Nikolaev Cavalry School of Remembrance. “They are going, the cadets of the Guards School are singing ...

Nikolaev Cavalry School Classicism

Memory arch. (federal)

House of the Conducting School

1820 - engineer. Tretter V.K.

1822-1825 - Staubert Alexander Yegorovich (decree...)

Lermontov Museum (1883-1917)

Plant of radio equipment. Air Defense Concern "Almaz-Antey"

In 1819-1820, the Military Construction and Conductor's School was founded in St. Petersburg to train mid-level specialists.
A site was allocated for the school at the corner of the Obvodny Canal and Novo-Petergofsky Prospekt, on which in 1820 the engineer V.K. Tretter built a two-story stone house.
In 1822-1825. arch. A. E. Shtaubert rebuilt the house of the Conducting School, giving it a classic look. Now the building consisted of the main building and three outbuildings. In the second half of the 19th century, the third floor of the northwestern wing was built on and the assembly hall was decorated. In 1917, the eastern facade was decorated with a high relief by the sculptor I. Krestovsky, dedicated to the memory of graduates who died during the First World War.

In 1839, the School of Guards Ensigns and Cavalry Junkers was transferred here

The school of guards ensigns was established on May 9, 1823 to train officers of the guards cavalry. It was opened in the presence of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich with the task of "finishing the military education of young nobles entering the service in the infantry guards regiments." The training was carried out for two years. Two years later, the school moved to the Chernyshev Palace near the Blue Bridge.
In 1826, a squadron of cadets of the Guards Cavalry was formed at the school and it received the name of the School of Guards Ensigns and Cavalry Junkers.
Since 1838, admission began to be carried out according to a competitive exam from children aged 13-15 who wished to serve in the guard. The term of study became four years. The best graduates of the school were promoted to officers on a par with chamber pages of the Page Corps, and the rest - on a par with pages. In 1839, the school finally moved to the Obvodny Canal in the expanded building of the Conductor's School.
In 1859, in connection with the abolition of the rank of ensign, the school became known as the Nikolaev School of Guards Junkers.
In 1864, the school was transformed into the Nikolaev Cavalry School.
In 1882, simultaneously with the transformation of military gymnasiums into Cadet corps, the boarding house was named the Nikolaev Cadet Corps in honor of the monarch, in whose reign the institution was “launched”.
In 1918, the Nikolaev Cavalry School was closed.

see Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the Nicholas Cavalry School

Plant of Radio Engineering Equipment
January 1, 1966 on the basis of the order of the Minister of the Radio Engineering Industry of the USSR No. 430 of December 20, 1965. the organization of the post box 487 (see Obvodny Canal emb. 197-201) is merged with the Radio Equipment Plant under the name of the latter - LZRTO - the Leningrad Plant of Radio Equipment, subordinate to the 13th Main Directorate of the Ministry. Prior to the merger, LZRTO was organized on April 03, 1961 by order No. 9118 of the Leningrad Council of the National Economy on the basis of 71 military tractor production plants, which were relocated to another location. RTO plant and organization of p / box. 487 produced homogeneous products of radio equipment. As a result, they needed to be combined. In addition, it is necessary to eliminate the unprofitability in the former small-scale plants, and the transition to a new planning of production in the plant and cost accounting.

The transfer of specialists in radio engineering from the plant of printing machines contributed to the acceleration of the radio profiling of the RTO plant.

The merger of the two enterprises made it possible to create a high-potential association for the production of defense radio equipment in the system of the country's radio industry, which began to constantly participate in the implementation of promising tasks of national importance.

By order of the Ministry of Radio Industry of the USSR No. 227 / k dated March 14, 1990, LZRTO was renamed into the Production Association "Leningrad Plant of Radio Engineering Equipment" (PA "LZRTO").

In 1992, PA "LZRTO" was transformed into the State Plant of Radio Equipment (GZRTO). Reason: Charter of the plant, registered under No. 233 of 03/11/1992.
GZRTO by order of the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation dated April 27, 1999 No. 216 was renamed the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Radio Equipment Plant" (FSUE "ZRTO").

On December 26, 2002, as a result of privatization, the plant was transformed into the Open Joint-Stock Company "Radio Equipment Plant" as part of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern. In the autumn of 2007, the management of Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern OJSC made a decision to implement the project to create the North-West Regional Center.

The idea of ​​building the NWRC on the basis of OJSC GOZ Obukhovsky Zavod is fully consistent with the program for the withdrawal of industrial enterprises from the city center, which is being implemented by the government of St. Petersburg, and allows freeing up significant areas for their further use for non-production purposes.

In accordance with the project for the creation of the NWRC, it was planned to transfer from the center of St. Petersburg to the territory of the Obukhov Plant the enterprises that are part of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern: JSC Radio Equipment Plant, JSC Order of the Red Banner of Labor All-Russian Research Institute of Radio Equipment , JSC "Design Bureau of Special Machine Building" and JSC "Russian Institute of Radio Navigation and Time".

Since 2011, JSC "Radio Engineering Equipment Plant" has been located at 120 lit. Obukhovskaya Oborony Ave.

(zrto.org site of the plant 04/13/2012 sperling, spbarchives.ru 09.09.2017; Nataliya)

Leningrad plant of radio equipment. Founded in August 1951. Since 1951 - Plant No. 779 MSP, MRP, p / box 487, in December 1965 became part of the Leningrad Radio Equipment Plant, Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Radio Equipment Plant". Products: electrophones Swallow, Yubileiny, RG-5C "Nevsky".

The school building was completely handed over to LZRTO in 1977-1978, when the administration was transferred here from the Obvodny Canal, 199-201. Prior to this, the RTO occupied an outbuilding overlooking the Obvodny Canal.

And before that, there was a gynecological hospital in the building, and the 25th polyclinic was temporarily located on the 1st floor (when repairs were being made in its main building on the Fontanka). (gordey2003)

Back in the 1960s, an arena functioned in the courtyard of the former school, it seems that there was a riding section. As a boy, I watched a couple of competitions, for a long time there were obstacles for horses in my memory, it looks like show jumping. (Rurikovich)

In the yard there was an arena and stables. They housed the only school of the Higher Sportsmanship in Equestrian Sports in Leningrad at that time. At least another year in 1974. After that, she moved to Marat, from where she was also safely evicted. (narnia)

Lermontov Museum

The Lermontov Museum is located along Novo-Peterhofsky Prospekt, in the building of the Nikolaevsky

Cavalry School, and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. morning.

The museum was founded in memory of the poet Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, who was brought up in the Nikolaev Cavalry School and wrote his first works there, which drew the attention of society to him.

The museum was opened in 1883, on August 16th. Its founder was the director of the school, General Bilderling, which is why his portrait hangs above the front door.

The museum occupies only one room. At the entrance to the Museum, to the right - Kondratenko's painting "The House in Pyatigorsk", where Lermontov lived; portraits of Lermontov, his father, mother and teacher; his grandfather, great-grandfather and grandmother, who was the teacher of the young poet.

On the same wall is an ink drawing made by the poet himself: "Minevri in Krasnoe Selo".

Against the front door, on the wall, there is a picture depicting the place of the poet's duel with Major Martynov, near Pyatigorsk and photographs: the chapel where the poet is buried; Verzilin's house, where Lermontov's quarrel with Martynov took place, and a monument on the poet's grave.

On the left wall are exhibited drawings, the work of the poet himself.

Here is a portrait of the book. Vasilchikov - a friend of Lermontov and Kondratenko's painting "Lermontov's Grotto".

In the corners of the hall, on rotating stands, are placed: photographs, drawings and illustrations for some of Lermontov's works (Boyarin Orsha, Demon, Princess Mary, The Tale of the Merchant Kalashnikov) and photographs of areas related to some events from the life of the poet.

