations of education are expressed primarily in ideas and ideals. The fundamental social idea cannot but be national, since the influence of ideas is carried out on people through their spiritual way of life, reflecting belonging to a given people. This spiritual way is also called the "soul of the people", and it is most clearly manifested in the military class, called upon to protect the ideals of society.

The basis of the ancient Russian education of the soul was the education of the will as “the main factor in human life” and the veneration of the clan-community as a condition for the existence of a person. The will of a Russian person, according to many thinkers, is in a dormant state and awakens only in the most difficult times. It needs daily activation, while many parents, teachers and bosses forcibly weaken the will during education, as a possible instrument of self-will (disobedience), but only strong-willed and energetic people are the backbone of the state in difficult times.

Suvorov crossing the Alps in 1799. Artist V.I. Surikov

The patriotism of a warrior follows from the very structure of his class status. The path of a warrior is, first of all, the path of honor, conscience, the path of the defender of one's homeland. These qualities have historically been inherent in the Russian army.

The essence of the Russian military tradition is expressed by St. Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky: “God is not in power, but in truth!” And military service in Russia was a way of communal obedience according to the words: “There is no greater love than if someone lays down his life for his friends.” Filaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow: “Love your personal enemy, crush the enemy of the Fatherland, abhor the enemy of God!”

Woe to the country that in difficult times forgets about the army, humiliating and trampling it, because this is fraught with the loss of statehood. The task of the Russian army and society is to restore a normal military ideology, revive military traditions, recreate the Warrior as he was in the traditional Indo-European civilization, as he was in Russia.

The evolution of military views from the aphorisms of A.V. Suvorov:

1. I am a soldier, I do not know any tribe or clan. The field is one of my elements.

2. My honor is dearest to me. God is her patron.

3. I am proud that I am a Russian!.. We are Russian, we will overcome everything.

Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov completed the development of Russian military tactics, the most suitable for the Russian army. He also formulated the basic principles for the successful development of the army: originality and national pride without arrogance; the study of all the best that has been created by military thought in the world; conscious attitude to one's work, initiative, discipline, development of success to the end. And the crown of everything is a victory won with little bloodshed.

A Russian person does not like pettiness, he is disgusted by dryness and pedantry, he is inclined "not to beat a lying person." This is confirmed by the lines from the order of M.I. Kutuzov dated December 21, 1812 when crossing the Russian border in the course of pursuing the fleeing French army: “But we will not follow the example of our enemies in their rampage and fury, humiliating the soldier. They burned our houses, cursed the shrine, and you saw how the right hand of the Most High righteously avenged their wickedness. Let us be generous, let us distinguish between the enemy and the civilian. Justice and meekness in dealing with the townsfolk will clearly show them that we do not want their enslavement and vain glory, but we seek to free from disaster and oppression even those very peoples who armed themselves against Russia.

The spiritual core and guardian of the traditions of military honor in any army is the officer corps. An officer graduating from the school should, according to M.I. Dragomirov to be firm in the foundations on which the education of a soldier is based: a) devotion to the sovereign and the Motherland to the point of selflessness; b) discipline; c) belief in the inviolability (holiness) of the command; d) courage (decisiveness, fearlessness); e) determination to meekly endure labor, cold, hunger and all the needs of a soldier; f) a sense of mutual benefit.

Bayonet attack. Engraving from the beginning of the 20th century.

A warrior needs an unshakable spiritual support. For a Russian person, a traditional Russian warrior, understanding of what he is ready to fight and die for is of great importance. M.I. Dragomirov said: “In battle, only he beats who is not afraid to die; for a person who has raised himself in this way, there are no surprises ... And only under this condition ... audacity and perseverance in achieving the goal will become a natural thing.

Emotional uplift, combined with historical memory and frequent disregard for life, creates favorable conditions for accomplishing feats. We can say that heroism is in the blood of the Russian people.

Frederick the Great after the Battle of Kunersdorf. 18th century engraving

With our peculiar emotional upsurge, which allows us to perform miracles, we are very different from both the rational Western European soldier and the idealized Far Eastern idea of ​​the state of the warrior's spirit. The idea that in battle one must maintain the same state of mind as in ordinary life is typical of martial arts. Here is an excerpt from the book “Five Rings” by the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi: “In battle, the state of your spirit should not differ from everyday life. Both in a fight and in everyday life, you must be purposeful, but calm. Face the situation without tension, but not carelessly, with a balanced but not prejudiced spirit. Even when your spirit is calm, don't let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed, don't let your spirit loosen up. Don't let the body influence the spirit, and don't let the spirit influence the body. Be neither under-inspired nor over-inspired. The rising spirit is weak, and the descending spirit is weak. Don't let the enemy penetrate your state."

