Uniforms of the 18th Siberian Rifle Division (April-December 1919)

Material and reconstructions by A. Karevskiy

18th Siberian Composite Division (April-June 1919)

Insignia of the 2nd Siberian Assault Brigade:
1 and 2 – lieutenant-colonel and corporal in the 1st Assault Regiment;
3 and 4 – ensign and private in the 2nd Assault Regiment

It is assumed that the brigade's insignia was modelled on that of the 1st Siberian Assault Brigade: black shoulder-boards with white piping and stripes; with ciphers for the regiments – 1st Assault Regiment would be "1.Ш.", 2nd Assault Regiment would be "2.Ш.". [But see note at end]

Uniform of the 2nd Siberian Assault Brigade

The brigade's "assault" status implied the presence of a black and red chevron on the left sleeve. Subsequently the brigade proved itself incapable of performing assault tasks and lost this status, along with the corresponding insignia. The cockades shown here are covered with white and green ribbons, as was customary in the units of the Siberian Army.

Insignia of the 1st Jaeger Regiment (1 and 2 – lieutenant-colonel and sergeant-major) and the Jaeger Battalion of the 7th Tobolsk Siberian Rifle Division (3 and 4 – second-lieutenant and lance-corporal) of the 18th Siberian Composite Division's second brigade

According to some sources, the 1st Jaeger Regiment was reorganised from the newly formed 1st Siberian Assault Regiment, so the colour of its shoulder-boards is also shown as black with white piping and stripes (inherited from the assault and shock units), with the addition of the traditional cipher for the Supreme Ruler's jaeger units in the form of a curlicue letter "Е". The shoulder-boards of the Jaeger Battalion of the 7th Tobolsk Siberian Rifle Division are shown as khaki (as was used throughout the division) with the corresponding ciphers. This battalion was officially assigned to the 2nd Jaeger Regiment, but in reality its reorganisation was never completed during the period.

Uniforms of the 1st Jaeger Regiment and the Jaeger Battalion of the 7th Tobolsk Siberian Rifle Division

Judging by photographs, the widely used headgear commonly nicknamed the "shapki-kolchakovski", Kolchak caps, were widespread in the units of the 7th Tobolsk Siberian Rifle Division. It is logical to assume that they were also found in the division's Jaeger Battalion, which became part of the 18th Siberian Composite Division.

18th Siberian Rifle Division (June-December 1919)

Insignia of officers of the rifle regiments of the 18th Siberian Rifle Division

Since the backbone of the newly formed division was made up of regiments of the 2nd Siberian Assault Brigade, it is logical to assume that the latter's regiments inherited the corresponding insignia colour – black with white piping and stripes (especially since the shoulder-boards of the 1st Jaeger Regiment were the same).

This assumption is supported by the fact that Colonel N. N. Kazagrandi, the former commander of the 16th Ishim Siberian Rifle Regiment, had introduced similar black shoulder-boards into that unit, in memory of his 1917 service in the Revel Marine Death Battalion. It seems likely the commander could not help but take advantage of such favourable circumstances to revive the colours that were dear to him.

Insignia of other ranks of the rifle regiments of the 18th Siberian Rifle Division

The insignia shown here are gold for officers and yellow stenciled for lower ranks, as was customary in infantry (rifle and jaeger) units. The insignia in the Ishim Regiment were white (silver) in memory of the Revel Battalion.

Shoulder-boards of the 18th Siberian Division:
1 and 2 – 18th Cavalry Divizion; 3 and 4 – 18th Artillery Divizion

The cavalry was the former Horse-Jaeger Divizion of Captain, later Colonel, M. M. Manzhetniy. Its shoulder-boards have been reconstructed based on the work of historian and eyewitness B. B. Filimonov, who gave the following description:

Green shoulder-boards with yellow piping and the same greatcoat tabs. The shoulder-boards had the intertwined yellow letters: "ЕК".

Filimonov, B. B. in "The White Rebels: the Khabarovsk campaign, Winter 1921-1922. Book 1", Shanghai, 1932, p.41.

The divizion's uniform began to take shape even before it became part of the 18th Siberian Rifle Division, during the period when Manzhetniy was forming his unit on the basis of the former Soviet 10th Cavalry Regiment, which had gone over to the Whites. While part of the 18th Siberian Composite Division, the divizion was reinforced by a horse komand from the 16th Ishim Siberian Rifle Regiment, which wore black regimental shoulder-boards with white piping and stripes.

The shoulder-boards of the 18th Artillery Divizion have been reconstructed based on the assumption that the black colour of the division was retained here, with the white colour of the rifle regiments replaced by the [normal] red colour of artillery.

Uniform of officers of the rifle regiments of the 18th Siberian Rifle Division

According to memoirs, division commander N. N. Kazagrandi was a good manager and knew how to obtain the necessary uniforms for his units. But as in all Kolchak's army, a huge variety in individual items remained characteristic.

Uniform of the lower ranks of the rifle regiments of the 18th Siberian Rifle Division

Figures 2 and 3 show Kolchakovki hats. Here they are shown with cockades on the peak, but in practice such headgear was often worn without cockades, since their appearance alone clearly indicated that the soldier belonged to the armed forces of the Supreme Ruler.

Uniforms of the Horse-Jaeger Divizion (18th Horse Divizion) and the 18th Artillery Divizion

Filimonov mentions the uniform of the Horse-Jaeger Divizion as follows:

The divizion had a special uniform: green shoulder-boards with yellow piping and the same greatcoat tabs. The shoulder-boards had the intertwined yellow letters: "ЕК". The trousers had double green stripes with yellow piping in the middle.

Grey-blue cavalry breeches are shown here, but it is quite possible that, due to a lack of appropriate uniforms, that normal khaki trousers were used.

Filimonov, B. B. in "The White Rebels: the Khabarovsk campaign, Winter 1921-1922. Book 1", Shanghai, 1932, p.41.