The Museum contains: all the works of Lermontov; magazines where his articles are placed; musical works with text from his poems; Lermontov's manuscripts and notebooks, some of his letters; projects of monuments to him, portraits of him, starting with children, and ending with his last portrait, in the rank of lieutenant of the Tenzinsky infantry regiment; albums with portraits of his relatives, contemporaries and comrades; the complete case of the duel with the French subject Barant, for which the poet was removed from the hussars. One of the showcases contains things that belonged to the poet: a dagger, a saber donated to the Museum by the Prince of Leuchtenberg, a cane, a Circassian belt and a powder flask made of silver with the letter L. Here is an album of the poet’s mother, a small book in red morocco, dudes made of red morocco, a brush, wallet.

Near the left wall is Lermontov's table, on which lies a half-length image of the late poet. On a small table, by the window, lies a briefcase, the work of the poet's grandmother. At the other window is a plaster bust of the poet, the work of Zichy.

In the middle of the Museum stands a large model of the monument to Lermontov, made of oak; on one side, the year and date of the birth and death of the poet are carved, and on the other, the names of the regiments where he served. The monument represents a truncated pyramid, decorated with a lyre and palm branches made of bronze, on which a bust of the poet is placed.

(Guide to St. Petersburg. Edition of the St. Petersburg City Public Administration. St. Petersburg. 1903. S. 289-290., love peter)

In 1917, the school was disbanded, and the collection of the Lermontov Museum was almost entirely transferred to the Pushkin House. (nasledie-rus.ru Our heritage No. 111 2014 10/22/2017)

In 1907, on the initiative of the head of the Nikolaev Cavalry School, Major General De Witt, a Committee was formed for the construction of the monument to M.Yu. Lermontov in front of the school building on Novo-Petergofsky Prospekt.
The poet was in 1834 released from the School of Guards Ensigns and Cavalry Junkers as an ensign in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment
On October 1, 1913, the laying of the monument took place according to the project of B. M. Mikeshin. The casting of the sculpture was carried out at the bronze foundry of Karl Robecky in St. Petersburg.
The opening of the monument was scheduled for October 1, 1914, but the outbreak of war prevented this, the grand opening and consecration of the monument took place on May 9, 1916.

Also in 1916, bronze medals of other graduates were discovered: composer M. P. Mussorgsky, scientist-geographer P. P. Semenov-Tian-Shansky and general N. P. Sleptsov (all three - sculptor V. V. Lishev) (, C .232)

As reported in the State Museum of City Sculpture Tour, the bust monuments to M.P. Mussorgsky and P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky - graduates of the Cavalry School - were made by the sculptor V.V. Lishev and installed in 1916 on Lermontovsky Prospekt, near the building of the former Cavalry School. In the 1920s, the busts were removed and have not survived to this day. The Artistic and Expert Council for Monumental Sculpture of the Main Directorate of Culture of the Executive Committee of the Lensoviet decided on the execution of new busts of Mussorgsky and Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. Work on the busts was entrusted to the Leningrad sculptor A.P. Timchenko.

In 1914 Bolshaya Masterskaya st., Mogilevskaya st. and Novo-Petergofsky avenue were merged into Lermontovsky avenue.

1940: Kindergarten of Leninsky district No. 22 - Lermontovsky pr., 54 (Leningrad - 1940. S. 333)

1965: Printing House No. 4 - Socialist, 14, color printing shop - Sadovaya, 55/57,

workshop of limited edition books - st. Marata, 58, paper unwinding area - B. Moskovskaya, 4,

Printing house branch No. 4 - Lermontovsky pr., 54 (p. 177.)

Memoirs of Lieutenant General Svechin M.A. (May 16, 1876, St. Petersburg - April 15, 1969, Nice) about the Nikolaev Cavalry School

Nikolaev Cavalry School

On August 31, 1893, I entered the Nikolaev Cavalry School, formed from the former School of Guards Ensigns and Cavalry Junkers. The school inherited the old traditions, embodied in the poems of the greatest Russian poet Lermontov, who took a course there. There were quite a few humorous and satirical attacks in them, but, in general, the way of life of the School, or, as we used to say, “in a glorious School”, led to the strictest discipline and youthfulness. It was believed that a cavalryman should be - dashing, dexterous, brought up in a purely military spirit.
The approach to this, long since, was carried out in strict subordination and exact subordination not only to the authorities, but also to our senior comrades - senior junkers. The junior course should have seen in them - their closest superiors. The junior course was considered not yet imbued with a military cavalry spirit, whose junkers were called "pure beasts." They had to listen and obey the senior junkers, who instructed them in the traditions established in the School. In addition, among the senior junkers there were commanders: squadron and platoon watchmen (in private use "corporals") and junker belts (also, in particular, "estandard junkers"). They had corresponding differences on shoulder straps with transverse stripes, which is why they were called stripes. These titles were given to senior cadets, by order of the School, for success in the sciences, combat training and the ability to ride well. According to the Disciplinary Charter, these superiors had the right to impose punishments - appointments not in the queue for orders (duties and orders) and leaving them without leave.
In general, it must be admitted that the transition from the cadet corps to the cadets of the school was undoubtedly harsh. In addition, we, among the senior junkers, came across people who were not quite balanced, needlessly crossed the boundaries of prudence, but this must be considered an exception. However, this strict regime, called “tsuk”, was exaggerated by rumors and reaching the top military authorities, including the Minister of War, caused a demand on the heads of the school to take measures to eradicate this “tsuk”. But the question was very delicate and not all the heads of the school approached it in cold blood, and drastic measures did not bring about an improvement, but rather worsened the situation, leading to ugly forms. So, for example, already after my graduation from the school, one head of the school abolished the right of the “stitched” junkers to impose punishments that belonged to them according to the Disciplinary Charter; this led to the imposition of illegal punishments, such as the assignment to do dozens of gymnastic squats, really humiliating. But I mention this as an exception, in general it was rare to find an unpleasant memory of life within the walls of the school in the former pupils of the School. And, on the other hand, the harsh regime brought up "distinct" future cavalry officers.
A month later, when the junkers who arrived at the school were approved in their initial military training and possession of weapons (which was especially difficult for those who entered from civilian educational institutions, since the cadets knew this), the oath-taking ceremony was scheduled. To do this, in the arena lined up on foot, with full ammunition and weapons, a squadron and a hundred, the Standard was carried out, the words of the oath were read and the cadets who swore the junior course were applied to the Cross and the Gospel. From that day on, the junkers who entered were enrolled in active military service, and from that day on, seniority pensions were calculated. And the junkers came under military law.
Classes at the school were established: - 4 hours of lectures in the classroom wing and 4 hours of drill exercises, including an hour of horseback riding every day. Twice a week, in the evenings, there were rehearsals for the courses of lectures read, for which marks (points) were put.
In addition to military sciences - tactics, military history, fortification, artillery, topography, military administration, subversion, we passed - the history of the Church (Law of God), the history of Russian literature, jurisprudence (especially regimental courts), French and German, and, more in my time - chemistry and mechanics, subsequently canceled; in my time - these two sciences y Junkers were called - especially.
In the middle of May, the school moved to the Krasnoye Selo camp. This camp is widely known among the military and junkers of St. Petersburg schools, was one of the great centers of summer training, firing practice and troop maneuvers. Approaching the camp, you heard: the crackling of drums, the sounds of horns and trumpets, the flooded trill of flutists; rifle shots and bursts of machine guns were heard, a distant rumble of artillery fire was heard. Climbing up the row of settlements that form Krasnoye Selo and turning back, you will see a beautiful picture of the tent camp of the infantry regiments and batteries of the imperial guards. And here, between the settlements, palace buildings and barracks of headquarters were spread. The Vanguard camp of army units, the barracks of military schools, ending with the buildings of the Officers' Cavalry School, adjoined here with its right flank.
It is difficult to find as much diversity in the topographical sense as the surroundings of Krasnoye Selo. Here you will find in the figuration of the terrain, everything you need for training troops: - forests and copses, ravines and hills With bizarre ridges. According to legend, our great Suvorov pointed out to this piece of terrain, 25 versts from St. Petersburg. Our Crowned Leaders came here for reviews and maneuvers, military representatives of foreign powers were invited here.
Ahead of the Vanguard camp grew a vast, hilly space, about three versts wide and long, bearing the name of a military field, which seemed flat, but was so hilly that entire cavalry regiments were hiding in its folds during exercises. The dry soil of the field, trampled down during the exercises, during which, at wide gaits, such dust rose that the rider could not see the ears of his horse.
The southern side of the field was bordered by the "Laboratory Grove", warehouses and artillery equipment, since behind the grove there was a range for practical artillery firing. In the field, on its highest hill, the "Tsar's Roll" was built long ago, from where the Sovereign Leaders of the Russian Army watched the passage of the ceremonial march of troops and where, in the old days, the Emperors, at the end of summer, congratulated the graduating cadets and pages on their promotion to officers .
The absence of reference points on the field made it difficult to line up troops for the review. It was necessary to send a topographer to accurately determine the right flank of the formation, so that with a kipregel sighting on three separate objects, including the chimney of the Pechatkin paper mill, to detect the desired point. Therefore, idle scoffers assured that if the factory chimney collapsed, then it would be impossible to line up a large mass of camp troops.
The squadron and a hundred of our School, in full armament on horseback, set out from St. Petersburg, marching with a halt at Ligovo, moved with variable gaits and songs.
A squadron of guards rides along the path of Krasnoselskaya, The squadron is dashing!
The snow is whiter than white, Our sword belts shine, Rattle with checkers!
And, the colonel ordered - Make a halt in Ligov: There are sandwiches!
Here the jackals run up, They offer us bottles, With sparkling wine!

