Chechen cavalry division of the armed forces of Southern Russia

Annotation

In recent decades, everything related to the history of the Chechen people has aroused keen interest and discussion in scientific and parascientific spheres. One such topic is the history of the Chechen Cavalry Division during the Civil War, which non-specialists confuse with the famous Caucasian Native Division (“Wild”), which participated in the First World War and was disbanded after the events of 1917. Chechen Cavalry Division – a unit formed during the Civil War, largely by forced mobilization and included in the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYR) under the command of A. I. Denikin. She participated in the so-called Steppe Campaign in the Lower Volga region, then was sent to fight with Makhno's units, then to the Crimea. The goal is based on the memories of D. L. De Witta – a young officer of the Lieutenant Guard of the Dragoon Regiment and other sources to illuminate the little-known pages of this cavalry unit. Methods of research – historical-genetic (tracing the stages of creation and transformation), comparative-historical analysis, social-psychological approach (study of the motivation of Chechen horsemen, their relations with the command and the local population), local history (details of the environment in the mountains recruitment of volunteers, taking into account the peculiarities of Chechen society). The experience of 1919–1920 clearly demonstrated that the successful use of national formations requires not only a military, but also a political strategy that takes into account the peculiarities of mentality and social organization.

Keywords

• Chechnya
• Civil War
• The Armed Forces of the South of Russia
• White Movement
• Steppe Campaign
• makhnovtsy
• A. I. Denikin
• Grozny
• Cossacks
• cavalry
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References

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