MUSCOVITE TACTICS

Here are links to various illustrations from Russian books descriping of Russian military tactics.

Order of battle typical for medieval Muscovite armies. The equivalent polki of subordinate leaders would frequently be distributed to the various polki of the main army when they were united. While 'polk' in modern Russian is translated as 'regiment', the medieval formation was not a regular unit let alone a regiment - rather it was like the western 'battle'.

The typical layout of a Mongol army as recorded in the sources. Presumably it was more or less in this kind of formation that Mamai advanced into battle. The Russian armies assumed a similar march order.

A typical Muscovite march formation for march through open country on the steppe.

This illustration from Razin depicts streltzi repelling a Tatar cavalry attack from behind a temporary line of sacks.

An illustration from Razin showing a winter 'inspection' of streltzi with the tsar seated at the rear. The arquebusiers would fire at the ice wall until it was destroyed. Note how they use the berdish as a rest for the heavy arquebus.

This illustration from Razin depicts streltzi pulling sled mounted sections of the gulai gorod into place and locking them together.

This shows the administrative organization for comand and control of the Muscovite armed forces. At the top is the 'bol'shoi voyevod'=field commander ; the 'voyevod gulyavi '=commander of the gulai gorod; 'voyevod u naryada'=commander of the artillery and trains; then the 'bol'shoi polk'=main body (battl); the 'storozhevoi polk'=security unit; the 'zasadnii polk=ambush unit; the golova strelitskii=commander of the streltzi; beneath him are the several 'strelyetskii prikazi'=units of 800 to 1000 strelets which are in turn divided into 100's and 10's; with the main body are the 'peredovoi polk=lead body or advanced guard; the 'polk levoi ruki and polk pravoi ruki '=left and right wing bodies; they are organized into sotni=100's and desyatki=10's; and at bottom the 'artoul' or trains. Typically during the earlier middle ages the 'national' army if assembled for a major campaign would be composed of the forces brought by various serving princes which would be amalgamated into the total force. But by the reign of Ivan IV practically all forces with the exception of native (Tatar) or cossack units were already contained in one armed force. While the term 'polk' in modern Russian is translated into 'regiment', in the medieval army the 'polk' was not a standing body regiment - rather, the term should be translated into the western term 'battle' or corps.

Illustration showing the use of the gulai gorod palisade as a base of fire and rally point in the field. The cavalry is effective for mobile operations mainly in attack but cannot form a defensive position very well without dismounting. But the infantry would be very vulnerable to enemy cavalry if left out in the open.

Typical march order for an army or section of an army moving in enemy or unknown territory.

This schematic depicts a section of the prefabricated and portable Muscovite wooden fortress used in field operations to shelter artillery and streltzi gunners. This one is on runners for use in snow.

This diagram depicts a layout of an entire gulai gorod with the individual panels connected to form an all-around defensive work. This not only served as a mobile protection for the infantry and artillery, but also as a base of fire and operations at which cavalry could rally and form for counterattacks.

This illustration from Razin depicts the annual 'inspection' of the artillery with Tsar Ivan IV watching closely. The target would be walls of ice or blocks to be pulverized by the shot.