But the colonel does not yawn, He drives away the jackals, With a sinewy whip!
And throws them in the back of the head - Precious bottles, How is he not sorry?

Arriving at the barracks of our camp location, we devoted the first month of our training: in the junior year - to topographic surveys, and in the senior year - on horseback, we made route surveys and solved the tactical tasks assigned to us in the field.
Having finished these works, which were marked by points, we proceeded to intensive drill exercises. Among which horse exercises were conducted daily, where the cadet with full weapons, relying on a cavalryman, with a rifle behind his back on a soldier's saddle. All this gave, to each of us, a complete understanding of the severity of the cavalry service. when, at wide gaits and all sorts of rearrangements, rifles stuffed their backs, and shrinking in close formations, their legs also suffered. Washing in the baths, we could observe each other's bruises and abrasions caused during the exercises. And it is understandable for us young, it was harder for us than for soldiers.
On October 20, 1894, Emperor Alexander III rested in Bose. On November 7, the train with the body of the Emperor arrived from Livadia to St. Petersburg, our School, on horseback, arrived at the Nikolayevsky Station by noon and we witnessed the passage of the funeral procession, and then followed the coffin all the way to the Peter and Paul Fortress. in the church of which the faces of the Royal Family were buried, from the time of Peter the Great.

When I moved to the senior year, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich was appointed Inspector General of the Cavalry. Passionately loving the cavalry business, the Grand Duke energetically set to work, unconditionally setting it to a great height; it can only be noted that his sharp character, sometimes, crossed the border, inspiring trepidation among the cavalry commanders at reviews, because those who blundered - renounced their posts or did not receive further promotion. “The beating has gone,” as they said in those days. Many believed that vigorous work led. the prince did not suffer if they did not use these harshness; must be borne in mind that the position led. book, as such, made it difficult to answer or even explain the person to whom a sharp reproach was thrown. Few people would dare to object, and, therefore, led. the prince should not have used his privileged position. Gradually, over the years, character led. The prince softened considerably.
Once, a young officer, appointed orderly to led. prince on his departure for reviews, I witnessed the following: making a review of Her Majesty's Lancers, led. the prince did not like some sort of evolution in formation; calling the commander of the regiment, Gen. Baranov, he began to reprimand him and threw an abusive (indecent) expression. Immediately Commander Ulan turned and began to drive away. Vel. book. at first he was perplexed at the departure of the regiment commander from him, and then he ordered: "Orderman, return the regiment commander to me." I galloped to carry out the order. Returning Gen. Baranov, led. book. declares: "On what basis do you allow yourself to move away when I am doing a dissection of the doctrine"? But the general, who was not lost and kept completely calm, replied: ‘When Your Imperial Highness speaks to me about the cavalry business, I Bac listened, in your “expressions” I am not competent. Vel. book. realized his careless expression, escaped by accident, embraced the regiment commander; everything ended on a good note, he accepted an invitation to breakfast in the regiment. But not everyone had the courage to answer such a question.
In the middle of camp training, a list of vacant officer vacancies in the regiments came from the General Staff. And in the school office, a list was compiled in the order of the average score for final exams, camp practical classes for filming, and so on. According to these lists, the vacancies available in the regiments were sorted out. Each cadet, depending on his successes, could see whether he would get the opportunity to get into the planned regiment he wanted? Being third on the list, this question did not bother me.
(Graduation pages had the privilege of choosing the desired part, even if there was no vacancy in it).
Having found out which regiment, by sorting out vacancies, the cadet would get, it was possible to start ordering the appropriate regimental uniform, so that by the day of production, which was scheduled for August 12, 1895, we would not be late to put on an officer's uniform.
The day of production was approaching, when we, having become officers, left our glorious School, where we got along so well, now parting with our younger animal brothers, whom we had to say goodbye to and instruct them in keeping school traditions. After friendly embraces, our “Zveriad” was sung in chorus, in which quite a few stanzas of our Lermontov were preserved.
Then our last “humorous order on the smoking room” was read with the final phrase of which it was supposed that the last vertebra of the animal tail fell off and our former youth-“animals” became “cornets” with the duties assigned to them; - to preserve and maintain the glory of our School!

Production in officers.

