Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 299 001 Hunters are best suited for two-row shooting
The year was 1805, and Solovyov was about to take office on the first day, still according to the Russian calendar.

When he arrived at the former Semenovsky Regiment camp in the Admiralty District, he asked the soldiers to line up.

There were also soldiers whispering to each other in the queue. This regiment had always had a general in charge, but no commander. For a long time, it was organized as a battalion-level unit.

Now all the hunters using breech-loading rifles have been concentrated in these two battalions. This is the first time that a regimental commander is needed.

Of course, the veterans of the Guards were also very familiar with the young regiment commander Solovyov. After all, he had been following the two emperors for a long time, and the gun in his hand was designed by him.

"Are all the officers of our regiment present?"

"Everyone is here, what instructions do you want?"

Speaking of which, there are only three colonels in the Guards Jager Regiment, besides himself there are two battalion commanders, and the rest of the officers are lieutenants. The entire regiment has just been supplemented with 800 soldiers, and it is still fully equipped.

The officer in front of Solovyov, Alexei Kologrivov, was five years older than him and had also served as an aide-de-camp to Paul in the past, but he had been in the court very early, serving in the empress's court at the age of 5 in 1791. His elder brother was the aide-general Andrei Kologrivov, the unlucky cavalry general who was loyal to Paul but was tied up on the night of the coup.

They were very familiar with each other, so the polite words were just a few.

"I don't have much to say to my brothers. Instead, we should prepare to start training."

"Yes, Misha, from now on I may have to address you by your title, unlike when you were with the emperor in the past."

Solovyov was surprised that his promotion was slower than his own and he was currently only a captain.

There was nothing he could do about it. He had never been to the battlefield like himself before. He was just serving his years as a waiter.

"It doesn't matter. It has to be done as it should be."

As for the other officers who came here, Solovyov also roughly knew the situation of some of them.

After all, the Guards Jager Regiment was expanded from Paul's Gatchina Army. Among the Guards, it is obviously not as popular as the three major regiments. Even though their status is equal now, they are still missing a regiment!
As for the officers, needless to say, their treatment is much better than that of the other grenadiers and general infantry, but there is still some gap compared to the three regiments.

"Brothers, the weapons we use are all the latest models. We are the trust of the motherland and the people, and the grace of the emperor. Since we are in the Guards Jaegers, we must compete with those Guards Grenadiers to see who has the stronger combat effectiveness!"

The soldiers would still cheer when he said that, and Ruzovskaya Street itself was a military land. It was just that the 5th Company of the Semenovsky Regiment had never filled up the street when they were stationed here. Apart from the military barracks they used, there were still many empty spaces.

If they don't occupy this area, there will be more illegal constructions.

After reviewing the situation in the regiment, Solovyov roughly knew what to do.

He quickly went to Bagration and explained the situation.

"Now you want to demolish those illegal buildings on Ruzovskaya Street? This is easy to do. This is the land of the Guards Chasseurs. No other buildings are allowed to appear here, especially since there are some warehouses there, which were built by some fallen guys in the past."

"So, can I go and demolish it?"

"Of course, but I still need to write a report."

Bagration was still very caring towards him. In order not to cause trouble, he had to pay attention to the impact when he wanted to demolish the buildings in the Admiralty District. After all, he didn't know which warehouse or building was built by some nobleman.

There are still gaps around buildings on some streets in St. Petersburg, but on those sections of embankments where every inch of land is valuable, there are hardly any gaps left.

As for the forced demolition, it became part of the earthwork, and Solovyov even personally took a pickaxe and a sledgehammer to break down the walls.

But there is no need to shout "eighty! eighty!" After all, this is a regular demolition job, and there is nothing left in those warehouses.

Speaking of which, even Rome’s “Urban Management Brigade” is not as efficient as theirs.

While the Guards Jager Regiment cleared some illegal buildings in the area, the Jager's new tactics also needed to be considered.

