Volley in 4 ranks

[elbones1982]

the Hong Kong divison

[xXxcollectorxXx]

How goes the war?

[lgpreobr]

In early 18th century they thought deeper formation is more steady and has stronger flanks. That was choice bewteen 6, 4 and 3 ranks (and they hadn't even considered 2 ranks at all).

[Supduplemup]

Why dont you do this in 2 rank? I mean is there a difference or benefit of using this "4 rank" and using a 2 rank?

[DriestBiscuit]

@Supduplemup I think the deeper the ranks the more firepower and less chance of wavering due to their being more men.

[TheBritishLegions]

Rakoveet!!

10 inch strogonov!

Sorry Call of Duty Russians!

[GrrrIamMad]

If only my troops would fire like this in Empire Total War.

[lgpreobr]

@TennesseeReb1862

We are Russian infantry in 1709, Great Northern War

[RectumPilum]

66 likes. 6 dislikes. OMG 666 lol.

[robloxace]

you can really see how Russia managed to keep its classy uniforms from the 1600's

but now.... nobody does except for Russia and Britain

[cachorastaman]

to the people saying its 2 ranks, well you should take a good look, the soldiers to the left are behind their respective soldier on the right, possibly the angle of the camera doesnt give that perspective, or the fact that theres only 4 soldiers to show the formation, but either way this formation is in 4 ranks

[MrHillariousman]

Looks like top right mis-fired...

[StuPedassle711]

That's 4 ranks. Notice in the beginning that they're in a line, one behind the other. It's one file consisting of four ranks.

[markbotv3]

no wonder russia lost ww2. they used children armed with muskets

i am obviously kidding folks dont git yer pantys in a bunch

[darnocslew]

that isnt 4 ranks, thats 2 ranks, 4 ranks would be a firing line 4 men deep either doing fire by rank or fire by platoon.

[alexp9999]

you can always tell the quality of an army by the size and decoration of its soldiers' hats =D

and these guys are pretty damn quality.

[itschris1821]

Isn't that 2 ranks 4 lads lol

[jarnfan1000]

there like childs!

[TheMvessel]

tht is not 4 ranks

im in navy cadets

[Aztecalt1997]

is this roughly how the Russian National Guard use to look like in 1709?

[ShasoDnarb]

I lot of misinformation via YouTube commentors. I won't even try to correct them. I hope not everyone takes them to be gospel.

[nounever]

RUSSIANS!

[Luckyluke007]

0:05 On your cookie

[gtaisawesome87]

@Luckyluke007 haha on ur cookie

[Rangerfull3]

@Luckyluke007 LOL!

[kruz200]

@Luckyluke007 actually he said "cock the triggers"

[SWilson504th]

Jaegers!

[clarkdra]

play empire total war and you will know is a good game

[jodimest]

The video pretty well illustrates how platoon firing could be pretty effective. Imagine a ripple of fire down a line of thousands of men. I wouldn't want to be walking in front of that!

[RectumPilum]

@clarkdra ETW sucks.

[itsCorsdt]

Impressive...innovative and effective formations like this are what made 16th-18th century musket warfare so artistic. Today's user-friendly style of of modern warfare has NOTHING on history's greatest musketeers.

[TheBritishElf]

Are they six year olds or something? and also, how did they cover the troops while they were reloding?

[ThePitofSidLord]

I think, judging from that ledge visible through the video that the camera man is standing a solid meter above them looking down, making them seem small. I assume that a second rank of soldiers would cover them after reloading, or the technique was only used in a battles 'faitality move'

[ArkadiBolschek]

Didn't 'cover' them, man. They just stood there taking in enemy fire. Old muskets were so inaccurate, you had to fire big four-rank volleys like that to have a chance of hitting anything; plus, black gunpowder made big, thick clouds of smoke that didn't just clear up like that. Once a battle got started, depending on how the wind blew, it could get tricky to actually see what you were firing at. So, folks basically stood there firing at each other until one side lost their nerve and retreated.

[IcMKarabiner]

Actually a lot of engagements ended when one or both sides moved in with bayonets or swords, I don't think they would just stand there shooting. Muskets weren't THAT inaccurate, but volley firing was still the most effective way of fighting (apart from the bayonet :D) It didn't particularly matter if you knew what you were shooting at - in fact, sharpshooting, or shooting at a specific man, was considered cowardly.

[steifan]

They didn't cover their troops while reloading.

[Germankaviar]

u have a coupe of options to fire muskets.

1. all fire at the same (avoids the problem of aiming while everything is covered in smoke, increases hit-ration)

2. fire in ranks (avoids missing cover during reload, but needs perfectly traind troops to sustain rankfire, a able commander, AND u loos visibility due to smoke)

3. fire only 2 (or 3) ranks at the same time and keep one rank in reserve for covering fire

- lack of skilled and well trained troops resulted mostly in firing type 1 or 3

[armypenguin]

lol I don't know why there short but you reloaded well getting shot at discipline was one of the most important things in line infantry units.