The day of promotion to officers was a great event in the life of young people who intended themselves for military service. Indeed, from students we became independent, full-fledged Russian subjects and officers, who were saluted by our mighty Army. It is clear that this day, y was imprinted on us for life!
The end of the maneuvers in 1895 in the St. Petersburg Military District ended by August 12, and the Highest Review of the camp troops was scheduled for that day. At the end of the review, the pages and cadets of the St. Petersburg military schools who had completed the course were called to the Tsar's Roll.
This was the first year of accession to the ancestral Throne of our last Sovereign Leader, Emperor Nicholas II, who was so brutally murdered with the entire August Family.
The young Emperor, who had not yet mastered the work entrusted to Hero, God's grace, turned to us with gracious words, which were listened to with excitement and deeply sunk into our souls. The sovereign approached us, looked around with his charming gaze at the lined up young cadets and pages, and with a loving smile said: “Serve faithfully and truthfully to Russia and Me. Love the Motherland and be fair to your subordinates. Congratulations on your promotion to officer." A loud cheer escaped from our chests. In the evening, with all our graduation with the invitees - the commander of the school squadron and our replacement officers, we gathered for a common dinner with Ernest on the islands, where, at a friendly meal and touching speeches, we said goodbye to each other and the school authorities. With this, the official part ended and we dispersed in groups to continue our celebration in all country gardens, where, until now, the entrance to us was closed. The parade-de-camp of the Petersburg commandant, according to established custom, looked condescendingly at our pranks.
The next day in the morning we once again gathered within the walls of the school, in freshly sewn ceremonial uniforms, where a prayer service was served, in the presence of all the school authorities. The adjutant of the school gave us the necessary documents and vacation tickets for the 28-day vacation due to us and we parted. In addition to the 28 days of vacation, the time for travel to the place of service was added, calculated according to the old, when there were no railways, at 50 versts per day. Why won those whose regimental camp was farther from Petersburg. Those who went out to the units stationed in the Far East had several months of additional leave.
To enter the guards, it was still necessary to obtain the consent of the officers of the regiment, for acceptance into one's environment. This position was not stipulated by any law, but had long since become a custom, and joining a regiment, bypassing the wishes of its officers, placed the violator in the impossible position of serving among those who did not sympathize with him. And, therefore, hardly anyone could decide on such a step.
In addition, everyone who has outlined a part for himself had to be aware - does he have sufficient funds to serve in it? Because the service, especially in the guards, did not make it possible to exist on the salary received. In this regard, the guard units varied greatly depending on the mandatory expenses established in the regiments. Insufficient deliberation in this regard threatened that an excellent officer, who did not realize whether he could cope with the means he had at his disposal in the intended part, had to quickly leave the regiment.
I, with several comrades at the School, who planned for themselves the exit of the L-Guards. in Her Majesty's Cuirassier Regiment, in advance, before sorting out the vacancies, we drove to Gatchina (where the regiment lodged) to the regimental adjutant M. M. Lazarev, who led us to introduce ourselves to Senior Colonel V. G. Mandryka. The latter, having met and questioned us, let us go, saying that we would receive an answer in a timely manner. Probably, the necessary information was collected about us, who introduced ourselves, and Lazarev, who came to our camp, called only me and N. N. Lavrinovsky and handed over consent to our acceptance into the regiment.
And so, with the production of August 12, 1895, I received the honor to put on a uniform and become a horse of the L-Gv. Cuirassier Regiment of Her Majesty the Empress Maria Feodorovna. The regiment gradually became familiar to me: - in it I served as a junior officer; after graduating from the Academy, he commanded a squadron in it, in 1910, in it, he served the qualification for command of a division; by the will of the Sovereign and the Chief, I was given the honor and joy to receive in 1915 the command of my native regiment. And the latter, according to the established situation, gave me the right, and after the end of the command of the regiment, to remain on its lists and keep the uniform of the regiment for life.

The emergence of the cavalry "university"
In April 1809, a special training cavalry squadron was formed in St. Petersburg, the purpose of which was to train non-commissioned officers (100 people annually) and musicians for cavalry regiments.
In the early 1860s, the purpose of the squadron expanded somewhat: “His task was to train officers and lower ranks to teach them riding in cavalry regiments, as well as for the theoretical and practical education of cavalry officers and the training of instructors from them”(from the position on the Training Squadron).
In 1875, when Colonel Konstantin Lvovich von Stein was the head of the unit, the squadron, previously based in Pavlovsk, moved to the Arakcheevsky barracks on Shpalernaya Street. By this time, the construction of a special arena and stables is already being completed. In 1882, the training cavalry squadron became the Cavalry Officer School and received the status of a military educational institution of the imperial army.

By the beginning of the 20th century, as the tasks and staff of the school expanded, its territory increased, the barracks could accommodate 1200 people only of the lower ranks (officers of the permanent staff were quartered in separate outbuildings), and the stables could accommodate more than 800 (!) Horses.
For horse riding and drill training, the school had at its disposal three large arenas of its own, one small and an extension for vaulting and lunging (now we would call it a “barrel”). Needless to say, there were no problems with the material and technical equipment of the educational institution, which, by the way, was directly subordinate to the inspector general of the cavalry.
It should be noted that in terms of the quality of education, the school could compete with another well-known specialized training center for cavalrymen - the Nikolaev School - and was rightfully considered one of the elite educational institutions in the capital.

Training program
The school consisted of several departments: squadron and hundred commanders, an instructor department, a department of lower rank riders, a training forge and a squadron of the school. The duration of the basic training course for officers was two years (for Cossack commanders - ten and a half months), for the lower ranks - a year and 11 months. In addition, a special course on forging and making horseshoes was developed in the educational forge of the school, which lasted 10.5 months.

It must be said that the program of theoretical studies was quite complex and rich, it included such disciplines as "the theory of riding", "hippology", "forging theory", "military regulations and instructions related to cavalry", "information on the history of cavalry ".
Practical lessons were even more varied: “riding on trained horses”, “dressage of young horses”, “horse work on a loose track”, “vaulting”, “riding without stirrups and reins”, “tactics”, “fencing and felling”, “forging horses”, “studying a horse by its exterior and getting acquainted with the methods and techniques of treating horses in the most common cases of illness”; in the summer, "long runs", "swimming", "tactical exercises in the field", "personnel training" and "parfort hunting" were added to them.

The main magazine about horses
Not far from the barracks of the school lived Prince Dmitry Petrovich Bagration, who in 1915 became an adviser to the Main Directorate of State Horse Breeding. Colonel Bagration was an assistant to the head of the Officer Cavalry School and a riding instructor, and in addition, he was the executive editor of the journal "Bulletin of the Russian Cavalry".
As the prince said then: “The need for a special literary body has long been overdue, in which all those who love equestrianism can freely exchange thoughts and unite their work”.
Actually, for this purpose only, the inspector general of the cavalry, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (junior) allowed the publication of his own, independent magazine at the Officers' Cavalry School. The editorial office was located right on the school grounds, at 51 Shpalernaya Street.
Unfortunately, the Bulletin of the Russian Cavalry was published for a relatively short time: from 1906 to 1914, but the frequency was 24 issues per year. For its time, the magazine was beautifully illustrated, the authors were leading experts of the country, and the topics of the articles were very diverse, among which, for the first time in the history of printed publications in Russia, a special section dedicated to equestrian sports appeared. The war caused the publication to stop working, and subsequently no one made any attempts to recreate it.

Forge of Heroes
The officer cavalry school in St. Petersburg was a unique training center for army personnel. Among the graduates and teachers of this educational institution were, in truth, the arbiters of the fate of our state. For example, the head of the school from 1886 to 1897 was Vladimir Alexandrovich Sukhomlinov, the future minister of war.
In 1907, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was sent to school from the Primorsky Dragoon Regiment, who shows excellent results in compulsory competitions - as we would say now - "for young horses." Here he receives the rank of junior non-commissioned officer, but the command of his regiment does not give him the opportunity to complete his studies and recalls him back after a year.
Four years later, one of his main opponents during the Civil War, the “black baron” Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel, successfully completed the course of study at the school. Among the participants in the white movement there were many other graduates of the Officer Cavalry School, for example, Pyotr Vladimirovich von Glazenap (graduation of 1913), Count Fyodor Arturovich Keller (1889), Pyotr Nikolaevich Krasnov (1909).

From left to right: Prince A.S. Gagarin, staff captain A.P. Rodzianko (on horseback)
Cornet N.V. Sipyagin, Lieutenant Baron A.A. Korf, cornet P.P. Baranov. 1909

The very first successful athlete in the history of Russian equestrian sports, a participant in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Alexander Pavlovich Rodzianko, it was here in 1906-1907 that he took a course of training and received the necessary basics of riding skills, which allowed him immediately after graduation to enter the world-famous cavalry school in Saumur (France).

most respected general
The name of General Aleksey Alekseevich Brusilov - the famous commander of the First World War, the author of an unprecedented offensive operation on the Southwestern Front in 1916 - is known to all history buffs. But few people know that this most talented cavalryman and great connoisseur of horses devoted more than a quarter of a century to the Cavalry Officer School.
The future military leader entered the school in 1881, graduated with honors and remained a teacher of riding and dressage of young horses. In 1891, Alexei Alekseevich was promoted to head of the department of squadron and hundred commanders. In the spring of 1898, Brusilov went on a business trip to Germany, Austria and France with a responsible mission of inspecting cavalry regiments and schools, as well as acquiring horses.

