With Snow on their Boots : The Tragic Odyssey of the Russian Expeditionary Force in France during World War I

by Jamie H. Cockfield

Release Date: 02 July, 1999

Edition: Paperback

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A humane view to a little-known incident

During the years of World War I, the costly trench warfare in the Western Front was eating the manpower of France. On the other hand, their eastern ally Russia had a huge army but was inadequately provided with weapons and ammunition. So, someone got this splendid idea: Russia would send a couple of their seemingly endless armies to the west, and in exchange they would receive much needed ammunition from French factories.

In the end, the Russians could spare only two brigades, approximately 20 000 men, which were shipped to France in 1916. For what they were worth, they performed pretty well in the battle, but obviously the bargain of exchanging human lives for ammunition had failed, and pretty soon the French high command regarded this Russian Expeditionary Force only as trouble. For various reasons however, they either wouldn't or couldn't send them back to Russia, and the situation became a real mess after the Russian revolution. Two Russian units, one "czarist" and one "bolshevik", actually fought a battle against each other while in France.

This little-known story has been thoroughly told in Mr. Cockfield's excellent book. The author has an eye for tragi-comical nature of REF's odyssey and sad ultimate fate, but admirably this doesn't border to cynicism. On the contrary, despite the heavy research work, Mr. Cockfield approaches his subject with a very humane touch. The various people in this story - Czar and his advisors, French politicians and commanders, Russian officers and ordinary peasant-soldiers - come very much alive with all their faults and few virtues. The book isn't just about an obsucre military incident or war politics, it manages to tell a lot about certain era and the people living it.

A Narrow, but Interesting Account of an Obscure Army

This is the untold story of the two Russian brigades sent to France in 1916. About 20,000 troops were sent in exchange for French ammunition sent to the eastern front. It was a trade that appeared to benefit both sides, since France was desperate for infantry replacements after Verdun and the Russians were desperate for artillery ammunition that their weak economy could not adequately provide. Although the Russian Expeditionary Force (REF) units performed well in the 1917 Nivelle offensive (suffering about 1,000 killed) they quickly fell into disarray once the Russian Revolution broke out. One brigade remained somewhat reliable and ended up fighting the other in order to suppress a mutiny. The Russian officer corps appears pretty pathetic in this account; they were unable to deal with their insubordinate troops and the French had to deal with this mess. By late 1917, the French no longer needed these troublesome troops due to American entry into the war and the French were eager to wash their hands of this awkward army. The survivors of the REF trickled back to Russia in 1918, while some remained in France to fight under French command. Pro-Bolshevik leaders were incarcerated by the French. This is a decent, well-documented history of an obscure army that tries to examine the disintegration of the Tsarist armies in microcosm. Unfortunately, Cockfield does not ask some important questions, like why did these two brigades revolt but the two Russian brigades sent to Salonika in Greece did not? This book does lack adequate maps and the actual description of the training and combat employment of the REF is rather brief. The bulk of the book focuses on the gradual disintegration of these two units after the March 1917 Revolution. The focus is also a bit narrow, as other Russian units sent to fight outside the Eastern Front are only barely mentioned.