Struggle in Russia

Neither the Russian army nor the coalition forces were actually prepared for a long-term battle, because both sides had similar initial estimates and believed that the war could end in a few months at most.

But no one expected that this war would turn into a war of attrition. Especially the coalition forces, the preparations in this regard are not generally poor, probably in their opinion as long as the alliance declares war on Russia, Russia will soon succumb.

But who would have thought that Nicholas I would be so hard-headed, that he would have to fight with them, and they could only do their best to support them.

Therefore, the coalition soldiers outside Sevastopol suffered, especially the British soldiers. Although the British officers claimed to be gentlemen and nobles, this only applied to themselves, and they were completely indifferent to the protection of the soldiers.

Therefore, there is no suitable winter clothing for soldiers. Most of the British soldiers came to Crimea in military uniforms. At first, they didn’t even have coats. So the poor Brit was frozen.

The French army is quite good in this regard. They distributed sheepskin coats to the troops, and later they were equipped with cloaks lined with fur and hats called Crimeans. Although they were only issued to officers at first, they were later distributed to all. Soldier.

French high-level officials also allow soldiers to wear as many layers of clothes as they want, even if they are wrapped in rice dumplings. Unlike the stodgy British officers who always asked all soldiers to dress like "gentlemen" with no regard for the fact that they were all frozen into dogs.

After entering the deep winter, in order to resist the severe cold, the French soldiers dressed in miscellaneous clothes and looked like a beggar gang. Although they were not good-looking, they were much warmer than the British soldiers. The French soldiers wrote a letter to their families. They are very satisfied with this:

I was wearing many layers of clothes, from the inside out, a flannel vest, a shirt, a wool vest, a military uniform, a coat (short coat), and boots on my feet. If I was not on duty, I would wear leather shoes and Leg wraps - so nothing to complain about at all.

I have two coats, one from the division (Master Zhu Av), and the other is big and heavy. I bought it in Constantinople just to protect it from the cold, and it weighs about 50 pounds.

I slept in it when I was on duty in the trenches, and I couldn't even lift it if it got soaked, let alone marching with it. If possible, I'd take it back to France as a fun thing.

It is admirable how our battalion fighters, especially those from Africa, survived the freezing temperatures. Everyone was very well dressed, usually wearing a large cape with a hood over the uniform, either a Crimean or something cut from sheepskin to look like a coat. Leggings lined with fur are worn on the legs. Then everyone also sent a warm sheepskin hat. But we don't have a uniform military uniform, everyone dresses according to their own style...

At this time, the poor British were still wearing summer uniforms. They were very envious of the French sheepskins and Crimeans. Many officers began to complain:

I hope our soldiers have similar things to wear... Many have almost no shoes and no shirts, their trench coats are all worn out, because not only do they have to wear them during the day, but they have to sleep in them at night, and at most add another one from the trenches. Back damp blanket.

Not only was obedience a problem, but the British officers didn’t give much thought to where their soldiers lived. The tents they brought to Crimea were not windproof and had little protection against the harsh natural conditions. Most were damaged in the storm and there is no way to fix it.

Soldiers kept complaining: "They're not waterproof. When it rained heavily, the water leaked so badly that the tent was full of water, and we had to stand around the poles all night."

When inspecting the camp, Lord Lucan found that a large number of tents were not suitable for people, because they were all torn and torn, and the soldiers were almost frozen to death and had severe diarrhea.

British officers lived in much better conditions than soldiers, and most of them even had servants to serve, allowing them to form tents or dig holes in the ground and lay stones. Some simply dig a big hole, with stones on the wall and branches on top.

For example, on November 20, Captain William Radcliffe of the 20th Regiment wrote to his parents: "My cabin is progressing rapidly, and I hope I will be able to live in it by the end of the week. Project 1 Begin by digging a hole three feet six inches deep, eight feet wide and thirteen feet long. Put a pole at each end in the middle, put a beam on it, and fasten it with rope, nails, or whatever else you can find. , and then erect wooden poles on the beams and the ground or all kinds of wood chips that can be asked, borrowed, stolen or robbed. The gables are built with stone and mud..."

Under the circumstances at the time, British officers who were at the top of society were still able to enjoy various privileges, which was really outrageous for the tormented soldiers.

For example, Lord Lucan's nemesis, Lord Cardigan, lived on a private sailboat waiting for an opportunity, enjoying French feasts and entertaining groups of guests from England.

Other officers were allowed to spend the winter in Istanbul or found accommodation in nearby villages at their own expense. For example, Lieutenant Charles Gordon said in his letter: "Dear ~www.readwn.com~ I want you to promise that I will not be so comfortable in the UK!" And this is the Chinese Gordon who later participated in the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Count Fitztum von Eckstedt, Saxony's ambassador to London, later told a friend: "Several of the British officers who had survived that harsh winter later told me with a smile that the 'troop' suffered They still heard about such a big crime from the newspapers..."

In contrast, French officers are very close to their subordinates, which is in stark contrast to the comfortable life of senior British officers.

Both officers and soldiers live in a tent, which is fine when the weather is nice or on the march, but officers suffer more during the long, cold season.

Fortunately, the accommodation conditions of the French troops were better than those of the British troops. Not only were the tents more spacious, but they would also build wooden fences or use snow walls to block the wind outside the tents.

The French built all kinds of temporary shelters, such as molehills or tent huts, and French soldiers built their own stoves in the residences to keep them warm, which was the envy of British soldiers.

Anyway, the French army generally began to look down on the British army, thinking that this ally lacked the ability to adapt to life in the wild, and that everyone from officers to soldiers was as stubborn as a donkey.