Since 1902, Aleksey Alekseevich has been the head of the school, but already in 1906 he was forced to leave his beloved "alma mater" in connection with the transfer to the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division as a commander (the army needed not only talented teachers, but also real commanders) . The general's further activities were completely absorbed by the war for many years. But at the end of his life, already in Soviet Russia, Brusilov returned to horses again. He was appointed chief inspector of the Main Directorate of Horse Breeding and Horse Breeding of the RSFSR.
Thanks to the great authority of Brusilov in the military environment, he was willingly appointed to other positions related to the cavalry, attracted to lecture at the Academy of the Red Army. Actually, Aleksey Alekseevich became one of the few positive examples of cooperation between the highest military officials of the imperial army and the Bolsheviks, and one of his main merits can be considered the fact that it was he who transferred invaluable knowledge and experience in working with horses and all the wisdom of riding and equestrian sport to future generations, regardless of the color of the flag under which they compete.

The same Englishman
James Phyllis (1834–1913) is widely considered to be the finest groomer and dressage theorist of his time. All of Europe admired his skill, he repeatedly received personal approval from the Austrian imperial couple, and Emperor Franz Joseph gave him the best stallion of his factory - gray Maestoso. In St. Petersburg, James Phyllis first appeared in the autumn of 1897, already at an advanced age, performing in the Cinizelli circus. It was a real triumph for the higher school of dressage.
Struck by the skill of the Englishman, the Inspector General of the Cavalry, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, entrusts him with preparing the change of horses of the Imperial Court Stables (Phyllis receives a state award for the successful completion of this task), and then gives him his own horses to work. Having tamed two giants “carrying at a gallop” in just two months, James Phyllis strengthened his authority as a dressage wizard, and since 1898 he became a senior riding instructor at the Officers’ Cavalry School for ten years, and his method of work forms the basis of the cavalry charter of the cavalry first the imperial, and then the Red Army.
According to this system, all the great Soviet athletes of the twentieth century were subsequently trained. At the funeral of James Phyllis in 1913 in Paris, the Russian military attache, General Alexei Alekseevich Ignatiev, who personally knew the great master, laid a huge wreath of fresh flowers on his grave with the inscription: “Les eleves reconnaissants de la cavalerie russe” (“From grateful students from the Russian cavalry").

It's all about the war
The most important paradox of the Officer Cavalry School is that the cessation of its activities is connected with the outbreak of the First World War: after all, it would seem that it was originally created for the purpose of training army personnel - and in the difficult war years, the school's importance as the most important training center for cavalry should it just got bigger...
But all the generals in charge of this educational institution were forced to switch from teaching to their direct duties, and the permanent officers of the school were united in an elite cavalry regiment (imagine what a terrible fighting force this unit was equipped with such qualified horsemen), who was thrown into the hell of the First World War. Most of these people never returned from the battlefields. 1914 was the last year in the history of the Cavalry Officer School.
After the revolution, the barracks and all the buildings were never used for their intended purpose, but through such prominent people as S.M. Budyonny, A.A. Brusilov and A.A. improvements in the command staff of the cavalry (in the city of Novocherkassk) to the famous Red Banner Higher Officer Cavalry School (based in the Khamovniki Manege in Moscow)

Russian hussars. Memoirs of an officer of the imperial cavalry. 1911-1920 Vladimir Littauer

Chapter 2 NIKOLAEVSK CAVALRY SCHOOL

NIKOLAEVSKOYE CAVALRY SCHOOL

The only military school in imperial Russia, Corps des Pages(Page Corps), trained officers for service in all branches of the military. The rest of the military schools were specialized institutions: infantry, cavalry, artillery, military engineering. The oldest and most significant of the three cavalry schools was the Nicholas Cavalry School in St. Petersburg. In the Russian cavalry, it was called the "glorious school" or simply "school", and only in the official press the Nikolaev Military School. The school was founded in 1823.

In my time, the school had two departments, one for the Cossack cadets (who also had their own schools), and the other for the cadets of the regular cavalry. The term "cadets" referred exclusively to pupils of secondary military schools; pupils of higher specialized military schools were called junkers. Usually the cadet school was entered at the age of ten or eleven; and training in it took seven years. Thus, most young men entered the cadet school at the age of seventeen or eighteen. It was also possible to enroll in a cadet school after graduating from an ordinary gymnasium, having previously passed strict medical control. A newcomer who graduated from the gymnasium was called in school jargon a “cadet from the railway station”, in other words, a person without a military background. I was one of them, and there weren't many of them.

In my time, the Cossack branch consisted of about 150 cadets, while in our so-called squadron there were 105 cadets. Since the Cossacks sat differently in the saddle, their saddles, bridles, uniforms, sabers, some teams and formations traditionally differed from ours, military training classes were held separately, but we studied the theoretical course together. Our bedrooms were on the second floor and theirs on the third. In the dining room we sat on one side of the main aisle and they sat on the other. Despite such close association, there was little friendship between the two sections of the Russian cavalry, and each section considered itself superior to the other.

The large, gloomy main building of the school was built at the beginning of the 19th century, and the life that took place inside this building can only be described as Spartan. Our small squadron was divided into three platoons, and each platoon had its own bedroom. The high-ceilinged bedroom had two rows of bunks. A tall metal pin, built into the head of each bunk, was intended for a saber and a cap; clothes were neatly folded on a stool at the foot of the bed every evening. Against the wall, at an angle of forty-five degrees, a staircase rose to the ceiling, on which we had to perform a mandatory exercise in the morning before breakfast: climb up to the ceiling and descend with the help of our hands. I hated this job with all my heart. Along the other wall stretched a long line of gantry rifles. The restrooms had no bathtubs or showers, only basins. Once a week we were taken to the Russian bathhouse, which was located in a separate building in the backyard. The valets were the only luxury allowed to us - one for eight junkers.

The course lasted two years. In the school language, the elders were called cornets (a junior officer rank in the Russian cavalry until 1917), and “animals” was the nickname of the younger ones. "Beasts" took the oath a month after entering the school. After that, they could no longer be expelled for bad behavior from school to civilian life; in such cases they were sent to a cavalry regiment for a year as ordinary soldiers. This was called "commanding a regiment". The junker who returned from the regiment to school was addressed by other junkers as “major” or “colonel”, depending on the year of study. I knew a couple of "generals of the famous school", that is, those who "commanded the regiment" twice; they were highly respected.

Both the teachers and the cornets did their best to make the first month at school, before being sworn in, unbearably difficult for the “animals”. The purpose of such a harsh measure was obvious: to get rid of weak-willed, indecisive pupils by any means. During the first month of each year, a large number of newcomers left the school. I stubbornly held on, not intending to retreat, but somehow, having arrived home for the weekend, I burst into tears.

A cornet was attached to each "beast", and for a year they became each other's "nephew" and "uncle". The duties of the "uncle" included familiarizing the "nephew" with the traditions of the "glorious school" and the no less famous Russian cavalry. My "uncle" was perfect for the role; today, long retired, he spends much of his time writing poems glorifying the military past. He always believed that a good cavalry officer must be an excellent rider, skillfully wield cold weapons, be daring, resourceful and, above all, able to lead an attack and, if necessary, die with dignity for "faith, king and fatherland."

The noble cadets were rather indulgent about their studies. One of the subjects was a short course of artillery, quite sufficient for us to turn the gun around and fire it in an emergency. Junckers looked down on this subject, believing that the concept of "science" was not applicable to artillery. For the first test in this subject, I got the highest score, twelve. In the evening, when we were sitting on neighboring beds, my "uncle" said:

- Well, make your uncle happy. Tell me what grade you got today in artillery.

“Twelve,” I answered without hiding my pride.

- Do you understand what you've done? You have dishonored our "glorious school"! Next time you should get zero.

I did not understand anything, but the next time I did as I was ordered, and the pleased "uncle" remarked:

You are not hopeless!

