56. Day, January 16, 2018
The next detail is the cartridge bag of our Cossack!
There are - as usual - today first research ...:
Although the Russian military leadership, even after the lost war against Japan (1904/05), stuck to obsolete dogmas - such as the infantry bayonet attack - it was clear that in the early days of the trench and the machine gun, the main weapons of the Cossacks - Lance and saber - but not so contemporary!
Although Cossacks had already carried rifles so far, this weapon was viewed by the military leadership as purely defensive!
So Cossack horses were trained to lie down under enemy fire quietly on the ground to give their rider so cover ...:
The focus of the military doctrine, however, was on "attack" (as with all other European armies too!) - and there were just lances and sabers!
Nevertheless, as part of the reforms after the Russo-Japanese War, it was decided to increase the firepower of the individual Cossack!
Thus, a cartridge pouch was redeveloped (патронатех пхотный / pronounced: "patrontash pekhotny") which the Cossack could hang over his shoulder...:
The cartridge bag was so structured that it could also be worn as a belt. It is significant that the Russians had to use the German word "Patronen-Tasche" to name this new piece of equipment - because there was no equivalent in Russian!
The first cartridge bags were made of cowhide and had four chambers inside ...:
In each of these chambers fitted a loading strip, each with five brass cartridges caliber 7.62 × 54 mm R ...
... for the box magazine of the Mosin-Nagant Cossack Rifle M 1891 ...:
When the Russian military planners realized that the prospective opponent, the German and / or Austro-Hungarian infantryman, carried six loading strips each in his cartridge pouches (thus being able to reload six times during combat!), The "Patrontash" was rapidly expanded to six chambers!
From these cartridge cases existed a large number of variants, all of which were used side by side!
There were leather ones (see above and next pictures) ...
... from oilcloth ...
...fabric...
... as well as combinations of these different materials.
Since the Cossack had to procure his equipment himself and at his own expense (the state made him completely tax-free!) each person got what he liked and what he could afford!
So it is no wonder that in the same units different models were worn side by side, as the next picture shows ...:
If we now look at the well-known photo of Kuzma Krjuchkov, then it can be seen that his "Patrontash" looks very dark - similar to the dark blue epaulets ...:
I have decided not to portray the cartridge case as "leather"! Mainly because there is already a Uriadnik (corporal) of the 6th Orenburg Cossack Regiment in my collection - and he wears a "Patrontash" made of leather ...:
So I decided to paint it as " oilcloth with leather straps" - like this one ...:
So much for today!
Cheers
