DIESEL RAILWAY BATTALIONS OF THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL ARMY DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Abstract

During the World War I, the railway force played a critical role in ensuring the mobility of the army, restoring destroyed tracks and supplying the front, but their activities, especially those related to technological innovations, remain insufficiently studied. Based on previously unknown documents from the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA), including work diaries and financial statements, the article examines the activities of the diesel railway battalions of the Russian Empire during the World War I. For the first time in Russian historiography, purchases of diesel locomotives ”tractors”, the cost of military personnel trips and the practice of using this technique in the framework of military field work are being studied in detail. A key element of the study is the analysis of cooperation with the American Baldwin Locomotive Works, a leading manufacturer of railway equipment, whose tractor locomotives have become the basis of the battalion fleet due to their power and adaptability to difficult conditions of the front. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the battalion structure, the advantages of vehicles, their role in the restoration of tracks and the construction of horse drawn roads. Based on archival materials, it is concluded that the introduction of diesel locomotives not only increased the efficiency of field work, but also became one of the starting points in the transition of military railways from steam traction to internal combustion engines, emphasizing the importance of international technological cooperation during the war. The work fills a gap in the research of military technical cooperation between Russia and the United States during the World War I, demonstrating how the globalization of technology influenced the course of military operations.