A few years before I entered the school, they stopped teaching such a very specific subject for the cavalry as chemistry. In chemistry lessons, the junkers sat in white gloves so that their hands would not be damaged by reagents and powders. With such an attitude towards learning, it was impossible to expect that classes would bring special benefits. The main part of the Junker's energy was given to physical exercises. During these classes, the teachers did not feel sorry for us, not at all interested in the state of our health. During the two years of study, many of us were seriously injured.

Once in an artillery lesson, such an incident happened. During the lesson, the head of the school, General Miller, entered the classroom. At this time, a cadet stood at the blackboard, who could not answer a simple question. The teacher, colonel of artillery, seeing the general, became very excited. If he had immediately sent the cadet to his place, it would have been suspicious; what was he to do? The teacher instantly oriented himself and explained to the general:

- I have already listened to the junker's answer, but before letting him go, I want to ask him the main question.

General Miller nodded approvingly, and the teacher painfully tried to think of a question that the cadet could answer. Finally he asked:

- Is it possible to hit a target with a gun if it is not visible?

The question made the junker think, although everyone knows how artillery is fired.

So, after a few minutes of agonizing reflection, the cadet drew himself up and cheerfully replied:

- If the order is given, then it is possible.

General Miller, himself a graduate of the Nikolaev Cavalry School, very pleased with the cadet's answer, whispered loudly to the colonel, who had turned pale with anger:

“A well-trained cadet.

All our teachers, except for the veterinarian and teachers of German and Russian literature, were officers. It was always possible to bargain with a teacher of Russian literature, and not for the sake of grades, but for pleasure.

“Well then,” said the teacher. I give you eight.

- Just eight? the junker asked, showing surprise. “I felt like I deserved eleven, or at least ten.

The whole class was involved.

- Give him ten, Agapit Timofeevich.

"Good," the instructor answered after a moment's thought. I'll give you ten. Sit down.

One day, while visiting a school, the emperor went to a lesson in Russian literature, asked the junkers a few questions, and then for half an hour recited passages from the works of Russian classics by heart. Agapit Timofeevich was so excited and delighted that instead of addressing the emperor “your majesty”, he repeatedly said “your excellency”, as if he were a general. Such treatment did not correspond to the military rank of the emperor, who was a colonel. However, the emperor did not correct our teacher, but only smiled.

The subject that aroused the interest of all cadets without exception was hippology.

At the last examination in this subject, among other things, we had to prepare and shoe one front and one hind hoof of the horse.

With much less enthusiasm, we studied such a useful subject as army communications: field telephones, telegraph, heliograph and Morse code. In addition, as part of this course, we studied the use of explosives to undermine enemy railways and bridges. Subsequently, already during the war, I more than once had to bitterly regret that I paid so little attention to this subject.

With all seriousness, we took only the study of military regulations and all kinds of instructions, several small collections, each from 150 to 300 pages.

1. Internal service - in the barracks, stables, etc.

2. Garrison service.

3. Subordination - the relationship between subordinates and those standing higher in rank.

4. Teachings.

5. Service in the army - reconnaissance, combat operations.

6. Horse training.

The line officer was actually required to memorize these pamphlets containing practical advice and instructions.

In addition, attempts were made to teach such subjects as military history, tactics, cartography, fortification building and rear management (our most disliked subject). Once a week, our priest taught religion lessons (at that time a compulsory subject in all Russian schools). And finally, a German, Professor Brandt, taught us the German language.

Brandt was very old; he had already taught German when our head of the school was a cadet, and even earlier. In 1911, when I entered the cavalry school, Brandt was slightly out of his mind and no longer distinguished between Cossacks and "squadron" junkers, although we wore different uniforms. Randomly choosing any of the class for an answer, instead of finding it from the list, Brandt peered at the cadet for some time and, desperate to understand who was in front of him, asked:

- Are you from the squadron, my angel, or a Cossack?

Another old man, a general, taught us rear management.

“I've been working here for so long, so long, that I've seen everyone. And you can’t surprise me with anything anymore,” he often said.

The general did not trouble himself with lectures, he simply read the textbook out loud and, if one of the cadets annoyed him too much with his behavior, he stopped reading and turned to the violator of discipline:

What word did I stop at?

Juncker admitted that he did not listen to the reading, and the general, for example, said:

- The last word was "headquarters". Now open your textbook to page forty-five, find the word "headquarters" and repeat this word twenty times.

Many of our teachers were old men and had long since given up hope of teaching us anything, but the unit commanders were real martinets; jokes were bad with them.

The squadron was commanded by Colonel Yarminsky, whom the cadets affectionately called among themselves "Papa Sasha." He had a weak point: he loved to rant in front of the squadron, not having the talent of an orator. As soon as he began to speak, we already knew that he would soon commit some kind of faux pas.

Papa Sasha and his family lived in an apartment in one of the officers' houses, and if in the evening someone urgently needed to see him, then you could always go to his house. Yarminsky had a very beautiful maid, and one of the cadets got into the habit of going to Papa Sasha's in the evenings. Once the cadet was unlucky: Papa Sasha caught him kissing the maid. Juncker was immediately arrested, and the next day he appeared before the squadron. Papa Sasha spoke for a long time about immorality in general and the immoral behavior of this cadet in particular, and, summing up the speech, said:

“Besides, Junker Yurlov, for whom am I keeping this girl—for you or for myself?!

About a month after I was promoted to hussars, Papa Sasha took command of the 3rd Hussars, and we, both hussars, met by chance in a restaurant. To an outsider it might well seem that he is watching the meeting of two bosom friends. School bonds were incredibly strong. For example, in a theater or at a hippodrome, some old general could come up to me, a simple cadet, and introduce himself:

- I am so-and-so. In such and such a year he graduated from a “glorious school”.

All cornets wore a commemorative ring, silver, in the shape of a horseshoe, with a guards star in the center on the outside of the ring and with the inscription "Soldier, cornet and general friends forever" engraved on the inside. This phrase was taken from a school song; the revolution with incredible ease removed the word "soldier" from the song.

The most important person in the life of the junkers was an officer who commanded a class for two years of study (there were eighteen young men in my class). Captain Zyakin, attached to our class, was such a company officer. He studied with us the military regulations and instructions and was engaged in physical training, with the exception of fencing and gymnastics. But first of all, he was responsible for our upbringing. In all honesty, I can't say enough good things about him. I think he was a bad teacher, and his upbringing methods were too harsh, and at times even sadistic. At least that's how I see it now.

He taught us to ride with a long whip and, stroking his pupils on the backs, said with mocking politeness:

“I beg your pardon, I was going to whip the horse.

After a couple of blows with the whip, each of us wondered who he really wanted to cheer up: the horse or the rider? If Zyakin was in a bad mood, then for any nonsense, for example, for a horse that slowed down in front of an obstacle, he could easily put him under arrest, leave him without leave for the weekend, or put him to attention in full uniform for an hour. The punishment was called "under the saber", since the cadet stood at attention with a saber drawn. Often, when Captain Zyakin was dissatisfied with the class as a whole, he grabbed the first cadet that came under his arm, tore off his cap, threw it on the ground and trampled it under his feet, then tore off his overcoat and also trampled it under his feet, and finally, throwing the junker to the ground, shouted :

- All without layoffs before Christmas! (Or until Easter, depending on the time of year.)

His upbringing methods often led to accidents. A Junker lying motionless on the ground was a common occurrence. In these cases, the captain walked around the injured cadet and sarcastically asked:

- Did you get hurt?

"It's all right," was the standard reply.

Then, apparently losing all interest, the captain, regally waving his hand, threw into space:

- Take it away.

Soldiers suddenly appeared from nowhere and carried away the cadets.

