Life Grenadier Guards

The Grenadier Life Guards Regiment was formed from 3 grenadier companies of the Livonian division in 1756 just at the start of the Seven Years' War. The regiment took volunteers from the following regiments: Voronezh, Novgorod, Siberian, Narva, Belozersky, Nevsky, Kazan, Chernigov, Suzdal and Uglitsky Infantry. Upon formation the regiment was given the name of the 1st Grenadier Regiment and consisted of 2 battalions with 5 companies with 5 batteries of light artillery attached. Upon forming up, the regiment joined the 1st Division of Lopukhin. By 1762 the regiment was expanded to three battalions but following this news came that Russian would no longer be involved in the Seven Years' War and the regiment was reduced back to 2 battalions, but again expanded another year later.[1][2][3]

In 1775, after the end of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) the regiment was given the title of "Life".

"In honour of and respect for the infantry of the Russian Empire, the 1st Grenadier Regiment in the first degree should be designated as a Life Regiment by their distinguished military discipline and courage!."

— Catherine The Great, Empress of Russia

Upon change of title, the empress took over as Colonel-in-Chief and Regimental Colonel of the regiment. By 1786 the regiment was expanded to a 4 battalion regiment with 4 companies each, but lost their artillery support. In 1795, the 4th battalion was reduced and became a reservist battalion and the next year the battalion was disbanded. In 1798, the regiment gained their artillery detachment again. The same year, the regiment was reorganised into two battalions and garrisoned in the Orenburg Inspectorate.[1][2][3]

In 1800 the regiment lost their artillery detachment again, for the second time. In 1802 the regiment was expanded to three battalions of four companies each. The next year, the 5th Grenadier Company from the 1st Battalion was separated to form the new Petrovsky Musketeer Regiment.[1][2][3]

The Life Guard Grenadiers charging during the Battle of Borodino

In the Napoleonic Wars, the first major battle the regiment took part in was the Battle of Austerlitz as part of the guards corps within the reserves. The regiment later served at the Battle of Friedland and later the Russian-Swedish War. After the end of the Russian-Swedish War, the regiment joined the 1st Western Army and took part in the Battle of Borodino, Battle of Krasnoi, Battle of Klyastitsy, Battles of Polotsk, and finally the Battle of Borisov (Berezina). Later during the 1813 campaign, the regiment took part in the following battles: Battle of Lutzen, Battle of Bautzen, Battle of Dresden, Battle of Kulm, and finally the major Battle of Leipzig. Finally the regiment took part in the Battle of Paris.[1][2][3]

In 1814 the regiment formed two new reserve battalions from the 2nd Grenadier Companies from the following regiments: Kexholm, Ryazan, and Polotsk Guards Regiments. In 1831 the regiment participated in the November Uprising, and due to their performance gained the right to perform ceremonial duties at the Winter Palace. In 1842, the 4th Reserve battalion was formed but later disbanded in 1850. By 1854, the battalion was reformed and expanded to form the 5th and 6th reserve battalions in 1854 following the reforms after the Crimean War. In 1854, the 4th, 5th and 6th reserve battalions went to form the new Life Grenadier Guards Reserve Regiment. Upon formation, the 3rd battalion was reduced and re-designated as the new reserve battalion (during peacetime). In 1876, the regiment formed a new 4th battalion which remained as a regular battalion. In 1877, the regiment took part in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and for their performance, the regiment formed a spare battalion which was later disbanded the next year.[1][2][3]

Just before mobilisation for World War I, the regiment was stationed in St Petersburg and was under the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Guards Infantry Division, the division itself was under the control of the Guards Corps under the St. Petersburg Military District.[1][2][4][3] Just before mobilisation, the regiment had the following structure:[4]

• Regimental Headquarters
• Communications Detachment
• Scout Detachment
• 1st Battalion (16 Officers, 1 Official, 443 Combatants, and 5 Non-Combatants)
  • Battalion Staff
  • 1st Company
  • 2nd Company
  • 3rd Company
  • 4th Company
  • Support Company
• 2nd Battalion (Same as 1st)
• 3rd Battalion (Same as 1st)
• 4th Battalion (Same as 1st)
• Machine-Gun Detachment (Company Sized)
• Regimental 1st Line Transport
• Regimental 2nd Line Transport

During World War I, the regiment served on the Eastern Front where it was later disbanded in 1918 after the Petrograd Soviet took over control of the government, after the October Revolution. But the regiment's history does not end there.[1][2][3]

In 1918, the Guards Grenadier Regiment was formed in 1918 as part of the Volunteer Army and fought during the First Kuban Campaign. By 1919, the regiment expanded to three companies and formed the 1st Battalion of the now formed 1st Consolidated Guards Regiment. The unit was almost completely wiped out after the battle around Dremailovka and the entire regiment was reduced to company size. After the end of the Russian Civil War, the regiment's members formed a association with 48 officers and 39 men, and by 1951, this association consisted of 25 men.[1][2][3]

• "Лейб-гвардии Гренадерский полк — Офицеры русской императорской армии". ria1914.info. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
• "лейб-гвардии Гренадерский полк". regiment.ru. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
• Handbook of the Russian Army. Great Britain. War Office. General Staff., Imperial War Museum (Great Britain). Department of Printed Books. (6th ed ed.). London: Imperial War Museum, Dept. of Printed Books. 1996. ISBN 1870423674. OCLC 35757835
• "Гренадерский лейб-гвардии полк", Википедия (in Russian), 2019-06-01, retrieved 2019-10-16