Russian Invasion Army

The Russian Army aboard the invasion fleet comprised a core of trained and battle hardened veterans who had served in the recent Russo-Turkish war of 1877/1878 supplemented with detachments from the units deployed in the Empire's far east provinces.

European Units Detached from IX Army Corps Orel

1^st battalion 141^st Regiment 1^st Brigade 36^th Infantry Division                       ≈ 1000 effectives *

1^st battalion 143^rd Regiment 2^nd Brigade 36^th Infantry Division                      ≈ 1000 effectives *

Siberian Units

Combined Battalion 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th West Siberian Frontier Battalions        ≈ 800 effectives +

Combined Battalion 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th East Siberian Frontier Battalions         ≈ 800 effectives +

Two Sotnia detached from 1^st Transbaikal Cossack Regiment                      ≈ 340 effectives x

Four Gorlov guns on wheeled mounts - naval crews available

 

*            these units included their rifle company which could be detached for skirmishing

+            these units include one company from each of the parent battalions

x            the Cossacks travelled without mounts

Notes:

-No artillery included in OOB the fleet would supply ‘big gun’ support when required

-Approximate strengths are based on numbers before the fleet left Vladivostok in July 1879 on arrival off the coast of South Australia on Sunday 17^th August 1879 the unit returns showed effective’s numbers ranged from 50% to 70% of these totals

-Troops were equipped with the latest single shot manually cycled bolt action Berdan II rifle which used a socket style bayonet

-To supplement his units firepower as they had no integral artillery Lieutenant-General Lazarev personally ensured four Gorloff guns were included in the invasion forces armaments these were to be crewed by sailors from the fleet