I also had to hear "take it away"; Then I badly injured my knee. For two weeks I lay motionless on my back, experiencing tremendous pain from the slightest movement, and then for a month I walked on crutches. At this time, our school was visited by the emperor. I was told that if the emperor entered the infirmary, I should lie still on my back. The emperor came to the school, came to the infirmary and went into my ward. The only thing I remember is the emperor in the uniform of a colonel entering the door; and then a complete blackout. Later, I was told that I quickly sat up in bed and, with a resolute voice, as befits a good soldier, answered several questions put by the emperor. I felt no pain; that's what a man is capable of when he's nineteen years old.

Today I understand that, although Zyakin was a poor teacher, he had the ability to drill, so our class was chosen to participate in a demonstration review in the presence of the emperor. Similar reviews are now being held in Canada for the Royal Mounted Police. The unusual program of the show ended with a crown number. The rider loosened the girth, pulled the saddle out from under him and, leaning on the saddle with his left hand, while steering the horse with his right hand, took several low obstacles. The class, performing this exercise, acted in concert, as one person. The accuracy was achieved in the following way. We rode in a huge circle, and each rider had to clearly remember the places where it was necessary to make this or that movement; the “windows” in the circle served as landmarks. The most unpleasant thing, I will tell you, is that for the period of training we were completely deprived of leave and spent many hours “under the saber” until we reached the necessary clarity of the exercises. When the emperor announced that he was pleased with the review, the order to ban layoffs was canceled. In the process of preparing for the review, hatred for Zyakin reached such a limit that we began to draw up a conspiracy plan, intending to fail the speech before the emperor. However, we did not dare to do this, and when Zyakin canceled his order to ban leave, everyone immediately forgot about the hours spent “under the saber” or under arrest, and we even came to the conclusion that Zyakin, after all, was not so too bad.

The school guardhouse consisted of several small cells, each of which had a cot, a table and a chair; under the ceiling is a light bulb without a lampshade. The bunk was a wooden shelf attached to the wall. She had no mattress or blanket. The detainee used a uniform as a pillow, and an overcoat served as a blanket. The walls of the chamber were gradually covered with the names and sayings of the former inhabitants. One of the inscriptions read: "Here lived Cornet Kozlov. Usually the junkers were under arrest for only a day or two. They attended classes but ate, slept and did their homework in the guardhouse. The cadet on duty took the arrested person out of the cell and returned him back after class.

And yet I am grateful to Zyakin, because it was he who, in the second year of study, contributed to the assignment of the rank of corporal to me, which was important when choosing a regiment. Long before graduation, we were introduced to the list of vacancies in the cavalry regiments. Each cadet had the right to choose a regiment depending on the marks he had, but the sergeants and corporals had a priority right to choose.

I received the rank of corporal under very interesting circumstances. The Winter Palace, the residence of the emperor, was constantly guarded by police forces, in uniform and in civilian clothes. In addition, all St. Petersburg regiments and military schools took turns guarding the Winter Palace. The squadron of the Nikolaev Cavalry School guarded the palace once a year. We have held internal and external positions. The junkers, who took over the watch, stood at attention for two hours; then came the change. During the day, each shift had to defend four shifts. During the rest, we were in the guard room, ready in the event of a combat alarm to instantly jump to our feet; during the rest we slept without undressing. On that memorable day, I took part in the protection of the palace. We were just leaving the gate when the head of our school drove up and right there on Palace Square, next to the Alexander Column, promoted me to corporal of the “glorious school”.

My post in the palace was in the gallery of heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812.

More than three hundred portraits of military leaders hung on the walls, most of which belonged to the brush of the English artist George Doe.

The post was located in one of the corners of the gallery next to the regimental standards. At night, in a huge room with a single source of light - a light bulb near the standards - it was pretty creepy. Superstitious horror was evoked by the steps of the changing of the guard going to the post, echoing resoundingly in the enfilade of halls and corridors.

One day, while on duty, we had an unfortunate incident. In accordance with the Orthodox calendar, January 6th was the feast of the Epiphany.

Every year on this day, a solemn procession left the Winter Palace, which followed to the Neva. A pavilion was installed over a pre-made polynya. On this festive day, we stood guard in a huge hall along with a cavalry guard squadron. The emperor had to pass through this hall, following from his apartments to the exit. When he entered the hall, all the "eagles" went down, and only our standard hesitated and its tip touched the floor a few seconds later than the others. Our poor dad Sasha was arrested. He tried to hide his arrest from us by telling us that he went hunting.

In connection with this event, a cartoon appeared, which depicted Sasha's father in a hunter's costume, sitting in a cage. The Colonel was delighted with the caricature. The Nikolaev cavalry school included a secondary classical gymnasium, which existed at the expense of the junkers. In addition to private donations, the school hosted an annual charity exhibition. At such an exhibition, a caricature of Papa Sasha was sold for a rather high price. Every year, a picture of the Wahmister, which he traditionally called "Lord of the Planet", went away for a lot of money. The picture has always been the same. A horizontal line divided the sheet into two parts: the upper part meant "sky", and the lower one "ocean", or "desert". But the most important thing was not in the line, but in the inscription: "Lord of the planet Glorious School of such and such a year."

Although spurs were part of our uniform, the "beasts" did not wear them within the school walls until they had earned them. They were given for excellence in riding, and it was considered a great honor to be in the top ten to receive spurs. I was lucky and I was one of the first. On May 10, we left for the camps, and all the “animals” were finally allowed to put on their spurs. The presentation of the first ten pairs of spurs was accompanied by a traditional solemn ceremony. The sergeant-major invited ten distinguished "beasts" to a sumptuous dinner in the rest room, and the first night after the spurs were presented, the "beasts" slept with heavy eight-inch spurs on their bare heels. If a cornet who woke up in the middle of the night shouted: “I don’t hear the ringing of spurs!”, Having lost hope of falling asleep, the “animals” should have tinkled their spurs. The next morning you understood that you would never forget this event.

This was part of the bullying that the pupils of the school were subjected to. True, in our country bullying was not as cruel as, for example, in English schools, where older boys turned the younger ones into their lackeys. We, for example, had to, if a cornet addressed us, stand at attention, demonstrating respect for the elder, and instantly jump up if the cornet entered the room. In addition, the "animals" had to know some facts from the history of the Russian cavalry, which were not part of the compulsory training program. For example, the names of the commanders of all cavalry regiments where their regiments were stationed; be able to describe their shape to the smallest detail, etc., etc. Moreover, we had to remember the names of our favorite girls of all cornets. The girls were constantly changing, and there was no end to this exhausting procedure of remembering girls' names. The cornets punished the "animals" for a frown, an unhappy answer, an unlearned name, and for a host of similar "offences". Punishment mainly consisted of push-ups or squats; a hundred squats or push-ups was considered the norm, but sometimes it reached five hundred. Since these exercises developed the muscles of the arms and legs, they were considered useful for future cavalrymen.

These forced physical exercises and the fact that they almost constantly had to take a combat stance were terribly exhausting both morally and physically, but from the point of view of the army they had a positive effect, developing the respect of juniors for seniors in rank - even if they entered school only a year earlier . Although all these actions were illegal in nature, the officers, who at one time themselves went through such tests, turned a blind eye to the bullying of the elders over the younger ones. Only cruel and insulting forms of bullying that sometimes arose were instantly suppressed.

Once a year, the school hosted an equestrian festival. The cornets demonstrated drill training, overcoming obstacles, and even a Romanesque riding school.

The Cossacks showed horse riding, and the "animals" the so-called Scythian riding school.

For the performance of the “animals”, three low barriers were installed across the arena. "Beasts" on bareback horses, letting go of the reins, gathered at the gates of the arena. The gates opened, and the grooms drove the horses one by one into the arena with whips.