For line infantry, the three-row formation is more suitable. Although the two-row formation is conducive to shooting, it is relatively thin and can be easily penetrated by the enemy's attack.

Therefore, in Suvorov's teachings, we can notice that he does not like two-row formations, and often even adopts a thicker formation in the impact formation.

However, we have to take into account that his tactical thinking is aimed at line infantry and grenadiers, and is not so suitable for chasseurs.

Especially since there are now 23 ordinary chasseur regiments and 1 guards chasseur regiment in the Russian army, and the number is still expanding, the tactical position of the chasseurs and how to fight are also very important matters.

Therefore, after Solovyov went to break down the wall on the first day, he still had to go to Bagration.

But this time it was not at 25 Italy Street. It was obviously impossible to entertain guests at home and discuss important military affairs in the same place.

There were more people coming this time, mainly middle and senior military officers, and the reception room at home was not appropriate, so it was better to go to the palace in Menshikov's past, which was often requisitioned by the Military Academy.

"What we are discussing here today is also infantry tactics, and the matters involved here are mainly tactical regulations."

However, when some generals are allowed to speak there, it always makes people feel that if the person speaking on the stage asks what you are going to say to the person sitting next to you, then you can only say "this is the general manager's opinion".

There was no substantial progress, and even the training could not maintain the past norms. It was not until Alexander personally issued an edict that the problem of slow and fast steps in the queue was solved.

"As for the Jaegers, I think the 24 existing Jaeger Regiments use many different types of weapons. Whether it's the Jaegers Regiments built in the early years, the Gatchina Units built during the time of His Majesty Paul, or the newly established Jaegers Regiments, the weapons here alone have many different calibers."

Someone said this above, and someone agreed with it below.

"Among the entire army, only the Guards Chasseurs have a unified weapon system."

The topic accidentally turned to Solovyov. The Guards Jager Regiment was equipped with breech-loading rifled rifles, which were different from the weapons and equipment of the Jagers, but consistent with the few "special shooters" equipped in the Guards.

This 1797 model rifle was invented by their new regiment commander. Although it has been improved and upgraded with a kit, it should actually be called the 1800 model now.
"Lieutenant Colonel Solovyov, I think it's better for you to answer this question."

Since the ball was kicked over, he had to catch it. "I think when the hunters are engaged in a front-line firefight, they also have to consider the changes in the battlefield environment and the weapons we have. When selecting soldiers for the hunter regiment, they usually choose those with better shooting skills and those who are not tall but strong."

"That's what the Guards Chasseurs are like, Solovyov, and your weapons and equipment are the best."

"Therefore, I have also thought about the tactics of the Jagers. In the better-equipped Guards Jager Regiment, of course, the rifles used by our soldiers have a faster firing rate, so we can consider arranging them in two rows, which will help to develop firepower. However, for the troops using old equipment, the three-row formation still has some problems in shooting."

The problems mentioned by Solovyov actually existed for a long time, but they had not been raised in a written report.

"When firing in three columns, if the soldiers in the rear column are hasty in their preparations, it may lead to accidental injuries, especially when the depth of our army's column is large."

Some people still agree with this point. Some old officers who have led troops for many years and even fought on the battlefield agree with this.

In the past, the Russian army had relatively good discipline enforcement in battles, and they always launched bayonet attacks, so this problem was less exposed.

If it were an army that likes to use firepower, the situation might be different.

"So, in the case of the Guards Jaegers, they will be arranged in two rows first, but other Jaeger Regiments must also take into account the specific environment on the battlefield."

Given the current battlefield environment of the Russian army, the Jager Regiment will have to be pulled out and used as line infantry in many battles.

Grenadiers and line infantry in the general sense would sometimes change formation, and the French did so frequently.

If they want to exert their firepower, they will naturally have to line up in two rows, but their weapons and equipment are still limited. The Guards now have to replace the equipment of the entire army, and they must prepare at least 7500 Model 1797 and Model 1800 rifled guns.

