This article is one of the first attempts to examine the fate of men who were mobilised from Estonia at the time of the First World War by identifying the Guards regiments where Estonians served in larger numbers, and by providing an overview of the larger battles in which Estonians participated, placing them in the broader context of the First World War. Regiments where at least 200 Estonians served simultaneously were selected (this designation is arbitrary, but the limit had to be drawn somewhere). The numbers of Estonians in the regiments that are presented in the article are approximate and were derived from the relative proportion of Estonians in relation to the regiment’s losses.

The primary sources for writing the article were diaries recording the combat action of regiments, and documents concerning personnel that are preserved in collections of the Russian State Military History Archives, which can be found at the address www.gwar.mil.ru.

Compared to army infantry or rifle regiments, few Estonians served in Guards units. Nevertheless, an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 Estonians served in front-line units of Russian Guards regiments during the First World War. About 1,200 Estonians participated as part of Guards units in the battles fought for Kovel alone in the summer and autumn of 1916. The greatest number of Estonians served in the Finnish and grenadier regiments of the 2nd Guards Infantry Division. There were somewhat fewer Estonians in the Kexholm and Lithuanian regiments of the 3rd Guards Infantry Division. Few Estonians served in the 1st Guards Infantry Division, Guards rifle regiments, and Guards cavalry and artillery units.

A few isolated Estonian officers served in the Guards. Only one regular officer is known in addition to a few reserve ensigns, of whom at least one advanced to serve as a battalion commander (Eduard Lintrop in Paul’s Regiment).

Estonians participated in all the larger battles fought by the Russian Guards starting from August of 1914 (the Finnish Regiment). The Finnish and grenadier regiments engaged in combat in the northern part of Poland in the winter of 1915 and made their contribution in the difficult retreat battles from Krasnostaw to Brest in the summer. About 400 Estonians participated with the grenadier regiment in a battle near the village of Krupe in July of 1915, where they fought against Prussian Guards. This can be considered one of the most outstanding episodes for the Russian Guards in the entire war. The Guards suffered heavy losses here primarily due to mistakes in leadership, deficient awareness of the situation, and a shortage of artillery support.

After a lengthy furlough, the Guards tried to capture Kovel in the battles following the breakthrough at Lutsk in the summer and autumn of 1916. Estonians suffered their heaviest casualties of the entire war in these battles. The Kexholm Regiment especially distinguished itself in attacking the fortified position at Trysten at the start of the battle and achieved noteworthy tactical success, but since there was a shortage of reserves, this success was not capitalised on. About 500 Estonians participated in this battle together with other units of the 3rd Guards Infantry Division. More than 200 of them were killed, wounded, or went missing in action on the battlefield. Considering other Guards units that were in battle as well, the losses suffered by Estonians on that day extended to 350 men. Similarly to previous battles, there were problems here as well in managing the battle (selection of the starting position for the attack, preparatory artillery fire, the use of reserves).

In summary, it can be said that although Estonians accounted for 5–10% of the personnel of the Guards regiments, they participated in all the main battles fought by the Russian Guards in the First World War. What they saw and experienced on the battlefield no doubt left its impression in the men’s consciousness and could have affected their decisions in 1917.