The death of the Russian guard in the battles of 1914 had tragic consequences. In the book A.Yu. Petukhov for the first time described in detail not only individual episodes, but all the battles of the guard in the first maneuvering period of the Great War in August - December 1914. The author considers little-known episodes of the fighting everyday life of the guards of Major General Mannerheim, headquarters captain Kutepov, second lieutenant Tukhachevsky, an attempt is made to figure out why the supreme command in the very first days of the war used the emperor's personal guard as a simple infantry. Such carelessness, wastefulness and shortsightedness in the near future cost the Russian people and the state many, many vain victims.