These statements are more suitable for unhurried ritualized duels in medieval Japan, and not for modern, uneven combat, although composure during emergencies distinguishes true professionals. The military path is service “without fear and reproach”, but it is also a worthy existence in peacetime.

Features of the psychotype of a Russian person are reflected in folklore, for example, in the saying: "Until the thunder breaks out, the peasant will not cross himself." A Russian person needs to “turn on”, which takes some time, but then the “club of the people's war” begins to nail inexorably, although often blindly.

Suvorov said: “Attack, with what you came! If, cut, drive, cut off, do not let! Hooray! He works miracles, brothers!.. Beat the enemy, sparing neither him nor yourself, hold on evil, fight to the death, the one who has less pity for himself wins ... There is nothing more terrible than the desperate!

“Hurray” is a Russian battle cry, one of the ancient ways of mobilizing a warrior, allowing him to break away from everyday life and tune in to a battle in which there is no longer any place for doubt and fear.

A vivid example of the special service of the Russian army is the bayonet attacks, which appeared during the heyday of firearms and the regular army of the Western model. In the XVIII century in Russia, the period of the formation of official army fencing techniques with bladed weapons and flanking (spear, pike, bayonet control) begins. Combat techniques are systematized and included in the combat regulations of the Russian troops. The famous Russian commanders Rumyantsev, Suvorov become the developers of hand-to-hand combat weapons. As a result, the Russian bayonet battle soon surpassed all the armies of the world.

Poltava battle in 1709. Artist L. Caravak

A bayonet attack met with bayonets is an extremely rare occurrence in the military history of Western armies. Prince de Ligne, a participant in many wars in Europe, testifies that only once in his entire life, in 1757, did he hear the clanging of a bayonet against a bayonet.

For a bayonet attack without shots, a certain dedication is required, which was not characteristic of the mercenary armies of the West. Marshal of Savoy mentions the following fact: “Charles XII, the Swedish king, wanted to introduce an attack with melee weapons into his infantry. He talked about it often, and the army knew it was his idea. Finally, in the battle against the Muscovites, at the moment when the matter was about to start, he rode up to his infantry regiment, made an excellent speech, dismounted from his horse in front of the banner and himself led his regiment into the attack, but when they approached thirty paces to the enemy, his entire regiment began to shoot, despite his order and his presence ... The king was so stung by this that he only walked along the ranks, mounted his horse and rode off without uttering a single word.

By the beginning of the Seven Years' War, Frederick the Great was inclined to the same idea. The infantry was inspired that its own interest dictated not to linger under enemy fire, but to climb on the enemy. At the same time, "the king assumes responsibility to each soldier that the enemy will not put his bayonets into action, but will run." In the battles of 1757 near Prague and Kolin, the Prussian infantry tried to attack almost without shots, the results were disappointing.

A.V. really turned the attitude towards hand-to-hand combat in the Russian army. Suvorov. In The Science of Victory, he writes: “The bullet will miss, but the bayonet will not. The bullet is a fool, but the bayonet is well done! When once! Throw the infidel from the bayonet: dead on the bayonet, scratching his neck with a saber. Saber on the neck - jump off a step, strike again! If another, if the third! The hero will stab half a dozen, and I have seen more. Watch out for the bullet in the muzzle! Three will jump in - stab the first, shoot the second, shoot the third bayonet karachun ... In two ranks there is strength, in three one and a half strengths: the front one tears, the second brings down, the third completes. One of the main innovations was that Suvorov was the first in a bayonet battle to combine loose and dense formation, depending on the situation (even on rough terrain and during the assault on fortresses), that is, he made it universal. The result was that in those days not a single enemy of equal strength could withstand the Russian bayonet attack.

You can learn about hand-to-hand combat of Russian infantry in the Northern War from A. Tolstoy's novel "Peter I", where the hero of the novel during the fight "saw only the wide backs of the Preobrazhenians, working with bayonets, like pitchforks - like a peasant ...", but from of this appeal, the enemies fled as best they could.

- durability;

- endurance;

- courage;

- ingenuity;

- selflessness;

- the highest cohesion and discipline in case of emergency.

These qualities may not appear immediately. Sometimes it takes some time to comprehend the threat at the level of national consciousness, which was shown to us by the experience of the Patriotic Wars of 1812 and 1941-1945.