[gavinhas1]

Why do they look like 10 year olds to me?

[HMservant]

i was just thinking the exact same thing!

[brandini555]

@gavinhas1 cuz russians are short :D

[fixdeluxe1]

I think this was a good small-unit formation but better employed if the rear troops cover fired while the forward troops reloaded etc(I know common sense).Pretty impressive though they would have been vunerable if any enemy soldier survived the big volley.

[TemporalFugue]

I'm not familiar with this formation, so please excuse my ignorance; the 4 rank volley is impressive firepower, but how did they cover the troops as they reloaded? With other units, or some integral defensive

elements?

[lgpreobr]

In this 4 rank formation they used all generally known methods of fire: by platoons, by ranks and volley/salvo.

Thus, volley in 4 ranks could have been seen both in salvos and in platoon fire.

When firing by ranks they started from the rearmost rank.

[britishbulldog2008]

yeah i was just gonna say this is platoon fire drill, it starts from the left and works up the regiment to the right and by the time it got the the end the lads at the start were ready to fire again..

Highly effective and put's a constant hail of lead down on your enemy, much better than fire by rank,if the vid had about another 200 men in the formation it would look impressive.

[SomeGuyDrumming]

@TemporalFugue I think the concept would be you would fire 1 rank at a time so by the time the last rank has fired the first rank would be loaded and ready to fire again. you could have constant fire

[ProfessorCrow]

Bloody hell that's impressive :)

[OnkelMickwald]

Is this a Poltava reenactment?

[lgpreobr]

No, this was filmed in Kexholm. But uniforms and tactics do represent Poltava period.

[TheAwsumOne]

the green and red uniforms were cool.

[2Stupid2BeSpoken]

perfect volley

[Schmidt1942]

were small children in Preobrazhensky Life Guards?

[lgpreobr]

They were in 1680s when the troop was just raised for small prince Peter then.

They were all well grown-ups by 1700s.

[HebrewHero]

thats two ranks

[GuitarReenact30]

Oh it is four ranks. Weird formation.

[GuitarReenact30]

That was two ranks by the way. lol

[TaintedMustard]

Nope, it's four. Look deeper into the comments. It's four ranks and one file. The formation is checkered.

[swefress]

requaiobaisan... BAILÊ

[2ndpadrummer]

awsome volley! besides my regiments those were the best ive seen!

[Foolishk1ng]

is it just me or does their equiptment seem a bit dated :)

[xSublimEstyLeE]

lol well played sir

[Roossell93]

is it just me or was that company a little small?

[Foolishk1ng]

ye you would think when they say there going to deploy more troops

[cherrychutney16]

nice i like the form,good volley all at the same time;however, my militia unit would have outdone you in a battle :) only because we're militia,fast and informal, arent as proper.

[TaintedMustard]

Well, this kind of warfare is all about discipline: the ability to maintain formation and a good rate of fire even as your comrades are dropping around you. Most importantly, these guys are meant to fight on an open field, where cover and concealment are scarce and overwhelming volume of fire is decidedly more beneficial than mobility. Irregulars in a forested or urban area would definitely have an overwhelming advantage if their opponent decided to stick with the easy-to-target lines of men.

[Roossell93]

common sense vs. honor

or something like that. the native americans looked at this kind of warfare and shook their heads... we looked like idiots fighting the way we did. but i love it.

[TaintedMustard]

Like I said, you walk into an area with a lot of cover and concealment and it IS suicidal to fight like this. On a rolling plain, there's nowhere to hide. Sticking with your company means you gain greater volume of fire and better defense in case of a bayonet or cavalry charge. People will die, but hopefully your unit won't break. It isn't perfect, but then, they were fighting with imperfect weapons.

[TaintedMustard]

These days, we have fully automatic weapons with high ammunition capacity and short reload times—advantages totally alien to soldiers of this era. Proning out and exchanging long-range fire wasn't really a viable alternative with muskets. You'd get one shot off—which would probably miss—and then you'd have to reload. Rifles were more accurate, of course, but you'd still have to reload after every shot.

[hankhillarlentexas]

like the uniforms, which nation is that?

[pKm0vies]

ukraine

[hankhillarlentexas]

thanks, what is that mid 1700s

[pKm0vies]

It is actually the late 1600 and early 1700, but close.

[AmersfoortTristan]

I think that this is supposed to portray the Imperial Russian Army of the early 1700's though.

[pKm0vies]

i am russian, that is ukrainian language

[AmersfoortTristan]

Thank you. I can't of course hear the difference and only looked at the uniforms.

[lgpreobr]

Neither this was filmed in Ukraine nor the language is Ukranian :)

[BindTieKill]

Hate to be the guy with the muzzle going off next to his ear.

[britishairborne]

Not to be a twat but that is 2 Ranks.

