Tachanka: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Tachanka in Huliaipole Museum.jpg|thumb|Tachanka armed with a [[PM M1910]] in the [[Huliaipole]] museum]] | [[File:Tachanka in Huliaipole Museum.jpg|thumb|Tachanka armed with a [[PM M1910]] in the [[Huliaipole]] museum]] | ||
A '''tachanka''' (Russian and {{langx|uk|тачанка}}) | A '''tachanka''' (Russian and {{langx|uk|тачанка}}) is a [[Horse-drawn vehicle|horse-drawn]] [[cart]] (such as a [[charabanc]]) or an open wagon with a [[heavy machine gun]] mounted on the rear side. A tachanka requires a crew of two or three (one driver and a machine gun crew) and must be pulled by two to four horses. | ||
== Etymology == | == Etymology == | ||
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== Adoption == | == Adoption == | ||
[[File:Taczanki PIC 1-P-2965-18.jpg|thumb|Polish ''taczanki'' at an Independence Day parade in 1938]] | [[File:Taczanki PIC 1-P-2965-18.jpg|thumb|Polish ''taczanki'' at an Independence Day parade in 1938]] | ||
A regular civilian horse cart could be easily converted to military use and back. This made the tachanka | A regular civilian horse cart could be easily converted to military use and back. This made the tachanka popular during the [[World War I]] on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]], where it was used by the Russian cavalry.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} The use of tachankas reached its peak during the [[Russian Civil War]] (1917–1920s), particularly in the peasant regions of Southern [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russia]] and [[Ukrainian People's Republic|Ukraine]], on fronts where fluid [[Maneuver warfare|mobile warfare]] gained much significance. With up to 4 horses abreast pulling a tachanka, it could easily keep up with cavalry units and support them with mobile firepower. While a number of sources attribute its invention to [[Nestor Makhno]],<ref>{{cite book |first=William Henry |last=American |title=Russia's Iron Age |publisher=Ayer Publishing |year=1970 |page=201 |isbn=0-405-03013-4 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=V. |last1=Rapoport |first2=Y. |last2=Alekseev |first3=V. G. |last3=Treml |translator-first=B. |translator-last=Adams |title=High Treason: Essays on the History of the US Army, 1918–1938 |publisher=Duke University Press |year=1984 |page=69 |isbn=0-8223-0647-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Steve |last1=Zaloga |first2=Leland S. |last2=Ness |title= US Army Handbook, 1939–45 |url=https://archive.org/details/redarmyhandbook00zalo |url-access=limited |publisher=Sutton |year=1998 |page=[https://archive.org/details/redarmyhandbook00zalo/page/n101 105] |isbn=0-7509-1740-7 }}</ref> the idea of installing of light guns and machine guns on horse-driven carts was tried by the British during the colonial wars.{{cn|date=September 2025}} | ||
Tachanka tactics were centered around taking advantage of its speed to surprise the enemy. Tachankas, before the introduction of the tank or automobile to the battlefield, were | Tachanka tactics were centered around taking advantage of its speed to surprise the enemy. Tachankas, before the introduction of the tank or automobile to the battlefield, were a way to provide high-speed mobility for the heavy, bulky machine guns of World War I. The speed of the horse-drawn cart would be used to move the machine gun platform to a favorable firing position, and then the enemy would be fired upon before they had a chance to react. Since the machine gun pointed towards the rear of the cart, the tachankas also provided effective suppressive fire onto pursuing enemy cavalry after raids and during retreats. Ukrainian anarchist leader Nestor Makhno pioneered the use of the tachanka en masse during the Russian Civil War. Makhno's forces relied so heavily upon the use of the tachanka that one Makhnovite referred to himself and his fellow troops as "a republic on tachanki".<ref>{{cite book |last=Malet |first=Michael |title=Nestor Makhno in the Russian Civil War |publisher=Macmillan |year=1981 |isbn=0-333-25969-6 |page=85}}</ref> The [[Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine]] used tachankas mainly against enemy cavalry. Makhnovists also used tachankas to transport infantry, thus improving mobility of the army (about 100 km each day). Tachankas soon became used by the Red Army, with the famous example of [[Vasily Chapayev]].<ref>Charles Townshend, ''The Oxford History of Modern War'', Oxford University Press, 2005, p186</ref> | ||
Later, it was adopted by a number of armies, notably the [[Polish Army]] which used it during the [[Polish-Soviet War]]. Initially mostly improvised, with time the Polish Army also adopted two models of factory-made ''taczanka''s, as they were called in Poland. They were used during the [[Invasion of Poland]] of 1939 to provide cavalry squadron support. They were attached to every cavalry HMG squadron and HMG company of infantry. | Later, it was adopted by a number of armies, notably the [[Polish Army]] which used it during the [[Polish-Soviet War]]. Initially mostly improvised, with time the Polish Army also adopted two models of factory-made ''taczanka''s, as they were called in Poland. They were used during the [[Invasion of Poland]] of 1939 to provide cavalry squadron support. They were attached to every cavalry HMG squadron and HMG company of infantry. | ||
Latest revision as of 09:12, 21 November 2025
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A tachanka (Russian and Template:Langx) is a horse-drawn cart (such as a charabanc) or an open wagon with a heavy machine gun mounted on the rear side. A tachanka requires a crew of two or three (one driver and a machine gun crew) and must be pulled by two to four horses.