The spiritual life of society has a significant influence on the formation of the worldview of a warrior's personality. The dominant ideology, which does not correspond to the deepest aspirations of the people, can lead to initial defeats, sometimes casting doubt on the possibility of the very existence of Russia. We have observed this phenomenon throughout the history of the state, and it manifested itself especially clearly at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Departure of Ivan the Terrible to fight against Livonia. Artist G.-E. Lissner

Unfortunately, there is no opportunity in this book to talk about the exploits of soldiers in the Great Patriotic War, since the author aims to tell about the origins of the formation of the domestic army, and these sources should be sought in the distant, glorious and difficult past of Russia.

The main thing is that over many generations, traits have been formed that make Russian soldiers and our army the best in the world, provided that there is competent military and political leadership, good supplies and non-interference of cunning ideologists of various stripes.

Despite all the reforms and troubles, the fighting spirit of our ancestors remained in the Russian people: the Scythians-Skolts, Antes, Varangians, Cossacks, combatants and unknown warriors, wise elders and commanders.

The military traditions of Russia are alive, and this is shown by our glorious victories in the past. Let us live with dignity in the present, and prepare the foundation for an equally glorious future.

Battle on the Kulikovo field. Front Chronicle

The question of whom to die for divided society into patriots and pacifists

From our military history, three models of the formation of the moral character of the defender of the Fatherland are known: a soldier of the Imperial Russian Army, which existed until February 1917, a Soviet soldier of the period 1918-1991, and, finally, the current defender of the Motherland. What is the modern moral image of the warrior of our long-suffering army, which has been severely tested by reforms?

The moral image of the Russian soldier from the time of the creation of regular units of the Russian army until the period of the fall of the monarchy in February 1917 was formed under the influence of Orthodoxy. Tsar Peter for the first time introduced into the state, first naval ships, and then regiments of military priests as acting as educators of personnel.

It is well known that Peter the Great did not particularly stand on ceremony with what he considered to be obsolete historical categories and traditions, easily changing the alphabet, calendar, order, appearance of the Russian people and of the whole society. Nothing prevented him from adopting, for example, Protestantism, European nihilism or even Islam, well known in Russia since the time of its adoption by the Horde Khan Uzbek. Obviously, having traveled almost all of the then enlightened Europe, Peter did not find anything better for the soul of a Russian soldier than Orthodoxy.

Secret of the Russian army

Limited, downtrodden, intimidated by stupid and greedy tsars and cunning priests, the grey-pawed peasant - with such broad strokes they usually painted a portrait of a Russian Christian peasant. The unbridled anti-church, anti-Russian, anti-imperial campaign launched by homegrown liberals back in the middle of the 19th century contributed to the formation of these stereotyped clichés in the minds of Soviet citizens. But did Tsar Peter need such warriors? Is a narrow-minded, intimidated and cowardly soldier capable of defeating the strongest army of the Swedish king Charles, the troops of the militant Dagestan princes, the soldiers of the Persian Shah, or the fierce Turkish Janissaries? Definitely not!

Often having no advantages either in combat experience, or in weapons or tactics, the young Russian army prevailed primarily due to the Christian virtues of the Russian soldier - stamina, self-sacrifice, conscientiousness, endurance, extraordinary patience. This is one of the most important secrets of the victories of Russian weapons. So isn't it time to reconsider the outdated atheistic clichés about the supposedly low moral and combat qualities of a Christian warrior?

Of course, a serf peasant who has not yet been shaved into recruits is not yet a soldier of the victorious army. But since the very concept of service (service) in the Russian people was understood as a heavy, but necessary burden, duty, the process of reincarnation from a peasant into a soldier occurred naturally. Illiterate, but brought up by the Church, peasant peasants were ready for service both morally and physically. They knew that Christ came to earth to serve people, any royal or lordly duty was considered a service, and the monarch himself, the anointed of God, served his people.

Brought up according to the Gospel commandments in respect for parents and elders, in obedience to the authorities given by God, the Russian peasant tempered his will, gained wisdom. He was firmly convinced that his immortal soul belongs to the Creator and will be judged by the One God. Death on the battlefield for the right sovereign cause did not frighten him.