[TaintedMustard]

No, it isn't. It's four. Four ranks (depth) and one file (width):

| |

| |

Expand the formation and pretend there are sixteen guys instead of four:

| | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | |

The formation is checkered. The front two ranks kneel, the back two stand, and the rear man in each pair of ranks fires through the gap in front of him.

[TaintedMustard]

Those lines were supposed to be staggered. Oh well. Imagine every second rank is pushed two spaces to the right and you'll see what I mean.

[lgpreobr]

Thank you for explanation! :)

[Marnerbanana]

gotta love the sound (altough if the musket is next to your ear it might be a bit much)

[darksaiyan2006]

Ear plug for the win though.

[tubester101we]

Igpreobr, indeed it seems i have mistaken your formation, you did try to form one file and four ranks, however that is quite difficult as seen here, your group has disperesed into a checkerboard like shape, firing in 4 ranks would have been extremely efficient in the napoleonic era i might add.

[lgpreobr]

This 'dispersion' is per regulation :)

[Elite697]

they look like german jaegers

[skaindu]

i cant believe the lack of imagination...just pretend you noob

[tubester101we]

no you dont see my point, the moment u space out 2 men, thats 2 files, the way you have it arranged is OO  OO

so that people are diagonal, therefore its 4 men in 2 ranks and 2 files. do you get it? or must we continue with this discussion

[lgpreobr]

True, we were in 4 ranks at full distance, then we closed up for firing and when closing up, men have shifted slightly is checkerboard pattern.

If they formed two ranks they would have 2 men in front rank which is not the case.

Thanks for commenting our video, happy new 2009 :)

[tubester101we]

you know thats not 4 ranks, you see, counting people is different from counting ranks, unless you're flat out retarded, in which case, the 2 dont make any difference from your point of view.

[lgpreobr]

Don't see your point. This is single file four ranks deep. We do the same in multiple files and still in four ranks.

[tubester101we]

thats 2x2 = four men in a small group made of 2 ranks and 2 files OO OO

thats TWO by TWO so four men, but not 4 ranks

[lgpreobr]

As is known, rank is a line of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder and file is a line of soldiers standing before or after each other.

We show 1(one file) and 4 (four) ranks, or 1x4 if you will :)

[Nater389]

Yea, tuberster101we missed the point there. This is an example of a firing line, 4 men deep. This is showcasing how the men would align them selves so that 4 men could all get a good shot off at the enemy. Obviously, this is one "column" if you will, out of the entire line. Men would be on either side of these men to make up the line.

[aporlarepublica]

Isn´t that russian?

[FreeeeS]

karaoul mgl word "kharuul" guard in mgl

[Kornzang]

You got it right. "Karaoul" was loaned from Mongolian.

[ManilaSyndicate]

Fascinating.

[Bonnyprince88]

Preobrazhensky Life Guards you are GREAT!! Good work!

Thanks for the comment!

Regards!

[rehtged]

Ah, the Preobrazhensky Life Guards, were you at Oudenaerde this year? And yes, nice volley.

[lgpreobr]

Thank you!

Yes, one our section did take part in Oudenaarde :)

[601SQNRAF]

Nicely done! One of the things that most do not realize is that if volley fire is not done properly, it is very easy to puncture your mate's ear or hit him with debris from the pan or a percussion cap. Nicely done gentlemen - crisp and safe!

[NordicCrusader]

These are flintlock muskets, they have no percussion caps. By the time percussion muskets were introduced they no longer used the four rank, or even three rank formations for firing in line.

[601SQNRAF]

Yes, they are flintlock muskets; however, as I noted above, volley fire can be hazardous with either a flintlock musket (debris) OR a percussion musket if the firing party does not know their business. I should know...I have been showered by stuff coming from a file mate's pan (Seven Years War reenacting) and been cut by a splintered percussion cap (War Between the States reenacting).

After watching the volley, I must congratulate the party again: WELL DONE! What era are you portraying?

[NordicCrusader]

The description says 1709, so I "guess" the Great Northern War... Russia and Sweden going at eachother.

Probably one of the most epic, and hardest wars ever fought. You should read up on the battle of Narva... amazing.

[601SQNRAF]

The one of the wars between Peter the Great and Charles XI (?) of Sweden (which secured St. Petersburg as the "Window to the West")? I would have guessed early 18th century, based on the style of the regimental coat, but I was not sure of the historical impression. Those fellows do look good and their volley was precise...then again, they are European "regulars" :)

[MMSMikey]

looks like 4 little kids.

[CivilWarReenactor]

That Volley brought tears to my eyes

[Drummer7rf]

Nice VOLLEY!!

[brownbess1967]

Very nice representation !!, no mistakes, no flash in the pan, just rapid fire !!

[eldudeny]

Very good demostration

[jstrouse]

The Preobrazhensky are the most famous of the old Russian guard. They still play Their original march in the Kremlin at military parades even today.

[remi1963]

SUPER!!!

[lgpreobr]

These are Russians of the Great Northern War.

[hollywoodwerewolf]

Are these reenactors French of the Seven Years War? Or Swedish?