Etymology
At least two plausible hypotheses account for the origin of the word tachanka. Vasmer's etymological dictionary suggests that the word derives from Ukrainian netychanka ("нетичанка"), Polish najtyczanka, a type of a carriage named after the town of Neutitschein, present-day Nový Jičín in the Czech Republic.[1] Another account references a Ukrainian diminutive or endearing form of the word tachka (Template:Langx, meaning "wheelbarrow'"). Still another etymology postulates a contracted form of the word tavrichanka - used for rugged carriages known in Southern Ukraine and Crimea, and derived from the name "Taurida" for this area.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". However the latter derivation remains dubious: the tavrichanka, a large, rugged agricultural carriage, has a completely different design.
Adoption
A regular civilian horse cart could be easily converted to military use and back. This made the tachanka popular during the World War I on the Eastern Front, where it was used by the Russian cavalry.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The use of tachankas reached its peak during the Russian Civil War (1917–1920s), particularly in the peasant regions of Southern Russia and Ukraine, on fronts where fluid mobile warfare gained much significance. With up to 4 horses abreast pulling a tachanka, it could easily keep up with cavalry units and support them with mobile firepower. While a number of sources attribute its invention to Nestor Makhno,[2][3][4] the idea of installing of light guns and machine guns on horse-driven carts was tried by the British during the colonial wars.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Tachanka tactics were centered around taking advantage of its speed to surprise the enemy. Tachankas, before the introduction of the tank or automobile to the battlefield, were a way to provide high-speed mobility for the heavy, bulky machine guns of World War I. The speed of the horse-drawn cart would be used to move the machine gun platform to a favorable firing position, and then the enemy would be fired upon before they had a chance to react. Since the machine gun pointed towards the rear of the cart, the tachankas also provided effective suppressive fire onto pursuing enemy cavalry after raids and during retreats. Ukrainian anarchist leader Nestor Makhno pioneered the use of the tachanka en masse during the Russian Civil War. Makhno's forces relied so heavily upon the use of the tachanka that one Makhnovite referred to himself and his fellow troops as "a republic on tachanki".[5] The Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine used tachankas mainly against enemy cavalry. Makhnovists also used tachankas to transport infantry, thus improving mobility of the army (about 100 km each day). Tachankas soon became used by the Red Army, with the famous example of Vasily Chapayev.[6]
Later, it was adopted by a number of armies, notably the Polish Army which used it during the Polish-Soviet War. Initially mostly improvised, with time the Polish Army also adopted two models of factory-made taczankas, as they were called in Poland. They were used during the Invasion of Poland of 1939 to provide cavalry squadron support. They were attached to every cavalry HMG squadron and HMG company of infantry.
Armament
Despite a certain degree of standardisation, the tachanka's armament was, in most cases, improvised. In Russia, the PM M1910 heavy machine gun was often used. The Polish cavalry of the Polish-Soviet War often used all kinds of machine guns available, including the Maxim, Schwarzlose MG M.07/12, Hotchkiss machine gun and Browning machine gun. The late models of standardised tachankas of the Polish Army were all equipped with Ckm wz.30, a Polish modification of the M1917 Browning machine gun which was also suitable for anti-air fire.
Cultural references
One of the songs glorifying the Red Army during the Russian Civil War was called Tachanka. The concluding lyrics, roughly translated, run:[7]
- And to this day, the foe has nightmares
- Of the thick rain of lead,
- The battle-chariot
- And the young machine gunner.
Tachankas can be seen in the classic Soviet films such as Chapayev and The Burning Miles. A modern variant of tachanka can be seen in a cult Russian film Brother 2. In modern Russian slang the word "tachanka" is used for any heavily armed non-standard tactical vehicles.
On 7 November 1987, some tachankas marched within Soviet Army historical segments during the October Revolution Day Parade in Moscow, which commemorated the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution.[8]
In the video game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, there is a playable Russian operator by the name of Alexsandr "Tachanka" Senaviev, who operates a DP-27 light machinegun (which was originally on a tripod and had a bulletproof glass shield), and an incendiary grenade launcher.[9]
In North Korea, the Korean People's Army showed Tachankas during the 2023 parades held in Pyongyang, one is commemorated the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army on 8 February, another is commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War on 27 July.[10][11]
See also
- Tachanka (song)
- Caracole
- Carroballista
- Drive-by shooting
- Horse artillery
- Zamburak
- Portee
- Technical (vehicle)
References
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- ↑ Vasmer's dictionary entry
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- ↑ Charles Townshend, The Oxford History of Modern War, Oxford University Press, 2005, p186
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External links
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