The 1st Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade () was an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

of the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

attached to the 1st Siberian Rifle Division of the 1st Siberian Army Corps. The unit was founded in 1851 and took part in the Russian intervention in the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

, the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

before being demobilized in 1918 following the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

History

The unit's origins dated back to 15 June 1851 with the formation of the 16th Garrison Artillery Brigade, consisting of troops located in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. On 29 January 1857, it became the Line

Transbaikal Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia ( rus, Забайка́лье, r=Zabaykal'ye, p=zəbɐjˈkalʲjɪ), or Dauria (, ''Dauriya'') is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" (trans-) Lake Baikal at the south side of the eastern Si ...

Artillery Brigade (). On 29 March 1869, it was renamed to the East Siberian Artillery Brigade, with its headquarters located in

Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...

. Its 1st battery was based in Verkhneudinsk and its mountain battery in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

. In 1884 the East Siberian Military District was divided and the East Siberian Artillery Brigade became part of the Amur Military District. Until 1889 the brigade was located in Nikolskoye, where it remained until 1899, being moved to Nikolsk-Ussuriski. After 31 July 1895, it became known as the 1st East Siberian Artillery Brigade. A new 1st battery of the brigade was formed on 1 March 1900 and the formation was deployed to the Kwantung Oblast. On 13 May 1900, it became part of the newly formed Siberian

Army Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

. That year, it also took part in the

Eight Nation Alliance The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, which were being besieged by the popular Boxer ...

intervention in the

that occurred in

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Russo-Japanese War

On 12 February 1901, the 1st East Siberian Artillery Brigade was subordinated to the 1st Siberian Army Corps. With the beginning of hostilities during the

, the brigade (at the time consisting of four batteries) became part of the Russian

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

n Army in 1904. Later that year, on 15 February, it was renamed the 1st East Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade. Around this time the 2nd battery formerly of the 23rd Artillery Brigade became part of the unit. The brigade, along with its corps, later became part of the 1st Manchurian Army. In the war against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

it took part in the

Battle of Te-li-Ssu The Battle of Te-li-ssu ( '), also called Battle of Wafangou () after the nearby railway station, was a land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. The battle was fought on 14–15 June 1904 between the Japanese Second Army under General Oku Yasu ...

(14–15 June 1904) and in the

Battle of Mukden The , one of the largest land battles to be fought before World War I and the last and the most decisive major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, was fought from 20 February to 10 March 1905 between Japan and Russia near Mukden ...

(20 February–10 March 1905). At least one officer of the brigade was awarded the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

during the war. On 19 February 1906m it was transferred to peacetime status and remained as part of the 1st Siberian Army Corps. In 1907, it was reformed, with the batteries being organized into two divisions of three batteries each. In September 1910, the unit was renamed the 1st Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade and was made part of the 1st Siberian Rifle Division. In addition, it received the former East Siberian mountain artillery division.

World War I

As part of the general mobilization of the

in August 1914, the 1st Siberian Rifle Artillery was transferred to the

Kazan Military District The Kazan Military District was a Military district of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, which existed between 1864—1918 and 1945–1946. History The Kazan Military District was originally formed as a military district of the Russian Em ...

. In September, its parent corps, the 1st Siberian Army Corps, became part of the 5th Army on the Southwestern Front. In November 1914, the brigade had become part of the 2nd Army. From June 1915 the brigade was part of the 1st Army and in August of that year it was returned to the 2nd Army as part of the Western Front. Towards the end of 1916, it was transferred to the 10th Army, where it would remain until the end of the war, and on 23 April 1917 a new light artillery battery was formed within the brigade. With the upheaval of the

in 1917–1918 and the subsequent collapse of the Russian army, the 1st Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade was demobilized.

Organization

For the duration of its existence, the 1st Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade was part of the 1st Siberian Rifle Division (since 1910) of the 1st Siberian Army Corps (since 1900). As of 1901, the brigade consisted of the following (the date of each unit's establishment is given):1-я Сибирская стрелковая артиллерийская бригада
. ria1914.info. Retrieved 3 November 2017. *1st battery (1900) *2nd battery (1883) *3rd battery (1869) *4th battery (1892) *5th battery (1889) *6th battery (1889) *7th mountain battery (1896) *8th mountain battery (1896) By 1907 it was reduced to a strength of six batteries, and divided into two artillery battalions.1-я Сибирская стрелковая артиллерийская бригада
. геоамур.рф. Retrieved 3 November 2017. *1st battalion **1st battery **2nd battery **3rd battery *2nd battalion **4th battery **5th battery **6th battery In 1910 the brigade received its mountain artillery again: *1st battalion **1st battery **2nd battery **3rd battery *2nd battalion **4th battery **5th battery **6th battery *3rd battalion **7th mountain battery **8th mountain battery

Known commanders

This is not a complete list. *1904: Major General Luchkovsky *1906—1909: Major General Alexander Ovyany *1909–1910: Major General Valentin Mokhov *1910–?: Major General Nikolai Mikhailov *1915–1917: Major General Vladimir Bodisko

References

{{reflist Artillery brigades of the Russian Empire Military units and formations of the Boxer Rebellion Military units and formations established in 1851 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918