Although the Russian army can afford the money, the Tula Arsenal does not have the production capacity at present.

This does not take into account the need to expand troop strength in wartime and to add company-level soldiers and non-combat personnel to each regiment for both the Guards and ordinary troops.

Therefore, the only option is to let the Guards Jager Regiment demonstrate it at the shooting range first.

After the meeting, at the initiative of the Minister of War, the Guards Chasseurs came out from the demolition site and went to the shooting range to conduct shooting demonstrations, which could be considered a shooting training.

In this way, Solovyov's goal was achieved, but now he is the Minister of War.

He is the "Sergei Kuzmich", the poor minister who could not continue reading the Tsar's edict, which also added a joke.

Pierre's unlucky blind date and confused engagement happened at the time when this meme appeared.

As for the Minister of War, although he holds a high position, he seems mediocre.

He was simply led by the nose by his subordinates and the Tsar himself. It was extremely hard, but it was not easy for him to persevere.

At the shooting range, Solovyov required the soldiers to line up in two rows and also placed targets that were farther away in the effective range. This was ultimately determined based on several factors, including weapon performance and the Guards' past training results.

Of course, it is also a conceptual demonstration. The generals who came here all know that the Russian army currently only has such a model hunting regiment, and the equipment and training of other troops cannot keep up.

As for the line infantry, their shooting accuracy is obviously not as good as these good hunters who can fight in dispersed positions.

The first row also did not adopt the kneeling position for shooting, which was actually strictly prohibited in the new regulations of the Guards.

The shooting effect was also very significant. After several rounds of rapid reloading and shooting, and after each soldier fired five bullets, the wooden targets were almost broken into pieces.

The generals present were indeed impressed by the performance of the Guards Chasseurs.

But there is only one such regiment, and the leaders of those hunting regiments also have to consider the weapons in their hands. They can't even standardize the caliber, let alone the model of weapons.

The chasseur regiment that Bagration led in the past had this problem. Even the largest-caliber 7.75 Russian-line rifles were available in two types: imported from Britain and manufactured in Tula. The former had better reliability, which also reflected the British's technological advantages during this period.

But after seeing the results on the shooting range, everyone knows that the Hunters are indeed more effective when they are in two rows, and can significantly reduce accidental injuries.

However, in war, because this formation is thinner, many officers and soldiers do not like it, and more combat troops will still be arranged in three rows.

The soldiers in the third row often do not receive adequate training, and coupled with the chaotic environment on the battlefield, accidental injuries are often difficult to avoid.

"What do you think, Sergey Kuzmich?"

"I think the Guards Jager Regiment can do this, but they may not have enough bullets in the battle. In this case, we need to prepare more bullets on their ammunition trucks on the battlefield."

When Bagration heard this, he knew that the Minister of War agreed to increase rations for the troops using new weapons, which must be a good thing.

As the regiment commander and aide-de-camp general, he was very satisfied with the past training of the Guards Chasseurs.

However, according to Solovyov's plan, some adjustments still need to be made, especially the Guards Jager Regiment needs to be trained according to special tactics, and it also needs to cooperate with the three major regiments of the Guards.

As for the training of new tactics, it is also inseparable from daily training and consumes a large amount of bullets.

Fortunately, the Guards Jager Regiment generally used paper-wrapped bullets, and the reliability of the primer was greatly improved with the import of purified mercury fulminate from the UK.

Russia's traditional smelting methods also faced serious problems.

At the same time, the Guards have now begun to equip themselves with black powder grenades on a large scale, and the dangerous Molotov cocktails have been taken back.

It seems that the current equipment of the Guards soldiers is indeed better than that of any other army in Europe.

It is no wonder that Alexander felt a mysterious sense of confidence when he saw the army around him.

But looking at the whole of Russia, this is not the case!

(End of this chapter)