Unlike the descendants of the children of disenfranchised Soviet collective farmers, who take dictation “We are not slaves, we are not slaves!” Our believing ancestors were proud of the name “God's servant”. Such “slaves” made up the majority of soldiers, sailors and officers of the Russian army during the times of Peter the Great, P. A. Rumyantsev, F. F. Ushakov, M. I. Kutuzov, P. S. Nakhimov, M. D. Skobelev, A. A. Brusilova ... “The Spirit strengthens in the faith of the father, the Orthodox. To teach the unfaithful army that to sharpen burnt iron, ”A. V. Suvorov instructed.

And while his testament was alive, the Russian army remained invincible.

"We need hate"

The more religious feeling became impoverished in the people and the army under the influence of revolutionary propaganda, the more the peasant and soldier felt like a “free person”, starting to look for meaning in the orders of the superiors who sent him to certain death-death.

The most ridiculed Christian qualities are patience and humility. But the "man with a gun" deprived of them became a coward in battle, and in the rear - an insolent and scoundrel. It is possible to kill without humility, but it is impossible to die in the name of the Motherland.

“The denial of religion gave rise to unbelief,” wrote F. M. Dostoevsky. - Morality, cut off from its source - religion, inevitably had to result and resulted in immorality, in complete lack of principle. The cult of the Deity was replaced by the cult of one's own "I", the cult of satanic pride and selfishness. The God-man was replaced by the man-god. Moral decline, spiritual squalor, selfishness, heartlessness, frank, cynicistic denial of the most elementary concepts of humanity, of simple decency ... have become an ordinary, normal phenomenon.

By February 1917, the Russian army had completely degraded. The soldiers, decomposed by Bolshevik agitators and propagandists, abandoned the trenches and poured home in crowds, robbing and killing civilians and counter officers along the way. Not wanting to go to war, they supported the rebels in Petrograd, shedding their first blood. Putting on red armbands and calling themselves Red Guards, they cowardly fled from the Germans in February 1918 from near Narva, where they were sent under the command of the first "People's Commissar for Marine Affairs" (People's Commissar for Naval Affairs) P. E. Dybenko to save the young Republic of Soviets by new leaders .

And it is no coincidence that in the Red Army memo of those “fiery years”, prepared by the founding father of the Red Army, L. D. Trotsky, there were such words: “Down with love for one's neighbor, we need hatred. We must be able to hate. Only at this price will we conquer the universe... We hate Christians. Even the best of them must be regarded as our worst enemies. They preach love for one's neighbor and mercy, which is against our communist principles. Christian love is an obstacle to the development of the revolution.”

Who is life for?

In the Red Army, as later in the Soviet army, great attention was paid to party political work and the promotion of the so-called communist worldview. The absurdity and low effectiveness of this total ideological pressure was revealed by the first months of the Great Patriotic War, after which Stalin pushed the commissars into place for a long time, depriving them of their former rights.

So what was new in the communist upbringing of the Soviet soldier? Nothing but an emphasis on the moral qualities of a soldier known since the time of Suvorov: courage, courage, honesty, conscientiousness, valor, loyalty to the Motherland and duty, strong military discipline. Only instead of the discarded "religious dogmas" presented by the great commander, there appeared devotion to the cause of Lenin's party and internationalism.

It is well known who and at what cost our army defeated in the Great Patriotic War. But what did the heroes of the Brest Fortress and Krasnodon, partisan Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya and Captain Nikolai Gastello give their lives for? For the Motherland, for the victory, for our comrades, for the dead and burned, for the living and the unborn, for parents, children, brothers and sisters.

Yes, there were those who, dying, called the name of the leader of the party. But is this sacrifice addressed personally to Comrade Stalin, or rather to the idea of ​​a single national leader, with whom hopes were pinned for victory, for the liberation of the Motherland from the occupiers? And didn’t Ivan Susanin or tens of thousands of Russian soldiers give their lives for this in the battle of Borodino or on the Malakhov Hill? The soldiers of the 57th Modlin Infantry Regiment, who heroically defended Sevastopol, had a song with the following words: “Only he is worthy of life who is always ready to die, an Orthodox Russian warrior beats enemies without counting. For the Tsar and for Russia, we are ready to die. We will put everyone on a bayonet for the Tsar and for Russia!

Stalin, in a confidential conversation with the personal representative of the President of the United States Harriman, speaking about the reasons why the Russians fight so desperately with the enemy, admitted: “Do you think they are fighting for us communists? No, they are fighting for their mother Russia.”

Communism never became the faith for which people went to their deaths. Quite appropriate Christian motives continued to work - to die "for one's own friends." Recently declassified data from the 1937 census show that more than half of the population of the USSR over the age of 16 (56.7 percent) were believers.