The performance lasted no more than three or four minutes. Instead of taking the barrier, my horse swerved to the side and I fell against the wall of the arena. Above me were the spectator stands. Fifty excited horses raced around the arena. I hastened to get up and, feeling extremely embarrassed, glanced over the podium, and the first person I saw was the general. I don’t know what motivated me at that moment, most likely, the force of habit, but I stretched out at attention. For this stupid act I was placed under the saber.

Twice a year we took part in balls organized in women's gymnasiums. We were supposed to enjoy attending balls, but we thought otherwise. With one girl, we were allowed to make only two circles around the hall and talk after the dance for no more than a few minutes, and all this time we were watched by the keen eyes of elderly ladies who observed the behavior of the girls. In any case, balls, according to school tradition, were not considered an appropriate pastime for noble cornets. So, twice a year, during the evening roll call, Papa Sasha announced:

I have twelve invitations to the ball. Who wants to go?

He knew in advance that the answer would be dead silence, and therefore he immediately added:

“I will select twelve people myself.

After his statement, each of the twelve asked in turn:

- Allow me to report.

- Report.

- I can not dance.

Every year Yarminsky listened to these explanations, and therefore he already had an answer.

You have two weeks to learn how to dance. An hour before you leave for the ball, you will come to my house and show me what you have learned in two weeks.

So, before leaving for the ball, the twelve unfortunate cadets danced with each other in Yarminsky's drawing room, but, regardless of their ability to dance, they all went to the ball.

It is clear that our presence at the balls has always been welcomed. What was our full dress alone worth! A black uniform with a scarlet edging, two rows of copper buttons, epaulettes and a three-stripe belt - the extreme stripes are scarlet, the middle one is black. Dark blue harem pants with red trim. Black boots with spurs. In summer - a cap with a scarlet crown, and in winter - a leather shako with a plume of feathers.

The form, of course, was luxurious, but, unfortunately, there were too few places in the city where we could show off in it. We were forbidden to walk the streets, and I preferred to wait at the entrance while the porter followed the cab. For two years of study, I could count on my fingers the streets of St. Petersburg, which I managed to walk along.

In the cavalry in general, and in our school in particular, they disapproved of boasting, flaunting their wealth, so the junkers tried not to use smart carriages on puffy tires, with well-fed, well-groomed trotters, which were driven by cabmen sitting on goats in solid blue sheepskin coats. On the other hand, simple carriages, single-horse cabs, at best, on molded rubber tires, harnessed, as a rule, by a skinny horse, with cabbies in Armenians, the so-called "vanki", could not develop a normal, from the passenger's point of view, speed. On Saturdays, luxurious carriages pulled by well-fed, fast horses stood at the door of the school. Although it was a very expensive pleasure, some of us hired such cabs for the whole day off. True, this had its drawbacks. If an officer was riding in a cab that could not reach high speed, then you had to either drag behind it or ask the officer's permission to overtake his cab.

Junkers were forbidden to go to operettas and comedies, to hotels and restaurants. The only time I came from the camp to the city before finishing school was to do some shopping with my mother.

"I'm tired," Mom said after we'd done our shopping. Let's go have breakfast at the Bear.

- They won't let me in.

“What nonsense,” my mother answered, not recognizing any restrictions. “In a few days you will be an officer, and besides, I am your mother.

We were, of course, not allowed into the restaurant, and my very young-looking mother's desire to rent a separate office aroused particular suspicion.

The school was very concerned about our moral character. Whenever visitors came to us during specially allotted hours, Papa Sasha looked into the living room several times to look at the visitors. Once he asked me:

- What kind of girl came to you today?

- My cousin.

After a moment of confusion, Papa Sasha quickly came to his senses and declared:

- So, so: so that I no longer see this cousins.

On May 9, the holiday of the Nikolaev Cavalry School was celebrated; All graduates received a warm welcome. Representatives of various regiments of the Russian cavalry attended a large dinner in honor of the holiday. The next day we left for the camps.

Summer camps for all regiments and military schools of the St. Petersburg garrison were located 27 kilometers from the city, in Krasnoye Selo. Our barracks were located on the left bank of the Dudehof Lake. On one side was the so-called front line, a wide, well-packed sandy road, along which the barracks were located. On the other side of the road, on a flat wide field, there was an artificial embankment, the so-called Tsar's Roll, from where the tsar watched the teachings and solemn ceremonies.

In Krasnoye Selo itself and its environs there were many dachas, in which many wonderful people probably rested in the summer, but I, like most of my comrades, only remember the female representatives who followed the regiments to the camps. We junkers had only two opportunities to get to know them. The first is cartography. During practical classes, we, scattered over a large area, were left unattended for a couple of hours. In addition, there was a boat rental on the lake, and there you could meet girls who came to ride. However, there was a certain risk: the officer on duty had binoculars and occasionally watched the lake. Violators of discipline could be left without leave.

In the camp, most of the time was devoted to drill. For about two weeks we cleaned and fed the horses on our own. Daily training ended with a parade in the presence of the emperor. The rehearsal of the parade took place in the presence of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, commander of the Guards. The Grand Duke, a tall, handsome man, was a lover of strong expressions - a habit that won him the love of soldiers who understood simple Russian. Somehow, during the rehearsal of the parade, our squadron lost its pace. When we passed by the Grand Duke, he shouted:

- What's this? Boarding school for noble maidens?

We had to walk past him again, and this time we found out that we looked like "rows of pregnant women."

In the second year of my studies, our head of school went on promotion. His successor, Major General Mitrofan Mikhailovich Marchenko, was not a graduate of the Nikolaev Cavalry School, and therefore did not attach much importance to our traditions. For most of his life, Marchenko served as a military attaché in Russian embassies in Western Europe and returned home as a complete Anglophile. Junckers traditionally engaged only in those sports that were in one way or another related to their profession. General Marchenko tried to get us to play football, one of the most beloved English sports. Volunteers were not found, and the general was forced to assign players to both teams. At the meeting, the cornets decided that playing football is degrading, goes against our traditions, and therefore the players must do everything possible to make the school administration abandon football. So, having entered the field, we took our places and stood at attention. No matter how hard the general tried, he could not get us to move, and, most surprisingly, we were not punished.

Then the general tried to introduce swimming classes at the school. One afternoon the officer on duty walked through the camp with a piece of paper and a pencil, making a list of those who could swim. It is only natural that the most incredible rumors spread at lightning speed throughout the camp. Among other things, it was said that those who could not swim would stay at the camp for the weekend and study. I had an important meeting in the city for the weekend, and, believing the rumors, although I could not swim, I signed up for the list of swimmers.

Further events rushed at breakneck speed. Half an hour later all the swimmers, including myself, came to the shore of the lake. After a couple of minutes, we undressed and, lining up in lines of six, approached the edge of the pier. At the command of the general "March!" we had to jump into the water. I did not have time to come to my senses, as I was already standing on the edge of the pier. At the command "March!" I jumped, but before I reached the water, I managed to shout:

– Help!

I was pulled out of the water and brought before the general.

“So you lied that you could swim?”

I explained why I had to lie. Probably, my honest answer disarmed the general, and he allowed me to leave for St. Petersburg for the weekend.

The solemn ceremony of promotion to officers took place in early August. All the military schools of St. Petersburg lined up in an extended front. The Emperor descended on horseback from the Tsar's Roll and spoke for several minutes about our duties now as officers. I don't remember the text of the speech because I was too excited.

“Gentlemen, I congratulate you on your first officer rank,” I heard the last words of the emperor, and these were the most important words.

At the end of the ceremony, Papa Sasha changed his stern look to a gentle smile and, instead of the command: “Squadron, march at a pace!” Smiling, he said:

- Lord officers, I ask for horses!

Chapter 13 Military School December 1943-May 1944 On December 8, when I arrived from Püggen at the military school on the outskirts of Dresden, the old Saxon city seemed to me surprisingly beautiful. Nothing foreshadowed the terrible fate that awaited Dresden, which