The Russian Century: A Hundred Years of Russian Lives

When I read your letter I was surprised to learn that you have become a country preacher for the New Age. You probably have had to endure much deprivation. I think that you have had to experience many, many hardships, and on top of it all you have to remain composed. I read in the papers about how our country folk understand the New Age. It’s amazing how stupid and ignorant we are! Just to explain something insignificant would probably take about 20 hours.

I ask you, Olga Valerianovna, to give my greetings and wishes for good health to your mama Olga Petrovna. All the best, good bye for now, be healthy, and I wish you, Olga Valerianovna, great success in educating our people.

—Respectfully yours N. Filatov

Nikolai Filatov, A Soldier’s Letters

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6. POSITION IN THE KIMPOLUNGSKII SECTOR

November 15th day, 1917

Much-respected Olga Valerianovna, I send you my greetings and wish you good health, I also send regards to your mama Olga Petrovna and wish her good health and all the best.

First of all, Olga Valerianovna, I will write you the following. At the same time that you had a battle in Moscow, the Germans here at the front were not napping and broke through the front in two places, at Baranovichi [in the Brest region of Belorussia] and in Romania, at Okna [Okna-Muresh on the Muresh River]. Then they began to prepare for an assault on Iassy [in Northeast Romania near the Moldavian border]. I heard the following story. A division, that is this division maintained contact with our division, under the instigation of provocateurs, split along Bolshevik and Menshevik lines, left their positions and began fighting amongst themselves, and the Germans took their trenches with no losses. Our situation became critical. To re-establish our position, we brought up artillery, machine guns and a handful of soldiers to the place where the Germans broke through, after three hours’ artillery bombardment there wasn’t a living soul left in the trenches. Our troops recaptured the trenches with no losses and set-up machine guns. The Germans, after a two-hour artillery bombardment, moved to counterattack in tight formation. We let them come into close range, then the 132nd machine gunners and the 94th battery opened fire all at once. It was a horrible sight. The Germans advanced on our trenches with a pitiful battle cry, we let them in close and then mowed them down at point-blank range. Towards evening the Germans became convinced that it was impossible to take our trenches and the battle ceased.

I absolutely cannot understand how the Germans manage to break through our lines. Never have I seen troops abandon their position, that is, voluntarily leave their entrenchments, though I hear such stories and read about it in the papers, I still don’t believe it. I have witnessed how our soldiers in the trenches, out of ammunition, bore the storm of German artillery fire, but did not think of leaving. Now I believe that our military technology is superior to that of the enemy, we have more than 50 machine guns in our regiment, and more were sent to us, but were not accepted because there are no horses to haul them. We have all the ammunition you could want, in answer to every German round our soldiers send 7.

We began voting for the Constituent Assembly from the 11th of this month. Most votes are cast for no. 3, and a small portion for nos. 4 and 6.2 The soldiers were not prepared to vote, there are many misunderstandings, no conflicts. Yesterday I went to the regiment headquarters, and had the good

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Chapter Twelve

fortune to be in the trenches. An Austrian prisoner came and said that they are given nothing to eat. From our reconnaissance men I obtained Austrian newspapers, magazines and all sorts of other works. I read little, had no time. The Austrians curse Kerensky for continuing the war to appease the bourgeois classes.

I have not received your books, no news is foreseen at present, we await peace. For now, Olga Valerianovna, good bye, be healthy, I wish you all the very best.

—N. Filatov

7. ACTIVE ARMY

December the 6th day, 1917

Greatly-respected Olga Valerianovna, I send you my greetings, wishes for good health, and all the best. Also greetings to your mama Olga Petrovna, whom I wish good health and every blessing.

I foremost write you, Olga Valerianovna, that yesterday I received your letter of 14 November, for which I thank you. You rightly predicted, Olga Vale-rianovna, that there will be many changes. True, we’ve had a little peace. The new war has not overpowered the old one, it ran off someplace, probably after the old war. There is no firing at our position, fraternization has ceased. The first of December we heard artillery and rifle fire in the Austrian deployments. From what the Austrians tell us, they are rioting and want peace.