From the bitter lessons learned from the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the leadership of the USSR, unfortunately, could not draw the right conclusions. After Stalin's death, the party's policy returned to its former disastrous trajectory of wasting forces and resources on building communism throughout the world and fighting international imperialism. The number of enemies, and especially "friends" in the socialist camp, increased noticeably, and more and more Soviet soldiers were trained to provide fraternal assistance to the oppressed peoples of other countries. Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, Syria, Egypt, Angola, Mozambique, Afghanistan were added to pre-war Spain, Mongolia and China ...

But even this outwardly noble idea was nothing new. Imperial Russia more than once entered the war for its brothers of the same faith, without looking for benefits. This is, first of all, the Crimean War, which was unsuccessful for it, which, as you know, began because of the oppression of the Orthodox in the Holy Land by the Turks, or the First World War, which we started standing up for the Serbs, unprepared.

The clearest example is the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria gained independence, and Serbia, Montenegro and Romania gained territories. Then more than 100 thousand Russian soldiers died, and Russia itself only regained its previously lost lands. Is this not an example of selfless help to fraternal peoples without imposing oneself as patron friends, as happened in Eastern Europe after the Czechs, Poles, Germans, Magyars, Romanians, Balkan Slavs, and Albanians were liberated from the Nazis?

Oblico morale

The process of reforming our army is clearly far from complete, but something is already visible to the naked eye. Especially against the backdrop of a flaring scandal with the theft of budgetary funds in the Ministry of Defense and its subsidiaries. Much, probably, can be explained by the saying “What is the pop - such is the arrival”, since some of his most dexterous and unprincipled subordinates followed the example of their former boss. And how many similar “deals” of a smaller caliber are going on in the barracks, cabins, cockpits, offices, warehouses and boxes? One can only guess.

Making money on everything you have to do with is a bad omen for our army. The service is increasingly turning into a profitable business. At the same time, grandiloquent words about honor and conscience, dignity and sacrifice do not stop sounding from the high stands and pages of the emasculated departmental press. One after another, “codes of honor” are adopted in power ministries and structures, officer meetings are held ... Meanwhile, among officers, one can hear less and less talk about military duty, about service and combat experience, about subordinates. More and more they talk about money, cars and rest over the hill. Obviously, this is the ideology of the present day.

So what lofty ideas are we going to die for? This question has long divided society into patriots and pacifists. And there are clearly more of the latter today. According to recent polls, only 23 percent of our compatriots are ready to stand up for the Motherland at the first call.

Obviously, the reason for the rejection of self-sacrifice lies in the decline of spirit and the lack of a clear civic position, which cannot be formed in a society of consumers, where every man is for himself.

Ochakov times and the conquest of the Crimea

What to do? Looking for "best practices" abroad? Alas, neither the US Army nor its European allies can offer us anything good. The growth of suicides, crimes, offenses among the military personnel of the NATO countries, including our former allies and "brothers", speaks of a crisis of ideology and Western armies. The same processes are going on here. The armies of the Arab countries and the states of the Middle East, according to most experts, are focused on religious and national traditions, where the cult of martyrs (literally, witnesses, martyrs for the faith) and heroes who gave their lives for their homeland (Israeli IDF) is clearly visible. The PLA remains the most powerful in the east, where nationally oriented patriots of the Celestial Empire are brought up under red banners and communist slogans, preparing to accomplish feats, but by no means in the interests of the international proletariat.

One of my opponents, an atheist, suggested that instead of the "empty talking shop" (classes in social and state training), visits to morgues and slaughterhouses be introduced for the current soldiers. In his opinion, this is what will make the warriors more courageous and courageous. This "flight of atheistic thought" speaks of the highest degree of spiritual emptiness and unbelief in man.

The modernized and finally completely reformed army (if this ever happens) will be unfit for combat if the depths of the spirit and consciousness of the military personnel are not affected. Even now, soldiers and even commanders are giving in to the natives of only one small North Caucasian republic, the whole strength of which lies in an exorbitantly inflated national self-consciousness, based, albeit on a distortedly understood, but faith.

The historical experience of Russian national self-consciousness has been preserved by us in the guise of a noble, courageous, glorious, modest and humble warrior of the Russian army. These are our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, our close and distant ancestors. What prevents today to make the most of their experience? His guides could be veterans, returning officers-educators and military chaplains, whom the new Minister of Defense wanted to see in the ranks of the army as soon as possible. It seems that today we have no alternative to the ideology of “the times of Ochakov and the conquest of Crimea”.