| 3rd Turkestan Rifle Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1910—1918 |
| Country |
|
| Branch |
 Russia Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | 1st Turkestan Rifle Brigade |
The 3rd Turkestan Rifle Regiment (3-й Туркестанский Стрелковый полк, 3-y Turkestanskiy Strelkovyy Polk) was a infantry (rifles) regiment of the Imperial Russian Army assigned to Russian Turkestan's Local Forces. The regiment's predecessors date from the well known Oreburg Line to the 1st Turkestan Reserve Battalion. Although short lived, the regiment save a good amount of combat on the Eastern Front of World War I.
History[]
The regiment trace their history back to the Omsk Border Garrison formed in 1771, and the Revelky Dragoon Regiment formed in 1709. Thus, the regiment's seniority dates to 1704, although itself not actually formed then.
By 1910, most of the Imperial Russian Army had been reorganised into larger (Regiments, brigades and Division) sized units. Most battalions were merged to form new regiments including the Turkestan Reserve Battalions. In 1910 the 4th Turkestan Rifle Battalion and the 1st Tashkent Reserve Battalion were merged into a new larger unit, becoming the 3rd Turkestan Rifle Regiment. The regiment's 1st company was formed from the reserve battalion and the 7th and 8th companies from the rifle regiment. Upon formation, the regiment was assigned to the 1st Turkestan Rifle Brigade and received the "regular" rifle regiment uniform.
Before mobilisation, the regiment was based in Tashkent and had the following structure:
- Regimental Headquarters
- Regimental Staff and Headquarters
- Band of the Regiment
- Regiment
- Headquarters Staff and Company
- Communications Detachment
- Scout Detachment
- 1st Battalion
- Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- 1st Company
- 2nd Company
- 3rd Company
- 4th Company
- Non-Combatant Company
- 2nd Battalion (Same as 1st - 5,6,7,8 Companies)
- Machine-Gun Detachment
- 1st Line Regimental Transport
- 2nd Line Regimental Transport
Immediately following mobilisation, the regiment did so and moved as part of the 1st Turkestan Rifle Brigade, and joined the North-Western Front as part of the Consolidated Corps later being the 10th Army. By September, the corps was renamed as the 1st Turkestan Army Corps and assigned to the area around the Nevogeorgievsk Fortress. In October, the group joined the 1st Army and then in February the 12th Army. By September 1915 the regiment was part of the 4th Army. In February 1916, the regiment gained their third battalion and the brigade was reorganised into the 1st Turkestan Rifle Division. After the changed, the regiment was assigned to the 3rd Army. In January 1917, the regiment lost one battalion to form part of the new 8th Turkestan Rifle Division. By April, the regiment was attached to the 1st Army and finally in September joined the Special Army.
The regiment was finally disbanded in 1918 following the October Revolution.
Battles[]
- Battle of Opinogury
- Battle of Orshimy
- Battle of Staraya Ves
- Battle of Fort Dembe
- Battle of Orekhovichi
- Battle of Gradiye
- Battle of Koshevka
- Battle of Rudka-Mirinskaya
- Battle of Pustomyty
Commanders[]
- 1912—1916 Colonel, later Major General Alexander Georgievich Pleshkov
- 1916—1916 Colonel Peter Maximovich Stepanenko
- 1916—1917 Colonel Peter Vasilyevich Blagoveshchensky
- 1917—1917 Colonel Georgy Konstantinovich Vernikovskiy
- 1917—Disbandment Colonel Mikhail Sergeevich Syrov