Friday 6 August 2021

Krasnyy Sotnya

The Krasnyy Sotnya (Red Hundred), Trotsky’s personal armoured train guard are now complete and ready for the game in November, this year.

As mentioned before, Ivanka Kozyrnyy, the famous Russian explorer will be the Krasnyy Sotnya’s guide. Ivanka has spent many years exploring Jhamjarhistan and its surroundings, secretly on behalf of the Cheka. She is a close personal friend of Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, or ‘Iron Felix’ as she refers to him. She was part of the original party which discovered Scythian artefacts and remains at the dig site outside Djelibad.

Leon Trotsky has arrived at Djelibad in his armoured train. His train, the massive, armoured rail-cruiser named Revvoyensovet, is staffed by the Krasnyy Sotnia, an elite and oddly dressed group of Bolshevik soldiers who are charged with defending Comrade Trotsky and his armoured train.

The train carries everything needed onboard, including a telegraph and radio office, a power station, bathhouse, and library. The club car is used by Trotsky to entertain Ivanka and he is very proud to be able to offer 35 different varieties of vodka to his guests. There is also a fully functioning garage onboard which houses three armoured cars.

The Krasnyy Sotnya were formed in 1918 as Commissar Trotsky’s train crew and mobile guards. As such, the Krasnyy Sotnya are uniquely dressed and heavily armed to protect the chairman of the Red Army and his personal staff while aboard the Pullman cars of Revvoyensovet. Tasked with defending him with their lives, they are considered elite soldiers.

Their uniform and equipment consisted of a dyed red leather overcoat and red leather trousers and boots. Leather was highly sought after by Red Army officers, cavalry troopers, and armoured train personnel. Besides the obvious style, the leather offered some protection from the brutal Russian weather. Trotsky once remarked that they made the Krasnyy Sotnya look "heavily imposing."

Thanks to the Warfare History Blog for all this very useful information.

http://warfarehistorian.blogspot.com/2016/02/odd-fighting-units-trotskys-red-100-and.html

2 comments:

Dave Stone said...

Great looking models for the upcoming game Martin, and an interesting bit of history you found

Martin Thornton said...

Cheers Dave. Yes, they are rather unusual. They will be an elite unit in the game. Trotsky will have another unit which will be composed of criminals with poor morale!