The beginning of that war was met with great enthusiasm by Russian society. Everyone believed in a quick victory. Thousands of volunteers went to the front, and among them were many children. They dropped out of school and ran away from home to have the chance to become famous in battles before the enemy was defeated. “Once again, after so many centuries, the Children’s Crusade was repeated! — wrote Korney Chukovsky in 1915. — The least they dream of is carrying bullets, or even serving as scouts.” Underage volunteers needed written consent from their parents to be enrolled in the army. Of course, they did not have it. The police would catch the young runaways and send them home, from where they would run away again. Soldiers were not very happy with such "guests" – no one wanted to be responsible for them. Most often, orphans or boys from remote villages were accepted as "sons of the regiment." They carried ammunition, delivered messages, and helped the wounded, and sometimes even went on reconnaissance missions into occupied territory. Like twelve-year-old Siberian Vasily Naumov – he was wounded twice, and for his bravery, he was promoted to non-commissioned officer. Eleven-year-old Cossack Vladimir Vladimirov went to war completely legally – his father, a Cossack cornet, took him along. After his father’s death, Volodya participated in many reconnaissance missions, was captured, and escaped. Underage children also fought on the other side of the front. Once, two Russian child volunteers encountered their "colleague" – a fifteen-year-old German scout armed with a rifle in the forest. Lost and confused, he surrendered to them without a fight. By the end of the Great War, the inexperienced youths had turned into battle-hardened soldiers. This came in handy, as they were already facing a new challenge – the Russian Civil War engulfed the country.