Underwater sea mines were included in the specialty of the Field Engineering Troops on May 11, 1877').
8) Aeronautics Service: balloons and their application to military purposes. Since its inception (in 1891), this type of service has been a specialty of the Engineering Troops.
9) During the war with Japan, it became clear that it was necessary to supply our army with field searchlights that could move and follow troops. Combat experience has shown that searchlight stations are necessary for illuminating the area during night operations of troops, as well as for installing light curtains if you need to hide your positions at night from the eyes of the enemy.
Since 1908, these stations have been supplying sapper battalions, and this branch of equipment is included in the training that the Engineering Troops must train.
10) The service for the protection and supply of the army with the necessary tools of the Engineering Department and explosive compositions: mobile stocks of entrenching and other tools necessary for engineering work were established under the Field Engineering Troops on December 16, 1821.
To supply explosive compounds, pyroxylin warehouses were established at the Sapper Brigades in 1882.
11) Service for training troops of other types of weapons in the sapper department: from the Highest Decree, dated February 21, 1721 *), it can be concluded that Emperor Peter [attributed great importance to the training of infantry to the Field Engineering Department and established a structure for its implementation. This is how it is said, by the way, in this significant decree of our Great Genya: “It is imperative that officers knew Engineering, if they were all, but at least part of it”... “announce to all our non-commissioned officers half a century, so that they learn Engineering”...
“unless he knows”... “you won’t be able to produce above rank 135.”
After Peter the Great, it gradually lost its significance and there were times when Field Engineering was not taught at all. What is the reason for such an indifferent and passive attitude in the past towards such a useful and necessary task for the entire army, positively. say. it is forbidden. Some data suggest that one of the main reasons is the incompletely sympathetic attitude towards Field Engineering, both on the part of the commanders and the officers of the infantry troops themselves, and an indifferent attitude towards r) Order on Military. VЪfd. 1877 No. 188. 2) Historical. Essay. Eng. Ex. in Russia A. Savelyev. For more details about this, see further! and my essay.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
Exactly 150 years later, namely on August 25, 1871), a detailed manual for the training of infantry and artillery sappers was published for the first time.
Despite the careful development of the said manual in all its details and the completely conscientious efforts of the sapper officers sent annually for this task, the training of infantry in Field Engineering proceeded somewhat sluggishly.
“Some of the commanders, who were at the head of the Infantry Troops during this period, did not see any particular benefit from this training, and meanwhile, in bright colors they painted a picture of the misfortunes that are associated with the arrival of the commander of the training army to the NNM “for the enlightenment of the Idkho in the sovereignly useless Natsuyakhto.”
Despite such misconceptions, one cannot positively blame the people who were at the head of the search for not understanding the significant benefits of being trained as a sapper.
Only from wartime practice could one clearly see the need for an army of positive knowledge in Field Engineering. In peacetime, the following picture was painted. A sapper commander arrives at the infantry camp. From all the regiments, a well-known team was formed, which, for 11/2 months, broke away from systematic drill formation at the hottest times. The end of sapper training coincided with the time of troop formation reviews. What was the result? The ranks, formerly in the teams for sapper training, only spoiled the front and thereby brought complete displeasure on the entire unit from the inspecting persons. Sapper work, as it was not of direct interest to the combat commanders of the troops, was not believed or looked at by anyone. This is the reason why some people are convinced that training in Field Engineering, except for damage to the field, brings nothing.